water

ok I'm a little knew at all of this. My question is about storing water. I have several big orange igloo coolers for drinks. Can I store water drinking water in thoses and if so for how long? Or what is the best way to store drinking water and how long will it keep? We have a well and when the power goes off we have no water. I have been saving water in old gallon mike jugs to flush but wasn't sure of the best way about drinking water. I have four children. Also another crazy question how is the best way to store batteries so you will have enough for emergencies. Last year between the ice and the hurricane we were out of power for a long time with each. I would appreciate any help I could get.
Thanks

[Cyngbaeld]

You can store water in your coolers, but with 4 kids I don't think each one will last more than a day. Why don't you get a back up hand pump for the well?

What are you using batteries for? Lights? Music? Electronic games?

Water should last quite a while if it does not have any microorganisms/algae in it. I would be most worried about such little buggers building up in the plastic cooler and tainting the water ever time you refill it. If you can rig up a water distillation apparatus and sterilize your bottles, water will probably last for years provided you keep it out of the light. You could also just go down to wally world and buy 1 gallon jugs of distilled h2o (50 cents a piece I remember right) and store them. I think they come with a use by date so if you rotate your stock according to the date you should be fine. Years ago people used to store water in the form of beer. Bottled beer will keep for months if kept out of the light, canned beer last even longer but it is not a suitable drink for children. Quality batteries should least for years. You can also still find appliances that do not need batters to work. Hand crank Jeep radios are still available and both Coleman and Petromax make a wide variety of lanterns/stoves that can be used in emergencies and for outdoor ambiance. A good gas or charcoal grill can also be handy. You can also consider a Honda generator to power your essential items. Good Luck

[uncle Will in In.]

If you have a freezer with any room, you can freeze the water. It will keep in there until you need it. We store our dry cell batteries in the refrigerator.

[tinknal]

I second what Uknle W said, an added bonus is that a full freezer is more energy efficient.

[JoAnne in CA]

I attended an earthquate preparedness class a few years ago. The advice for drinking water storage was to fill bleach bottles with water, add 1 teaspoon of bleach, mark the date on the bottle, and it would be good for one year. What I do now is everytime I empty a bleach bottle, I leave a smidgen of bleach, fill it with water and tuck it anywhere I find a little space.--Then try to remember to refill in a year. That's the hard part.

[Jena]

when i lived in the desert i put my earthquake water in soda bottles. i put a bit of bleach in them and sealed them. they lasted at least a year...the water was clear, but i would have boiled it for drinking just to be sure.

you can also buy 55-gallon barrels for pretty cheap. just make sure that they didn't have chemicals in them.

jena

I appreciate all the help. The only things we use batteries for is the radio, and flash lights. We use mostly candles and kerosene lamps for light. Use a coleman for cooking and our woodstove in the winter. Thanks for sharing. I would love to hear any more ideas on being prepared. We did real well last year with the hurricane and the ice storm. I just believe you can't be toooooo prepared.
Have a great evening
Joy

[chickflick]

OMG!!!!! A TEASPOON OF BLEACH????!!!!!!!!! Dear dear!! I think that is WAY too much. (I don't have to use MUCH more than THAT in an entire washer load to sanitize my massage sheets for the State of Texas Health Dept.!!!)

I've used 2-litre, washed and rinsed empty soda bottles. (get from your friends if you don't use soda). Fill w/water, and THREE DROPS of bleach. They have kept for 3 1/2 years and then I just refilled them because I thought I should.

[Cyngbaeld]

For flashlights I really recommend the LED ones, they have dropped in price and the batteries last much longer. You might also get each child an emergency only hand pumped light. Don't let them have the lights unless the power is out. It'll entertain them some too. Be sure that the adults have the head mount flashlights. It is so much easier to work with one of those than to be trying to use a hand held one when you need both hands.

If you look around for a solar/hand crank radio you can prob find one for a reasonable price. Most of them will run for quite a while after being set in the sun for a few hours.

You might also want to get a propane lantern and a spare 5 gal propane tank. They put out a much better quality light than oil lamps and candles. They are safer too. Less likely to knock over and cause a fire.

[comfortablynumb]

the army special forces medical handbook sez;
8 drops per gal min, for "unknown water".

when I store polar water jugs of water i rinse them with a few drops of bleach&soap, rinse with clear and fill. Ive had water jugs sit for years sealed with no green or smell.
its like canning food. if its clean to begin with it will stay clean, all things being equal.

to get rid of the chorox smell& taste, heat the water up and let it sit a while, the chlorine will evaporate off.

I'm not a fan of clorine, I think its a pretty dangerous chemical in the long run. so use it sparingly only if ya have to.

you can also add iodine tabs to water thats been sitting just in case you worry.

[shepmom]

<<... hand pump for the well ... >>

Where do you find a reasonable priced well hand pump?

[Cyngbaeld]

Northern tool carries some inexpensive ones but they don't have a lot of suction. Won't work on a very deep well.

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...d=-1&PHOTOS=on

Look at this. I wonder how far down it could pump?
http://www.i4at.org/lib2/ropepump.htm

here is one that shows more detail

http://www.westerveld.nu/pump.htm

Lehman's carries a deep well hand pump, but it's a bit pricey. 295.00
They also have a well bucket that will fit down a 4" well. I remember using one when I was a child. It works best with an overhead pulley. 39.95
http://www.lehmans.com/shopping/prod...&iProductID=97

[shepmom]

I checked the links.

Our well is 55' deep. Has a wide circular cement top closing it off, except for current pipes going down the center opening (cap) then connecting to electric pump with water storage tank.

I can't understand why a hand pump is so pricey for a deep well. :no:
We can always hook a bucket on a rope if need be....but I was hoping to rig up a hand pump for power outages.

The bike idea is interesting, but I imagaine a rope pump would wear us out. Not getting any younger. ;-)