Storing water at home for long periods of time: instructions for use

Whether it is to filter, purify or store water, the constitution of water reserves requires a very wide preparation: arrangement of storage spaces, learning of the corresponding sanitary rules, equipment for making water from javel ... In this article, I will try to give you the maximum information on good practices for the management of the water stock.

 Storing water: rigorous preparation required

1 Running water, luxury of luxuries

The running water in the dwellings appeared in Paris in the middle of the 19th century under the impetus of Baron Hausmann and the complete connection of French households to the distribution network ended in the late 1980s. consider today a commonplace technology is a miracle to which 800 million humans still do not have access. Our modern lifestyle rests largely on: without running water hygiene and hydration become problematic, especially in apartment. No washing machine or dishwasher, no flush, no shower or drinking water to drink at the tap. Storing water has become commonplace since the arrival of running water and supermarkets. Before these modernizations, we went to the source or the well ...

2.Water and public health

To cut the running water in the Paris region would be to plunge the population 2 centuries back with the difference that all adapted public infrastructures have disappeared (public latrines, Seine wash-boats, bath-showers, etc.) and that the population is more than 550 000 but about 2.5 million inhabitants, 12 million.

Lack of water = lack of hygiene = illness = death

Hydration is an essential physiological need and storing water is imperative. Securing this need revolves around water storage, recovery, purification and transportation systems.

It is essential to have at your disposal a stock of drinking water to compensate for any possible failure of the water distribution system (cutting, contamination, etc.). The treatment and storage of water are complex and should not be taken lightly: some bacteria such as legionellosis develop in the water and a poorly preserved stock will potentially do more harm than good.

As you have understood, storing water can not be improvised; drinking contaminated water can have dramatic consequences: stomach ache, diarrhea, extreme dehydration and ultimately death. Worldwide, 4 billion diarrheal episodes occur each year and almost 90% are due to unsafe water but also to poor storage conditions, whether at source, during transport or home storage !

3.Water requirements of an adult

An adult needs to drink 2L of water a day for his body to work properly, uses about 1L for his toilet and another 1L for cooking. If we consider the needs of an individual over 1 month, we must store at least:

1.       56L of water to drink,

2.       30L more for cooking,

3.       30L more for washing / flushing / washing,

4.       A total of 116L of water / person for 1 month of total autonomy.

It is therefore necessary to provide a stock of water consisting of 15 bottles of 8L of spring water to meet the monthly needs of an individual without running water. For a family of 4, this represents 60 tanks or 480L for 1 month of full autonomy ... or almost ½ ton of water and a surface of about 6m². This sounds impressive but for comparison, according to WHO in USA an adult consumes about 150L of water per day or approximately 4500L per month (4.5 tons!).

Of course, if the conditions dictate it is possible to save water by drinking less, washing one day in two and doing his needs in garbage bags. We can also count on the recovery of rainwater to feed the toilet flush, but it must, for that, that the weather allows it. And even living in Paris, where it rains 50% of the time, it is not guaranteed.

2. Store water in an apartment or house

1. Storing water requires facilities

The water weighs heavy (as a reminder, 1L = 1Kg) and takes up a lot of space but is absolutely essential for life. Do not hesitate to be inventive and store water in an apartment above the cupboards, under the beds, in the basement or in a parking box (particularly useful for loading your vehicle in case of evacuation). The bogus format is preferred because it facilitates transport and its use can be diverted when needed (fuel storage, bucket processing, etc.).

The ideal is to constitute a stock of spring water in 8 to 10 liter bottles kept cool and in the dark to avoid the development of algae and micro-organisms. The water supply must always be kept cool (or at room temperature if you do not have a cellar) but especially away from sources of light. A water supply exposed to UV rays will develop micro-organisms and will not be unfit for consumption.

To store water, it is also possible to set aside water cows and jerry cans of 5,10 or 20L that will be filled at the last minute if needed, but we take the risk of being caught by urgency and not having the opportunity to do so. Creating a corner of your home to accommodate the water supply is strongly advised.

If you store drinking water in a cellar, a parking box, an attic or a barn, take care to isolate your stock of water from the ground by placing it on wooden planks and cover it with a tarpaulin . Water and containers are sensitive to thermal shock, especially freezes and thaws that promote the development of harmful microorganisms that can crack glass and plastic.

2 .Conservation of water in a plastic bottle (PET)

Bottled water can be kept very long. Health authorities recommend drinking water from a bottle within 48 hours of opening to avoid the development of harmful micro-organisms. The quality of the water contained in a plastic bottle does not deteriorate unless exposed to light and / or left open. A pre-emption date is indicated on each water bottle because of the long-term decrease in its mineral content and the plastic that breaks up and mixes with water over time. This is called the packaging-product interaction.

The expiry date of mineral water can easily be exceeded by several months or even years without you having to fear for your health (only if the bottle had never been opened, of course!). The only risk of consuming bottled water after the expiration date is to find a plastic taste. Indeed, plastic molecules mix with water over time. In the very long term, consuming such a repetitive water implies a low risk of chemical poisoning (micro-particles of plastic accumulate in your kidneys). In the best of all worlds, the date of conservation of plastic bottled water should therefore be respected ... But if you have nothing left to drink it is better to take this minor risk than to die dehydrated!

Keeping water in glass bottles is the best solution but the cost, fragility and weight of these containers make them unattractive in a survivalist perspective. To store water in an apartment or a small house, it is better to count on bottles and plastic water packs. By organizing the rotation of your stocks, you will avoid any risk of exceeding their expiry dates in a "normal" situation.

3 .Running water from the public network: a perishable commodity

Public water is treated for immediate consumption. This water, considered healthy but kept too long at home or used in bad conditions, can become unsafe and dangerous. The problem of storage and conservation of drinking water for domestic use is very old and has returned in force in recent years because of the events shaking USA

To consume public tap water safely, high-performance filters like the Big Berkey can be used . These systems that purify and consume even totally soiled water are a must-have for any survivalist and should be at the top of any shopping list.

To store tap water, it must be treated beforehand. For this, it is possible to use silver salt pellets such as Micropur, but your stocks of drinking water can also be purified with bleach (it surprises, I know: we'll see later) how to proceed and also how to make bleach).

Filtration of water using a suitable device allows the blocking of foreign bodies, viruses and large molecules. However, if it is effective and useful this process is not a guarantee of healthy water alone and is therefore not 100% reliable to protect you from disease or poisoning. Once filtered, the water must be purified before being consumed.

4. Water  filtration

The filtration is done through a filter that you can buy commercially or make yourself if the circumstances require. This step is used to remove the maximum amount of impurities from the water you want to consume or store.

After filtration, the purification of the water can be done by boiling, by UV exposure or by chemical treatment. Important: once purified, the water should not be transferred to a container that you do not know about cleanliness: it could contaminate it and the operation should be started again.

5 .Purify water for storage or drinking

Boiling the water at 100 ° C for 8 to 10 minutes eliminates microorganisms such as bacteria and parasites. Once the water returns to room temperature, it can be drunk without worry. It is the safest and safest means of purification and should be favored for storing water when conditions permit . Storing this drinking water for several months (up to 1 year) will be possible if you add 3 or 4 drops of concentrated bleach with 2.6% of active chlorine. If you are trying to make bleach yourself, keep in mind that it will be less concentrated and you will need to put more in the water you want to store.

The chemical treatment has the advantage of being able to treat large volumes of water for immediate drinking or to keep it for several months until the container is reopened. It can be done with tablets of silver salts (Micropur for example) available in pharmacies and in sports shops. Just add 1 tablet per liter of water to treat (double the dose if the water is cloudy) and wait 1 hour to consume water if this is your intention.

Bleach(it's coming!) is also an excellent chemical purifier that can be used without fear to treat and store water. The one we usually find in large surface containing 2.6% of active chlorine, it is necessary to count 3 to 4 drops per liter of water to obtain an effective purification (here too, double the dose in case of troubled water). However, be careful not to buy scented bleach or bleach tablets, these products are totally unsuitable for this use. This method is particularly interesting because unlike tablets of silver salts, the bleach can be made by hand in a fairly simple way. With this method,

To know: the industrial bleach is preserved up to 3 years in a never opened bottle and 3 months maximum after opening. Once the container is opened, the bleach quickly loses its active ingredient and eventually becomes ineffective.

Important: If the water you want to filter is chemically contaminated, no treatment will make it drinkable. For example, rainwater in the Paris region is full of chemicals and oil residues. Just look at the condition of parked cars after a downpour: they are stained with dirt. Water testers exist at affordable prices, do not hesitate to get one (or two).

Purification by UV exposure, which is often seen on television, is a simple but slow process that does not allow a large amount of water to be treated. This mode of purification must really be your last resort. It requires a lot of sunshine and is therefore more suited to desert climates than the sunshine of a city like Lille or Paris where it will be valid only in summer. To purify the water thanks to the sun, it is enough to expose it in a transparent container (plastic bottle or glass, ziplock bag, etc.) for a minimum duration of 6 hours. Once this time has passed, you can drink it. No need to imagine being able to store water in large quantities with this technique ...

6. Put canned water to store it for a very long time

Some pseudo-survivalist sites offer sachets, cans and bottles of drinking water very long conservation at exorbitant rates (about € 5 / liter) to store water at home. These products are usually dedicated to being integrated into marine packs for life rafts. Do not buy that!  This "magical" water with very long shelf life is not exceptional outside of its marketing coating. Behind the name "water of survival" hides a very simple process that you can achieve at home without paying a dime.

Like food, water can be canned for long-term preservation. This preservation process has the advantage of not using any chemical process (silver salts or bleach) and being 100% safe in the long term (say 5 years). To create your own long-lasting drinking water, simply follow this very simple procedure:

Sterilize jars (or any other suitable GLASS container , such as a mechanical closure bottle such as lemonade bottles) by placing them in boiling water (100 ° C) for 10 minutes.

Carry the water you wish to can also boil (always at 100 ° C and always for 10 minutes).

Once your water is purified, pour it into your sterilized jars and seal them tightly.

Place your jars filled with water in your sterilizer (or pressure cooker) so that they are covered with water and boil at 100 ° C for 10 minutes.

Your long-term drinking water is ready! Repeat the process until you get the desired water supply.

Since glass jars are transparent, the water you canned will be sensitive to light. To avoid the risks associated with this exposure, I recommend you create an opaque mask around your canned water using black stretch film of 20 microns or more. This will also have the advantage of reducing the risk of breakage if you transport the jars and will provide protection against dust. The only weak point of bottling the water is that the seal can eventually dry out and crack if you keep them in a too dry place. You must therefore check the tightness of your canned drinking water before drinking.

To store drinking water in large quantities and for a long time, you can sterilize a demijohn  (or bigger if you are ambitious ...) and seal it with a waxed cork stopper before re-sterilizing the whole thing. pour wax on the cap and the neck. But you will need a very high capacity sterilizer and it is not easy to find or very practical. To avoid this problem, you can clean the demijohn and its cap with active oxygen before filling it with water that you have previously purified by boiling. The water thus kept will be drinkable for several years and you can check it with a water tester (I insist, order one).

Practical work:  How to make bleach

To purify or store water with bleach, you still need to have it on hand. Here is the method to make bleach yourself easily and safely if you have no other solution.

Warning  :  making bleach comes into contact with a toxic and corrosive product that must be handled with care. Its manufacture requires to work with vigilance. The following procedure causes chlorine and hydrogen fumes, do not breathe them.

To make bleach, use goggles and gloves, place in a very ventilated room (open windows) and keep away from any flame or sparks.

Required material:

1 container open and transparent preferably (a volume of 1.5 to 2L is recommended).

Scotch tape or 1 box support 1 battery 1.5v (AA / LR06).

1 x 1.5v battery (type AA / LR06).

2 electric wires with alligator clips at the ends (to hold the electrodes).

2 graphite mines with a minimum diameter of 1.5mm (will serve as anode and cathode).

Tap water or distilled water.

Sea salt.

Here's how to make homemade bleach:

1.       Pour the water into the container.

2.       Pour the salt into the container. It is considered that it takes at least about 20g / liter of water, or 5 teaspoons.

3.       Stir the solution to accelerate the dissolution of the salt. As long as it dissolves, you can add some.

4.       Connect the anode and the cathode to the wires equipped with alligator clips and place them in the container.

5.       Connect the wires to the battery with tape or the support box: the reaction begins.

6.       Bubbles or clouds form around the electrodes.

7.       After 15 to 20 minutes, the reaction will weaken and stop. Disconnect your electrodes and remove them from the resulting solution.

8.       Your bleach is ready! Use a funnel to pour it into a bottle and seal it tightly. Use it in the month following its manufacture, homemade bleach is very poor.

9.       Its concentration of active chlorine is 1 to 1.5% (against 2.6% in general in industrial bleach), so you will need to put 10 to 12 drops per liter of water that you want to purify .