I like to drink a lot of plain arbonated water - aka soda water - but
tend to avoid club soda (water) since I learned it contains about 2%
sodium.

Anywho, I've often thought of recycling these 2-litre bottles with tap
water for emergencies, but somehow I think perhaps a drop or few of
chlorine should be added to the water, to make sure it's safe for
long-term storage ?? Is this chlorine the regular sort that's used to
clean laundry? Yeah, yeah, I can Google, but it's easier to ask here,
and also a sort of comical 'watch' and see how 'some' folks respond ;>>

Sky

P.S. This is where the use of a glass "eye dropper" would definitely
come in handy, with regard to another recent thread :> Only a few drops
of chlorine would be needed to 'preserve' a 2-litre bottle of tap water, eh!

--

Ultra Ultimate Kitchen Rule - Use the Timer!
Ultimate Kitchen Rule -- Cook's Choice!!

"Sky" > wrote in message
...
>I like to drink a lot of plain arbonated water - aka soda water - but tend
>to avoid club soda (water) since I learned it contains about 2% sodium.
>
> Anywho, I've often thought of recycling these 2-litre bottles with tap
> water for emergencies, but somehow I think perhaps a drop or few of
> chlorine should be added to the water, to make sure it's safe for
> long-term storage ?? Is this chlorine the regular sort that's used to
> clean laundry? Yeah, yeah, I can Google, but it's easier to ask here, and
> also a sort of comical 'watch' and see how 'some' folks respond ;>>
>
> Sky
>
> P.S. This is where the use of a glass "eye dropper" would definitely come
> in handy, with regard to another recent thread :> Only a few drops of
> chlorine would be needed to 'preserve' a 2-litre bottle of tap water, eh!

I used to keep water like that but never for drinking. I just buy bottled
for that. Even that goes bad after a few years.

On Mon, 27 Aug 2012 16:11:46 -0500, Sky >
wrote:

>I like to drink a lot of plain arbonated water - aka soda water - but
>tend to avoid club soda (water) since I learned it contains about 2%
>sodium.
>
>Anywho, I've often thought of recycling these 2-litre bottles with tap
>water for emergencies, but somehow I think perhaps a drop or few of
>chlorine should be added to the water, to make sure it's safe for
>long-term storage ?? Is this chlorine the regular sort that's used to
>clean laundry? Yeah, yeah, I can Google, but it's easier to ask here,
>and also a sort of comical 'watch' and see how 'some' folks respond ;>>
>
>Sky
The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has published
guidelines for long-term water storage. FEMA recommends commercially
bottled water because it has been specially prepared for long-term
storage. FEMA also provides instructions for bottling and storing your
own water. This method requires food-grade storage containers such as
those sold at camping supplies stores, or plastic soda bottles (which
require an additional sanitization step). FEMA recommends maintaining
a three-day water supply of at least 1 gallon per person per day.

Janet US

On Mon, 27 Aug 2012 16:11:46 -0500, Sky >
wrote:

>I like to drink a lot of plain arbonated water - aka soda water - but
>tend to avoid club soda (water) since I learned it contains about 2%
>sodium.
>
>Anywho, I've often thought of recycling these 2-litre bottles with tap
>water for emergencies, but somehow I think perhaps a drop or few of
>chlorine should be added to the water, to make sure it's safe for
>long-term storage ?? Is this chlorine the regular sort that's used to
>clean laundry? Yeah, yeah, I can Google, but it's easier to ask here,
>and also a sort of comical 'watch' and see how 'some' folks respond ;>>
>
>Sky
>
>P.S. This is where the use of a glass "eye dropper" would definitely
>come in handy, with regard to another recent thread :> Only a few drops
>of chlorine would be needed to 'preserve' a 2-litre bottle of tap water, eh!

I don't think that's a good idea. Many plastics decay with chlorine
bleach. And I don't think the municipal water companies that
chlorinate use laundry bleach. You may be safer using those
purification tablets sold at camping supply stores. I suggest you do
more research, phone your local municipal water company and pose your
question.

On Mon, 27 Aug 2012 16:11:46 -0500, Sky >
wrote:

>I like to drink a lot of plain arbonated water - aka soda water - but
>tend to avoid club soda (water) since I learned it contains about 2%
>sodium.
>
>Anywho, I've often thought of recycling these 2-litre bottles with tap
>water for emergencies, but somehow I think perhaps a drop or few of
>chlorine should be added to the water, to make sure it's safe for
>long-term storage ?? Is this chlorine the regular sort that's used to
>clean laundry? Yeah, yeah, I can Google, but it's easier to ask here,
>and also a sort of comical 'watch' and see how 'some' folks respond ;>>
>
>Sky
>
>P.S. This is where the use of a glass "eye dropper" would definitely
>come in handy, with regard to another recent thread :> Only a few drops
>of chlorine would be needed to 'preserve' a 2-litre bottle of tap water, eh!

If you want to keep water stored over the long term, follow FEMA's
advice about doing it.

http://www.ready.gov/water

Boron

Brooklyn1 wrote:
>
> On Mon, 27 Aug 2012 16:11:46 -0500, Sky >
> wrote:
>
> >I like to drink a lot of plain arbonated water - aka soda water - but
> >tend to avoid club soda (water) since I learned it contains about 2%
> >sodium.
> >
> >Anywho, I've often thought of recycling these 2-litre bottles with tap
> >water for emergencies, but somehow I think perhaps a drop or few of
> >chlorine should be added to the water, to make sure it's safe for
> >long-term storage ?? Is this chlorine the regular sort that's used to
> >clean laundry? Yeah, yeah, I can Google, but it's easier to ask here,
> >and also a sort of comical 'watch' and see how 'some' folks respond ;>>
> >
> >Sky
> >
> >P.S. This is where the use of a glass "eye dropper" would definitely
> >come in handy, with regard to another recent thread :> Only a few drops
> >of chlorine would be needed to 'preserve' a 2-litre bottle of tap water, eh!
>
> I don't think that's a good idea. Many plastics decay with chlorine
> bleach. And I don't think the municipal water companies that
> chlorinate use laundry bleach. You may be safer using those
> purification tablets sold at camping supply stores. I suggest you do
> more research, phone your local municipal water company and pose your
> question.

Sodium hypochlorite is sodium hypochlorite and chlorine bleach
(unscented) has long been approved and recommended for sanitizing water.
The PET soda bottles are sanitized with a chlorine solution before
bottling, it's not an issue.

Julie Bove wrote:

> I used to keep water like that but never for drinking. I just buy bottled
> for that. Even that goes bad after a few years.

OK, I'm going to bite on this one. It's my week to be the village
idiot, I guess.

How can bottled water go bad?

For bathing, house cleaning, dish washing and toilet flushing, just use
whatever clean bottles you have available. You can also fill a clean,
spare bathtub that you do not use.

Becca

Hurricane tip: fill a large, clean, trash barrel with water. and put the lid on it. If you lose power, you can set this barrel in the sun after the storm and at least not have to take cold showers. Don a bikini, soap up a use this warm water to rinse.

Filling the bathtub is for toilet flushing and maybe some hand laundry. Even if you don't need it, you can use it for flushing later.

For cooking, I fill clean, bleach-sanitized jugs with water. I keep a collection of about 30 clean jugs on hand and sanitize at the beginning of the season. Push to shove, I guess I could drink it too if desperate. If I don't lose my running water, then I just dump the 30 gallons into the washer and do a cold wash. Drought conditions mandate this, plus my water bill.

I've been without elec. for long periods, and I'll tell ya, I'll take water over elec. ANY day.

Sky > wrote:

>Anywho, I've often thought of recycling these 2-litre bottles with tap
>water for emergencies, but somehow I think perhaps a drop or few of
>chlorine should be added to the water, to make sure it's safe for
>long-term storage ?? Is this chlorine the regular sort that's used to
>clean laundry? Yeah, yeah, I can Google, but it's easier to ask here,
>and also a sort of comical 'watch' and see how 'some' folks respond ;>>

I'd keep the chlorine (bleach or similar) around to add to potential
drinking water during an emergency, but would not pre-add it to water
being stored for an emergency. Once diluted, bleach degrades,
so it is not continuing to protect your stored water.

Keeping a few glass pitchers around, and hen the main volume
of stored water in plastic containers, makes sense. That way
you can decant the water into glass, then treat it, then wait
a day or two, then drink it.

Rotating out the stored water every 6 months is best, but 18 months
is better than nothing.


Steve

On 8/27/2012 6:05 PM, Kalmia wrote:
> Hurricane tip: fill a large, clean, trash barrel with water. and put the lid on it. If you lose power, you can set this barrel in the sun after the storm and at least not have to take cold showers. Don a bikini, soap up a use this warm water to rinse.
>
> Filling the bathtub is for toilet flushing and maybe some hand laundry. Even if you don't need it, you can use it for flushing later.
>
> For cooking, I fill clean, bleach-sanitized jugs with water. I keep a collection of about 30 clean jugs on hand and sanitize at the beginning of the season. Push to shove, I guess I could drink it too if desperate. If I don't lose my running water, then I just dump the 30 gallons into the washer and do a cold wash. Drought conditions mandate this, plus my water bill.
>
> I've been without elec. for long periods, and I'll tell ya, I'll take water over elec. ANY day.


Good advice, thanks. After a hurricane, our water is seldom turned off,
but you might have to boil the water before you can use it. We have a
gas water heater, so we can still take showers. Our electricity has
been off for 3+ weeks, though. That is the worst part, especially in
August when it is 99 degrees outside.

Becca

"Kalmia" > wrote in message

I've been without elec. for long periods, and I'll tell ya, I'll take water
over elec. ANY day.
________________________________
I agree whole heartedly.

"Ema Nymton" > wrote in message
...
> On 8/27/2012 6:05 PM, Kalmia wrote:
>> Hurricane tip: fill a large, clean, trash barrel with water. and put
>> the lid on it. If you lose power, you can set this barrel in the sun
>> after the storm and at least not have to take cold showers. Don a
>> bikini, soap up a use this warm water to rinse.
>>
>> Filling the bathtub is for toilet flushing and maybe some hand laundry.
>> Even if you don't need it, you can use it for flushing later.
>>
>> For cooking, I fill clean, bleach-sanitized jugs with water. I keep a
>> collection of about 30 clean jugs on hand and sanitize at the beginning
>> of the season. Push to shove, I guess I could drink it too if desperate.
>> If I don't lose my running water, then I just dump the 30 gallons into
>> the washer and do a cold wash. Drought conditions mandate this, plus my
>> water bill.
>>
>> I've been without elec. for long periods, and I'll tell ya, I'll take
>> water over elec. ANY day.
>
>
> Good advice, thanks. After a hurricane, our water is seldom turned off,
> but you might have to boil the water before you can use it. We have a gas
> water heater, so we can still take showers. Our electricity has been off
> for 3+ weeks, though. That is the worst part, especially in August when it
> is 99 degrees outside.

I must admit that I can't see the cause for quite so much faffing around.

I live in the country and we supply our own water and only use or have acess
to what we store ourselves. This water is in the form of rainwater. On our
house we have at tank (USian is 'cistern' I think) that holds 5,000 gallons
and that is used for drinking and showering and clothes washing. We have a
garden tank that is filled from a bore that is used for flushing and garden
water.

We never treat this water in any way. During the 10 years of drought we had
here, our housetank ran out perhaps on 2 occasions and when that happened we
had to pump water up to the housetank from the 5,000 gallon tanks on either
the shearing shed or the machinery shed. These tanks have held rainwater
for years. It sits there untreated and unused till the housetank runs out.
We've never had any problem using it. But then it is stored in the dark
without any possibility of vermin entering the tanks and any excess inflow
just runs out of the overflow. Perhaps the overflow serves ins oem way to
keep it refreshed, but I'd have my doubts about that since if flow in at the
top of the tank and also flows out again at the top.

On 8/27/2012 11:11 AM, Sky wrote:
> I like to drink a lot of plain arbonated water - aka soda water - but
> tend to avoid club soda (water) since I learned it contains about 2%
> sodium.
>
> Anywho, I've often thought of recycling these 2-litre bottles with tap
> water for emergencies, but somehow I think perhaps a drop or few of
> chlorine should be added to the water, to make sure it's safe for
> long-term storage ?? Is this chlorine the regular sort that's used to
> clean laundry? Yeah, yeah, I can Google, but it's easier to ask here,
> and also a sort of comical 'watch' and see how 'some' folks respond ;>>
>
> Sky
>
> P.S. This is where the use of a glass "eye dropper" would definitely
> come in handy, with regard to another recent thread :> Only a few drops
> of chlorine would be needed to 'preserve' a 2-litre bottle of tap water,
> eh!
>

I think that's a very good idea. Personally, I'd add more than a few
drops of sodium hypochlorite i.e., household bleach. At least enough to
where there's some taste to it. My understanding is that diluted bleach
isn't toxic, especially at the levels you're talking about.

Oddly enough, I've added some bleach to my water cooler that has a funny
taste to it. My guess is that it's caused by the water in the bottle
that's been sitting around for about 2 years or so. OTOH, I'm supposed
to clean out the water cooler every year or so but beats me how one does
something like that. I'll just let it soak for a few hours then drain
and flush it out.

On Mon, 27 Aug 2012 17:56:06 -0400, George M. Middius
> wrote:

>Julie Bove wrote:
>
>> I used to keep water like that but never for drinking. I just buy bottled
>> for that. Even that goes bad after a few years.
>
>OK, I'm going to bite on this one. It's my week to be the village
>idiot, I guess.
>
>How can bottled water go bad?

Common bottled water is not sterile, typically has a one year use-by
date, printed right on the container. One can buy sterile bottled
water but it costs more, lasts longer but not infinitely, it's not
hermetically sealed. One can buy distilled bottled water too, but
that also is not sterile, just contains no minerals. One can buy
sterile water for medical use but it's expensive. Nowadays there is no
point to bottling ones own for consumption, ordinary bottled water is
inexpensive enough to replace once a year. Walmart sells gallon jugs
of bottled water for 69¢... I buy a dozen at a time and as they get
close to the use-by date I replace them and I use the older ones for
cooking.

On Mon, 27 Aug 2012 23:29:19 +0000 (UTC),
(Steve Pope) wrote:

>Sky > wrote:
>
>>Anywho, I've often thought of recycling these 2-litre bottles with tap
>>water for emergencies, but somehow I think perhaps a drop or few of
>>chlorine should be added to the water, to make sure it's safe for
>>long-term storage ?? Is this chlorine the regular sort that's used to
>>clean laundry? Yeah, yeah, I can Google, but it's easier to ask here,
>>and also a sort of comical 'watch' and see how 'some' folks respond ;>>
>
>I'd keep the chlorine (bleach or similar) around to add to potential
>drinking water during an emergency, but would not pre-add it to water
>being stored for an emergency. Once diluted, bleach degrades,
>so it is not continuing to protect your stored water.
>
>Keeping a few glass pitchers around, and hen the main volume
>of stored water in plastic containers, makes sense. That way
>you can decant the water into glass, then treat it, then wait
>a day or two, then drink it.
>
>Rotating out the stored water every 6 months is best, but 18 months
>is better than nothing.

Clorinating tap water for storage is plain silly, ordinary bottled
water is plenty cheap enough and it's fine to store for at least a
year.

"Brooklyn1" <Gravesend1> wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 27 Aug 2012 17:56:06 -0400, George M. Middius
> > wrote:
>
>>Julie Bove wrote:
>>
>>> I used to keep water like that but never for drinking. I just buy
>>> bottled
>>> for that. Even that goes bad after a few years.
>>
>>OK, I'm going to bite on this one. It's my week to be the village
>>idiot, I guess.
>>
>>How can bottled water go bad?
>
> Common bottled water is not sterile, typically has a one year use-by
> date, printed right on the container. One can buy sterile bottled
> water but it costs more, lasts longer but not infinitely, it's not
> hermetically sealed. One can buy distilled bottled water too, but
> that also is not sterile, just contains no minerals. One can buy
> sterile water for medical use but it's expensive. Nowadays there is no
> point to bottling ones own for consumption, ordinary bottled water is
> inexpensive enough to replace once a year. Walmart sells gallon jugs
> of bottled water for 69¢... I buy a dozen at a time and as they get
> close to the use-by date I replace them and I use the older ones for
> cooking.

Indeed! That's what I do. When we lived on Cape Cod, I would save my
laundry detergent jugs with water in them for use in the toilet or bathing.
In those days the jugs were all large ones. Now I use the little Method
pumps so that wouldn't work. I also always had a lot of gallon sized bottle
of water in the house because our tap water contained Chlordane so I would
not drink it or cook with it. In those days the single serve bottles of
water were not available unless you bought something expensive like Evian.
At least they were not available where we lived. So I always kept several
gallons. I would keep a few of those full of water too for bathing and
such. But we never needed it.

On Mon, 27 Aug 2012 15:23:56 -1000, dsi1
> wrote:

>
> I think that's a very good idea. Personally, I'd add more than a few
> drops of sodium hypochlorite i.e., household bleach. At least enough to
> where there's some taste to it. My understanding is that diluted bleach
> isn't toxic, especially at the levels you're talking about.
>
> Oddly enough, I've added some bleach to my water cooler that has a funny
> taste to it. My guess is that it's caused by the water in the bottle
> that's been sitting around for about 2 years or so. OTOH, I'm supposed
> to clean out the water cooler every year or so but beats me how one does
> something like that. I'll just let it soak for a few hours then drain
> and flush it out.

Call the water company and have them deliver a new water cooler (tell
your employer not to be so cheap). Those things get mold in them -
don't fool around with other people's health.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On 8/27/2012 4:10 PM, sf wrote:
> On Mon, 27 Aug 2012 15:23:56 -1000, dsi1
> > wrote:
>
>>
>> I think that's a very good idea. Personally, I'd add more than a few
>> drops of sodium hypochlorite i.e., household bleach. At least enough to
>> where there's some taste to it. My understanding is that diluted bleach
>> isn't toxic, especially at the levels you're talking about.
>>
>> Oddly enough, I've added some bleach to my water cooler that has a funny
>> taste to it. My guess is that it's caused by the water in the bottle
>> that's been sitting around for about 2 years or so. OTOH, I'm supposed
>> to clean out the water cooler every year or so but beats me how one does
>> something like that. I'll just let it soak for a few hours then drain
>> and flush it out.
>
> Call the water company and have them deliver a new water cooler (tell
> your employer not to be so cheap). Those things get mold in them -
> don't fool around with other people's health.
>

It's my water cooler - I got it from Home Depot for $120 and boy, is it
nifty. It's got hot and cold water. After filling the hot water tank
with bleach and letting it soak, I drained it. It was filled with black
particles. Acck! Looks like I'm gonna need more bleach!

Brooklyn1 <Gravesend1> wrote:
> On Mon, 27 Aug 2012 16:11:46 -0500, Sky >
> wrote:
>
>> I like to drink a lot of plain arbonated water - aka soda water - but
>> tend to avoid club soda (water) since I learned it contains about 2%
>> sodium.
>>
>> Anywho, I've often thought of recycling these 2-litre bottles with tap
>> water for emergencies, but somehow I think perhaps a drop or few of
>> chlorine should be added to the water, to make sure it's safe for
>> long-term storage ?? Is this chlorine the regular sort that's used to
>> clean laundry? Yeah, yeah, I can Google, but it's easier to ask here,
>> and also a sort of comical 'watch' and see how 'some' folks respond ;>>
>>
>> Sky
>>
>> P.S. This is where the use of a glass "eye dropper" would definitely
>> come in handy, with regard to another recent thread :> Only a few drops
>> of chlorine would be needed to 'preserve' a 2-litre bottle of tap water, eh!
>
> I don't think that's a good idea. Many plastics decay with chlorine
> bleach. And I don't think the municipal water companies that
> chlorinate use laundry bleach. You may be safer using those
> purification tablets sold at camping supply stores. I suggest you do
> more research, phone your local municipal water company and pose your
> question.

The plastic clorox bottle leaks gas, and the bottle weakens with storage.
If it sits for a long time, it not as strong.

What's in the treated water to begin with, determines how much bleach you
need. It's called a smell test. Adding bleach should make it smell
chlorine. If there is too much contamination, you need more bleach. If
there is sufficient treatment, i think the water should last a long time,
even with eventual removal of the bleach solution, by escape. Some wTer
treatment plants use little chlorine. While safe, organisms may accumulate
over time.

Greg

George M. Middius > wrote:
> Julie Bove wrote:
>
>> I used to keep water like that but never for drinking. I just buy bottled
>> for that. Even that goes bad after a few years.
>
> OK, I'm going to bite on this one. It's my week to be the village
> idiot, I guess.
>
> How can bottled water go bad?

Distiller water might have the least chance to go bad. Bottled water is
filtered water, most times, or not.

Greg

Kalmia > wrote:
> Hurricane tip: fill a large, clean, trash barrel with water. and put
> the lid on it. If you lose power, you can set this barrel in the sun
> after the storm and at least not have to take cold showers. Don a
> bikini, soap up a use this warm water to rinse.
>
> Filling the bathtub is for toilet flushing and maybe some hand laundry.
> Even if you don't need it, you can use it for flushing later.
>
> For cooking, I fill clean, bleach-sanitized jugs with water. I keep a
> collection of about 30 clean jugs on hand and sanitize at the beginning
> of the season. Push to shove, I guess I could drink it too if desperate.
> If I don't lose my running water, then I just dump the 30 gallons into
> the washer and do a cold wash. Drought conditions mandate this, plus my water bill.
>
> I've been without elec. for long periods, and I'll tell ya, I'll take
> water over elec. ANY day.

I got some big cat litter containers !!

Greg

On 8/27/2012 4:10 PM, sf wrote:
>
> Call the water company and have them deliver a new water cooler (tell
> your employer not to be so cheap). Those things get mold in them -
> don't fool around with other people's health.
>

This reminds me - I hate my water company! They kept leaving water
bottles at my door. I told the delivery guy to stop leaving water and
that I'd contact him when I needed more. When I'd get back to the
office, there would be a bottle left there. I had to stash the bottles
in the closet. It was ridiculous, there was at one time 4 bottles of
water in my office. The closet was also filled with small bottles of
water that I bought when there was a hurricane approaching.
Unfortunately, the storm passed us by.

The water company would also charge me for the empty bottles which they
never came to pick up. I figure it's some kind of scheme to build up
some capital. I called the company several times and requested that they
stop the service. This did not work and there would be another bottle of
water at my door and a charge for an empty bottle. In the end, I just
stopped paying them for a few months. They picked up the empty bottles
eventually but I never got credited for that. I paid them off a few
years ago. The bottle I have left is the last remnants of that sad water
fiasco. I'm keeping the empty bottle. Heavens knows, I've paid for a
bunch of them.

Now my plan is to become my own water bottling company. All I need is a
hose. I already got a sink. :-)

Brooklyn1 <Gravesend1> wrote:

>Clorinating tap water for storage is plain silly, ordinary bottled
>water is plenty cheap enough and it's fine to store for at least a
>year.

Officially 6 months; I say 18 months. And it has enough
chloramine in it to begin with. It's no more likely to
become contagious than Wal-Mart milk is to become sour.



Steve

Farm1 wrote:
> "Ema Nymton" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On 8/27/2012 6:05 PM, Kalmia wrote:
>>> Hurricane tip: fill a large, clean, trash barrel with water. and
>>> put the lid on it. If you lose power, you can set this barrel in
>>> the sun after the storm and at least not have to take cold showers.
>>> Don a bikini, soap up a use this warm water to rinse.
>>>
>>> Filling the bathtub is for toilet flushing and maybe some hand
>>> laundry. Even if you don't need it, you can use it for flushing
>>> later. For cooking, I fill clean, bleach-sanitized jugs with water. I
>>> keep a collection of about 30 clean jugs on hand and sanitize at
>>> the beginning of the season. Push to shove, I guess I could drink
>>> it too if desperate. If I don't lose my running water, then I just
>>> dump the 30 gallons into the washer and do a cold wash. Drought
>>> conditions mandate this, plus my water bill.
>>>
>>> I've been without elec. for long periods, and I'll tell ya, I'll
>>> take water over elec. ANY day.
>>
>>
>> Good advice, thanks. After a hurricane, our water is seldom turned
>> off, but you might have to boil the water before you can use it. We
>> have a gas water heater, so we can still take showers. Our
>> electricity has been off for 3+ weeks, though. That is the worst
>> part, especially in August when it is 99 degrees outside.
>
> I must admit that I can't see the cause for quite so much faffing
> around.
> I live in the country and we supply our own water and only use or
> have acess to what we store ourselves. This water is in the form of
> rainwater. On our house we have at tank (USian is 'cistern' I think)
> that holds 5,000 gallons and that is used for drinking and showering
> and clothes washing. We have a garden tank that is filled from a
> bore that is used for flushing and garden water.
>
> We never treat this water in any way. During the 10 years of drought
> we had here, our housetank ran out perhaps on 2 occasions and when
> that happened we had to pump water up to the housetank from the 5,000
> gallon tanks on either the shearing shed or the machinery shed. These
> tanks have held rainwater for years. It sits there untreated
> and unused till the housetank runs out. We've never had any problem
> using it. But then it is stored in the dark without any possibility
> of vermin entering the tanks and any excess inflow just runs out of
> the overflow. Perhaps the overflow serves ins oem way to keep it
> refreshed, but I'd have my doubts about that since if flow in at the
> top of the tank and also flows out again at the top.

I have read about such cisterns but I have also read that they can be loaded
with bacteria. It's a good thing we don't have to depend on rain water
here. We'd be very thirsty!

On Mon, 27 Aug 2012 16:47:39 -1000, dsi1
> wrote:

> On 8/27/2012 4:10 PM, sf wrote:
> >
> > Call the water company and have them deliver a new water cooler (tell
> > your employer not to be so cheap). Those things get mold in them -
> > don't fool around with other people's health.
> >
>
> This reminds me - I hate my water company! They kept leaving water
> bottles at my door. I told the delivery guy to stop leaving water and
> that I'd contact him when I needed more. When I'd get back to the
> office, there would be a bottle left there. I had to stash the bottles
> in the closet. It was ridiculous, there was at one time 4 bottles of
> water in my office. The closet was also filled with small bottles of
> water that I bought when there was a hurricane approaching.
> Unfortunately, the storm passed us by.
>
> The water company would also charge me for the empty bottles which they
> never came to pick up. I figure it's some kind of scheme to build up
> some capital. I called the company several times and requested that they
> stop the service. This did not work and there would be another bottle of
> water at my door and a charge for an empty bottle. In the end, I just
> stopped paying them for a few months. They picked up the empty bottles
> eventually but I never got credited for that. I paid them off a few
> years ago. The bottle I have left is the last remnants of that sad water
> fiasco. I'm keeping the empty bottle. Heavens knows, I've paid for a
> bunch of them.
>
> Now my plan is to become my own water bottling company. All I need is a
> hose. I already got a sink. :-)

I still think you should throw that water dispenser out rather than
take any chances with anyone's health. A friend is on steroids for 10
years because of breathing in airborne mold and after watching what
she's going through, I just don't think it's very smart to take a
chance with the kind of mold that isn't edible.

You have a refrigerator for keeping water cold and if you want hot
water *that* badly, use an electric tea kettle (the glass kind).

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On 8/27/2012 7:22 PM, Farm1 wrote:

> I must admit that I can't see the cause for quite so much faffing around.
>
> I live in the country and we supply our own water and only use or have acess
> to what we store ourselves. This water is in the form of rainwater. On our
> house we have at tank (USian is 'cistern' I think) that holds 5,000 gallons
> and that is used for drinking and showering and clothes washing. We have a
> garden tank that is filled from a bore that is used for flushing and garden
> water.
>
> We never treat this water in any way. During the 10 years of drought we had
> here, our housetank ran out perhaps on 2 occasions and when that happened we
> had to pump water up to the housetank from the 5,000 gallon tanks on either
> the shearing shed or the machinery shed. These tanks have held rainwater
> for years. It sits there untreated and unused till the housetank runs out.
> We've never had any problem using it. But then it is stored in the dark
> without any possibility of vermin entering the tanks and any excess inflow
> just runs out of the overflow. Perhaps the overflow serves ins oem way to
> keep it refreshed, but I'd have my doubts about that since if flow in at the
> top of the tank and also flows out again at the top.

Heh, I like the word "faffing". My family had a 300 acre farm outside of
town, we had a water well with a windmill, an enclosed tank and a fount
that was on ground level to water the livestock, they also had a lake to
supply them with water. We never treated the water at the farm, either.

We live in the city, with city water, this is what worries us. The
public water supply loses pressure when the electricity goes out, making
it possible for contaminants to enter water lines.

After a hurricane, we can take showers, flush toilets, do housecleaning
(who wants to?). Hurricane season, arrives when it is hot, 99 (F) or 38
(C). We also have a home office, and we need our computers. We can
survive without power, but we can not earn a living without it.

Becca

On 8/28/2012 6:52 AM, sf wrote:
> I still think you should throw that water dispenser out rather than
> take any chances with anyone's health. A friend is on steroids for 10
> years because of breathing in airborne mold and after watching what
> she's going through, I just don't think it's very smart to take a
> chance with the kind of mold that isn't edible.

It's not an airborne mold. It's some kind of algae that is able to
survive at a high temperature. Kinda neat actually.

We just ripped out the walls of my bathroom and put up new ones due to
water damage and black mold. My brother-in-law is familiar with the
stuff and just tore out everything. It was kind of hairy for a while.

>
> You have a refrigerator for keeping water cold and if you want hot
> water *that* badly, use an electric tea kettle (the glass kind).
>

"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
...
> Farm1 wrote:
>> "Ema Nymton" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On 8/27/2012 6:05 PM, Kalmia wrote:
>>>> Hurricane tip: fill a large, clean, trash barrel with water. and
>>>> put the lid on it. If you lose power, you can set this barrel in
>>>> the sun after the storm and at least not have to take cold showers.
>>>> Don a bikini, soap up a use this warm water to rinse.
>>>>
>>>> Filling the bathtub is for toilet flushing and maybe some hand
>>>> laundry. Even if you don't need it, you can use it for flushing
>>>> later. For cooking, I fill clean, bleach-sanitized jugs with water. I
>>>> keep a collection of about 30 clean jugs on hand and sanitize at
>>>> the beginning of the season. Push to shove, I guess I could drink
>>>> it too if desperate. If I don't lose my running water, then I just
>>>> dump the 30 gallons into the washer and do a cold wash. Drought
>>>> conditions mandate this, plus my water bill.
>>>>
>>>> I've been without elec. for long periods, and I'll tell ya, I'll
>>>> take water over elec. ANY day.
>>>
>>>
>>> Good advice, thanks. After a hurricane, our water is seldom turned
>>> off, but you might have to boil the water before you can use it. We
>>> have a gas water heater, so we can still take showers. Our
>>> electricity has been off for 3+ weeks, though. That is the worst
>>> part, especially in August when it is 99 degrees outside.
>>
>> I must admit that I can't see the cause for quite so much faffing
>> around.
>> I live in the country and we supply our own water and only use or
>> have acess to what we store ourselves. This water is in the form of
>> rainwater. On our house we have at tank (USian is 'cistern' I think)
>> that holds 5,000 gallons and that is used for drinking and showering
>> and clothes washing. We have a garden tank that is filled from a
>> bore that is used for flushing and garden water.
>>
>> We never treat this water in any way. During the 10 years of drought
>> we had here, our housetank ran out perhaps on 2 occasions and when
>> that happened we had to pump water up to the housetank from the 5,000
>> gallon tanks on either the shearing shed or the machinery shed. These
>> tanks have held rainwater for years. It sits there untreated
>> and unused till the housetank runs out. We've never had any problem
>> using it. But then it is stored in the dark without any possibility
>> of vermin entering the tanks and any excess inflow just runs out of
>> the overflow. Perhaps the overflow serves ins oem way to keep it
>> refreshed, but I'd have my doubts about that since if flow in at the
>> top of the tank and also flows out again at the top.
>
> I have read about such cisterns but I have also read that they can be
> loaded with bacteria. It's a good thing we don't have to depend on rain
> water here. We'd be very thirsty!

I guess they could become full of bacteria of there was access for vermin,
but I've lived where rainwater in such tanks (cisterns) was the main source
of drinking water for many decades. I've not heard of anyone becoming sick
from drinking it or washing their teeth in it whereas I do know of multiple
alerts to boil any water for drinking and teeth cleaning from a number of
municipal supplies.

"Ema Nymton" > wrote in message
...
> On 8/27/2012 7:22 PM, Farm1 wrote:
>
>> I must admit that I can't see the cause for quite so much faffing around.
>>
>> I live in the country and we supply our own water and only use or have
>> acess
>> to what we store ourselves. This water is in the form of rainwater. On
>> our
>> house we have at tank (USian is 'cistern' I think) that holds 5,000
>> gallons
>> and that is used for drinking and showering and clothes washing. We have
>> a
>> garden tank that is filled from a bore that is used for flushing and
>> garden
>> water.
>>
>> We never treat this water in any way. During the 10 years of drought we
>> had
>> here, our housetank ran out perhaps on 2 occasions and when that happened
>> we
>> had to pump water up to the housetank from the 5,000 gallon tanks on
>> either
>> the shearing shed or the machinery shed. These tanks have held rainwater
>> for years. It sits there untreated and unused till the housetank runs
>> out.
>> We've never had any problem using it. But then it is stored in the dark
>> without any possibility of vermin entering the tanks and any excess
>> inflow
>> just runs out of the overflow. Perhaps the overflow serves ins oem way
>> to
>> keep it refreshed, but I'd have my doubts about that since if flow in at
>> the
>> top of the tank and also flows out again at the top.
>
> Heh, I like the word "faffing".

It's a lovely word IMO :-))

My family had a 300 acre farm outside of
> town, we had a water well with a windmill, an enclosed tank and a fount
> that was on ground level to water the livestock, they also had a lake to
> supply them with water. We never treated the water at the farm, either.

I don't know of any long time rural family who does threat their water for
either stock or for humans.

> We live in the city, with city water, this is what worries us. The public
> water supply loses pressure when the electricity goes out, making it
> possible for contaminants to enter water lines.

That is a very legitimate worry IMO.

> After a hurricane, we can take showers, flush toilets, do housecleaning
> (who wants to?). Hurricane season, arrives when it is hot, 99 (F) or 38
> (C). We also have a home office, and we need our computers. We can
> survive without power, but we can not earn a living without it.

:-((( As a former wage slave, I sympathise.

"Andy" > wrote in message ...
>A URL woould be nice! Oops!
>
> http://oi46.tinypic.com/2ir546c.jpg

Very nice.

"Farm1" > wrote in message
...
> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Farm1 wrote:
>>> "Ema Nymton" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>> On 8/27/2012 6:05 PM, Kalmia wrote:
>>>>> Hurricane tip: fill a large, clean, trash barrel with water. and
>>>>> put the lid on it. If you lose power, you can set this barrel in
>>>>> the sun after the storm and at least not have to take cold showers.
>>>>> Don a bikini, soap up a use this warm water to rinse.
>>>>>
>>>>> Filling the bathtub is for toilet flushing and maybe some hand
>>>>> laundry. Even if you don't need it, you can use it for flushing
>>>>> later. For cooking, I fill clean, bleach-sanitized jugs with water. I
>>>>> keep a collection of about 30 clean jugs on hand and sanitize at
>>>>> the beginning of the season. Push to shove, I guess I could drink
>>>>> it too if desperate. If I don't lose my running water, then I just
>>>>> dump the 30 gallons into the washer and do a cold wash. Drought
>>>>> conditions mandate this, plus my water bill.
>>>>>
>>>>> I've been without elec. for long periods, and I'll tell ya, I'll
>>>>> take water over elec. ANY day.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Good advice, thanks. After a hurricane, our water is seldom turned
>>>> off, but you might have to boil the water before you can use it. We
>>>> have a gas water heater, so we can still take showers. Our
>>>> electricity has been off for 3+ weeks, though. That is the worst
>>>> part, especially in August when it is 99 degrees outside.
>>>
>>> I must admit that I can't see the cause for quite so much faffing
>>> around.
>>> I live in the country and we supply our own water and only use or
>>> have acess to what we store ourselves. This water is in the form of
>>> rainwater. On our house we have at tank (USian is 'cistern' I think)
>>> that holds 5,000 gallons and that is used for drinking and showering
>>> and clothes washing. We have a garden tank that is filled from a
>>> bore that is used for flushing and garden water.
>>>
>>> We never treat this water in any way. During the 10 years of drought
>>> we had here, our housetank ran out perhaps on 2 occasions and when
>>> that happened we had to pump water up to the housetank from the 5,000
>>> gallon tanks on either the shearing shed or the machinery shed. These
>>> tanks have held rainwater for years. It sits there untreated
>>> and unused till the housetank runs out. We've never had any problem
>>> using it. But then it is stored in the dark without any possibility
>>> of vermin entering the tanks and any excess inflow just runs out of
>>> the overflow. Perhaps the overflow serves ins oem way to keep it
>>> refreshed, but I'd have my doubts about that since if flow in at the
>>> top of the tank and also flows out again at the top.
>>
>> I have read about such cisterns but I have also read that they can be
>> loaded with bacteria. It's a good thing we don't have to depend on rain
>> water here. We'd be very thirsty!
>
> I guess they could become full of bacteria of there was access for vermin,
> but I've lived where rainwater in such tanks (cisterns) was the main
> source of drinking water for many decades. I've not heard of anyone
> becoming sick from drinking it or washing their teeth in it whereas I do
> know of multiple alerts to boil any water for drinking and teeth cleaning
> from a number of municipal supplies.

I read the story many years ago and it was about the hardships of migrant
and non-migrant farm workers. These people were living in a claptrap house
and had a cistern with water that was tested and found not to be potable.
And yet that was all they had.

On Tue, 28 Aug 2012 10:31:24 -1000, dsi1
> wrote:

> On 8/28/2012 6:52 AM, sf wrote:
> > I still think you should throw that water dispenser out rather than
> > take any chances with anyone's health. A friend is on steroids for 10
> > years because of breathing in airborne mold and after watching what
> > she's going through, I just don't think it's very smart to take a
> > chance with the kind of mold that isn't edible.
>
> It's not an airborne mold. It's some kind of algae that is able to
> survive at a high temperature. Kinda neat actually.
>
> We just ripped out the walls of my bathroom and put up new ones due to
> water damage and black mold. My brother-in-law is familiar with the
> stuff and just tore out everything. It was kind of hairy for a while.
>
The decision is up to you. You tore out bathroom walls due to black
mold, but you resist throwing out a water dispenser. Out of sight,
out of mind?

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Farm1" > wrote in message
> ...
>> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Farm1 wrote:
>>>> "Ema Nymton" > wrote in message
>>>> ...
>>>>> On 8/27/2012 6:05 PM, Kalmia wrote:
>>>>>> Hurricane tip: fill a large, clean, trash barrel with water. and
>>>>>> put the lid on it. If you lose power, you can set this barrel in
>>>>>> the sun after the storm and at least not have to take cold showers.
>>>>>> Don a bikini, soap up a use this warm water to rinse.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Filling the bathtub is for toilet flushing and maybe some hand
>>>>>> laundry. Even if you don't need it, you can use it for flushing
>>>>>> later. For cooking, I fill clean, bleach-sanitized jugs with water.
>>>>>> I
>>>>>> keep a collection of about 30 clean jugs on hand and sanitize at
>>>>>> the beginning of the season. Push to shove, I guess I could drink
>>>>>> it too if desperate. If I don't lose my running water, then I just
>>>>>> dump the 30 gallons into the washer and do a cold wash. Drought
>>>>>> conditions mandate this, plus my water bill.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I've been without elec. for long periods, and I'll tell ya, I'll
>>>>>> take water over elec. ANY day.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Good advice, thanks. After a hurricane, our water is seldom turned
>>>>> off, but you might have to boil the water before you can use it. We
>>>>> have a gas water heater, so we can still take showers. Our
>>>>> electricity has been off for 3+ weeks, though. That is the worst
>>>>> part, especially in August when it is 99 degrees outside.
>>>>
>>>> I must admit that I can't see the cause for quite so much faffing
>>>> around.
>>>> I live in the country and we supply our own water and only use or
>>>> have acess to what we store ourselves. This water is in the form of
>>>> rainwater. On our house we have at tank (USian is 'cistern' I think)
>>>> that holds 5,000 gallons and that is used for drinking and showering
>>>> and clothes washing. We have a garden tank that is filled from a
>>>> bore that is used for flushing and garden water.
>>>>
>>>> We never treat this water in any way. During the 10 years of drought
>>>> we had here, our housetank ran out perhaps on 2 occasions and when
>>>> that happened we had to pump water up to the housetank from the 5,000
>>>> gallon tanks on either the shearing shed or the machinery shed. These
>>>> tanks have held rainwater for years. It sits there untreated
>>>> and unused till the housetank runs out. We've never had any problem
>>>> using it. But then it is stored in the dark without any possibility
>>>> of vermin entering the tanks and any excess inflow just runs out of
>>>> the overflow. Perhaps the overflow serves ins oem way to keep it
>>>> refreshed, but I'd have my doubts about that since if flow in at the
>>>> top of the tank and also flows out again at the top.
>>>
>>> I have read about such cisterns but I have also read that they can be
>>> loaded with bacteria. It's a good thing we don't have to depend on rain
>>> water here. We'd be very thirsty!
>>
>> I guess they could become full of bacteria of there was access for
>> vermin, but I've lived where rainwater in such tanks (cisterns) was the
>> main source of drinking water for many decades. I've not heard of anyone
>> becoming sick from drinking it or washing their teeth in it whereas I do
>> know of multiple alerts to boil any water for drinking and teeth cleaning
>> from a number of municipal supplies.
>
> I read the story many years ago and it was about the hardships of migrant
> and non-migrant farm workers. These people were living in a claptrap
> house and had a cistern with water that was tested and found not to be
> potable. And yet that was all they had.

Well even in that situation, there are a couple of things that could be done
with some minor domestic ingenuity (sp?) - distill it or filter it would be
2 that come to mind. But it would be really crook to not have access to
potable water on a regular basis.

On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 12:00:31 +1000, "Farm1" >
wrote:

>
>I guess they could become full of bacteria of there was access for vermin,
>but I've lived where rainwater in such tanks (cisterns) was the main source
>of drinking water for many decades. I've not heard of anyone becoming sick
>from drinking it or washing their teeth in it whereas I do know of multiple
>alerts to boil any water for drinking and teeth cleaning from a number of
>municipal supplies.
>
>
There is a fine and long history - thousands of years of it, of
individuals and communities collecting and storing rainwater. It isn't
bad thing, nor inherently prone to disease when done built. We laud
the engineering of those civilizations that did it well. We likely do
not have much history of those who tried it, but failed at it for one
reason or another.

Muni systems, however, are usually created from open-source lakes and
rivers and reservoirs and rely on chemical treatment and filtration as
well as pressure flow of some sort to keep them safe. The average
homeowner - say, for example, the one who asked here if reusing soda
bottles for long term drinking water storage - runs the risk of
introducing contaminants, biological and otherwise, with such
measures.

You have a tried and true rainwater collection system. The other
poster has a used pop bottle and a muni system. It isn't that the
former is infallible and the latter doomed at every use, but why risk
the odds if one is doing disaster preparedness?

Boron

On 8/28/2012 1:57 PM, Andy wrote:
> A URL woould be nice! Oops!
>
> http://oi46.tinypic.com/2ir546c.jpg
>
> Andy


Nice looking house and property, Andy.

Becca

On 8/28/2012 6:05 PM, sf wrote:
> On Tue, 28 Aug 2012 10:31:24 -1000, dsi1
> > wrote:
>
>> On 8/28/2012 6:52 AM, sf wrote:
>>> I still think you should throw that water dispenser out rather than
>>> take any chances with anyone's health. A friend is on steroids for 10
>>> years because of breathing in airborne mold and after watching what
>>> she's going through, I just don't think it's very smart to take a
>>> chance with the kind of mold that isn't edible.
>>
>> It's not an airborne mold. It's some kind of algae that is able to
>> survive at a high temperature. Kinda neat actually.
>>
>> We just ripped out the walls of my bathroom and put up new ones due to
>> water damage and black mold. My brother-in-law is familiar with the
>> stuff and just tore out everything. It was kind of hairy for a while.
>>
> The decision is up to you. You tore out bathroom walls due to black
> mold, but you resist throwing out a water dispenser. Out of sight,
> out of mind?
>

The harmful effects of black mold is well documented. That's not so with
cyanobacteria/blue-green algae. They are not the same so there's no
reason to treat them the same. My feeling is that I can clean out the
tank with a simple bleach shock treatment. I've never had any problem
with drinking the hot water. The bad taste comes strictly from the old
water from the bottle.

On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 08:10:31 -1000, dsi1
> wrote:

> On 8/28/2012 6:05 PM, sf wrote:
> > On Tue, 28 Aug 2012 10:31:24 -1000, dsi1
> > > wrote:
> >
> >> On 8/28/2012 6:52 AM, sf wrote:
> >>> I still think you should throw that water dispenser out rather than
> >>> take any chances with anyone's health. A friend is on steroids for 10
> >>> years because of breathing in airborne mold and after watching what
> >>> she's going through, I just don't think it's very smart to take a
> >>> chance with the kind of mold that isn't edible.
> >>
> >> It's not an airborne mold. It's some kind of algae that is able to
> >> survive at a high temperature. Kinda neat actually.
> >>
> >> We just ripped out the walls of my bathroom and put up new ones due to
> >> water damage and black mold. My brother-in-law is familiar with the
> >> stuff and just tore out everything. It was kind of hairy for a while.
> >>
> > The decision is up to you. You tore out bathroom walls due to black
> > mold, but you resist throwing out a water dispenser. Out of sight,
> > out of mind?
> >
>
> The harmful effects of black mold is well documented. That's not so with
> cyanobacteria/blue-green algae. They are not the same so there's no
> reason to treat them the same. My feeling is that I can clean out the
> tank with a simple bleach shock treatment. I've never had any problem
> with drinking the hot water. The bad taste comes strictly from the old
> water from the bottle.

I thought you said there were black bits that came out of the water
dispenser when you rinsed it out. Well, I'm not going to argue with
you anymore over this. You know my opinion and where I stand on the
issue.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On 8/29/2012 8:51 AM, sf wrote:
>
> I thought you said there were black bits that came out of the water
> dispenser when you rinsed it out. Well, I'm not going to argue with
> you anymore over this. You know my opinion and where I stand on the
> issue.
>

Blue-green algae will typically appear black. I know it sucks but that's
what they call the stuff. Your position is clear. OTOH, it's my water
dispenser - I was just testing to see if you could be swayed by
knowledge and logic.

"Boron Elgar" > wrote in message
news
> On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 12:00:31 +1000, "Farm1" >
> wrote:
>
>>
>>I guess they could become full of bacteria of there was access for vermin,
>>but I've lived where rainwater in such tanks (cisterns) was the main
>>source
>>of drinking water for many decades. I've not heard of anyone becoming
>>sick
>>from drinking it or washing their teeth in it whereas I do know of
>>multiple
>>alerts to boil any water for drinking and teeth cleaning from a number of
>>municipal supplies.
>>
>>
> There is a fine and long history - thousands of years of it, of
> individuals and communities collecting and storing rainwater. It isn't
> bad thing, nor inherently prone to disease when done built. We laud
> the engineering of those civilizations that did it well. We likely do
> not have much history of those who tried it, but failed at it for one
> reason or another.
>
> Muni systems, however, are usually created from open-source lakes and
> rivers and reservoirs and rely on chemical treatment and filtration as
> well as pressure flow of some sort to keep them safe. The average
> homeowner - say, for example, the one who asked here if reusing soda
> bottles for long term drinking water storage - runs the risk of
> introducing contaminants, biological and otherwise, with such
> measures.
>
> You have a tried and true rainwater collection system. The other
> poster has a used pop bottle and a muni system. It isn't that the
> former is infallible and the latter doomed at every use, but why risk
> the odds if one is doing disaster preparedness?

I've never thought that this thread was about an either/or situation. As
usual it's morphed.

I'd suggest if the person is doing disaster prep then s/he uses whatever is
on hand to store water and whatever is convenient but to do so only for a
limited time frame and replace and restore often. That could be done on a
daily basis if need be to make tea or coffee or washing up or whatever. It
isn't rocket science to do and especially if they don't use it as long term
storage but as on ongoing 'emergency only' stopgap measure.