I’m really trying to emphasize storing water big time because I don’t want my readers standing in line to get water from their local communities after a disaster. Please store water a few different ways. If your local water lines are contaminated you may not be able to use your water heater tank for your hydrating needs. Just something to think about. You may remember me talking about the different timetables for survival.
If you want to know how long you can live without water, air, shelter or food, I have you covered with this timetable below. Of course, there are always variables but you get the jest of what I’m trying to convey. Please remember when filling your containers where applicable to use a lead-free hose.
Please remember to place your water containers off the concrete/cement floors with at least a two-inch clearance. I use two by four’s. Explanation about concrete, water temperatures can change and therefore, moisture can form so we need space for air to circulate around the containers. Another reason is possibly chemicals from the concrete can leach into the containers.
Survival Timetable
- 3 minutes without air (I don’t recommend trying this)
- 3 hours without shelter (extreme heat or cold weather)
- 3 days without water (you’ll need water or you’ll perish)
- 3 weeks without food (I promise this would not be fun)
Related: How to Start a Prepping Plan
Water Storage Ideas
I thought today I would break it down for you to on how to figure out how much to store and which containers. Everyone has a budget and we all have different sized homes or apartments. The American Red Cross recommends one gallon per person per day. I recommend four gallons per person per day. I get thirsty just thinking I could only have one-gallon per day. We need it for hydrating, cooking, and personal hygiene.
Plastic Bottles
I looked at a case I have in my house that has 24 bottles filled with 20-ounces of water. One case has 480 ounces which equal 3.75 gallons. Yes, it’s less than four gallons but you get the idea. So this case would be enough for one day for one person. If you want enough for 30 days you will need 30 cases for one person.
Pros: inexpensive, about $5.00 a case
Cons: only stores for 6-12 months, cannot refill the bottles
WaterBricks
WaterBricks hold 3.5 gallons (the larger ones). They come with a handle and stack on top of each other. If you use Water Preserver you can rotate the bottles every 5 years. You can get them anywhere from $20.00 each to $175.00 for ten containers on Amazon. Here again, if we use one of these for the allotted water per day you will need one WaterBrick per person per day. If you want to store enough for 30 days you will need 30 WaterBricks for one person. Each container, when filled with water, weighs about 27 pounds.
Pros: reusable, you can rotate them every 5 years if you use Water Preserver. Once purchased you have a lifetime water storage container. You can store these under a bed or stack them. I have 56 gallons of water in WaterBricks under a bed in my guest room. WaterBrick article by Linda
Cons: expensive
Blue Can Water
I store some Blue Can Water cases behind this dresser in my bedroom. This is my favorite water because of its taste. It’s pure water. Each box has 24 cans of 12-ounces each. The total amount of water per case is 288 ounces which equal 2.25 gallons. I call this water storage, my set and forget water. I know it’s not my 4-gallons but I want to show you how much water is in each case. Let’s say you want one case for each person per day (I want a little more but hey), then you will need 30 cases for one person for 30 days.
Pros: stores from 33 to 150 degrees. They are stackable and easy to carry. No water preservation is needed. No rotation needed at least in my lifetime (50 years). No filter or purifier is needed.
Cons: expensive
Related: How to Can Water for Emergencies
100-Gallon Bathtub Container
I will be honest here, this is not my favorite way to store water, but if you KNOW a hurricane is coming you can fill this Water Bob with 100-gallons of water and it sits in your bathtub. It does have a spigot, but you may want another spigot, I had a reader tell me they do not come with a good spigot. If you want to break this down, this Water Bob will hydrate one person for 30 days with just a little over three gallons per day. WaterBob from Amazon
Pros: cheap
Cons: not easily accessible. I would want to filter or purify this bathtub water, personally.
5-Gallon Tanks
I used to get water delivered to my house years ago until I switched to Reverse Osmosis about 13 years ago. Best decision I ever made. It cost less than $400.00 to have one installed and the guy comes once a year with new cartridges and cleans the lines for a total of $105.00 a year. BARGAIN!
Several grocery stores in town let you fill your own after your purchase of the container.
Here’s the deal, I still like those 5-gallon containers you can buy and store for your hot/cold water dispenser. They are heavy but they also hold 5-gallons. You could count one 5-gallon tank for two days worth of water for one person. Therefore fifteen 5-gallon tanks would be good for thirty days for one person.
Pros: good clean water, not expensive
Cons: hard to haul in your car
55-Gallon Water Barrels
This is the type of container I started my water storage years ago. I personally will only use this water for personal hygiene because I am not rotating it. I have four barrels on the side of my home covered with a UV protector bag. I live in the desert and these help keep my barrels from totally cracking from the heat. They have been out there ten years now and they are still going strong. No leaks, no algae. I open all four once a year and check them. They are good to go. Please remember you need a Bung with these and a siphon pump.
One 55-gallon barrel would suffice for one person for a month. Yes, you would have less than 2-gallons a day per person.
Pros: very inexpensive
Cons: hard to access the water
Related: Is it Safe to Drink Old Stored Water?
250-Gallon Tanks
I had to save my money for one of these babies. That’s all I wanted for Christmas last year. It didn’t look that big at the store. Anyway, I filled it with the Nano Silver container it came with and fresh water, so I only have to rotate this water every 5 years.
Ideally, this one tank would take care of two people for 30 days. Thirty days times four gallons equals 240 gallons.
Pros: holds a lot of water, it has two spigots so you can fill it and drain it. One time purchase
Cons: very expensive
I hope today helps you just a little more in getting prepared for the unexpected. Let me know your favorite water storage tips.
