Good product for home water storage

This site has good prices and relatively low shipping charges for Reliance rigid water containers. I've found them to be excellent products that are stackable and store a lot of water in a surprisingly small space. I have the 4gal and 7gal and will probably get this 5gal.

Brightnorm

RELIANCE WATER CONTAINERS

Brightnorm---I agree. I have one of the 7-gallon cubes and it is the first water container that comes up from the basement when our power goes out (we have an electrically powered well).

I got mine at Wally World for about $12 USD. I have been thinking about getting a second one. They are much more convenient than 5-gallon pails.

Re: Reliance water containers

Nice. You're storing water for an emergency? Do you put anything in it to keep it fresh?

BTW, Ziploc bags are handy for carrying water around if you run out of bottles. They're not indestructable but are tougher than you might expect. A 1-quart one full of water will usually withstand a drop to the floor from chest level without breaking (I tested). Bigger ones will probably break more easily (I haven't dared use that way).

I usually stick a few ziploc bags in my backpack when hiking or travelling, for purposes like this.

Re: Reliance water containers

[ QUOTE ]
paulr said:
Nice. You're storing water for an emergency? Do you put anything in it to keep it fresh?



[/ QUOTE ]

A few drops of bleach. That's good to know about the ZipLocs

BN

Re: Reliance water containers

We keep one or two 55 gal. water drums in the house for emergencies.

Every year we wash them with soap and water, and sanitize with bleach. Until this year, we added about 2 oz. of bleach to keep it fresh for the coming year. However, bleach is toxic, so we have always been a little concerned about that. So, this year we did something different. We used vinegar instead of bleach.

Vinegar is not toxic, but it will sanitize. I borrowed the idea from the instructions to my CPAP equipment. The manufacturers specify vinegar as the sanitizing agent.

Regardless of which ever method we have used (bleach or vinegar), we still intend to run the water through a micro filter device before drinking.

Anyone ever use vinegar for this?

Any bad "press" about doing this?

Chuck

P.S. By the way, just in case you don't know, "CPAP" stands for "Constant Positive Airway Pressure". It is a system used to treat "Sleep Apnea". I wear a device that is strapped to my head which holds 2 little plastic cups in contact with my nose. There is a machine on the floor next to my bed that provides the air pressure through a 1-inch hose.

Re: Reliance water containers

I believe it's the acetic acid in vinegar that's the cleansing agent.

I don't see any problems with bleach unless it's got a whole list of extra ingredients. Plain chlorine bleach is fairly close to what most municipalities use in the city water. So, in moderation, there should be no problems.

I only know of one individual who ever got sick from overdoing the bleach thing--he was a fellow backpacker who used bleach exclusively to purify his drinking water and he put too much in one time. Nothing serious, but didn't feel to good for a while.

-Jason

Re: Reliance water containers

You might check out Doug Ritter's talk about this at his Equipped.org site. He recommends some clorine based purification stuff that is meant for water purification so is less likely to have random stuff in it than the household bleaches:

http://www.equipped.org/watrfood.htm

All in all Chuck, I think I'd stick with bleach to clean things out, rinse well and then use one of the more pure products that Doug recommends. I think I'd stick with household bleach before I trusted vinegar.

You might also consider individually bottled distilled water. Since they are sealed and distilled, it seems like they would be pretty unlikely to grow stuff. They are cheap and come with their own container. Every couple of years you can use them to water your plants and replace them.

-john

Re: Reliance water containers

Jason and John,

I can't point to an article about this, but I seem to recall hearing that clorine is carcinogenic.

Have you heard this before?

Chuck

Re: Reliance water containers

Aerobic oxygen drops are supposed to be great for water purification and removing chlorine, very little required and good for you all around too. here is a link to some drops for sale.

aerobic oxygen drops

TSG /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

www.usplastics.com carries a lot of different containers. Bottles all the way up to large tanks.

Here is a sample:

75079 - 1 gal cubitainer w/carton


73061 - space saving container


74093 - 2.5 gal sq poly carboy, stackable


66158 - lightweight jugs for packing


70030 - Wide mouth Nalgene (great for backpacking)


71153 - Wide mouth rectangular Nalgene (even better for backpacking!)


Fort-paks

Carboys

Dekalit Containers

Drums

Re: Reliance water containers

Chuck writes:
[ QUOTE ]
ChuckDecker said:
I can't point to an article about this, but I seem to recall hearing that clorine is carcinogenic.


[/ QUOTE ]

From the EPA web site:
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Chlorine is a commonly used household cleaner and disinfectant. Chlorine is a potent irritant to the eyes, the upper respiratory tract, and lungs. Chronic (long-term) exposure to chlorine gas in workers has resulted in respiratory effects, including eye and throat irritation and airflow obstruction. No information is available on the carcinogenic effects of chlorine in humans from inhalation exposure. A National Toxicology Program (NTP) study showed no evidence of carcinogenic activity in male rats or male and female mice, and equivocal evidence in female rats, from ingestion of chlorinated water. EPA has not classified chlorine for potential carcinogenicity.


[/ QUOTE ]


However, they do go on to say:
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- Several human studies have investigated the relationship between exposure to chlorinated drinking water and cancer. These studies were not designed to assess whether chlorine itself causes cancer, but whether trihalomethanes or other organic compounds occurring in drinking water as a result of chlorination are associated with an increased risk of cancer. These studies show an association between bladder and rectal cancer and chlorination byproducts in drinking water. (5)

- An NTP study reported no evidence of carcinogenic activity in male rats or male and female mice, and equivocal evidence, based on an increase in mononuclear cell leukemia, in female rats, from ingestion of chlorinated or chloraminated water. (9)


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Sounds pretty low risk to me. It does sound like it wouldn't be a bad idea to micro-filter the water before drinking tho.

Of course, there is probably random stuff in household bleach.

-john

Re: Reliance water containers

[ QUOTE ]
ChuckDecker said:
I can't point to an article about this, but I seem to recall hearing that clorine is carcinogenic.

[/ QUOTE ]

Last I heard, living (especially in California) causes cancer /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif just kidding.

I can honestly say that of all the carcinogenic agents that I am exposed to, chlorine is not that high on my watch list. For the limited amount of time that I would be ingesting chlorine (bleach without the scents and additives) I wouldn't worry about it too much.


Something to look into would be the battery powered water purifiers. I think it uses ultrasonic vibrations, but I've also heard of UV and colloidal silver. A google search might turn up something?

-Jason

Re: Reliance water containers

[ QUOTE ]
paulr said:
BTW, Ziploc bags are handy for carrying water around if you run out of bottles.

...

I usually stick a few ziploc bags in my backpack when hiking or travelling, for purposes like this.

[/ QUOTE ]

You might consider a soft sided bottle. They are tons stronger than a ziplock. The ziplocks start leaking at the seams pretty easily. The bottles are pretty darn strong.

rei.com, bladders and jugs


I came across the WXtex stuff at the local REI store. I use them to keep gear dry, but they could double as carrying water. The cool thing about them is they are light but still strong, they have a built in handle, and have a valve which you can use to squeeze the air out so your stuff packs better, or capture air so it floats. This makes it a possible pillow as well. Very cool gear.

rei.com - WXtex Waterproof gear


Of course the are also normal dry bags. The only downside is the weight.

rei.com - dry bags


It would be my last resort, but you might check out the heavy duty "zip lock" bags made to keep gear dry. The Sealine units are pretty heavy duty - they have serious "zippers" on them. I'd still worry the zipper would pop open while carrying water.

rei.com - dry cases and boxes

Re: Reliance water containers

FWIW, the rec.backcountry water purification FAQ is pretty good:

http://home.earthlink.net/~alanwdove/Water.html

Re: Reliance water containers

[ QUOTE ]
flownosaj said:
Something to look into would be the battery powered water purifiers. I think it uses ultrasonic vibrations, but I've also heard of UV and colloidal silver.

[/ QUOTE ]

Jason,

From what I've read (can't seem to remember the source right now, maybe a backpacking magazine?), the little handheld UV and ultrasonic devices work, only on a small amount of water at a time. Basically you have to swish them around in a cup of water. Doesn't seem optimal.

-john


I found some online reviews on backpacker.com:

rabideaux, Tuesday, October 01, 2002
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Performance: I spent 4 days in the Boundry Waters with the Hydro Photon Steri Pen and had trouble with it leaking water in the device. Then 7 days on the Superior Hiking Trail with a different Steri Pen that would only work 20hrs estimated with a battery set, then required a change. When it works...It is very nice...when it doesn't, you use Iodine until your out, then drink the water and take you're chances. I'm requesting a refund. If you want a reliable filter..try the ceramic MSR.. no batteries, no electronics, no water born giardia to worry about. The Steri Pen has no place in the woods.

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Jastein527, Sunday, May 26, 2002
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The Steri-Pen performed extremely well in these conditions and I was able to drink purified water very quickly. I would recommend this product to anyone looking for a lightweight work free way to purify their water. The only 2 drawbacks that I faced were the cost($200) and only being able to purify 16 ounces at a time(half a nalgene).


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And a bit about it on the equipped.org forum:

paramedicpete write on the equipped.org forum:
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Hi, you may want to check out some previous posts on the Steri-pen made several months ago. I have the pen and have checked it in my lab. It works and works well, although I had to use 2 rounds (2X 60 secs) to achieve sterilization in some heavily contaminated test samples. It is effective against spores. I think for the cost, filtration is the better way to go. Let me know if you need more information. Pete


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Later, he writes:
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Possible, but unlikely. Some of the reasons the cost is so high may be due to the limited market and validation testing, since it is EPA registered. Also keep in mind, cost of operation and potential pitfalls - battery usage, malfunction, does not work well in cloudy water and does not remove chemical contaminates, Also don't forget where there is no water, i.e. the lip of the container, sterilization does not occur. Don't get me wrong, I have one and use it, but only as a backup to filtration. I find it more useful in a travel situation where the water is visibly clear, but may have biological contamination or after filtration to ensure safety from viral contamination, when the filter does not have a viracidal component. I was lucky to have gotten mine from REI, when they distributed dividends and provided a 10% discount if you used your dividend. Pete


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AyersTG writes on equipped.org's forum:
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No first hand experience with it, but I did research it several months ago and it appears that it does what it claims. There might be some question about oocysts, specifically cryptosporodium parvo (sp?), IIRC - those are tough rascals - but (IIRC) it does better than chemicals against them. Filtration or floculation + filtration is best non-boiling defense against oocystic critters from what I've researched...

The UV pen appears to do very well on everything else, and of course it (UV) is used for sterilization of municipal water in SOME places (it's expensive at the municipal level).


[/ QUOTE ]

Re: Reliance water containers

The ziploc bags are just for unexpected situations or carrying water short distances. I use real bottles most of the time (actually I re-use spring water bottles now, less durable than Nalgene but much more convenient).

I don't have any serious filtration equipment. I've been wanting to get some sometime, but am in conserve cash mode for the moment. I thought the usual camp purification chemical was iodine pills. I'll check some of those links, thanks.

Re: Reliance water containers

Paulr,

You are right about the "normal" camp solution being tablet (or filter) based. The reference was for water storage.

-john

Re: Reliance water containers

I haven't used the other Reliance products, but I did use the Jumbotainer when on a camping trip. My dad had it tied into the stairwell of the side door of his van, and it was great for a visit to Bryce Canyon and Zion. I like the form factor a lot, and the handles make it pretty easy to carry and/or pour (although 7 gallons is not an easy load to carry very far). Here is the best price and selection I've seen of these. I haven't ordered from this company yet, but I'm planning to in the coming weeks - I'll let you know if I run into any problems.
I also like the size/shape of the 3-gallon Desert Patrol model.
Dave

DSMiller

Re: Reliance water containers

Well, alternatively you could also use a few drops of iodine (tincture of iodine or betadine or similar stuff) to purify water for drinking. Because iodine (e.g. betadine) is common ro most 1st aid kits, its probably the most convenient too. This site even has a table which tells you how many drops per gallon/litre you'll have to put in. And don't forget that there's also a 'sitting' time for the water as well, its approximately 1 hour per litre...

Just something that's good to know, in case of an emergency, especially if you're outdoors... and don't forget, if you're gonna get water, remember to get it from a running source, never from a still pool of water!

Re: Reliance water containers

The link to aerobic oxygen drops I mentioned in my earlier post keep water sterilized for storage up to 5 years in ideal storage conditions.