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If you need water

Originally posted 2017-09-07 09:45:44.

I saw this on facebook courtesy of Caleb Cain. If you need to get water and have available storage totes and a few bucks to get the other pieces to get a nozzle on it then check out his post below.

Okay… I’m seeing a lot of people saying they didn’t get water soon enough and the stores ran out.

So, walk right by the empty water racks, and go to the rubbermaid section. Get a giant bucket/tote/brand-new-plastic-garbage-can and buy it.

As a size guide, assume a gallon a day per person per days. In almost all cases a water supply of 1 week will be enough.

Now go to home depot, and ask for a bulkhead union washer. (I recomend Watts brand, part number HPL-1871. It’s easy to assemble and it works.) and a 1.2″ spigot that will screw into it.

A layer of thread sealant tape on the spigot wouldn’t hurt. It’s a couple of bucks and might prevent a bit of dripping.

Go home, cut a hole in your bucket (Just a couple inches above bottom.) screw the Bulkhead Union Washer together in the hole, screw the spigot into it, and fill it from your tap water.

(Unless there is a very odd problem in your home tap water is every bit as safe as bottled water.)

Congratulations. You are now the proud owner of a potable water storage unit with enough water to get you through the crisis.

The entire endeavor will probably cost you in the neighborhood of $25-35, which is less than you would have paid for bottled water and it can be reused next hurricane season.

The picture is one I put together using a clean 18 gallon tote I already had. (More than enough for me and my wife, especially since we’ll also be filling other containers.)

Share this if you think somebody you know might need the info.

EDIT regarding cleanliness:
Clean it out AFTER adding the hardware. (Thanks Thomas Linton for mentioning this. It should go without saying, but realistically it also should be said.)

EDIT regarding which plastic to use:
David Smith shared this info with us — For those concerned about the Non food grade plastic tub idea, grey, white or yellow Rubbermaid Brute Garbage Cans are food grade. (Thanks for the info, David.)

EDIT regarding coolers:
I’m seeing people suggesting that you just use a cooler for your water.

If you happen to have that, that’s great, but you get more water-storage-per-dollar this way, and if you need something like this you probably should be using your cooler for keeping food cool as it was intended.

If you do use a cooler and it’s not brand new make sure to run a bleached cloth thoroughly around the inside first to sanitize it, then let it dry, then rinse it thoroughly with clean water. Coolers aren’t meant to store drinking water so they might be harboring bacteria from old camping trips or from being stored for a long time.

EDIT regarding bathtubs:
I’m also seeing a lot of people suggest bathtubs.

Bathtubs often have a lot of bacteria, so of course if you do this wash with bleach first. Line it with plastic if you have some.

THEN consider the fact that many drain plugs don’t seal properly, so you could potentially lose half of your water due to dripping through the drain plug.

THEN consider the fact that flood waters sometimes back up through pipes, and most tubs have an overflow drain built in. It takes ONLY ONCE for flood water to back up through that overflow drain to contaminate this water.

THEN consider the fact that if you have pets or children it will be annoying.

THEN consider whether or not you want to go to the bathroom every time you want drinking water, during a time when you shouldn’t be flushing the toilet much…

THEN consider that water services might be cut off and you might need the tub water to flush your toilet for a week after the flood waters recede.

THEN consider that maybe, just maybe, having a separate potable water supply IN ADDITION to being able to fill your tub, might not be a bad idea.

Click here for Caleb Cain’s original post.

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