Cleaning Emergency Water Containers

This article provides simple directions for routine non emergency cleaning and disinfection of water storage tanks using household chlorine bleach.

Cleaning emergency water containers.

Water storage containers are essential in an emergency. Your water pipes can also be home to bacteria. Water containers can be extremely heavy and in the case of an emergency the last thing you need is to be overcomplicating your life with containers you cant carry and move. Unopened commercially bottled water is the safest and most reliable source of water in an emergency.

First things first this was originally designed for transporting grey and black water from an rv or camper to a sewage dumpsite. As a final cleaning step pour some more of your cleaning mixture into the water storage tank and use your pump to run it into your home s pipes. In 2003 jean michel cousteau the son of legendary oceanographer jacques cousteau met with his friend wendell adams founder and inventor of waterbrick for breakfast one morning. Then rinse the tank thoroughly and dry it completely.

Emergency preparations will require constant vigilance and periodic maintenance of your water containers to ensure the water you use is safe. Some of the best purification methods are simple. Run your taps with hot water until the water that emerges from them are free of the cleaning solution. This is dangerous if you don t have the means to purify it.

Plus it s easy to overlook the obvious and get your priorities mixed up. Water purification tablets are my personal favorite because they are cheap and easy to use. Pour clean water into sanitized container and cover tightly with lid. Add 1 teaspoon 64 drops or 5 milliliters of unscented liquid bleach per 1 quart 1 liter of water.

Without tap water you ll have to fill your emergency water storage tanks with water from somewhere else. Pour mixture into clean container cover tightly and shake well until entire inside of the container is coated. Let sit for 30 seconds pour out then let air dry. Maintaining safe water starts with cleaning and preparing your water containers and knows the ins and outs of long term water storage.

But if you don t take the time to learn the best solutions and mistakes you could easily ruin your most critical emergency supply when you need it most. Sure it s not rocket science. Most people incorrectly assume emergency water storage is a straightforward and simple task. If your cities water infrastructure suddenly stopped that would you use to drinking eating or cleaning with.

If you do not have bottled water you can make your water safe to drink by following the instructions listed on our making water safe in an emergency page and using clean containers to collect and store your water.