When you know the water supply could be an issue, some immediate options include filling the bathtub(s), using the water in the hot water heater and using the water in the holding tank on the back of the toilet. With a single tub, hot water tank and toilet holding tank, you will probably have approx. 100 gallons of water available for use. If you don't have advance warning of an interruption of the water supply, you won't be able to take advantage of the bathtub option and a big water tank could be helpful. We keep a supply of water by washing the 2 liter bottles that we use, filling them with water and storing them underneath the staircase.
Do the bottles hold their integrity well over time, or have you noticed any kind of "shelf life" to be aware of?
We always have about 10 gal of bottled water on hand. We are planning on putting a 200 gal + water tank in our new storage/shop building and having a demand pump hooked up to it. A few years ago we had a bad grass fire and when all the fire trucks hooked up to the hydrants you could not get much water. I know 200 gal will not go far, but it could make a difference. I will probably rotate the water every 6 months. I am looking at different ways of treating it so that it will remain safe.
It turned out that our water never did get turned off.
It turned out that our water never did get turned off.
I've been using the same 2-ltr bottles for years now (literally ... at least 4) with no problems. They are kept in a cool, dark place and rotated a couple times a year. Probably overkill on the rotation but I drank some bad water once (thinking it was good). Don't really want to do that again if I can keep from it lol ...
I have been told the 2 liter bottles can begin to break down after 2-3 years. Chlorinated tap water should be good without any additional treatment for at least 6 months. We try to empty and refill the bottles with a fresh supply every 6 months and will probably begin to replace bottles at the 3 year mark.
Really?? Hmmm ... I must have super bottles then ... Mine aren't showing any signs of deterioration and I double-checked with GC and sure enough, our oldest bottles are approaching the 5 year mark ...
I have used bottles for little clotches in the garden and those bottles do start to show signs of wear and tear after a couple of seasons but if you use a little of that stuff you polish headlights with on them they are good as new again ...
I use the plastic bottles for ice and to take up freezer space. Pull some out for hunting/fishing trips, they stay cold much longer than bagged ice. Keeps fresh water on hand, and will prolong freezer temp in power outage.
Great idea!
Just remember to leave some room in the tops of the bottles for expansion. The milk jugs are the ones that start to breakdown after time.
