water storage?

[HoneyBadger]

I used to make fun of people for buying bottled water, and still do, but now that I stand on roofs all day, having a case in the car at all times is the new normal. I drink a few a day, take the empties inside, refill them, mark the lids, and toss them back in the car. I usually toss them after a few uses and that helps the case last longer. I just bought two cases of 40, 16.9 oz bottles of water from Costco yesterday for under $4.00 EACH. Even if you bought only one or two of those a month and stacked them in the corner of your garage (or slid them under the bed), you'd soon run out of room.

Yep! Before we moved, I had about 150gal in bottled water in our basement. We routinely used enough of it that I would buy about 2 cases a month. Unfortunately in CA, the state adds a $.10 PER BOTTLE tax, so it basically doubles the price of bottled water (and increases the price of beer significantly!). I'm now looking into some different methods of bulk storage, since our house came with a tankless water heater.

[Irving]

I've got about 75 gallons of 2-liter bottles, but ran out of storage space.

[Rumline]

Unfortunately in CA, the state adds a $.10 PER BOTTLE tax, so it basically doubles the price of bottled water (and increases the price of beer significantly!). I'm now looking into some different methods of bulk storage, since our house came with a tankless water heater.

Technically it's not a tax, but it becomes one if you don't claim the refund. Don't give up your recyclables to the municipal recycling bins, collect the bottles and cans and turn them in yourself. I wait till I have several bags full before I make the trek down to the recycling center. You can find one near you at this page: http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/BevCont...spx?lang=en-US

[hatidua]

I was thinking about where to put a couple 55 gallon drums of H2O. Will a 55g plastic drum freeze and fail if I left it outside thru the winter?

-not all barrels are created equal, some do fine with repeated freeze/thaw cycles....

[Seamonkey]

Does she like frugal shopping? Encourage her to buy extra food when it's on sale. To save money over the course of the year

Water in bottles in the back unused space makes the fridge and freezer run more efficiently. And keep cold wthout power. Distilled water for the car batteries and the iron.

A hot tub would be a source of un treated water and an excuse for pool shock. A pond? A second water heater inline adds efficiency to the system 50 gallons extra...

Have a box of "camping food". The headlamps you need for working on the car or in the crawl space... speaking of crawl space its likely got lots of room.

Like Irving said with lamps. Also tiki torches for parties and citronellla. Propane for the bbq a couple of extra tanks cause you hate running out when the steaks are on. An extra tank for the mower. Same reasons. Seperate tank for the weed eater.

+1

I've been able to use snow storms or ice storms and the "what if we can't get to the store" excuse. Instead of rushing to the store the day before with everyone else why don't we go today?

Camping gear is also great since most of the time you'll have something to cook on, cook with and sleep in.

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[sniper_tim]

I've had 4 60 gallon water barrels on my back porch (exposed to the elements) for 8-10 years now. They still hold water and are in decent condition. They are covered and not exposed to the sun however, I suspect the sun would deteriorate them. I keep recycled milk jugs in the basement, which I have heard deteriorate (as a previous poster mentioned). Typically my milk jugs are used for camping (freeze them for my ice chests), so they are replaced frequently.

Cheers,
Tim

[Irving]

Good timing Tim, I just took this picture this morning, with this thread in mind.

Both of these water bottles were in my car. I have a case in the back and the ones on the back edge froze, and the ones in the middle did not. The frozen one in the picture was actually in the door. This water has been in my car for months and this is the FIRST time I've seen them frozen. I know in the past people asked about keeping water from freezing in the vehicle. Looks like it's not as big of a problem as one might assume; however I will say that the frozen bottle from the picture is sitting on my counter now, and is still about 60% ice as it wasn't very warm today, or in my house.

[Great-Kazoo]

Good timing Tim, I just took this picture this morning, with this thread in mind.

Both of these water bottles were in my car. I have a case in the back and the ones on the back edge froze, and the ones in the middle did not. The frozen one in the picture was actually in the door. This water has been in my car for months and this is the FIRST time I've seen them frozen. I know in the past people asked about keeping water from freezing in the vehicle. Looks like it's not as big of a problem as one might assume; however I will say that the frozen bottle from the picture is sitting on my counter now, and is still about 60% ice as it wasn't very warm today, or in my house.

A cooler with some styrofoam to line the inside. We have soft sided coolers, with towels wrapped around the water. It gets put inside in temps like we've had this last week. Next to the door, if we go outside town that cooler gets loaded. Everyone does something a bit different, just remember to have some defrosted ones with you.

[thedave1164]

55gal food grade barrels, in my crawl space.

Tried cheaper 5 gal jugs and cases of bottled water, but the plastic breaks down too fast.

[Ripper]

Anyone have any input/ideas on using WaterBricks http://www.samsclub.com/sams/wb-4pk/...cid=SPOT_4UP_3 vs 55 gallon water barrels for long term water storage?