Storing and Rotating Your Water Supply

What it's for

Stored water is the first thing you'll reach for when the tap stops. Filters and tablets are your backup; full jugs on the shelf are your plan A. This guide covers how much to keep, what to keep it in, and how to keep it fresh without fuss.

Before you need it (practice)

• Do the math. Ready.gov says store at least one gallon per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation. Children, nursing mothers, sick people, and hot weather can mean more. In very hot temperatures, needs can double. Pets need water too; Ready.gov's pet kit list includes it.
• Pick a spot. Ready.gov says cool and dark.
• Put a date on everything the day it goes on the shelf.

Step by step

Store-bought water (easiest)

1. Buy commercially bottled water and keep it sealed in the original container in a cool, dark place (Ready.gov).
2. Write the purchase date on the case. Use the oldest first.

Filling your own containers

1. Use food-grade water storage containers (Ready.gov). Skip old milk jugs and anything that held chemicals.
2. Wash with dishwashing soap and rinse.
3. Sanitize with a solution of 1 teaspoon of unscented liquid household chlorine bleach per quart of water (Ready.gov). Swish to coat the inside, then empty it.
4. Fill with clean, chlorinated tap water and cap tightly.
5. Label with "Drinking water" and the fill date.
6. If you use a water preserver concentrate, follow its label for dose and shelf life.

Rotation

1. Replace home-filled water every six months (Ready.gov).
2. Pick two easy dates, like the spring and fall time changes, and put them on the calendar.
3. Don't pour the old water down the drain. Use it on the garden, to wash the truck, or to fill the stock tank, then refill.

Common mistakes

• Rationing when you don't need to. Ready.gov: never ration drinking water unless authorities tell you to. Drink what you need today and look for more for tomorrow.
• Counting coffee or soda. Ready.gov advises against drinking carbonated or caffeinated drinks instead of water.
• Heavy containers in the wrong place. USGS lists water at about 62.4 pounds per cubic foot, which works out to roughly 8.3 pounds a gallon, so a full 5-gallon jug runs over 40 pounds. Store big containers where you can reach them without a ladder.
• Loose caps. Ready.gov says cap your containers tightly.

Care & storage

• Wipe down and check containers at each rotation for cracks or cloudiness.
• Keep a few smaller containers too. Big ones are great for the house, small ones go in a go-bag or truck.
• Taste flat? Pour it between two clean containers to add air back (Ready.gov).

Related gear

• Drinking water, 1-gallon jugs · Stackable water container · Collapsible water container
• Unscented household bleach · Water preserver concentrate
• Next: Making Water Safe
• Category: Water · Role: Cookie

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