We promised ourselves that 2024 is the year of preparedness. Then almost the entire continental US was hit with a massive, unprecedented storm. Flooding along the east coast, extreme cold to the west and middle. The wind at my house took down a tree and only a well-placed fence post kept it from smashing into my roof and deck.
We’ve promised ourselves preparedness, so let’s do it. Last year, we took a big picture look at a prepared home and we looked more closely at one of the first steps you should take: building a go bag.
Today, we’re going to look at the first essential: water. Well, maybe your first essential right now is heat or “what do you do when a terrible storm messes up all the infrastructure in your city,” but still, this week, we’re talking about water.
Water
If you don’t want to read any further, then: next time you’re at the store, pick up a case of bottled water and a few gallons. Put them in a closet or a basement or under the bed, away from direct sunlight. Forget about them for a year, it’s fine. Congratulations, you’re now more prepared for most crises than most people. Throw in a lifestraw or another emergency water filter (like a Sawyer), and you’re doing great.
If you want to go a bit further than that, which I recommend, then here are the takeaways:
Store 1/gallon of water per person and pet per day
Aim for a three day supply, then a three week, then three months
Tap water can be stored untreated in most circumstances
Keep water out of the sun and away from heat
Backup filter systems are useful
Get some paper plates and bowls while you’re at it
Storing water is easier than you might imagine, and just as important as you probably assume. There are so many crises that interrupt our access to water: frozen pipes (in our home or in public infrastructure); cross contamination of public drinking water (such as from rising ocean tides); loss of electrical power for those on wells; chemical spills or contamination by pollution; mechanical breakdown of water purification systems; and the list goes on.
As a general rule of thumb, every person and pet in a house needs roughly a gallon of water per day. Most people don’t drink an entire gallon of water per day, but it’s useful to round up and some water will be used for hygiene and cleaning. Three days of stored water is a good baseline. Personally, I keep about a month’s water on hand, in case I have guests over. If I weren’t on a well (with a backup battery for the well pump) I would store more.
Storing water is, at its most basic level, easy. Fill up clean water containers with tap water and keep it around, or just keep a couple of cases or jugs of bottled water around. Cycle it out every year. That’s it. There’s no specific need for water conditioner or sterilization, assuming the water you are starting with is potable.
Water does not, in and of itself, go bad. However, any contaminants in the water (or in an imperfectly-cleaned reused bottle) can eventually poison the water. Clear water bottles ought to be kept away from the sun, to prevent anything from growing in there. All plastic storage bottles will eventually impart a plastic taste, especially if they are exposed to heat or sun.
There are ways to prepare containers and water for longterm storage, usually involving small amounts of bleach or specialized water conditioning products. If that’s of interest to you, you should read about how to do that safely. I don’t personally prepare my water in that way, I just empty and refill my containers every year. Some people argue for six months, and there’s no harm in that.
Overall, water lasts longer if you keep it away from heat and sunlight. Opaque water containers are better, and if possible water should be stored somewhere climate-controlled.
Personally, I use a few jerrycan style containers and various 4-7 gallon containers designed for storing water. I use whatever was cheapest at any given time when I bought them, it’s not really a big deal. I trust these containers because I lived off grid with them for several years without difficulty. Generally speaking, 4 gallon containers are far easier to handle than 7 gallon containers: every gallon of water weighs 8.34lbs, or 3.78kg. There are slightly more expensive stackable containers as well, which can be useful for people with limited storage space.
If you decide to go larger, you can get 50 gallon barrels. Used ones ought to be cleaned thoroughly before use. One option is to set up these barrels in a rain catchment system at the downspout of your house, but while most rainwater is potable, this method of storage does not guarantee the water will stay potable and filtration systems should be used.
Beyond that, there are IBC totes, which are larger plastic water bottles held within metal cages, often used for industrial or agricultural purposes. Most hold 275 gallons, and while new ones are somewhat pricey, used ones can often be had for cheap. Make sure it only previously held something non-toxic, make sure to clean it well, and consider filtering your water. Exposed to the sun, these translucent containers can easily grow algae. We used one of these totes, attached to a downspout on our barn, as our water for our outdoor shower, but we wouldn’t have drunk it without filtering. Probably we shouldn’t have been showering in it unfiltered either, but it worked out alright.
Larger still are cisterns, which are worth considering in many areas and for any longterm off-grid purposes, but are beyond the scope of this article.
As with all preparation, though, you’ll rapidly find a point of diminishing returns: while it is worth considering having a cistern hooked up to rain catchment systems, for most people and most purposes, the first $10 you spend on bottled water is the most likely to save your day or your life.
Other Considerations
Water Filtration
I suspect I’ll write a longer piece about water filtration in the future, as it’s a complicated topic worth considering in detail. But at the core of it: most issues with most water can be addressed by water filtration or chemical treatment. Some people store iodine and/or bleach to treat their stored water, but it’s worth knowing that both chlorine and iodine have limited shelf lives. For larger quantities of water, though, this method can make a lot of sense.
Mechanical filters are what I personally relied on while living off-grid. I stored my water in 5 gallon jerrycans and 50 gallon barrels and then filtered it for drinking. Most of the filters that are easiest to use, most affordable, and most portable are those designed for hikers, made by brands like Sawyer and Lifestraw. These are excellent emergency filters.
Hygiene and Minimizing Water Usage
When water access is limited, it needs to be saved primarily for drinking, with hygiene an important second priority. One of the easiest ways to conserve water is to eat off of disposable plates, using disposable silverware. I’m not a big fan of disposable culture–it’s easy to make the argument that that’s what got us into this climate change mess in the first place–but crisis can and should affect our priorities. Keeping around a handful of paper plates and bowls as well as some disposable silverware can go a long way into maintaining cleanliness while minimizing water usage.
Hygiene, however, is an often overlooked component of maintaining health during times of crisis, and if at all possible water should be used to wash ourselves occassionally, especially our hands. Note that hand sanitizer, while very effective for some purposes, is not effective for use at breaking the fecal-oral transmission route of disease–washing your hands with soap and water is essential after using the bathroom.
Insulating pipes
One of the fundamental problems with climate change is that, well, the climate will change. Areas that are never cold find themselves with freezing temperatures. Areas with solid, snowy winters might find themselves with the freeze-thaw cycles that create icy conditions. Weather patterns are changing. An awful lot of people live in places where extreme cold is suddenly a concern, and with that concern comes the risk of frozen water pipes.
Frozen water pipes aren’t necessarily the problem–burst water pipes are. Water expands when it freezes, and if the pipes it runs through can’t expand to accommodate them, the pipes burst.
Start by figuring out what kind of pipes you have and where they are. Pipes that are within the heated envelope of the house can be kept from freezing simply by keeping the heat on–assuming the heat stays on. Pipes that run through crawl spaces, unheated attics, or exterior walls are more susceptible to freezing. Copper and PVC pipes are susceptible to bursting, while more modern PEX pipes are capable of expanding a bit without breaking–but PEX fittings are often make of materials that can burst when it freezes, don’t ask me how I know.
You can insulate pipes as needed–I have not done this personally, and I recommend reading more about it elsewhere. You can also leave faucets dripping, to keep water moving. As long as there is water pressure, this will help. You might also want to open cabinet doors, like under the sink, so that the heated air of the house reaches those pipes. Note that if you keep poisonous house cleaning supplies down there, move them so pets and children can’t get into them.
Disconnect any hoses from exterior spigots–the frost-free sillcocks found on most houses are designed to accommodate freezing temperatures, but only if there’s nothing attached to them. Don’t ask me how I know. I swear I’m good at off-grid and on-grid life both. I would never lose multiple plumbing setups to the cold at multiple locations over the years.
Rousing Conclusion
I’m used to writing a good solid rousing conclusion to my essays, but this one is just a description of various methods of storing water. Store water! It’s good! Drinking water is generally desirable!
Okay, see you soon, to talk about some other topic. Probably food. Unless I skip ahead to something more niche like solar or something.
Oh, or, you know, comment below on what topics you’re hoping I’ll cover on this year of preparation.
"Store water! It’s good! Drinking water is generally desirable!" Best rousing conclusion ever 😅
I'm a plumber and leaving a faucet dripping will often not be enough to stop a pipe from freezing. A stream, about the size of a pencil, is much more effective.