5 Ways to Store Water for Your Preps

[@timothyjohnson5758]

Did not think of canning water. Thank you

[@dadbudgetadventures]

You’re quite welcome. Always glad to inspire a spark of new ideas!

[@jeffbrown9648]

Water is one of the hardest things to prep for. Been wanting to sink a hand well for a couple of years now, just need to get it done. Great video.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

If I ever get a piece of land my first investment will be a well with a hand pump. As long as it works out and I don’t dump a bunch of money into digging a dry hole.

[@jesseduncan9612]

I normally keep three cases of bottled water along with water in recycled one gallon ice tea jugs. I also have a couple of camping sized water filters and am planning on getting a counter top system. This is a very timely topic, at least for me in people in my area. We normally have plenty of water in the Ohio valley, but it's been almost three weeks with very little rain. A number of my neighbors who use rain catching systems to water their plants, gardens and lawns are now having to use their city water. Last year we had two different occasions were social media rumors about a boil water advisory due to the Ohio train derailment caused panic buying of bottled water. The Sams, Costco and other stores sold out of bottle water and there were near riots at many stores as people fought over the last few cases of bottled water. The local police had to station officers. in the stores to avoid fighting over bottled water and soft drinks.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Yeah that’s a point I didn’t think about when I made this. A panic rush on stores for bottled water will leave a lot of people with zero resources if they don’t have something in stock already. Great point!

[@HobbesBaxter]

Great video. I had never thought about canning water. Canning BBQ sauce, yes, but not water! Great idea! Thanks!

[@dadbudgetadventures]

You’re quite welcome. Glad to have inspired a spark of interest!

[@votrolacres8526]

Another good video! Where we live (out in the sticks!) we have had winter storms where we’ve lost power for up to a week. We use the classic square blue “camping” jugs and purchased 4 litre jugs that we store in milk crates and rotate the supply. Also a couple of LifeStraws just in case. Having to conserve water makes you quickly realize how much water is wasted by having an unlimited amount from the taps. Thanks for the advice!

[@dadbudgetadventures]

For sure. Anyone who has been camping off grid with a limited supply can understand just how much we waste every day. When municipal services go down all of a sudden everyone has to learn quickly how to limit their use.

[@GarryNichols]

I use a spoonful of vodka. Works great for keeping a gallon of water for a long time. And it's not enough alcohol to be harmful to children. For smaller bottles just add a few drops.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

That’s a great suggestion. And won’t spoil the taste or require aeration.

[@GarryNichols]

@@dadbudgetadventures everclear works too basically any alcohol that's flavor free

[@annettejones7777]

​@dadbudgetadventures Plus, it'll help your mood during a tough time. 😅

[@annettejones7777]

​@dadbudgetadventures Plus, it'll help your mood during a tough time. 😅

[@tupperwhere0]

As an apartment dweller, this is one of my biggest issues staying prepped but have settled on a 3 prong approach. I usually keep 3-4 cases of bottled water that I'll cycle by bringing the oldest to family cookouts/events since I'm not a big bottled water guy. I also will fill all of my reusable water bottles and large pots if there is a hurricane/snowstorm inbound. Finally, I have some lifestraws/water purification tablets if I run out of the first two options. The canning idea is very interesting! I'll have to try that.

[@lskazalski]

I'm not big on bottled water either, but I have a similar pronged approach. My husband and son used to tease me about filling jugs with water for inbound storms. Then hurricane Isobel hit. We didn't have water at all for 4 days and didn't have potable water for 2 weeks - and didn't have electricity either. Suddenly I wasn't a crackpot. My camping/hiking gear is my emergency kit. We have lots of gallon and quart bottles and I fill them all, and the tub too

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Sounds like you have a solid plan in place. Well done!

[@Tamara_D]

Where we live, water is abundant in lakes, streams, rivers etc; We store ways of filtration rather than the water itself. Its always a good idea to practice your preps. If you think you don't use water (more than the gallon a day pp), don't use or buy any water (except your preps) for a week. Its like not having a car for a day... don't need it until you don't have it. ✌️

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Absolutely. The great thing about filters is that if there’s a relatively good supply nearby you’ll be fine. Otherwise there’s a lot of work involved in sourcing something we all take for granted.

[@gonegolding]

I don't know anyone who filters their rainwater that comes out of the tank where I live in Australia. I have a 5000 litre rainwater tank that is plumbed into the kitchen for drinking and cooking purposes. I also use this to fill the three 10 litre water drums that live in the car for when I go camping.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

That’s interesting. I wonder if your bodies are just used to the things that get in open collection systems like that. In the US we probably couldn’t survive that for long because we are used to clean treated water.

[@NewHampshireJack]

@@dadbudgetadventures An American author who lives on and volunteers with the Corregidor foundation part of the year asked me, "how long have you lived in the Philippines?" After I told him, he said, "you should be fine" when discussing the water tanks at the high point of the Island. Fun facts: Three large cement tanks were installed at the highest point on the island in close proximity to the lighthouse. During WW2, an artillery shell destroyed the lid to one tank. To this day, two (2) those same tanks that were constructed after the Spanish-American war are still in service as part of the water supply system. Bottled water is brought in on the ferry boat system for guests of the Corregidor Inn.

[@ritasmoot1823]

I love preparedness videos! Especially, for the basic necessities of living. Looking forward to seeing what else you have for us! ❤

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Thank you!

[@elberttanner6189]

I was taught in a Civil Defense Merit Badge course that I did during my time in Cub Scouts, that Distilled Water stored properly will never go bad.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Any container has the potential to fail over time. It’s safest to always assume that water that had been sitting for a long time could be exposed to parasites, mold, or bacteria. So while you are technically correct it’s never safe to assume the packaging or process was perfect.

[@HFVidShotz]

Appreciate this!! I have seen others create a system for less cost by purchasing large stainless steel pots, like from Walmart, modifying them to use the 3 filters, and just ordering the filters themselves, not having to pay for the whole system. A little less costly. Understandably though that simpure has the addition of the uv also. Just a consideration on saving $$. Thank you again!!

[@dadbudgetadventures]

I’ve seen that too. Definitely gotta go with what works for the ol budget.

[@nilasink3270]

Great topic. We don't realize how much water we use daily.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Or how much we waste. It’s an easy thing to take for granted. Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@alanbierhoff6831]

Fantastic video Mr. DBA! I have a bunch of 5 gallon buckets stacked up in my bathroom closet that I fill and store in my bathtub when a bad storm/hurricane is imminent. This is used only as a source of feeding my Berkey filter that I’ve been using for years. The only complaint I have with the Berkey is the exorbitant price of their black filters.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

I’ve heard that from a lot of Berkey owners. It’s probably why more companies are coming out with similar setups to compete with them.

[@Gumby1978]

Several great options for clean water. Thanks for sharing

[@dadbudgetadventures]

You’re quite welcome!

[@ronmcclellan4608]

Timely information friend- well done. Please folks prepare for water supply. Water is life. Excellent info!!

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Thank you. You are so right.

[@soyoucametosee7860]

I have switched from filtering water to distilling my water. There are many choices in water distillers. Electric, natural gas, counter top, stove top, and solar units designed to process drinking water. The size range starts at about a gallon and goes up. I even looked a very small comercial unit that makes 6,000 gallons daily.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Do you need to add anything into the product for drinking? I’ve heard distilled water is not the best thing for that.

[@NewHampshireJack]

​@@dadbudgetadventures There is information out there that the missing beneficial minerals not present in distilled water will be "taken" from your body. In truth, if you eat a proper diet and TAKE YOUR VITAMINS during the time you consume distilled water, you will more than offset any loss of beneficial minerals. In a stressful situation, vitamin and mineral supplementation is important to keep you strong, alert and resistant to all those "nasties" that will put you down for the count.

[@ottopartz1]

Great video as always! If anyone finds themselves in in a long term bad water situation and have exhausted your stash, and the only available water is questionable, simple distilling is an option. Solar stills are not all that great for most situations and are generally a pain. A basic old fashioned still isn't too difficult to construct from the scraps most guys have in the garage if you're crafty. Or you can buy water stills online reasonably, even smaller electric ones. Depending on the quality of the source water you might want to discard the first cup or two and only distill 2/3-3/4 and discard the rest. I used to use a small Chinese one when I lived in another city because the city water tasted horrible and it was easier and maybe better for the environment than dealing with the bottles.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Great suggestion. There are a lot of options I didn’t cover here for sure.

[@ritasmoot1823]

I have a Lifestraw, but, will be getting a Sawyer squeeze and a Lifestraw water bottle for my go bag. Will now look into getting the Simpur countertop system. Thank you for telling us about this one.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

You’re quite welcome. I hope the review helps.

[@ritasmoot1823]

@@dadbudgetadventures if all goes well, I am buying one next month. So, 🤔, I guess you could say that your review helped immensely.

[@tenchraven]

Note on bleached water- let it breath. If you can transfer it to a wider mouthed container, like an empty ball jar, the faster the chlorine evaporates off. And with those tank systems. if you don't have a fancy UV module, boil the water and let it cool first, then pour it into the tank. And if you can prefilter, even if only through clean sand or several layers of cloth, the closer you can get to that max service life, if you're using catchment or other forms of "wild" water. As for ball jars of water, my grandmother did this. When I moved to the desert, where we get maybe every 10 weeks, and usually less than a quarter inch, I was surprised by how few people even have a week of water- don't need to nuke these cities, just turn the lights off and two weeks 90% mortality.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

That’s great info. I highly recommend pre-filtering free range water to extend the life of your filters.

[@NewHampshireJack]

SPOT ON !!!

[@DebZaragoza]

We use the Simpure under counter water filtration system. They are reasonably priced, and the water tastes great after filtering! We live in an area with high mineral concentrated water, so it's so nice to have good tasting water to drink and make our ice! The replacement filters are also reasonably priced...

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Thanks for offering that. My folks live in an area like that and have to filter their water to make it tolerable to drink.

[@markw.3743]

This was a very good video ! Thanks,will be looking into this soon , about to buy a new house so I can see this as a great addition to our preps !

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it.

[@reneerupert5830]

Good morning, I'm on a well so no power equals no water. I wash out containers then fill with water to use for drinking and flushing the toilet. I have a Zero Water filter pitcher to run my water thru and a few extra filters. I try to be ready but not knowing how long the situation will last is the conundrum. Great video!!

[@pineapplesundae7385]

We too have well water, but have purchased and installed a deep well lever action pump head. Now when the electric goes out, we have the ability to pump water out of our well.

[@reneerupert5830]

@pineapplesundae7385 I don't own the property so I don't have that option. I'm glad you do though!

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Do you have the ability to bypass the power for the pump and use a backup system like a Jackery or some kind of solar generator?

[@reneerupert5830]

@@dadbudgetadventures unfortunately no. New people bought the property and don't want to lift a finger to do anything, especially if it involves sending a dime.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

That’s unfortunate

[@Brykk]

I keep sawyer micro squeeze filters for each of my family members. They turn their nose up at prepping and preparedness, so i just keep supplies for them and dont tell them. I also picked up several lifestraw filters that can be used for friends, or for bartering. A also like to keep one of the trangia flasks (i hope youre enjoying the one i sent to you) full of 190 proof everclear. It can be used as an antiseptic, for fuel in an alcohol stove, for consumption in an adult beverage, or for bartering. I can put small amounts of it into other containers, just to trade with. Everclear has a lot of less conventional uses.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

That’s a great point. Sometimes you have to do the work for someone you love who can’t get behind it because they’ve never had to resort to it. You can never have too many water filters on hand. And thank you for the alcohol bottle, it’s going to come in handy!

[@neubert500]

That gravity water filter looks good especially with the UV filter also, but we are FIRM supporters of our Royal Burkey that we have had for the last 3 plus years. We also have the white filters installed to removed the fluoride added by our local water authority. I would urge everyone to bite the bullet, and spend the money for this type of filter, Burkey or not, as your body will notice the difference! Great Video.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Absolutely. Thank you for adding that.

[@robertkellogg2275]

Best video you’ve made!

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Thank you so much!

[@WhiteDwarfVR4]

Guy in my town has food grade IBC totes for $75 a piece. Needless to say I scooped a few up. Luckily I got a little room to keep them. Just fine tuning the plumbing now. I've got a countertop water filter, but I might have to look into the Simpure, I like the UV light.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

This is a pretty cool setup especially if your power is out and you just need clean water.

[@jtamsmom5]

Great video, lots of options

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Thank you

[@annettejones7777]

One thing we learned in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. You can set bottles of water out in the heat, then bathe with it. Nice warm bathing.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Well that’s an interesting idea

[@HarshmanHills]

water is life and it makes life easier if you have it on hand for the crap scenarios

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Absolutely

[@dianebondhus9355]

A hand pump well sounds really good about now..

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Wells are a great as long as it works out. Unfortunately it’s easy to spend a bunch of money on a dig only to find out it was unsuccessful.

[@dianebondhus9355]

@@dadbudgetadventures in MN there's not too much of a problem finding water, lol. We'd use a sand point well and pound it in ourselves.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

That works out great then! Around where I live we have to hire people to come in and dig 50-100 foot deep holes and hope there’s water down there.

[@NewHampshireJack]

Early on in our cabin life, we needed to rebuild the well pump in the cellar. Rather than install a pitcher pump out doors on the well, I installed a tee and valve in the line from the well to the pump. We installed an "armstrong" (pitcher pump on the countertop near the kitchen sink. A length of black plastic water line ran from the well pump to the hand pump on the kitchen counter. A simple flip of the vale, prime the hand pump and we had water while the rebuild was underway and anytime there was no power to run the electric pump. It was a bit more effort to operate the hand pump with the extra distance and height above the well but certainly worth it if you did not want to go out on a freezing cold night in a blizzard to fetch a pail of water!

[@jacktough]

Good stuff as always. Thanks 🍻

[@dadbudgetadventures]

You’re welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@campingman2156]

People also need to remember most households have hot water tanks with capacity of 40-50 gallons of “stored water” however it will need to be accessed from the lower drain and possibly have sediment that might need lightly filtered. I personally would have other backups as well

[@dadbudgetadventures]

And you also have to shut it down as soon as there is an issue with the water supply since they actively fill when used.

[@campingman2156]

Yes good point

[@lucyalderman422]

The city of Calgary had a major water feeders line break and nearly 1 million people were put on water restrictions and boil water alerts

[@dadbudgetadventures]

It happens everywhere every year. People need to be prepared for whatever comes their way.

[@thebadidealab3627]

great video, very important topic

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Thank you

[@jameskelly1680]

Cheap sources of canning jars: Goodwill and other thrift stores, yard sales, and craigslist. Also you can reuse Classico spaghetti sauce jars, which have a standard Mason jar lid. Just don't reuse the old lid from the spaghetti sauce, they are single-use items.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Absolutely. That’s great advice.

[@craftsbeautyandlife5163]

We will never have enough water.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Just when you think you have enough, ya don’t

[@spwriter1]

We store a lot of bottled water. I'm trying to figure out, we and are in a somewhat rural area we have well water I'm trying to find out the simplest way if there's a power outage to get water out of my well. Thank you for the great video I like that water purification system

[@dadbudgetadventures]

You should probably look into a solar generator that has enough power to run that pump and then set up a power bypass to hook it up for such occasions.

[@ronmcclellan4608]

An issue I struggle with as an off grid Alaskan ((no power/no water) is the water freeze issue. Trying to store ice blocks in the winter like in Yakutsk and filtering water with activated charcoal in the summer. Tough but important work. Sure would like to learn about easier solutions

[@dadbudgetadventures]

That really is a unique situation that most of us can’t even fathom. People don’t realize that frozen water is the same as no water if it’s too cold or you have no way to thaw it.

[@davidgraemesmith1980]

Greetings from England, in the city I currently live in the municipal water often reeks of chlorine because of the amount of cracked pipes requiring repair lol chlorine burns in the water is a daily thing, anyway I use a countertop gravity filter to remove the chlorine from the water unless I'm filling one of the 25L potable water jugs I rotate through every 6 months

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Sounds like necessity prompted a great practical response. Now you’re a step ahead.

[@davidgraemesmith1980]

@@dadbudgetadventures yep, the chlorinated water was making me puke, besides the fact that I had been between homes for a couple of years and drank water from agricultural drainage ditches I prefiltered through a stainless steel coffee filter into a 2L bottle before drinking it through an early "water to go" filter bottle, "hard times make hardened people"

[@douglassnyder8163]

I just order the pitcher filter from the company. Thanks

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Awesome! Hope it works out well for you.

[@displacedyankee7819]

Excellent topic. I recently got a bunch of blue 7 gallon jugs that are made in Canada to store my water. I haven't added anything to it. I did see a product on Amazon that called water preserver concentrate that is supposed to preserve water for 5 years. Haven't bought it yet, curious if you had seen it.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

I have not but I’m about to go look into it. Thanks!

[@ZTRAVLR]

THAT SIMPURE FILTER IS A NICE PRODUCT DBA. GREAT INFO VID.....Z.... 20.5K SUB'S!!!!!!!!!

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Thank you so much!

[@ZTRAVLR]

@@dadbudgetadventures YW

[@rob280]

I always thought if the power was out and the water was out, why not open the breaker to your hot water heater and get some from the drain valve on the tank. Would be really easy if your hot water heater was sitting up on a pedestal. You may need to vent the tank by lifting lever on the relief valve to get it to drain. You would want to make sure the system was returned to normal before restoring power to the hot water heater.

[@rob280]

My bad, just got far enough down in the comments to see where someone else also suggested this.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

No it’s a great suggestion. There are reserves in your house but any extended outage will leave you needing more than you thought you’d need.

[@billmacfarlane8864]

Great content! Quick question, if you had water bottles that had expired and not safe to drink, could you treat, filter or boil that water to make it ok to drink?

[@reneerupert5830]

@@billmacfarlane8864 That's a great question!

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Yes, any of those options would work. Expired bottled water won’t likely be too bad for you but it could start to develop bacteria especially as the bottle seals break down. But all you really need to do is add that extra step of treatment to make it useable.

[@billmacfarlane8864]

@@dadbudgetadventuresThanks

[@MelloYelloErnieM]

New subscriber: one important thing missing. Shelf live of each product selection

[@dadbudgetadventures]

I don’t know that I can accurately forecast that

[@benreynolds181]

If you fill your own jars or bottles with water, you can get extra life out of them by getting rid of all the air in the container before putting on the lid. Also, if you use plastic bottles, you can fill it to 90%, and then squeeze the bottle to get rid of the air. Then, it's also protected from bursting while frozen, too.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Great suggestions!

[@elrondsoukup29]

If you are going to choose the filter water option; then tpyou should have a pre-filter( such as a mil-bank bag) to extend the life of your filter.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Absolutely. Get the gunk out before using the filter.

[@stevansikes8477]

In one gallon glass jugs. 🇺🇲

[@dadbudgetadventures]

There ya go!

[@johnt5652]

Water doesn't go bad. After 20 years it might taste off, but unless it's cloudy or brown you won't need to filter it. Contamination from a plastic bottle will be the least of your worries. If SHTF and things go sideways.. You can also stick a lifestraw in a puddle.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

That’s highly inaccurate. There are so many factors involved, such as package contaminants leeching into the contents or failing seals. Water gathers mold, bacteria, and whatever else may be in the container or environment and is one of the most common vectors for disease around the world. I wouldn’t count on that opinion. If you were to say that perfectly packaged water with ideal storage conditions and no failure of package integrity never goes bad you might be correct but we have to consider all those factors before making a blanket statement like that.

[@misolgit69]

don't forget in winter rural ares....don't melt the yellow snow 😂😇

[@dadbudgetadventures]

What, it’s not lemon?

[@bonjovi2757]

Water does not go "bad". In certain environments the particulates in water can grow contaminants. Water itself is hydrogen and oxygen atoms. There is nothing to spoil or decay. Keep water (contaminant free) out of sun light. You can boil stored water to "refresh it" as long as it was clean to start with and kept out of sun light. But water, is just water. There is no expiration date for water.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

You are correct. I don’t think I ever implied that water would spoil but it is the most common vector for disease and parasites in the world. Any flaws in storage or packaging will allow for contamination and sometimes the packaging itself causes contamination over time.

[@cheekysaver]

Zero water filters are economical when it comes to a temp water filter for emergencies. The filter itself is 15 to 20 and you should not use off brand. They are called zero water filters because they take the water down to almost zero ppm. I have tried it and tested it just for personal use. I also have a Berkey, tap attached counter top filter and a countertop water distiller. Here is how I would rate them and why.... Zero water filter, inexpensive (about 20 a month), requires no electricity, hands off fast and easy. Tap attached countertop water filter with a 1 micron ceramic filter. I like it for day to day use. It improves the water flavor and reduces the ppm tiny bit. The water out of that unit is better than the Berkey water by far. Next is the countertop water distiller. Only for emergencies because it is electricity expensive to run... effective... but the zero water filter is cheaper to use because of the cost of electricity. Last place... Berkey. Mom and dad gave me theirs... I filter the water I am running through it first and use it as a big shiny dispenser. Side note... I home brew (legal to do here when it is wine and beer.) Best use of my glass carboys tho is water storage. I paid $3 to $10 each. 3 to 6 gallon jugs. I actually don't drink much or often. Christmas sure is easy for me tho.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Great points. Thanks for sharing that!

[@lucyalderman422]

Note glass shouldn’t be placed in a metal container to can with out a guard of some between it and the container or the jar will break

[@dadbudgetadventures]

Good to know

[@AzraelsTear]

Never thought of canning water, that is an interesting approach and something that would be good to have on hand in small quantities at the very least. That being said, you forgot one method that has the most potential, almost unlimited, for keeping water around for extended periods of time and its SUPER easy to do. Dehydration, with dehydrated or freeze dried water you don't have to worry about storage room or longevity, as much anyway, and just add boiling or purified water to rehydrate back to a usable state. There is just one caveat, it is not recommended for people who actually believe dehydrated water is real and should NEVER be attempted as a serious method of storing water, otherwise it should work fine... 🤣

[@dadbudgetadventures]

I’ve heard the freeze dryers for water are much more expensive than regular freeze dryers so that one might not be good for the masses 😂

[@alpinealpine2793]

I've been in the habit of boiling water since I was a teenager and we had on again off again issues with water quality. The local water utility uses both chlorine and hydrogen peroxide to sterilize the water supply. So using water bricks or even old pool chemical drums wouldn't be an issue, as I would be boiling the water before use anyway.

[@dadbudgetadventures]

So you’re already a step ahead of most people.

[@alpinealpine2793]

@@dadbudgetadventures probably a few ahead of most. If you are set up for summer grilling or camping you'll have a certain amount of " preps" already.

[@danhandke5012]

👍❤️🙏❤️👍

[@dadbudgetadventures]

😎