water

[MOXY]

Hi to everyone, this is my first post so I feel a bit green! Could anybody tell me how long tap water will keep fresh in a container ?:(

[Ogri the trog]

Hi Moxy,
Welcome to the forum.
The water should last until you drink it or pour it away. ;)
It will depend on a lot of factors, acidity/akilinity, other contaminants, the stability of the container, the atmosphere in which the container was filled to name but a few.
It makes a lot of sense to drink and refill, rather than carry water for any great length of time.

Why not wait till a few more replies appear.

ATB

Ogri the trog

[ChrisKavanaugh]

Potable water, even made safe for drinking has a shelf life. The issue is anearobic bacteria which will 'bloom' into health threatening numbers over time. You can buy so called stabilisers which increase shelf life. These are oxygen rich compounds. A more economical method is simple rotation of your supply with a constant base level for perceived needs should some event disrupt supply. The base quantity is one US gallon per person per day. If your considering a larger quantity a 55 gallon foodgrade plastic drum, a suitable bung wrench and hand powered syphon are a good setup. Then you would utilise safe water and the stabiliser becomes economically viable.

[dropkick]

A few storage hints:

If you plan to store it for a long period of time you can stabilize it by adding a small amount of household bleach.
-If drinking the water/bleach mix bothers you, put the water in an open container for 24 hrs. and the bleach will disipate.

You can also use iodine as a stabilizer. - leaves a taste and unsafe for pregnent women.

If the containers are see-through store them in the dark, as any light will encourage the growth of algea and other lifeforms.

If you don't want to use a chemical stabilizer/sterilizer, you can "CAN" the water - boil the water for at least 10 minutes and then immediately put it into sterile containers (boil the containers too).

If the water tastes flat when you wish to drink it, pour it back and forth between 2 containers. This will put air back in and make it taste better.

link to using bleach and storing:
http://www.acwd.org/news_info-emergency-prep.html

[ilovemybed]

Perhaps you could consider using some Brewer's streriliser. Is it Sodium Metabisulphate? Something like that anyway. Get it from Wilkinson's for a quid or two. Great for sterilising containers - not for adding to the water!