We all know the importance of water in our lives. You don’t even have to be a prepper or survivalist to understand that. We use water in countless ways throughout each and every day of our lives, mostly without giving it a thought.
It’s only when that water is hard to come by that most people realize just how precious it really is. We preppers know that and include water storage as a key part of our preps.
That’s not to say that preppers get water storage right all the time. Sadly, the internet contains a wealth of wrong information and we’re just as susceptible to finding it as anyone else is.
Most of the time we have read enough that we recognize the bad information that’s out there. But every once in a while, there are things that slip through as being true, even thought they’re not.
Then there are the things we deny, thinking they can’t be true, even though they are. A lot of that has to do with nothing more than just how well it’s written.
When it comes to something as important as the water that we drink, we can’t afford to believe the wrong information. That includes throwing out “myths” about water storage which are actually true.
Some of those myths are warnings to us, which we need to take into account for our own water storage. Doing so will help us to mitigate against the potential problems that they could cause.
Stored Water Tastes Bad
This myth is true, but it’s not dangerous and is easily rectified. Water tastes better when it has a small amount of dissolved air in it.
That’s why our home faucets (both in the kitchen and bathroom) have aerators on them. Those aerators mix air into the water, so that it will taste good.
As water sits, whether in a pitcher on the counter or in a storage barrel in the basement, the air gradually comes to the top and escapes. This is slow enough that we don’t notice it; but it will affect the taste of the water.
Fortunately, the fix is easy. All we have to do is stir the water vigorously or pour it back and forth between two glasses or pitchers a couple of times, so that air can get mixed back into the water.
You Need to Store a Gallon of Water Per Person, Per Day
This one is both true and false at the same time. We do need one gallon of water per person, per day for survival. But that water just takes care of cooking and drinking. It is not enough to take care of all our needs, specifically cleaning.
Related: I Lived Without Running Water For One Year. Here’s What I Learned
It certainly won’t take care of watering a garden, no matter how hard you try; so, if growing your own food is part of your plan, don’t try to count on only a gallon of water per day.
The thing that is important here is that we only need one gallon of purified water per person, per day. All the other water we use doesn’t have to be purified. That includes water we use for bathing, cleaning and gardening.
In fact, we can use greywater for any of those purposes, allowing us to use the same water for washing clothes, then bathing, then cleaning the floor and finally watering our gardens.
Water Needs to be Both Filtered and Purified
This is a somewhat dangerous one, because there are a lot of people out there who are trying to tell us the opposite; but it is in fact true.
That’s because purifying and filtering are two different things. Purifying water is the process of eliminating bacteria and other microscopic pathogens from the water.
Filtering, on the other hand, removes sediment from the water. If all we do is purify the water, such as through chemical purification, we could still have water that contains sediment, even dangerous sediment. We should filter it too.
You can easily build your own water filter in under 30 minutes, using this guide and a few basic materials and tools.
Looking at it from the filtering point of view, there are some water filters which do a good enough job that they will not only remove sediment from the water, but the microscopic pathogens as well.
Drinking Saltwater Will Kill You
This one is absolutely true, especially if the saltwater we are talking about is ocean water.
The concentration of salt in ocean water, commonly referred to as its salinity, is about 35 parts per thousand. However, the salinity of human blood is 9 parts per thousand.
When we drink saltwater, it raises the salinity level of our blood. This will, in turn, cause water to come out of the cells in our bodies, passing through the cell walls into the blood, in an effort to reduce the salinity of the blood.
That leads directly to dehydration, which will kill. The more saltwater that is drunk, the faster it will kill us.
Boil Water for 10 Minutes to Make It Safe to Drink
Boiling water is one of the oldest and widest known means of purifying it.
But is that true? Yes, in fact, it is.
Louis Pasteur discovered in the mid-1800s that bacteria and protozoa die at 158°F, much lower than the boiling point of water, which is 212°F.
So, boiling water will purify it, making it safe to drink or for medical use. For that matter, anything put in that water, such as a cloth to be used for a bandage or a medical instrument will be purified by the heat in the water.
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But that doesn’t mean that we need to boil all our water or even that we need to boil water when no other means of purification is available.
Pasteur’s discovery led to what is known to as “pasteurization,” a process where the microscopic pathogens are killed by heat. But pasteurization only requires that the water be heated to 160°F, not to boiling temperature.
By pasteurizing water, instead of boiling it, we can purify the water, without using as much energy or fuel.
Don’t Use Milk Containers to Store Water
Actually, the myth going around is that we can use milk containers to store water. That’s theoretically true, as they are made from a polyethylene based plastic, which is normally one of the best plastics for water storage.
But… and this is a very big but, the containers need to be absolutely clean, down to a microscopic level. If any residue from the milk remains, it can feed any bacteria that are in the water, allowing that bacteria to grow.
You’re better off buying container just for the water, even though it will cost more.
Milk containers are also designed to be at least somewhat biodegradable, meaning that they can and will break down over time. If this process happens too quickly, it could result in the loss of some of your water stocks, not something you want.
You Will Die of Thirst, Before Dying of Starvation
Another true myth. While hunger might bother us more, even causing stomach pain, it won’t kill you very quickly.
You can live for anywhere from 30 to 100 days without food, depending on how much fat reserves you have in your body and how active you are.
Chances are high that you won’t function as well, but you won’t die.
On the other hand, you can only survive three to five days without water, depending on the temperature and your physical activity.
Related: 8 Plants You Can Extract Water From (In The Wilderness)
Losing anything over 10% of your body’s water will make you mentally disoriented and cause physical weakness. It can even cause chest pain, akin to that of a heart attack. Death can occur with losing as little as 15% of your body’s water.
Your body can lose anywhere from 17 to 50 ounces of water per hour while involved in physical activity. The range of variance is so broad because your body size, the temperature, and what sort of activity you are engaged in will all affect your water loss.
The activity required for survival will push you more towards the high end of this range, so you need to make sure you keep hydrated.
Water Barrels Can’t be Stacked
Most barrels and containers intended for storing water and other liquids are actually designed for stacking. The key to knowing whether or not they are is the shape of the container.
If the top of the container is flat, providing a stable surface for another container to sit on top of it, then it was designed to carry the weight of that other container and its contents.
This doesn’t mean that barrels and container can be stacked without limit. Everything has a weight limit, including plastic barrels and specialty water containers.
For the containers, check the manufacturer’s literature, which should give clear guidelines on how high they can be stacked. For 55-gallon plastic barrels, don’t go over two high.
Water is undoubtedly one of our most precious resources, and its importance cannot be overstated. It’s a fundamental element of our daily lives, vital for survival, and indispensable for various purposes beyond drinking and cooking.
As preppers, we understand the significance of water storage, yet we must also be discerning in the face of common misconceptions. These so-called “myths” often contain grains of truth, reminding us to remain vigilant in our preparedness efforts.
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I use water containers, a lot of these articles do not mention about biofilm that develop inside these water containers. How to prevent them.
This and other factors should be another prepper article posted. The biofilms can cause harm to people and animals.
David, please add more information on biofilms.
Grateful you brought this up for us.
A simple monthly treatment of the container with the appropriate dosage of classic household bleach will eliminate the biofilm.
Can you elaborate on how much bleach per water will be safe for bathing water?
Another option to avoid the film and eliminate growth is to use chlorine dioxide tablets from Safrax. If kept dry and sealed these tablets have a much longer shelf life than bleach which losses effectiveness after 6 months.
Water is the elixir of life no matter where we are in the world.
There precautions to storing water and contamination afterwards.
Another fundamental myth of storage is having something to barter with if the plastic containers spring a leak needing repair.
We need to have another form of barter currency as our politicians spend America into bankruptcy. Our paper dollar will become useless in the digital dollar system unless we tell them, hell no! Who says they have the right to destroy our paper dollar?
“In God We Trust” It will be a miracle that America (prays) will avoid World War
Decide which side you are on, prepare for a war State.
Two wars, Ukraine, Russia, USA and China, Taiwan, USA.
Digital Dollar taking over our bank accounts, no more privacy of purchase.
America has terrorist cells not activated yet, we have the Hamas rallies in the American streets.
Biden and others are making the Second Amendment obsolete, guns hard to purchase, not for Hunter.
Wasted 7 years worth of US Military weapons that must be replaced along with the Strategic Oil Reserves depleted, sold to China.
Many voted for a Trojan Horse of destroying America, because the Sheeple could not stand the Trump Tweets, Boo Hoo!
Who you gonna call? Ghost Busters or Trump?
Saying “hell no” works if the government cares about the people.
Voting works if elections aren’t rigged up the wazoo.
Think about that.
We see these articles about water storage containers. Do we have an idea how long these plastic water containers last? Do these food grade containers ever really get cleaned of prior contends?
If a water container leaks are there food grade sealants we can use for repairs?
Yes there are food grade sealants but you can also use a soldering iron or a hot piece of metal and melt it together in a pinch.
Has anyone built a sand filter and does it really work?
Have seen these being used in countries like Africa. Are these in common use in the United States?
I worked for a small community that had sand filters, they met the county’s standards in ‘03. They were using surface water, and I believe the EPA/County made them change. Over a hundred folks used it for years with no ill effects. Myself, included.
I take a capsule (dry) antiviral extract derived from Pine Bark (not the outer bark that you can touch, but the inner bark that runs water up the tree that is next to the outer bark. The name of the extract pine is: “Pinus sylvestris” Bark extract. To see a picture or find this tree’s “nick-name” and general areas where it grows naturally, check any reliable source (maybe Wikipedia to start, but better: identification books). Tapping trees is ok, but working with lower fat branches is better for the tree than working with the trunk. My point here is that if the inner-bark is non-poisonous then probably the water that flows through it is the same to the extent that the drinker can tolerate it. Pine flavor is not my cup of tea; but water is water.
You can also tap birch trees in January/February for drinking , I know it’s only an alternative for a short period but it may help someday.
Living on the East Coast of Florida, most people here know not to drink Sea Water on purpose. If you’ve been swimming in the ocean, you have accidentally drank sea water. That’s why after swimming in the ocean you’re so thirsty.
Alum, which is often used in pickling is an excellent flocculant. A tablespoon sprinkled on a 5 gallon bucket of muddy/sediment rich water causes the suspended particles to stick together and sink to the bottom of the bucket. After about an hour, the top 9/10th of the water can be decanted into another clean container or run thru a water filter.. This does not purify the water, but removes a majority of the sediment. We’ve used this on rafting trips where stream and river water was extremely murky from runoff.
Truth be know , you can use any water , if you process thru the right filtration means
Sand, Gravel , Dirt and best with out fire is evaporation into a plastic cover
Clean Water , the life of the human being
So many great site s to see the different systems , all for your review , NOW
As we get closer to end times , this will not be so
Grace only last until the countdown has been fulfilled and prophecy is ready to be fulfilled
Depending on where you live, city or rural country or deseart
once you have beend trained you know what to do
Wells , Holes, even low spots in the land
The only things you cannot protect against is Evil Mankind in his quest to destroy
natural to his inbreeding , must be trained out and a new nature installed , only thru
Forgiveness, Love , Grace , meekness, kindness, lowly spirit and only as you have accepted the holy spirit in your life to change you from old to new
not as your trained by the religeous or churched , but by the HOLY SPIRIT
This is how you tell evil from Good , Satan From God , who belongs to satan to perish forever or to be born again to newness of life to live in heaven forever
Remember no evil can enter the kingdom of heaven and the end , never , ever justifys ones own means
John 3:16 , actually the whole 1st 3 chapters
John 14:6 clearly states the Truth
be Carefull who you listen to , follow , what you do
AMEN!!!!
a very good article, thanks. but i wonder how the American Indians and other cultures throughout history survived on the water they just found. they didn’t boil it or filter it, they just drank what was available and were glad to have it.
and by all means purify the water that you use for drinking if possible..
when i was young and in scouting in Nevada we drank from every spring and river we could find and no one ever got sick. i have drank gallons out of the Colorado river.
possibly we built up a resistance to it like many other things. if you can endure encounters with leather belts, you can survive almost anything. : ) it made us who we are.
They no doubt did build up a tolerance but also may have tried to drink from springs as much as possible.
I might be wrong … but I think I remember reading on the internet that there are 21 or 27 different trees in (North) America where they can be tapped as a water source when water is scarce. Google that (ahead of time) for more information regarding which trees to tap.
water is water! if you have it, that’s fine! if you don’t, that’s fine ,too! your life will just be a little shorter without water. we are talking about survival and survival means time left to live another day. we will all die someday! the factor to stay alive another day is time. drink polluted water and you might just buy a few more days to find better water to survive. time will tell! prepare if you can. if you can’t, then find other ways to buy you time. Drink the bad water to survive if you have to. your fresh urine will work to your advantage. your kidneys are one of the best water purifiers available to you. drink and survive! good luck!
“a little shorter”???????????
How about, You will die within a few days!
There’s very little that is more important than water, and very little that becomes a life-threatening emergency that fast.
The link to “this guide” wasn’t to a guide at all but had some crazy message that I had two viruses and it wouldn’t let me leave the page.
While I see that many of these are considered myths, and that a myth can be an ideal about something and not inherently false, it’s commonly used to indicate there’s a lot of attention to something, but people tend to think of myth as fiction. It seems the author uses the word both ways, too. For more clarity, it would have been better to say fact or fiction for each myth and then drill down.
I’m glad to see he mentioned about the gallon/person/day idea. I agree that many do not consider how else they use water or how much of it they use. When washing my hands, I prefer using clean water. I think it imperative if I’m washing my hands before preparing or cooking food.
While drinking sea water has to be a last resort for anyone in times that even remotely approach normal, it has been proven that it can be done successfully when there was no other choice.
I cannot find the YouTube video, but in the1950s, a Frenchman sailed from some European port to Barbados, I think. 50+ days later, he was found by a ship’s crew that took him aboard, provided him with a hot shower, and served him dinner. He then went on his way and landed in Barbados 12 or 13 days later. Except for the interlude on the ship, he survived on fish (which, no surprise, has a high water content) and sea water.
He wrote a book about it. With sea water, he said that the trick was to begin drinking sea water before his fresh water was exhausted.
Sorry. I can’t find this decades-old documentary on YouTube. However, I did find this: Teen rescued after 49 days at sea
49 days on sea water? Not bad.
This is worded so incredibly awkwardly! It was hard to tell what the author meant by MYTH! Seriously, I offer to proofread and edit for authors here. I’m sure by contacting the owner of the site you can get my email from my comment. Or send me a message on my Instagram page.
BecCreates1