How to Store Water Long Term – Informational Guide

Are you able to name the single most important emergency supply, the one that, if not prepped, could result in the quickest and most serious consequences for you and your family?

The answer is, of course, WATER. 

Water availability is one of the biggest issues in an emergency, so you need to have water prepped in order to be fully prepared for an intense situation.

Our Favorite Options for Long Term Water Storage

How to Store Water Long Term

As mentioned above, water storage is not really something you want to mess around with in an emergency situation. But how do you know the best way to store enough water to keep you and your family alive when things get intense? Below are some of the most common options for water storage.

For Pure Water Sources Recycled Bottles

This option is the best if you are looking to save money, or if you are looking to save the planet by repurposing bottles that have already been used. If you have access to a pure water supply (as most people do via their household sinks), this is a great option for you.

Make sure to purify the bottles/jugs you will be using beforehand (more instructions on that in the “People Also Ask” section below). Then, simply fill the amount of water you will need and store in a cool, dark place.

For Maximum Convenience Water Bottles

If you want to prep for an emergency quickly (i.e., weather forecasters are predicting a storm is coming in the next twelve hours and you are not already prepared), store bought water bottles are your best solution. These are not ideal for the environmentally conscious, but they are absolutely guaranteed to be pure and not need treatment, and they can easily be bought in large quantities. They can take up a decent amount of storage space, so they should really only be used as a last minute solution.

High Capacity Storage Containers

Let’s say you want to be prepared no matter what, and you are the kind of person who likes to overshoot the recommended storage requirements, because you can just never be too safe. You will best reach peace of mind with a high capacity water storage container such as the products we will be reviewing below. These containers take up a minimal amount of space and can typically store water safely for up to five full years without risk of contamination.  

People Also Ask

Since water contamination can be one of the biggest issues in an emergency, we have compiled a list of additional questions to help ensure your water storage system is airtight (pun intended!):

How Long Can Drinking Water Be Stored?

It depends on the source of your water. As we have discussed above, contamination can be a big issue for water storage – if any part of your water is exposed to a potential contaminant, your whole water supply is lost and you basically have to start over from zero.

If the water in your storage system was water you bought specifically for that purpose, or water from bottles you bought at a store, it is likely good to last for up to five years without becoming contaminated.

On the other hand, if you simply filled up a water tank from a faucet or your outdoor garden hose, you need to rotate that water out on a yearly basis to ensure it remains clean.

How Do You Treat Water For Storage?

Before you even address the issue of treating your water, you definitely need to treat your water container. Clean your intended container with dishwashing soap, and then sanitize afterwards with a solution of one quart of water to a teaspoon of odorless liquid chlorine bleach (available in any grocery store).

Then, to sanitize your water itself, you can boil it for at least one full minute. You can also treat your water with bleach, which may seem counterintuitive given bleach’s poisonous properties. But if you put sixteen drops of bleach in each gallon of water, you will have clean, drinkable water after thirty minutes.

How Much Water Should I Store?

This answer really depends on how many people/animals you intend to be living off of your water supply, and for how long you need it to be able to last.

The United States Federal Government recommends that every household have enough emergency supplies, including clean drinking water, to get them through seventy two hours, the typical response time for federal authorities to reach everyone in an emergency. 

A good rule of thumb is that you will need one gallon of water per person per day, so three gallons of water for every person you want to keep safe.

Our Favorite Water Storage Solutions

If you do choose to go the high capacity storage container route, here are your best options:

Perks of Having Water on Standby

When it comes to water storage, you really do not want to compromise on quality in order to save a few bucks. Here are the reasons you need to invest in a top quality water storage solution:

Contamination Risk

Quality water storage containers are specifically designed to minimize the risk of contamination for extended periods of time. Once your water is contaminated, it becomes essentially useless, so make sure you choose a high quality container.

Storage

What if you do not happen to have garage space? What if your water storage solution needs to fit into a hall closet? High quality containers are stackable or can be folded down when not in use to ensure that you can always have them on hand, no matter what your space constraints.

Ease of Filling

Many people never prep a water storage solution because they just do not want to deal with the hassle of filling up tanks. But, a high quality container will have spigots and attachments to make the process of filling as easy and accessible as possible.

Conclusion

Water preparation and storage is an absolute must for any family that wants to be fully prepared in the event of a disaster situation. Our water storage solutions offer some of the best ways to guarantee peace of mind and the ability to stay safe and healthy, no matter what happens.