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How long is safe?
Posted: Fri May 11, 2018 8:15 pm
by Medusa
I read about the water BOB things and water bricks and really wanted to invest in a few, however I could not justify the cost especially as I couldn't find a UK supplier and the carriage charges from abroad were horrendous. I found these and bought a couple
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Collapsible-Po ... w+H2o+bags As nobody replied to my question about them being a safe plastic I presumed that they are not. How long would you consider safe to store drinking water in them without the plastic leeching into the water?
Re: How long is safe?
Posted: Fri May 11, 2018 8:43 pm
by xplosiv1
the way I'd view them is as an emergency storage item .... not long term storage, as in disaster hits and then you fill them.
in theory if the mains water was at risk of being cut off out or was contaminated after that you'd use up what was in that container long before leaching plastic became an issue.
80 litres @ 5L per day for one person for drinking, hygiene and cooking = 16 day supply
Re: How long is safe?
Posted: Sat May 12, 2018 9:33 am
by Arzosah
Medusa, I didn't see your previous question, but wouldn't have known the answer in any case, sorry!
But what a brilliant idea is shown on the linkie! Very affordable too. I'm still going to buy those Wilko wheelie bin plastic bags, as they're only £2 anyway, but I have a proper wheelbarrow I was gifted by an elderly pensioner living locally, so this would be a great buy. I agree with xplosiv, emergency storage, not long term, but emergency storage is a good idea too.
Re: How long is safe?
Posted: Sat May 12, 2018 4:54 pm
by ForgeCorvus
It seems that they're polyethylene.
HDPE (High Density PolyEthylene) is the standard material for making plastic water storage tanks and jerry cans.
So, I'd say that your barrow-bags are as safe for storing water as any other plastic container.
Here is an article about plastic water tanks, while it mentions PET, PEX and BPA as proven to contaminate stored water it makes no mention of PE or HDPE after the list in the second paragraph.
https://www.livestrong.com/article/1586 ... afely-use/
This is the website of one of many manufacturers of plastic water storage tanks
Draw your own conclusions.
Re: How long is safe?
Posted: Mon May 14, 2018 8:18 am
by featherstick
I have a couple of these in storage. I have taken the view that if we are using them, plastic leaching is the least of our worries.
However I wonder whether they are still serviceable? They haven't even come out of the package so there's a good chance they have perished along the folds. I wonder what the best way to store them is? Hanging up?
Re: How long is safe?
Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2018 1:51 pm
by Post
I work in engineering and deal with RO units as one of the many things I repair. The specialist contractor from Veolia/Elga who services then RO units once told me to never reuse plastic bottles as they start breaking down over time and are carcinogenic. I bought a glass bottle from Aldi for about £6 with a silicone protective sheath to take to work now for my drink.
With regards to long term storage of water, which was is best to store it?
Also, I’m a plumber by trade, I’ve intentionally kept my traditional boiler so that I have a store in the header tank and cylinder should the water be cut off, rather than have a combo and have no store or water. What I want to ask is, is the plastic from which header tanks are made from safe? I was going to increase the size of the said header tank in the loft you see.
Cheers,
Post
Re: How long is safe?
Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2018 2:09 pm
by jansman
Re: How long is safe?
Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2018 9:50 am
by ForgeCorvus
Hiya Post
See my above post about water tanks
Re: How long is safe?
Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2018 11:46 am
by yorkshirewolf
Considering how quickly water goes down when mains is turned off/not available, i don't think storing water long term is too much of an issue.
For a modern family in a house, most people conservatively use around 100 litres per day. In an emergency, for
two people cutting that right down to 5l per person per day, you're still using 70l per week, and that's difficult, - when we went travelling for a few months in a Land Rover, we used four of the NATO black jerry cans, so 80 litres, and using it for everything, it was hard work stretching it out for a week. So even storing say 300 litres, which is a lot of space and a lot of weight, it'll only last about a month, if you're being very careful how you use it.
Unless you're storing large amounts over 1000 litres, I wouldn't worry about container toxicity, just use some steri tabs/milton to keep it clean and if using clear/opaque containers, make sure it's in the dark to prevent algae.
Re: How long is safe?
Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2018 12:40 pm
by Deeps
yorkshirewolf wrote: ↑Sun Aug 12, 2018 11:46 am
Considering how quickly water goes down when mains is turned off/not available, i don't think storing water long term is too much of an issue.
For a modern family in a house, most people conservatively use around 100 litres per day. In an emergency, for
two people cutting that right down to 5l per person per day, you're still using 70l per week, and that's difficult, - when we went travelling for a few months in a Land Rover, we used four of the NATO black jerry cans, so 80 litres, and using it for everything, it was hard work stretching it out for a week. So even storing say 300 litres, which is a lot of space and a lot of weight, it'll only last about a month, if you're being very careful how you use it.
Unless you're storing large amounts over 1000 litres, I wouldn't worry about container toxicity, just use some steri tabs/milton to keep it clean and if using clear/opaque containers, make sure it's in the dark to prevent algae.
I keep about 200L ready use, 6 25L containers (I've a 7th that I was planning on adding to the stash but I've a half notion to try and conceal it at my fav wild camping site) and other bottles. I also keep several pop/juice bottles/cans of pop/juice and also fresh orange/apple, its stuff we use so I like to store it.
Depending on the whys of you using your stored water will have an impact on your usage. If its a localised mains supply issue then you know its going to be back on or a bowser will turn up. If its longer term then you might have to be more canny with it. One water saving measure is paper plates and plastic cutlery.
As you say, there's no escaping the actual bulk and weight of water, this is where purification comes in.