01 Water Storage:
Description
This article is from the Water Treatment FAQ, by Patton Turner with numerous contributions by others.
01 Water Storage:
Quantity. A water ration of as little as a pint per day has allowed
liferaft survivors to live for weeks, but a more realistic figure is 1
gallon per person per day for survival. 4 gallons per person/day will
allow personal hygiene, washing of dishes, counter tops, etc. 5 to 12
gallons per day would be needed for a conventional toilet, or 1/2 to
two gallons for a pour flush latrine. For short term emergencies, it
will probably be more practical to store paper plates and utensils,
and minimize food preparation, than to attempt to
store more water.
In addition to stored water, their is quite a bit of water trapped in
the piping of the average home. If the municipal water system was not
contaminated before you shut the water off to your house, this water
is still fit for consumption without treatment. To collect this water,
open the lowest faucet in the system, and allow air into the system
from a second faucet. Depending on the diameter of the piping, you
may want to open every other faucet, to make sure all of the water is
drained. This procedure will usually only drain the cold water side,
the hot water side will have to be drained from the hot water heater.
Again, open all of the faucets to let air into the system, and be
prepared to collect any water that comes out when the first faucet is
opened. Toilet tanks (not the bowls) represent another source of
water if a toilet bowl cleaner is not used in the tank..
Some people have plumbed old hot water heaters or other tanks in line
with their cold water supply to add a always rotated source of water.
2 cautions are in order 1) make sure the tanks can handle the pressure
(50 psi min.), and 2) if the tanks are in series with the house
plumbing, this method is susceptible to contamination of the municipal
water system. The system can be fed off the water lines with a
shutoff valve ( and a second drain line), preventing the water from
being contaminated as long as the valve was closed at the time of
contamination.
Water can only be realistically stored for short term emergencies,
after that some emergency supply of water needs to be developed.
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