Preparedness
- Thread starter Laura
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realitybugll
Jedi Council Member
Does anyone have a particular brand of jars to recommend?
wetroof said:
I use Weck jars. They are only kept closed by the vacuum (there's a rubber ring between the jar and the glass lid). Since they're not mechanically forced to stay closed, one can immediately see if the content is off, then the lid opens.
realitybugll
Jedi Council Member
Thanks for your suggestion.
I don't understand how the sealing works on these. I'm familiar with the screw cap ones that have a substance on a ridged edging of the lid which then melts under pressure, and hardens forming a seal.
let me wait and see what any others are familiar with.
I don't understand how the sealing works on these. I'm familiar with the screw cap ones that have a substance on a ridged edging of the lid which then melts under pressure, and hardens forming a seal.
let me wait and see what any others are familiar with.
I have a large number of 10 Litre plastic jugs saved that the distilled water I purchase comes in. They don't have any traces of BPA and are made of High Density Polyethylene, which is a sturdier form of plastic, albeit still made from petroleum.
When looking up water storage practices, they are continuosly saying you need to add chlorine bleach to the water for treatment.
_http://www.waterandhealth.org/drinkingwater/water_storage.php3
Is the same still true for distilled water even though distilled is neutral water? I'm not sure, and I'm hesitant to add chlorine to the water if I don't need to. If anyone has any experience or expertise in storing water, it would be greatly appreciated.
When looking up water storage practices, they are continuosly saying you need to add chlorine bleach to the water for treatment.
_http://www.waterandhealth.org/drinkingwater/water_storage.php3
Is the same still true for distilled water even though distilled is neutral water? I'm not sure, and I'm hesitant to add chlorine to the water if I don't need to. If anyone has any experience or expertise in storing water, it would be greatly appreciated.
realitybugll
Jedi Council Member
!
boiling stored water should kill any bacteria growth in the water making it safe to drink. that requires access to a heat source... I think most bacteria is harmless though, so maybe you don't need to do anything at all. I'm not sure how well-founded the concern over contaminated water (by bacteria / microbial growth) is. Chlorination supposedly kills bacteria as well.
bacteria can grow in distilled water I think. tap or distilled doesn't make a difference for this. it is really odd though because they must get sugar from somewhere to grow...
Thanks for the suggestions Gandalf and Finduilas495. I was able to figure out how to get the Mason Jars (forget which brand) shipped to a store near me that I can pick up. So I don't have to pay the outrageous shipping! Most vendors charge a lot. It is almost another dollar per jar. Otherwise I might have gone with the Weck Jars if I had had to pay shipping. The potential problem with the Mason Jars is that the lids have a coating of BPA. But I figure that none of the meat in the jar should be in contact with the lid for extended time. so bpa leaching is not a problem.
boiling stored water should kill any bacteria growth in the water making it safe to drink. that requires access to a heat source... I think most bacteria is harmless though, so maybe you don't need to do anything at all. I'm not sure how well-founded the concern over contaminated water (by bacteria / microbial growth) is. Chlorination supposedly kills bacteria as well.
bacteria can grow in distilled water I think. tap or distilled doesn't make a difference for this. it is really odd though because they must get sugar from somewhere to grow...
Thanks for the suggestions Gandalf and Finduilas495. I was able to figure out how to get the Mason Jars (forget which brand) shipped to a store near me that I can pick up. So I don't have to pay the outrageous shipping! Most vendors charge a lot. It is almost another dollar per jar. Otherwise I might have gone with the Weck Jars if I had had to pay shipping. The potential problem with the Mason Jars is that the lids have a coating of BPA. But I figure that none of the meat in the jar should be in contact with the lid for extended time. so bpa leaching is not a problem.
thevenusian
Dagobah Resident
Turgon said:
A veteran of many power outages, here is what I've learned.
4-7 drops of chlorine bleach (unscented with nothing added) per gal of water will extend the storage life of water considerably. Without it water will only stay usable for a week or two. This would be true for both regular and distilled. If your water is already treated, like from a city supply, this may not be necessary, but you'd need to experiment.
Storing in a cool place away from heat and sunlight also helps much. But the single best strategy I've found for keeping water usable is to use a little chlorine, make sure the containers are clean (wash with a mild bleach solution and rinse thoroughly) and change it out more frequently- like every 2-3 months.
If there is any doubt about bacteria, boiling first for 30 min will kill about any organism.
Another way to keep some water fresher longer and also have a refrigeration source available without power for awhile is to keep some containers frozen and use like ice in a cooler until thawed.
If you anticipate being without water imminently, fill the bathtub or fill some 5-gal buckets outside to use for flushing toilets or boiling in a pinch. I keep a few 5-gal buckets filled outside- even rainwater will do for flushing.
Turgon said:
One thing I thought about is to add a dropperful of Lugol's or nascent iodine (instead of chlorine). It would probably kill any existing bacteria and preserve the water - for how long, I don't know. But if you had to drink the water, you'd get some iodine as well. You would certainly have to store it in a dark place.
LQB said:
If you had to drink the water, you just drink it!, I had been in circumstances that there are not around any option as to drink the water you have, of curse, in those circumstances I did not get that ill, I was able to function with cramps and stomach ache, but still :P ...
I use seed grape fruit extract to wash vegetables and strawberries, it works on water too, although I had not tried it that way. Where I live the tap water is too weird, rough, too mineralized?, that not even boiling works, but again, in my case, and since I had been in those circumstances, if it is the only water available, I just drink it.
I am for buying an osmosis filter for water, but it will do in another apartment, because in this one, it will broken soon...
Turgon said:
I was looking into preservation methods as well, and although the amount (according to the site below) doesn't seem like much, I also don't like the idea of adding chlorine to it.
from _http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/programs/extension/publicat/wqwm/emergwatersuppl.html
4 drops bleach per quart or liter container of water
8 drops bleach per 2-quart, 2-liter, or ½ gallon container of water
16 drops bleach, or 1/4 teaspoon, per gallon or 4-liter container of water
Iodine sounds like an interesting alternative. Are there any others? I was wondering if colloidal silver would work as effectively?
Looking into it a bit more I came across this website, which had this to say.
_http://www.emd.wa.gov/preparedness/documents/piy_water.pdf
They state that using Iodine is unsafe. So I am wondering if getting distilled water and then boiling it for safe measure might do the trick, as long as the jug is clean. Maybe even adding some sea salt to the water as a means of preservation as well.
That might work too! It does kill bacteria, so maybe a combination of boiling with CS would be a safer route than Chlorine. What are the chances of there being viruses in distilled water after boiling, which is the only thing chlorine takes care of that CS wouldn't.
_http://www.emd.wa.gov/preparedness/documents/piy_water.pdf
They state that using Iodine is unsafe. So I am wondering if getting distilled water and then boiling it for safe measure might do the trick, as long as the jug is clean. Maybe even adding some sea salt to the water as a means of preservation as well.
LQB said:
That might work too! It does kill bacteria, so maybe a combination of boiling with CS would be a safer route than Chlorine. What are the chances of there being viruses in distilled water after boiling, which is the only thing chlorine takes care of that CS wouldn't.
Gonzo
The Living Force
Regarding storing ans disinfecting water, UV treatment through sunlight can also work - Wikipedia has an entry on Solar Water Disinfection (_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_water_disinfection):
I've seen this work well with glass and both clear and opaque plastics, although plastics scare the heck out of me since we continue to find nasty things leaching out from the stuff, with BPA only being one of the may culprits.
It's also important to remember that containers should be sterilized before being used, much in the way we would sterilize jars prior to canning meats, etc.
Another area I've been thinking about is the use of salt. I've noticed some pools have replaced chlorine with salt as their disinfectant. As well, salt water rinses are often recommended for mouth injuries, to kill bacteria while the tissue heals.
Gonzo
I've seen this work well with glass and both clear and opaque plastics, although plastics scare the heck out of me since we continue to find nasty things leaching out from the stuff, with BPA only being one of the may culprits.
It's also important to remember that containers should be sterilized before being used, much in the way we would sterilize jars prior to canning meats, etc.
Another area I've been thinking about is the use of salt. I've noticed some pools have replaced chlorine with salt as their disinfectant. As well, salt water rinses are often recommended for mouth injuries, to kill bacteria while the tissue heals.
Gonzo
cholas
Dagobah Resident
In regards to Coloidal Silver, we use it in a solution(0.052%) regularly to soak vegetables and occasionally meat to rid them of bacteria. The directions state 10ml for every 2L of water, soak for 15 minutes.
We have also considered using it for purifying drinking water. Again, the directions on the container state 10ml for every 20L of water. Wait 15 minutes. They also say "no need to boil'''.
The brand we use is BacDyn plus which also contains animal-based gelatin :/.
We have also considered using it for purifying drinking water. Again, the directions on the container state 10ml for every 20L of water. Wait 15 minutes. They also say "no need to boil'''.
The brand we use is BacDyn plus which also contains animal-based gelatin :/.
