Tracking the next pandemic: Avian Flu Talk |
What Plans Have You Made for Water |
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brianages
Valued Member Joined: May 31 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 108 |
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Posted: June 10 2006 at 4:21pm |
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Can we hear the different ideas and products the group has made for drinking water and storage?
I did two things (always have a backup)
1) Water Bladders (3 x 250 gallons)
Stationary storage that takes very little room
2) British Berkey water filtration (Used by relief agencies in some really nasty water)
Portable, endless supply (25 gallons per day), small storage
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Brian Ages - Tybee Island - GA
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I have a similar arrangement, but with the addition of a couple of inflatable swimming pools as well for emergency storage: 1) Water Bladders (2x150gal; 1x350 gal) 2) Two 55 gal barrels 3) Berkey Light 4) Hiking filter (for bug out bag) 5) two inflatable swimming pools (1000 gal and 1700 gal). I don't really want to use the swimming pools except as a last resort as I have read that PVC pools may shed a chemical (pfelates?sp) that is carcinogenic. I am not sure the Berkey will filter the chemical out. There is an entire thread in Fluwiki discussing the use of PVC pools for water storage if you need more info. |
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Cygnet
Valued Member Joined: May 20 2006 Status: Offline Points: 114 |
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I'm on a well -- it's shared with 8 families & it's got a 5,000 gallon holding tank. It's also too deep to power with a generator, so if the power goes off, I'm up a creek once the water's used up. And I'd be hauling it by hand from the tank as it doesn't gravity feed. I also have a 250 gallon holding tank I'm putting in on my property because I'm sick of having no water when the well goes out. (See above about not gravity feeding.)
If TSHTF, however, I'm headed for my father's cabin in N. AZ, though, which has an ample natural supply of water. I couldn't live out here long term if we had a major pandemic and civilization fell apart. Water WOULD be an issue, and food would be a bigger issue. (I could probably divert enough rainwater from the roof to keep from dying of dehydration -- but I certainly wouldn't get enough to grow anything with.) |
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Cygnet
Our well is too deep also.. We have a bladder still in the box from y2k. I have a couple of wading pools for standby, but I am trying to remember a device they had a while back that you could drop down a deep well by hand and pull up a gallon or so at a time. It had a ball float that would drop into place to hold the water while you drew it up. Also at most farm supply stors they have those large plastic tanks that you carry on the back of a pickup. They suggested them for y2k in their adds back in 99, so I assume they would be safe... I will look into one of those most likely.... Take care |
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Pixie
Admin Group Joined: June 05 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 19668 |
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I am lacking in water storage, I have only individual gallons about 150 . My house is such there is no access to the cellar from inside. I would have to go outside. 55 gallon drums would be great,but I'd probably be seen bringing up water.How long would it be before someone broke in the cellar? I've thought about having a trap door cut in,but no funds to hire someone,and being a manless household I am at a loss. Somewhere I read even though the water may not be chlorinated in emergency situtations they would let it run. So I'll be refilling and sanitizing with clorox and hydrogen peroxcide.
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HOPEFLOATS
V.I.P. Member Joined: March 22 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 94 |
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We have 6 55 gallon barrels 2 6 gallon barrels an aboveground pool which we are going to use for wash water to clean up with and if needed drinking water. We also have a bunch of 2 litter bottles filled which we are rotating. I still feel as if we need more.
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brianages
Valued Member Joined: May 31 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 108 |
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I would worry about storage prior to the threat of a break in. Just my opinion but fear of the outdoors should not be in a plan and there are remedies to protect outdoor storage (cans on string, dog, trip flares, etc...)
Buy "food grade" hydrogen peroxide. I learned this from an engineer.
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Brian Ages - Tybee Island - GA
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Mississipp Mama
Valued Member Joined: January 20 2006 Status: Offline Points: 524 |
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I contracted to have a maunal well put in six months. In Jan. the contractor told me he had enough work to last a year. He said he would contact me when he got to my area. Two weeks ago he got to me. He did most of the work then and came back to finish today. He said there are so many people getting wells put in since Katrina. Stated he has never seen it this busy before. I wonder how many are preparing for bird flu? So as for my water I have 4-55 gal. drumbs, 3-35gal. drumbs 15-five gal. containers and a manual well. This was such a relief to get the well after waiting so long. I plan to buy some individual gallons of water from the store also.
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Mrs. T
V.I.P. Member Joined: May 02 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 95 |
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We have a well and bought a generator, but I see some people have wells that are too deep for a generator. How deep is too deep? Ours is about 225 feet.
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TrishaA
Adviser Group Joined: May 15 2006 Status: Offline Points: 55 |
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Hi guys.....What the heck is a water bladder? Where do you get all these bladders and barrels?
Trisha
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looking for blue skies in a dust storm
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brianages
Valued Member Joined: May 31 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 108 |
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Hello Trisha,
I bought mine from a hurricane supply company. They are "food grade" and I really went off the deep end and bought a pressurization system for the house (not needed for basic). I broke my neck a few years ago so I have to get extreme to make things easy. I can move around but it hurts to do to much.
I went to www.waterunner.com and selected a system. The bladders on their own are all you need.
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Brian Ages - Tybee Island - GA
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In terms of water storage, at the moment we have about 50 gal total. This will be augmented over the next few weeks. Fortunately, we have a barrel dealer about three blocks away from the house. Water barrels are a common site in this area, as so many people live on small ranches and the like.
We plan on at least 2 55-gallon barrels, which we plan on tying into our still non-existent rain gutters. Another item for the to-do list. The area we're in averages about 12-18 inches per year, and we're way below that so far this year. So rain gutters haven't been a major priority until now. Also, the city's water source is a rather polluted river. If the water is pumped through the pipes unchlorinated, it would be very bad to drink it untreated.
Question: Someone mentioned bleach and food grad hydro-peroxide. How does that work?
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Penham
Chief Moderator Moderator Joined: February 09 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 14913 |
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We have 1-55 gal water drum with spigot (Atwoods), several 6-gallon water containers (Walmart), regular gallons of water, cases of individual bottled water and 12,000 gallons of pool water, and we are saving empty 2-liter soda bottles and juice bottles to fill with water.
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I plan on raiding my neighbors homes for water. Okay, just kidding! I really dont think we will have a water crisis. Im sure states will mandate that utility workers show up for work. They will be the front lines along with medical workers to receive protective equipment and viral shots. I would be more concerned with power lines going down during the winter months from ice or storms. You could be without power and heat for days.
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Hydrangea
Adviser Group Joined: March 22 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 37 |
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I buy water every time I shop and at this point have about 40 gallons
of bottled and jugged water, plus two 7-gallon and one 5-gallon
containers that will be filled later.
There are three forgotten-until-yesterday containers in my home and I can't believe I overlooked them for so long: empty 10, 20 and 55 gallon aquariums. After a good cleaning they could be filled and then filtered and aerated while the power is on. Additionally, the family room/den used to be a 2 car garage and would support the weight of a kiddy pool or two. |
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if you need water
plastic freezer bags put over leaves of a non toxic tree and held on with a clothes peg will draw water out of the leaves
with enough plastic bags you could have a bath every day
I lived in the desert and can survive where no body else can
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brianages
Valued Member Joined: May 31 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 108 |
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I was asked for this information on the other site so I thought I would add it here in case someone is seeking these items. This is where I purchased the bladders and Berkey. You might be able to find a better deal but this was the best I could find at the time.
This type of storage is easy, maintenance free (until filled), and no shelf life.
Water Bladders (several sizes and choices)
In the event I need to use the bladders (fill them) we plan on using the garage slab. They are like a food grade water bed and when full have the same weight factor. Plan the placement on a very solid and structural load bearing floor, ground, or concrete slab.
I prefer the items that take little shelf space and can be thrown onto a shelf and forgotten until needed.
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Brian Ages - Tybee Island - GA
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strwberry
Valued Member Joined: February 22 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 47 |
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I have over 300 2 litter containers, 150 - gallon aqua tank, 12 cases bottled water, and a 10,000 gallon above ground pool....which I'm not counting on since my neighbors all know about it, I'm sure they will help themselves if it gets as bad as that. Im going to think of it as my contribution to the neighborhood.
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brianages
Valued Member Joined: May 31 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 108 |
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Hello Strawberry,
Just a note about pool water; don't use it for drinking water. The chemicals used to keep it looking good will cause liver failure.
I don't know how or why it does this but I sat in on a meeting years ago for the LAX planning and the issue came up. They built large storage tanks to accommodate 60,000 people. I was trying to sell them a desalinization unit .
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Brian Ages - Tybee Island - GA
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abbie
Adviser Group Joined: April 20 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 174 |
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I have a question about water. Where we live they have have just planted dozens of trees and were hauling in water. We were told that there was going to be a something like a water trough installed to collect rain in so no one would have to haul water in. Of course this got us to thinking about our plans for water in case BF hits and of course we didn't mention it to anyone. My question is this, if we put bleach and food grade hydrogen peroxide in this "water trough" would it be safe to drink? Wouldn't you boil it also. We have a small water purifier too. Any answers on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
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brianages
Valued Member Joined: May 31 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 108 |
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I knew an engineer who had told me that "food grade" hydrogen peroxide is all that is needed to purify drinking water. Now this was clean water so I would suggest filtering it first and then adding your FG peroxide. It's a good idea to add only the amount specified and if anything go on the light side. It would really be a bad hair day to save yourself from dehydration but blow out a liver because of added chemicals.This was prior to a bird flu threat so it would be good to know if there has been any testing with peroxide only. Both are basically a bleach so I couldn't see needing both.
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Brian Ages - Tybee Island - GA
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strwberry
Valued Member Joined: February 22 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 47 |
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brianages, thank you for the advice but I thought if it sat in the sun all the chemicals would dissipate, if this is not true...I will only use for showering, cleaning, and will post a "do not drink" sign. |
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abbie
Adviser Group Joined: April 20 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 174 |
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Thanks brianages for the water info. I hope no one ever has to use it. Water here is my biggest concern. There are two very close ponds but they are also full of geese and ducks so I wouldn't want to even try to have to clean that water to drink. We thought getting water out of this trough would be easier to do if we took precautions and after we use up what we have already stored. Sort of a last resort. Thanks again.
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brianages
Valued Member Joined: May 31 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 108 |
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If you like your neighbors the "do not drink" sign is a good idea. If your neighbors are a pain you could put up a sign stating "free drinking water."
Just kidding - couldn't resist a little humor.
I don't know about the evaporation issue. I remember something that it would take charcoal filters to eliminate the problem however the filters would have to be changed at such a rate it made it unfeasible.
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Brian Ages - Tybee Island - GA
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I'm filling 2-liter cola bottles with water, freezing some of them so it'll be good and cold (aaahhh!). So far I've probably got 20 of them. We go through 10+ 2-liters of cola a week, so I'll really be adding to "the collection" over the next few weeks. We've also got a couple of camping-style water containers, too, 55 gallons in the water heater, plus several 5-gallon containers that those water dispensing systems use. I'll also fill the bathtub if/when the time comes.
We've also got a large goldfish pond, a 120-gallon aquarium, a 40-gallon aquarium, and two 55-gallon aquariums that we could use for flushing the toilet if necessary. (Septic tank system) For showering, we've got a couple of solar showers, and a mid-size above-ground pool with a cover that would work for bath water. |
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Don't forget that you will be using up your food stores and likely not replenishing them during a pandemic. As food grade containers empty, fill them up with water if it's available.
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Penham
Chief Moderator Moderator Joined: February 09 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 14913 |
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Pool water may be ok to drink depending on what you are using to sanitize it with. If you are using plain calcium hypochlorite (shock) with no additives, then it would be ok to drink, this is the same ingredient as bleach (which also can be used to sanitize your drinking water). Now, we have an inground pool and do use chlorine tabs and shock but both have additives such as algecide in it so we would not be using ours for drinking but for bathing, cleaning and flushing. You can buy the plain shock, but I have only seen it in large buckets for over $70, although I understand it is available, I myself have not been able to find it at pool stores except in huge amounts. All the small packets I have seen have the additives in them. Our pool store recommends using the plain shock on tile pools only, no vinyl pools, I did ask because I considered buying that type shock instead of the kind we use, but was told our pool was not deep enough at 5-1/2 feet. I don't know if leaving the water in the sun sanitizes it? All I know is if the pool is not filtered for at least 8 hours a day with chlorine after 2 days it starts getting cloudy (I tested that this week just to see) after that it starts getting really gross. So I know if the electricity goes out then that water source won't last long except for flushing, without taking it out and sanitizing it again. It might go a little longer in cold weather, but then you have to worry about the pipes freezing up with no electricity. We usually keep our pool open year round (heater) but may shut it down this winter in case the electricity goes out. I also plan on collecting rain water, but not counting on this because we went for 5 months without rain earlier in the year and part of last year. I did buy a tarp and have plastic table cloths to somehow rig to capture water into buckets for drinking. Would only use roof runoff for bathing, cleaning since the roof is not clean. Will also wait 5 or 10 minutes before collecting the drinking part of the water to make sure it has less pollution, pollen, etc. in it. The first part of the rain collection will also be for cleaning and flushing.
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Penham
Chief Moderator Moderator Joined: February 09 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 14913 |
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http://www.EPA.gov/safewater
Go to the bottom of page click on link for emergency disinfecting of water for amounts of bleach to use to make safe drinking water. |
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brianages
Valued Member Joined: May 31 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 108 |
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Hello Penham,
Great find on the bleach dosage. I copied it to make it easier on the viewers.
Chlorine Bleach: When boiling is not practical, chemical disinfection should be used. Common household bleach contains a chlorine compound that will disinfect water. The procedure to be followed is usually written on the label. When the necessary procedure is not given, find the percentage of available chlorine on the label and use the information in the following tabulation as a guide.
(If strength is unknown, add ten drops per quart of water. Double amount of chlorine for cloudy or colored water or water that is extremely cold.) The treated water should be mixed thoroughly and allowed to stand, preferably covered, for 30 minutes. The water should have a slight chlorine odor; if not, repeat the dosage and allow the water to stand for an additional 15 minutes. If the treated water has too strong a chlorine taste, it can be made more pleasing by allowing the water to stand exposed to the air for a few hours or by pouring it from one clean container to another several times. Chemical treatment: When boiling is not practical, chemical disinfection should be used. The two chemicals commonly used are chlorine and iodine. Chlorine and iodine are somewhat effective in protecting against exposure to Giardia, but may not be effective in controlling Cryptosporidium. Therefore, use iodine or chlorine only to disinfect well water (as opposed to surface water sources such as rivers, lakes, and springs), because well water is unlikely to contain these disease causing organisms. Chlorine is generally more effective than iodine in controlling Giardia, and both disinfectants work much better in warmer water. |
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Brian Ages - Tybee Island - GA
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KOMET163
Admin Group Joined: January 15 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 278 |
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WE have about 150 gallons of water and 1 50 gallon barrel to fill with water when we will go into da BUNKER. we willl have about 200 gallons of water before the end of july and another 55 gallon barrel. WSTF , we will be prepared
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I have 6 x 55 gal barrels, and a 350 gal hot tub which is sanitized with hydrogen peroxide 35%. I would still filter this through the Berkley before drinking. My biggest concern is having to hunt for water. It does rain here, but so far about 2 inches in the last 6 months.
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At Walmart I purchsed I believe it's a one pound sack of shock. Our Walmart has a pool section. I'm not sure if it;s plain shock, have to check in the morning.
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This is from Illinois... so much differing info.
Illinois Dept of Public Health
DISINFECTION OF WATER The most reliable method for purifying water is to vigorously boil the water for three minutes. This will kill any disease-causing bacteria present in the water. When boiling is not practical, chemical disinfection should be used. Chlorine and iodine are the most commonly used chemical disinfectants. EMERGENCY DISINFECTION OF WATER
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oh... looks pretty similar (drops) at second glance. Mostly see 3 mim 5 min 10 min for boiling water. On our area it's 5 min boiling.
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Penham
Chief Moderator Moderator Joined: February 09 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 14913 |
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Annie, the shock sold at Walmart DOES have additives, that was one of the places I checked in addition to the pool store and KMart and Atwoods. Unless your Walmart sells something different than the two Walmarts here that I have checked at, usually they sell the same thing.
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Okay, more research on my part, thank you. I want to be sure I understand before I hit the return lines in the morning. Now, if we're in an emergency situation, we still should NOT drink the Shock with an additive?
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Penham
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That I am not totally sure about. If it was me I probably would drink it if it was an emergency, but I would boil and put household bleach to make sure before drinking. Kids swallow pool water and it doesn't make them sick (no kids have ever gotten sick at my pool), and my outdoor cats prefer drinking out of the pool (even though they have bowls of water on the porch) and it doen't make them sick. So I am not sure.
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Glenn 50
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Have a 600 gallon tank and a rainfall that averages 60 inches a year. A
stream 200 yards away. An inflatable plunge pool of about 500 gallons
as well
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bellabecky
Adviser Group Joined: June 07 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 396 |
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Don't have enough, that's for sure. I have the cutie water guy leave a few extra five gallon bottles when he comes, but it's hard to store. I'm going to have to buy some of those collapsable containers to fill at the last minute. Anyone know about them? Any info would be appreciated.
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I haven't bought any but I recall one poster complaining that a couple of ones he bought leaked. So if you buy any, I suggest you test them out now so you can return them to the store if they do leak.
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tlcpeach
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I order from zepherhills, seven 5 gallon bottles per month, plus 2 cases of bottled water per month.
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TLC
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Irene, if you're talking about the 5-gallon collapsible containers available at Wal-mart, they do leak a little, but not very much. I filled mine when I first got them about 2 months ago and they're still over 95% full. Have them in the bathtub now and would use them first.
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TrishaA
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Hi brianages........Thank you so much for the information. I am going to look into it. Sorry about your neck. How did you break it?
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redcloud
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MaryR, That device is called a well bucket. I bought one from Lehmans.com: http://www.lehmans.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=97&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=well+bucket Red |
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If all is not lost, where is it?
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ImmuneConcerned
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