learning the hard way

How many times have I read that water should not be stored in milk-jug-type containers? Did I not take that advice seriously? Did I think it applied to everyone but me?

I had a modest store of water - all in it's original milk-jug-type containers. I live in a townhouse - no garage, attic or basement - so they lived in a row along the floor in my dining area- some of them between furniture and a wall so they could not easily be seen.

I use and rotate it somewhat,but I hadn't inspected them in a while, and last night, I noticed an ominous stain on the vinyl floor at the bottom of one of the jugs. Sure enough, one jug was completely dry, and two were half empty and leaking.

Now, not only is part of my water stash gone, but I can only hope the slow leak did not seep under the vinyl and damage the subfloor!

Now I'll have to start collecting 2-liter pop bottles from those who drink pop, and start over. (or any other storage container ideas would be appreciated)

By the way, thanks to those who have posted about storage in condos, apartments and other living arrangements that do not lend themselves to much stash.

DFW

Peanut butter containers may be sturdier, if smaller? Cooking oil bottles. If restaurants use oil in large bottles (not cans) they may give you the empties?

I never priced it but I have seen a water "pitcher" that was designed to be space saving in the fridge. It's a flat rectangle with a spigot, skinny but tall. Maybe just what you need to fit into small space? I think Rubbermaid makes it, but I've seen it in several stores.

Bummer!

I'm sorry to hear about that. Done the same thing myself and learned the same way.

A wise man once told me that there are no mistakes, just lessons, and lessons repeat themselves until they are learned.

(unless of course the first lesson is fatal but then I digress)

I buy the cases of bottled water (700ml size) now, and rotate each out as they hit their 6 month "birthday". My wife likes the water bottles though I wash and refill my Nalgene bottle for everyday use.

One case of the bottles is about equal to 2 US gal if I did my calculations correctly.

Oil bottles might not be the best idea -- it's very hard to clean oil completely off of plastic. And if you don't clean *all* the oil out of plastic bottles before putting emergency water in them, the remaining oil will go rancid and make your water taste nasty.

Lesson learned and nothing's perfect. At least you found out now instead of in the middle of an emergency.

We had some mice/rats get into our stored bottled water. They'd chew a hole in the top of one bottle, drink until the water level couldn't be reached easily and then chew a hole in another.

I store my jugs in milk crates which allows me to stack 'em and save space. I'm a little worried about their durability but hopefully the milk crate will give them enough protection. Still, I agree you can't beat the durability of a 2L soda bottle.

Besides using the 2 liter soda bottles, I also use the 1 gallon Tropical Punch and Gatorade bottles, to store water in.

Water does come in the tougher clear plastic gallon bottles, but sometimes you have to search for them. In my area, I seem to see them mostly in the dollar-type stores. They have a smaller base than the milky bottles (store more per floor area) and they have a tough top-ring handle for carrying.

But DFW, one thing is certain: you will NEVER, EVER make that mistake again, will you?

I hope the damage was minimal.

Sue

Another good idea is to store your water containers in another waterproof container. The big 14 gal tubs from Rubbermaid are nice.

I think that the easiest thing would be to simply buy bottled water and store it, rotating it every six months or so. We needed some large water bottles for another purpose, my wife found bottled water in a dollar store, one gallon clear plastic jugs, that were perfect...

I have learned my lesson Susan, and I solemnly promise never, EVER to do that again!

Thanks for all your suggestions for storage. Another answer may be as close as my fridge. I realized today that the fruit and vegetable juices I drink come in very thick plastic 2-liter bottles, easy to clean out, and some are rectangular, making for efficient storage.

We use Polycarbonate exclusively for water. Much tougher than the throwaway jugs that milk and juice come in. I used to reuse Arrowhead bottles, but I'm a convert, polycarbonate is the way to go. Water tastes better too. $.02

There has been a lot of discussion here in the past re the re-using of plastic bottles, complete with many references from "experts," saying how the plastic deteriorates over time, etc. You might do some searching for that...

I think the 'final word' (well, as of this moment in time) on the deterioration of reusing bottles was what they were exposed to.

If they contained or were cleaned with harsh chemicals that degraded the inner surface of the bottles, leaching problems could result.

And if they are exposed to sunlight, deterioration also happens, esp due to the UV exposure.

But normal, clean bottles of the clear type, which have more tensile strength than the milky ones, are fine for use and reuse.

For instance: http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/petbottles.asp

Sue