I have seen postings on hear about water storage in plastic containers. Can anyone direct me to where to get them or a site to look them up? Thanks!

-- Marcy Sawyer (marcia@madnet.net), August 03, 1999

Answers

Sorry Marcy, it's too late to get any water storage containers. It's all word of mouth now. A local comes into Sam's, etc., requesting water barrels. None to be had. The customer slips the checker $10.00 to call them as soon as they arrive. The customer has 5 other family members or friends wanting the barrels. All are wiped out in one delivery. And this is the way it will be from here on in.

-- toolatesorrycharlie (toolatesorrycharlie@toolatesorrycharlie.com), August 03, 1999.

Here is the link for the Prep Forum:

;-)

Good Luck!!

-- Deborah (infowars@yahoo.com), August 04, 1999.

here are a couple of places... http://www.watertanks.com http://www.usplastics.com

-- Stash (stashin@home.com), August 04, 1999.

Marcy, check out your local surplus store. I picked up one at mine yesterday.

-- Susie (susie0884@aol.com), August 04, 1999.

And the Cleveland Sams clubs have PLENTY.

CR

-- Chuck, a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), August 04, 1999.

Chuck: I live in LA! The cost to bring a water barrel back from Cleveland would cost me well over $1,000! I should find a water barrel source, fill up a semi-truck and take them back east where there's a drought and make a mint! Then I can afford to buy my food for Y2K. HMMMMMMM.....

-- thankschuck!!!!! (thankschuck@thankschuck.com), August 04, 1999.

Marcy, In the posting a few lines above yours, someone found a Sam's Club in Roseville, CA with over 300 ( 55 gallon) barrels on hand just today. I saw a 55 gal. at Walmart today, out in the lawn/garden merchandise area (no price on it here either), and a dozen 5 gal. containers (one type that is collapsable for about $5) in the camping/outdoor gear area. I'm in Maryland, but I assume there are in some in many of the Sams/Wal-Marts, tho perhaps just not in your closest one. Also 2 days ago I saw the 5 gal. portables in Dick's Sporting Goods as well. But in case you didn't know, if you have access to the 2 liter soda bottles, you can just rinse them out well, fill them with tap water, drop about 4 to 5 drops of bleach in with a clean eyedropper, recap tightly and store them in cool, dark places around your house. They should be fine for drinking water for the time span we're talking about. That's a cheap solution if you already have soda bottles available, and you still have time to build a supply. Personally, I plan to use both these and some larger containers, because we are on a well here. Thr pump does not work without electricity, so that loss of power takes my whole at-home infrastructure out in one fell swoop. I really need to find the source for a solar-powered well pump, and then make the commitment to get it installed quickly... anyone have a source you would recommend after installing and using one satisfactorily? Take heart, Marcy ... you do still have time to get some water on hand, in spite of what some of the other posters have said. Also check out Home Depot, and camping and surplus stores ... lots of people use these water containers for boating, camping, hunting, sports teams, construction sites,etc., etc., so stores that cater to those customers stock them even when we Y2K types aren't asking for them. By the way, if you have a campstove/lantern, WalMart also had fuel for them on sale today. Could cover 2 bases with one trip to the store.

-- Kristi (KsaintA@aol.com), August 04, 1999.

Marcy

I looked at everything that was available, and the best solution for me was the one gallon jugs of distilled/spring water that are available at most supermarkets, Walmart, drug stores for 60 cents a gallon or so. Most of these jugs are date stamped with a date well into 2001. At Trader Joe's, they come in boxes of six jugs per box, and they can be stacked up to 5 boxes deep, which is about as good as you can do with the collapsible plastic containers, at far less cost. If you go to the grocery, you will have to ask for the boxes, so that you can stack them. But note that six one gallon jugs in a box weighs fifty pounds. In the one gallon size, you don't need a pump.

Just last week, I also got 55 gallon plastic drums from "watertanks" (see response above). On their web site, they don't show them but for about ten dollars more per drum you can get "open head" drums. These drums have a removable lid so that you can get the water out by removing the lid and dipping it out. With the cheaper closed head drums you need either a pump or a siphon. The closed head drums cost 34 dollars each, plus 16 dollars for shipping. Also remember that a full drum weighs about 400 pounds, so you cannot move the about after they are filled. I will use these drums to collect rainwater from the roof. These closed head drums also have the usual 2" pipe ports on the lid.

Hope this helps.

-- dave (wootendave@hotmail.com), August 04, 1999.

Much good advice here. Marcy, check your Yellow Pages for bottling plants (Coke, Pepsi, Bingo's Best), fruit companies (Whitehouse, Mott's, Frankie's Freshest Fruit), etc. Many of these companies sell their used 55-gallon blue plastic barrels for a few bucks.

Also check the TB2000 Archives, located at the bottom of the "New Questions" page, for many previous threads which covered this issue.

Best Wishes,

-- Bingo1 (howe9@pop.shentel.net), August 04, 1999.

At the risk of beating a dead horse...

Wallyworld (Wal-Mart) sells cheap 3 foot by 12 foot kiddie swimming pools that hold about 3000 gallons of water. If you live in a freezing climate, set it up in the basement on a piece of scrap carpet (to protect the liner) and you have a ton of water for washing and cleaning. That will save your drinking water for drinking, and in a pinch can be used for drinking after filtering the water through a charcoal filter. You will need a lot of water for cleaning if the utilities stay down for more than a day or two, 'specially ifin ya don't wanna smell like a crack ho. (and no, I have no personal knowledge of that scent, but one tends to hear things)

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), August 04, 1999.

"A pint's a pound the world around." Easy to remember.

A gallon weighs about 8 pounds, 3000 gallons is 12 tons. When you store large volumes of water, remember the weight and plan accordingly.

We have a couple 200-gallon water crates from watertanks.com. Terrific storage, solid as a rock. We live in earthquake country, and this is safer than a loose bag. For the same reason, close-topped drums would be a real good bet.

If you have room in your yard, rent a backhoe for a day and dig a hole. A cubic yard is about 200 gallons, so dig a new "fish pond" or "reflecting pool" that you've always wanted, and you can store a couple thousand gallons for a couple hundred bucks. Then buy a filter (Big Berkey is great) and you've got all the drinking water you need. Plus fish!

-- bw (home@puget.sound), August 04, 1999.

To Kristi and all,

There's a fello in Santa Fe who,s lifes work is pulling water from barren earth. His name is Windy Dancoff. He can be contacted at:

Dancoff Solar Products, Inc. 2810 Industrial Rd. Santa Fe, NM. 87505-3120-USA (505) 473-3800 FAX (505) 473-3830 Email: pumps@danksolar.com

His ad is found in Home Power Magazine. If any of you are interested in independent living and or producing your own power this is *THE* source. I've subscribed to this magazine since July "94". Topics cover power production from solar, wind, hydro, and other renewable sources. Everything pertaining to "off-grid" living is covered, including solar cooking.

Now, If you think think this is an ad to entice you to go out and buy the latest issue... nothing could be further from the truth. Because, you see, the folks at Home Power have made it possible for anyone with access to the internet to download a copy of the current issue for free. That's right... FREE! I personaly like to have a hard copy that I can refere to so I continue to subscribe the old fashioned way. If you want back issues you will have to order those but, the current issue and all future issues will have an "electronic version" which, as I have said, can be had for free. You will also need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer as the issues are done in PDF. But, not to worry, their web site offers a link to the Adobe site so you can download a free copy of the reader. ( All this free stuff, WOW. America... what a country!)

If you care to check this out for yourselves here's the address:

www.homepower.com

Hope this helps. Let me and the others know if it does or doesn't via this board. John F.

-- John F. (tinfoil hats @nd colanders.com), August 04, 1999.

Thanks bw,

Hence my call to put the thing in the basement.

And since I'm here, remember to get some sodium-hypoclorite to keep it fresh and clean. A good deal is to be found at pool supply stores. Typical swimming pool liquid clorine is twice the strength of Clorox. I buy it for my swimming pool, in my own jugs, for about 68 cents a gallon vs. a couple of bucks a gallon for Clorox brand. A good deal any way you cut it.

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), August 04, 1999.

hi does any one think of ordering water and cooler from water supplier? i did today only $8.35 per month and all the 5 gallon water bottles you need at $6

-- haweaver (wayfairer@aol.com), August 04, 1999.

Water barrels are still available. I just got the latest brochure from Preparedness Mart...they sell mostly foods, but some other supplies, too. They are advertising 55 gallon water barrels for $29.99 plus shipping. I ordered two, and the shipping from Utah to Mich. is $15. apiece. I've comparison-shopped, and this is slightly cheaper, when factoring postage, than any other place I've seen. Their E-mail address is www.preparednessmart.com

-- Jo Ann (MaJo@Michiana.com), August 04, 1999.

I suspect every one here understands the seriousness of the water situation. We have 500 gall. in 55 gall and 30 gall. containers and the water tanks in two motorhomes. We live in California. If we actually need this water, it is not nearly enough. I am looking into much larger water storage tanks, maybe put in in the garage, or back yard. I recently attended a meeting with Gene Edwards, author of another Y2K book...he said load up on water.

-- potent (potent308@hotmail.com), August 05, 1999.

Your local Sams will get them for you if you ask for item #968070 or they sometimes can be found under #996421. You can order as many as you want for about $23.00 each.

-- BiGG (supersite@acronet.net), August 05, 1999.

In my answer above I was referring to plastic 55 gallon food grade drums.

-- BiGG (supersite@acronet.net), August 05, 1999.