Reddit mentions of Augason Farms 6-07910 Water Filtration and Storage Kit 55 Gallon BPA-Free Wate 6-07910 Augason Farms Water Filtration and Storage Kit 55 Gallon BPA-Free Wate

I've been studying this for a bit. Water storage seems complicated at first, but it's really not.

1. How much water?
   
   

• FEMA says 1 gal per person per day. I say 2 to account for extra sweating, hot weather and the amount needed for freeze-dried food. Plus other comforts like coffee, tea, etc. A family of 4 for 3 days would be = 2 gal x 4 ppl x 3 days = 24 gallons.
  
  

2. What containers?
   
   

• Most everyone uses plastic. You need Food-grade, BPA-free, HDPE plastic to be safe for long-term storage. If a container meets these requirements, then it's almost always stamped in the plastic. You can get away with non-food grade if you're feeling lucky.
  
  
• Water bottles use a cheaper, thinner plastic that will leach over time, ruining your water. Good to have if you rotate regularly, but not for "set it and forget it"
  
  

3. What size containers?
   
   

• If you're looking mid-range then 55-gallon drums are great. Easy to find a home somewhere in your house and it has double what you need. But it's not portable. I bought this back when it was only $80 for the kit delivered - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006OW4FVI/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
  
• 5-7 gallon jugs are great if you find them at a good price. Most of them will crack as they use cheap plastic or cheap methods. The ones that are higher quality will cost more. Love that they're portable so they're easier to rotate and use for camping, hunting, emergencies, etc. Something like these - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MXCHSRH/ref=s9u_simh_gw_i1?
  
  
• A good prep should contain a mix of the two.
  
  

4. How to store it?
   
   

• First, make sure it's clean water coming in. Have you tested your tap water? We tested ours and have a water filtration system installed.
  
  
• Storing for extended time requires an additive to keep the water safe. You can use a chlorine mixture to stay safe and save money. Or buy any of the additives available. They all kill bacteria while keeping it safe to drink.
  
  
• Clean your containers out. Then, put the big ones where they will go and fill it. The small ones you can fill then store.
  
  
• Even long-term storage has an expiration date. I've heard that it should be refilled around 10 years.
  
  
• Storage location should be kept around room temperature with no big temperature swings and no direct sunlight. Sun helps things to grow inside the water and helps the tank degrade faster. So, a basement is ideal. Inside a closet is next. Do not store outside where there are temperature swings and sunlight unless you take the necessary precautions.
  
  

5. How to use it?
   
   

• You'll need a way of getting the water out of your storage. Smaller containers can use gravity, but you may have to buy a siphon. Larger containers need a pump and somethign to pump them into. Hand pumps are great but the cheap ones are pone to failure.
  
  
• Have some cups and other containers handy to fill from your main reserve.
  
  

6. Emergency water
   
   

• If you have warning before an emergency then you should clean and fill your tub. Those will hold around 100 gallons. Bonus points if you have a Water Bob.
  
  
• You should also fill some containers in the house. Do you have a large pot, food-grade 5-gallon pails or other containers? Fill them just in case!

That was an interesting look through. I usually enjoy M.D. Creekmore's writing. Not all of the specific products picked were the best options in class, but it still gives the general idea and a great starting point for the guy who asked the question. Not everyone will have the $10,000 to drop all at once, but having a decent view of the big picture can help to cherry pick the areas that matter most as they become affordable.

Two area's that could have been expanded on a bit (though I get that he was trying to keep the list simple to follow)... with food, you can get hundreds of pounds of Rice stored for 30ish years pretty inexpensively. Regardless of what other food preps you have I can't see that not being something that everyone should have on hand. You can stretch that 1300 calories a day into a comfortable 2000 pretty easily just by adding that Rice into the mix.

The second was water and water storage. The Water BOB is great for a short term solution and is relatively inexpensive, but having those 55 gallon water drums both provides an initial water supply as well as a place to keep new incoming water stockpiled for times when water from nature might not be available. Unscented Bleach on hand will keep the water from growing anything unfriendly. I know there was a budget to work within here, but water is arguably the most important element to take into account when prepping.

There are a bajillion other little things to nitpick on of course, but it was a fun look at an overview of stuff to go from zero to more well supplied than the majority of Americans if you had the surplus cash to drop. Especially useful for those that have the excess cash but not the time to invest in really learning on the topic like in the case of the guy who wrote in.

This is a better deal, as shipping is free:
Augason Farms 55 gallon kit