So you’ve finally got your 30 gallon barrels and you’ve filled them with water.  What steps do you need to take so that when disaster hits you know that you can tap into your emergency supply of water and have confidence that the water is safe to drink?

The first thing you need to do is treat the water to insure that it’s safe to consume.  So what is the best method for treating your emergency water for long term storage?

I frequently see websites that “recommend” the use of a small amount of household bleach to treat your water.  And in a pinch it will do the job.

However, household bleach is an industrial-grade product that is not tested, approved, or recommended by the manufacturer for safe consumption in drinking water. When you look at ingredient lists and MSDS’s for cleaning chemicals, like household bleach, it’s worth remembering that they are not made for human consumption.  The numbers given are typically within tolerances and ingredients less than 1% do not have to be listed in most cases, but this doesn’t remove the fact that there is potential for unknown chemicals within the product. There could be other substances that are byproducts of the production process that are poisonous and could be potentially harmful found in household bleach.  If you’re in a true emergency situation, using household bleach would be better than using nothing, but it’s definitely not your best option.

Due to the potential risks that come from using common household bleach to treat your emergency water supply we recommend the use of Water Preserver™.   The number one reason for using this product over household bleach is that it has been specifically manufactured for human consumption.  In fact, water preserver is the only product registered and licensed by federal and state EPA and approved for this purpose.

Water Preserver is manufactured with high-purity ingredients using a proprietary process to produce a highly effective form of stabilized and pH-balanced Sodium hypochlorite. The product is safety-sealed and date-coded to insure purity and potency, and it’s guaranteed 100% effective.  It’s guaranteed to kill bacteria, viruses, mold, and fungus and will remain bacteriologically safe for drinking for 5 years.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also be interested in:

How to Clean, Prepare and Fill a Water Barrel

The Top 5 Priorities of Emergency Preparedness – Priority #4 – Clean Water

Tired of Rotating Your Water all the Time?  Me Too.