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How long will your water storage last?
How much water do you think you use on a daily basis? Depending on your personal hygiene preferences: 5 gallons? 10 gallons? 20 gallons?
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the average American uses 80 – 100 gallons of water per day! In fact, over 410 billion gallons of water are withdrawn from the country’s water supply each day!
Now imagine that supply wasn’t available. What would you do? That’s why having an emergency water supply is so important – not only for natural disasters but water outages and other problems.
It’s recommended that you have 1/2 gallon of drinking water per day. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, recommends that you have 1 gallon of water per person per day for drinking AND hygiene. That means if you want to prepare for a month for a family of four, you’d need about 120 gallons of water!
You can see how water storage preparations would begin to add up!
That’s why our new 500 gallon water tank is a great way to help you prepare. This behemoth tank is a great way to prepare for a long time to come!
Good material. The lining is BPA-free with heavy-duty walls that are ¼” thick. The walls are made from food-grade high-density polyethylene. That means you can store water in it and not worry about harsh, man-made chemicals.
Space saving comparison. With the 500 gallon tank, you’ll save on space compared to 500 gallons of the equivalent tanks. The 500 gallon tank measures 4 feet wide by 5 ½ feet tall. That’s not much space when considering how much water you get!
How long will it last? If you follow FEMA’s recommendation of preparing 1 gallon of water per person per day, you’ll obviously be cutting back on your water consumption. If you chose to use more water per day, the 500 gallon tank would still last! You can use this chart to plan for your family’s needs:
| How long with the Ultimate 500 gallon Water Tank last your family? | |||||
| # of family members | 1 gallon per day | 2 gallons per day | 3 gallons per day | 4 gallons per day | 5 gallons per day |
| 1 | 500 days | 250 days | 167 days | 125 days | 100 days |
| 2 | 250 days | 125 days | 84 days | 63 days | 50 days |
| 3 | 167 days | 84 days | 56 days | 42 days | 34 days |
| 4 | 125 days | 63 days | 42 days | 32 days | 25 days |
| 5 | 100 days | 50 days | 34 days | 25 days | 20 days |
| 6 | 84 days | 42 days | 28 days | 21 days | 17 days |
| 7 | 72 days | 36 days | 24 days | 18 days | 15 days |
| 8 | 63 days | 32 days | 21 days | 16 days | 13 days |
| 9 | 56 days | 28 days | 19 days | 14 days | 12 days |
| 10 | 50 days | 25 days | 17 days | 13 days | 10 days |
Questions?
If you have any questions about the 500 gallon tank, we’d love to help! Post your questions below and we’ll answer!
Please send me your web address so I can check water tanks.
May 21st, 2012 at 2:18 pmImportant and interesting.
May 21st, 2012 at 7:52 pmI would like to be able to print this off.
Hey Joycetug, I just sent you an e-mail. Please let me know what questions you have and I’d be more than happy to answer them for you!
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:58 amTwo questions: I’ve often wondered about the advisability of collecting rainwater and the kind of system that might be required?
Also, for large 250 or 500 gallon water tanks, can you realistically just add the appropriate amount of drops every 6 months or so, or will there come a time when you just have to empty the tank and start over?
Thanks, Joe Vilsack
May 24th, 2012 at 12:18 amI would also like an answer to the question posed by Joe Vilsack. Tks.
May 24th, 2012 at 10:56 amHey Joe and Lynn H,
Thanks for the questions! First, when collecting rain water, you need to be careful. Many times we think of rainwater as fresh and pure when many times it’s not. It would be recommended to have some type of filtration or purification system in your rainwater capture system.
As for the drop question, I’m assuming you’re talking about the Water Preserver droplets? If that’s the case, there will come a time when you need to empty and restart. If you add the required amount of Water Preserver droplets at the beginning, it should last you for a good 5 years though. After those 5 years though, there is no guarantee of what will happen so it’s best to start over. But heck, 5 years is still pretty good.
May 24th, 2012 at 11:56 amStoring water is always a good idea. However, keep in mind the size of the container (specifically the width) of each container vs the size of the doorways you intend to pass thru to get to your intended location. For example, many interior home doors are 30 inches and that doesn’t mean the space betwee the trim is a full 30 inches. The 250gallon container is listed at 30 inches so getting it thru your front door (exterior doors usually 36 inches) works fine, but other doors may present a problem. The 500 gallon container is listed at 49 inches wide so it’s not going in the house unless you have say a larger sliding glass door in a walkout basement. Finally, please always consider the weight of each full container if you plan to store it on anything less than a solid concrete floor. Just some considerations when you’re getting these larger containers.
May 24th, 2012 at 1:12 pmWas a great article on water etc. Seem to be unable to print it. Would be a good referance???
May 24th, 2012 at 1:55 pmHey Herb,
May 24th, 2012 at 2:47 pmSorry you couldn’t get it to print. We used Chrome browser and typed Ctrl+P and it seemed to work.
However, if that doesn’t work for you, please print this PDF version that we prepared for you – http://goo.gl/441TR.
Please let us know if that doesn’t work for you.
couldn’t you keep a pump or an air stone in the the water tank to keep it from getting stagnant and having to change it?
May 25th, 2012 at 7:40 pmand couldnt you just filter the water before you drink it?
May 25th, 2012 at 8:05 pmThe first thing that ran through my mind when I read this JR was getting it to any location in my house. 49″ will not go through a standard doorway leg alone down my basement stairs. This tank would have to be in a basement or a supported floor as the water alone will weigh over two tons. Get and very necessary idea but would really take some planning to implement.
September 24th, 2012 at 5:23 amWhat kind of protection do these containers need where it snows? Is putting them in an unheated barn enough? Very interested but worried how the weather would affect the tanks.
September 24th, 2012 at 5:43 amYes, but purifying and filtering are not the same thing. Both really need to happen for consumption. Especially purifying.
September 24th, 2012 at 6:38 amIf you store the 500 gallons, how long is the water good for before you have to refresh it? Can you leave it in there over ten years or does it have a shelf life?
September 24th, 2012 at 7:09 amSeems to be a defecit here somewhere. You say in the article that 1/2 gallon of water a day is recommended for drinking in one of your answers above and also in the discription of the water tank. But you go on to tell that the body loses 2/3 gallon of water a day. So over time if you lose 2/3 of a gallon and only replace 1/2 gallon a day you will still get dehydrated. I have noticed this trend with alot of survival companies with food and water amounts. They tell you how many servings are in there food but then you find out that it is a 1/4 cup with a minimum amount of calories. During a survival SHTF situation you will be working harder than you are now on a regular basis. You will need more calories and water so take what most companies with a grain of salt and don’t take their word for your survival.
September 24th, 2012 at 7:15 amMaybe I just read the info too quickly but I didn’t see the answer to my question about how long my water supply will last. Currently I have 10 boxes of 24 per box, 16 ounce bottles of water. How long, compared to freeze-dry food, will boxes of bottled water last in storage before it goes bad? 5-10-15 years? Should it be replaced every 5 years or so?
September 24th, 2012 at 7:25 amHow long will bottled water last in storage?
September 24th, 2012 at 7:29 amI read somewhere about using household bleach to purify water. How much per gallon and how often? Plus, when do you dump saved H20 and refill tank? Does tank need to be rinsed out inside between fill ups?
Thanks!
September 24th, 2012 at 8:36 amI’m interested in the answers to Ryan + David + Amelia’s questions? And what is an “air stone”?
September 24th, 2012 at 9:23 amKeep my 250ga tank in the garage next to the door. Allows me to check it daily for leaks (none in 3 months) and give me easy access to it from the house. Tried a glass of water after 3 months of summer heat (with the stabilizer added) and it was still cool. Definitely use a potable water hose when filling though. You never know what kind of stuff is in a regular water hose.
September 24th, 2012 at 10:04 amAnd don’t forget about the water your pets would need in a disaster! When our family plans, we count the dog as an additional person in terms of water needs. And of course there is food stored for her as well.
September 24th, 2012 at 10:06 amIn a long term shtf situation you’d better have another plan cause this will only work in the short term. Even with a bunch of 500 gallon tanks, where are you going to store them where they won’t be seen? Also you would need a way to refill them close by.
September 24th, 2012 at 12:17 pmLiving in Phoenix,Arizona where summer temps are in the 1oo’s for most of the summer ~ how will that effect storage, only place we have is in the garage ( not cooled ) ?
September 24th, 2012 at 1:30 pmAmelia, using household bleach can be dangerous if used incorrectly. Be sure to use a bleach designated for human consumption.
September 24th, 2012 at 5:04 pmHey Ryan,
September 24th, 2012 at 5:06 pmYes, that’s not a bad idea. Many times the water becomes stagnant and if you had a mixer, that would really help. The only other thing you’d need to defend against is possible leaching from chemicals in the container.
How long will the bottled water in the stores last in storage? Is it better to purchase the water containers that are boxed? Thanks
September 24th, 2012 at 5:41 pmDon’t know the answer to Ryan’s questions, but I had read somewhere that bottled water (like the 16oz in a 24 pack)will keep ok for around two years if kept out of the light and you rotate in new stock over time.
September 25th, 2012 at 9:02 amPics of tanks above should be clickable, taking the interested straight to your tanks for sale page. Easy immediate purchase
…win win..for you & for us 
. Clock does not stop ticking.
September 25th, 2012 at 11:08 amAlso, may I recommend adding the water drops with the water tank pics..it is relative & again easy purchsae within it’s proper conversation of such subject. The drops you can add to water to let it last 5 years. Those tablets/drops I am speaking of. Just a thought. Have a great day.
September 25th, 2012 at 11:12 amWe have camped for many years in tents, RV’s and out in the open. One thing I’ve found it is easier to monitor and control water usage when you have limited resources if you keep the drinking water separate from the bathing, flushing and cleaning water. We fill the camper tank with the 35 gallons it will hold and then take drinking water in gallon jugs. This keep unneccssary running of the faucet to a minimum and maximizes our usage of our resources.
March 9th, 2013 at 11:04 am