Have clean water to drink is very important especially if you live in an area that might flood or the water could become contaminated. While there are jugs of water at your local store, it is far more cost efficient to prepare your own. Here are the steps to store drinking water for you and your family.
Get Your Materials
Your best option is to get a 55 gallon drum to fill with water. While you could use a drum filling machine, you will need just a hose. However, if you have used your hose outside, you will want to get a new one to keep what you are putting in the barrel pure. You can also purchase a drinking hose to fill it.
Clean It Up
To fill this, you will need a wrench to pry off the bung and create an opening. Once it is off, add a little bleach and a few gallons of water then recap it. Agitate the drum so that the mixture touches every inside surface of the drum then open it and dump it out. Remember to drain this where it is less likely to damage something or destroy vegetation.
Fill Up the Drum
When the bleach solution is gone, add more water and rinse it out until it is gone and the inside is ready to fill. Wiggle the drum to the place where you would like to store it. You will probably want to have it in the shade away from direct sunlight. Keeping it in a garage or shed would be ideal. Hook up the hose to a clean water source, either a faucet outside of your house or the one on your kitchen sink, then guide the hose to the barrel. Slip it inside the drum and begin to fill it. Once it is done, pull out the hose and replace the bung to seal it.
