7 Water Storage Mistakes I Made So You Don't Have To

Sunlit shelves, concrete floors, no pump, no labels and more: lessons from fifteen years of jugs.

1. Storing in the sun. My garage window turned a jug green. Keep it dark.
2. Directly on concrete. Use a board or pallet.
3. Next to the gas can. Plastic can absorb fumes. Store water away from chemicals.
4. One giant barrel, no pump. 55 gallons is about 460 pounds. You can't tip it. Buy the siphon pump with the barrel.
5. No labels. Nobody knew which jug was which age.
6. Only drinking water. Forgot about flushing and washing. Keep a separate utility supply.
7. Never practicing. We ran a "no tap water weekend" once. Very educational.

Fix one a month and you'll be ahead of almost everyone on your street.

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