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spencerin
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# Posted: 1 Nov 2020 03:01pm
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What's the best way to treat water for drinking? I'm using a potable underground cistern w/potable water.....BUT the water will sit for a while. Most of what I found online talks about using bleach in an EMERGENCY setting. This isn't emergency use - I'm just wanting to keep the unused water "good" for a long period of time. Any other products you recommend?
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frankpaige
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# Posted: 1 Nov 2020 03:41pm
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My first thought was not treating the cistern so much as using a filter. That way you do not have worry about time in between visits.
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 1 Nov 2020 06:09pm
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What is the source of the water stored in the cistern?
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mj1angier
Member
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# Posted: 1 Nov 2020 09:14pm
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How much water are you needing? Drinking water vs non-drinking?
We use bleached rain water for showering and washing dishes. We have a creek on site that we dip water from and run through a filter for drinking.
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 1 Nov 2020 10:04pm
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How do you KNOW there aint something brewing in that cistern water?
I think the treatment required will be dependent upon what current testing will tell you and that could change with time? What it tested at in the past may not be what it will test at now. Or was it that the water you put in was once 'potable'? It may not be now.
I had a 'bug' once, it wasnt pretty......
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Brettny
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# Posted: 2 Nov 2020 06:47am
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In the spring we fill our water tank that we use for showers, hand washing and dishes. Dishes after we boil, rise with potable water. Water can be one of those things that when you drink it and it's not clean it's really bad. We bring in our drinking water and even the water our dogs drink.
If you cant bring in your drinking water you may look into a ceramic type of water filter for drinking and cooking.
I dont see a need to filter shower water. Most people have swan in a lake or stream before.
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NorthRick
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# Posted: 2 Nov 2020 01:32pm
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Quoting: spencerin What's the best way to treat water for drinking? I'm using a potable underground cistern w/potable water.....BUT the water will sit for a while. Most of what I found online talks about using bleach in an EMERGENCY setting. This isn't emergency use - I'm just wanting to keep the unused water "good" for a long period of time. Any other products you recommend?
If it were me, I'd just treat the cistern every once and a while with bleach and run the water through a carbon filter before drinking.
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spencerin
Member
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# Posted: 4 Nov 2020 07:24pm
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It's a brand new potable water tank and the water comes from a public-access county site that provides potable water. I don't mind bringing water in, but it'd be easier to use the cistern for all water uses. I figured throwing something in the tank periodically would keep it potable. Maybe not?
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 4 Nov 2020 08:24pm
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Is the tank white?
Usualy in the fall I fill my water jugs we use for potable water at the property and I keep them in my basement until spring. I am filling them from my kitchen sink and have a UV light on my well.
If your filling via a garden hose or any other type of hose that could be layed on the ground at any point I would avoid drinking it.
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justinbowser
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# Posted: 6 Nov 2020 12:36am
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I have a three-stage whole house filter system followed by a rather overkill UV sanitizer. We collect rainwater and the system supplied all of our water, drinking or otherwise, since spring. I keep test kits on hand and tested for bacteria twice passing with flying colors.
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Nobadays
Member
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# Posted: 6 Nov 2020 08:42am
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We also use a cistern, 550 gallons, but the water doesn't normally sit too long before fresh is added. Our community spring is tested regularly but it is not uncommon in the summer to see the test come back with positive for total Coliform.... never fecal Coliform. We treat using common household bleach, unscented. We try to keep the PPM in the 2/3PPM range. For our size of tank that is about 1/2 cup of bleach for 550 gallons. We commonly use ~1/4 cup each time we fill as we only let it get down half way before filling.
Depending upon how long your water sets, if treated periodically it may get a bit stale but should store well.
Here is a link to a PDF on treating water with bleach. HERE
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spencerin
Member
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# Posted: 11 Nov 2020 08:49pm - Edited by: spencerin
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Yes, the tank is white.
I found a point-of-entry water filter that will supposedly filter out bacteria and viruses (among other stuff). And it looks like the EPA says I can dump 1 cup of bleach in my 550g tank, as an alternative.
Decisions, decisions.
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Nobadays
Member
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# Posted: 11 Nov 2020 11:29pm - Edited by: Nobadays
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You could dump a cup of bleach in a 550 gallon tank but 1/2 cup is sufficient.
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 12 Nov 2020 05:09am
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You dont want any light getting in. The sun will grow algee and a white tank is like a greenhouse. Cover it up.
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Nobadays
Member
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# Posted: 12 Nov 2020 08:24am
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Brettny is spot on! Cover it!
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SE Ohio
Member
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# Posted: 12 Nov 2020 11:24am
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I believe he said his white tank is underground initial post. Dirt should do a pretty good job of keeping light out 🙂
Note that all bleach may not be same strength, and that it has a shelf life to be considered for effectivity.
Hydrogen peroxide can also be used (in different ratio) to treat water and has better storage life.
There are some old threads here where this has been discussed in greater detail.
SE Ohio
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Nobadays
Member
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# Posted: 12 Nov 2020 06:58pm
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Ohio.... yep, buried, missed that!
Bleach does come in different strengths but, "Common household bleach " the unscented variety is nearly always between 4-6%, most commonly 5% . It will degrade over time but will hold up pretty well for 6 months to a year. Buy small bottles for treating water... or use it in the laundry if it sits too long. All it does is lose strength, but that can make it harder to determine how much to use yo get the desired PPM of residual CL2.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 12 Nov 2020 11:08pm
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As I recall hydrogen peroxide starts to degrade quickly upon opening; if so, dont buy a big bottle if the dosage is rather small.
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 13 Nov 2020 06:03am - Edited by: Brettny
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Buried and coming from a trusted source it should last years with no treatment. Either way I would still run it through a ceramic filter to drink.
How long do you plan on keeping this water and what are you cooking and drinking?
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spencerin
Member
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# Posted: 17 Nov 2020 08:33pm
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I estimate a full tank will last me a year at most. I don't plan on using the water to cook much, just brush my teeth and drink an occasional glass of water.
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mj1angier
Member
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# Posted: 18 Nov 2020 09:42am - Edited by: mj1angier
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This might be easier than liquid bleach and stores longer
https://www.amazon.com/Calcium-Hypochlorite-Minimum-Chlorine-BOTTLES/dp/B01N976ZJ8/re f=pd_sbs_328_4/140-3988020-0294466?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01N976ZJ8&pd_rd_r=6bf020b9 -8a60-4f89-8feb-039290d03090&pd_rd_w=tELw3&pd_rd_wg=cpggh&pf_rd_p=ed1e2146-ecfe-435e- b3b5-d79fa072fd58&pf_rd_r=QAN6XQDAPNP44KQ6J1T6&psc=1&refRID=QAN6XQDAPNP44KQ6J1T6
Treating water:
https://geekprepper.com/disinfect-water-with-calcium-hypochlorite/
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 18 Nov 2020 03:51pm
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Bring in water to cook, brush your teeth and drink. It will last just fine for all other needs un treated.
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spencerin
Member
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# Posted: 18 Nov 2020 09:23pm
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I think I'm going to add either a point-of-entry filter or an under-sink filter for drinking and brushing teeth. The older I get, the less I want to carry stuff around.
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FishHog
Member
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# Posted: 19 Nov 2020 07:51am
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I still carry water in the summer when its easier to get jugs to the cabin, but use a sawyer water filter for drinking water in the winter (or leave 1/2 full jugs left over from summer to freeze). Shower water is just a 250gal tote that I rough filter when filling the tank and add bleach once a week.
But once I don't want to carry water at all, a big berky on the counter will be my drinking water supply, which I will fill from my tote.
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txDave
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# Posted: 22 Nov 2020 12:02pm
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I read up on rainwater harvesting, and installed a 2 stage filter with uv sanitizer. The uv is effective against bacteria, less so for viruses. Low virus risk in collecting rain water, but any surface water should get the bleach treatment. It requires full time power, so might be a problem for off grid.
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