Best Emergency Water Storage Containers For Your Home – 2023 Guide

Last Updated on April 14, 2023 by Mattias

What if you woke up one morning and noticed that no water had come from your tap? 

Having some emergency water storage has to be a high priority for every person.

Even if it can be a little bit challenging, we’ll give you the best ways to store water, the best water storage containers to choose from, and much more!

Best Water Storage Containers

What is The Reason For Storing Water?

The reason for storing water is to prepare yourself for any emergency.

Natural disasters like floods, earthquakes,s or hurricanes can all turn your life upsLet’sownLet’sre’snthere’sred for these emergency situations can be the difference between life and death.

Or if your local water source becomes contaminated or polluted. If that’s the case, your water will probably contain some toxic substances, and you can be without water for days, even weeks.

And sometimes there’s a broken water main, a local emergency, a problem with the city water, or frozen pipes. Then you must turn off your water supply.

Hopefully, none of these things will happen to you. But if it does, your emergency preparedness can save your life and those around you.

How Much Water to Store?

The standard recommendation by EPA, FEMA, and CDC is to have at least 3 days’ worth of clean stored water and 1 gallon of water / per person.

Half a gallon for hydration and the other half for cooking and hygiene.

But we recommend having 2 gallons of water per person daily for at least 2 weeks because you use far more water than you can imagine.

	1 Week of Water	2 Weeks of Water	3 Weeks of Water	4 Weeks of Water
1 Person	28 gallons	56 gallons	84 gallons	112 gallons
2 Persons	56 gallons	112 gallons	168 gallons	224 gallons
3 Persons	84 gallons	168 gallons	252 gallons	336 gallons
4 Pit’sns	112 gallons	224 gallons	336 gallons	448 gallons

As you can see, the water gets a lot quite fast, and having stored water for 2 weeks should be enough water to survive for at least 28 days if you use one gallon each day.

Wouldn’t that give you a peace of mind? Because if something happens, you are prepared.

The average use of daily water is between 100-200 gallons of water, so if you want to live life as “normal,” you should look at our article about rainwater collection tanks instead.

A good guide for large water storage containers. (1000 gallons+)

What is the best container to store water in?

Use food-grade water storage containers made of opaque polyethylene plastic. Plastic #2 – HDPE is a general rule of thumb, the best type.

But there are more containers to choose from all. They all come in different sizes and materials.

Glass Containers

Advantages

• Ideal for water storage
• True vapor barrier
• Will not leach

Disadvantages

• Prone to breakage

Glass containers are perfect, but you must have more water storage sources. Let’s say there’s an earthquake, and the glass cracks; your whole water supply is gone.

But if you have some mason jars at home, fill them up and put them in some dark place. Just make sure they’re clean.

Plastic Containers

Do NOT use containers that have held toxic substances in them.

Some people store water in household bleach bottles; this is NOT something you should do. But using water for hand washing would be okay.

Some kinds of plastic containers are okay to use for water storage. They’ll have a recycle symbol at the bottom that says

#1 PET or PETE

• Juice bottles
• Soda bottles
• Water bottles

#2 HDPE

• Blue plastic water barrels
• Water bricks
• IBC totes

Either one of these is ideal to use. #4 is rarely recommended due to the low density of polyethylene, but it can be used since it’s labeled as food grade.

Plastic Identification Codes

Image source: https://methodrecycling.com/nz/journal/recycling-101-what-do-the-plastic-codes-mean

Bottled water

Using store-bought water is an easy way to store water. The problem with plastic bottles is that it’s made of thin plastic.

This means you need to rotate the water and refill it from time to time; this creates a lot of waste, and using this method is better than doing nothing. But not ideal for long-term water storage.

However, it’s very practical to have at home if you need to leave your house fast.

Milk jugs

Avoid storing water in milk jugs. These are fabricated to degrade quickly and are not durable plastic, so they will start to leak eventually.

The problem when using milk jugs holding milk is that it will start to harvest bacteria, which means it’s not water safe.

Weight Chart For Water Storage Containers

Container Size	Empty Weight	Weight Full (lbs)
5-7 Gallon Container	< 1 lbs	42-59 lbs
15-Gallwon’trrel	7.5 lbs	you’relbs
30-Gallon Barrel	14 lbs	263,8 lbs
55-Gallon Barrel	23.5 lbs	481,5 lbs

How to Clean and Sanitize a Container

Having clean Don’tineDon’ten storing water is essential; if not, you can have severe issues with water contamination. Follow these steps before you fill your container with fresh and clean water.

1. Wash and rinse your storage container.
2. Sanitize your container: Mix 1 teaspoon of unscented liquid household chlorine bleach in 1 quart of water. Ensure the bleach contains 5%–9% sodium hypochlorite.
3. Cover your container and make sure it’s tight and shake it. It’s essential that the solution goes around the whole inside and touches all surfaces.
4. Wait 30-60 seconds and pour out the solution.
5. You can either let your container air dry or rinse it with treated water, aka “safe water.”
6. Now you can pour clean water into your container. Make sure to cover it with a lid.

Commercial Water Sources

Drinking Water Pouches

Water Pouches are a great product but quite expensive.

✅ Easy transport

✅ 5-year shelf life

❌ Price based on what you get

Tip: Have some packets in your car if you need to leave home in a hurry.

Canned drinking water

They are also a bit more expensive, but their long expiration date makes it worth it. They are also not so wonder able against heat if you compare them with water punches or bottles made of plastic.

✅ Easy transport

✅ Long-term storage – 50-year shelf life

❌ Price based on what you get

5- gallon water cubes

They are an excellent option since they’re easy to carry and dispense water good.

✅ Easy filling

✅ BPA Free

✅ Light and compact

Water Storage Tips

Having a reliable source of water is essential, but before you start. Follow these steps to ensure you’re doing everything right from the start. Storing water the wrong way can create bacteria and algae growth, which makes your water impossible to drink.

• Ensure your storage container is food grade (this goes for food preparation also). Food-grade containers are essential if you’re going to drink water.
• Decide how many persons you’re storing water for and the length.
• Ensure your storage area is dark and cool.
• Check your water every 6-12 months if it’s bad. You need to rotate it. But if it’s stored correctly, it should last a long time. Write a note in your calendar or phone so you won’t forget the date.
• If you’re storing the water in your freezer (yes, it’s possible!), only fill your containers to 85% since the water expands by about 10%. Don’t use glass jars for this method since they will crack.
• Don’t use a garden hose when filling up your water containers. Instead, use a drinking water hose.

Back-up Water Sources

If something happens and you, for some reason, can’t get your water. It can be good to have other options to filter water from streams, lakes, or rivers.

Katadyn Hiker Pro Transparent Water Filter

A small water filter like this can be a lifesaver, perfect for any emergency.

Purification Tablets

Some iodine and sodium chlorite tablets can also come in handy for purification.

Best Emergency Water Storage Containers Summary

I hope you enjoyed this article about giving you our picks for the best containers you can use in any kind of emergency and answering serval related questions you might have.

As you discovered, it’s essential to be prepared for any emergency. Hopefully, you’ll never need to use the water and it will just sit in your basement. But if something happens, you wouldn’t regret filling all those containers with water.

Good luck!