The problem most people don't anticipate when re-using plastic bottles for emergency water storage is NOT any of the many reasons that relate to the water quality itself. It's the BOTTLE that's the main problem.
Plastic ages quickly, and that process is of course accelerated by sunlight, heat, and any exposure to light at all, particulate impurities in the air itself, and other things. In the typical gallon or smaller bottles, the shelf life of the BOTTLE is only about six months to a year, max, and that is when it is stored under controlled storage conditions (completely dark, temps constantly between 68 - 72 degrees). But add in heat, sunlight, light, exposure to the atmosphere, and shelf life diminishes. The five-gallon sizes are heavier plastic and may go another six months or so. You may not be able to see the problem, but that's the reality.
Why? What happens? As the plastic ages, it becomes more brittle. Basically if you've stored a bottle too long, and it is subjected to heavy earthquake shaking it may well break as readily as a glass bottle would. Then you could have no water at all, and could also end up with the spilled/spilling water damaging other things in the area where the bottles are stored.
The bottle walls also become more porous as they age, and although you can't see it in the beginning, it eventually becomes the case that the water will evaporate or leak out through this increased porosity. That's why a lot of people find all of their supplies mildewed, moldy or otherwise damaged if they've followed the bad advice to store everything in one big trash can or container. Liquids should NEVER be stored in the same container with the dry goods.
Now there are other types of emergencies other than earthquakes, so the technique cannot be fully dismissed as an option. However, there are a lot of pitfalls in this approach, and it actually often ends up being more expensive in the long run as compared with more professional approaches to storing adequate emergency water supplies, at least for drinking. So if you're going to use this approach for drinking water, you should be careful to have good methodology, pay religious attention to rotations, and also have adequate plans for further treatment at time of use that do not rely on boiling, iodine or household bleach.
In my view the question about chemical issues in relation to degrading bottles is less important than the breakage issue. Some types of chemical contamination can be removed by appropriate filters, but even if that were not an option, the minute amounts of cancer-causing chemicals per day are not expected to cause an immediate health hazard, and really only pose a long-term hazard if routinely consumed over a more permanent, rather than temporary, period of time. People are more likely to die of lack of water in an emergency, than to have immediate or permanent negative health effects from the chemical contamination that accompanies bottle degradation due to heat and/or age.
I don't know what area "Windpower" is from, but certainly if in Southern California, almost everyone needs to store significantly more water than they already have. Think in terms of three gallons per person per day, for a minimum of 14 days. It's important to do the math properly. Under the old guidelines a family of four was okay with about twelve gallons stored (one gallon, times four people, times three days). Under the more realistic guidelines that take into account our population density, hot climate challenges, and urban desert environment with little to no local water in the region, they should be thinking along the lines of 168 gallons (3 gallons, times four people, times 14 days). Some of this can be obtained in an emergency from their water heater, if it is properly strapped and survives, and if they haven't gone tankless. But for most families that will still mean they need a couple of the 55-gallon water drums or some other realistic means to store much larger quantities of water than most citizens have actually done.
April Kelcy
Earthquake Solutions
626-483-0626
From: californiadisasters@yahoogroups.com [mailto:californiadisasters@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Kim Noyes
Sent: Monday, September 10, 2012 5:03 PM
To: californiadisasters@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [californiadisasters] soft drink bottles used for water
Sunlight is hard on a lot of things and not just man-made things: many minerals experience color fading with prolonged exposure to direct sunlight such as amethyst and vanadinite and celestite.
You should store your water in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight exposure if possible. I would suggest changing your stored water once a year but confess I don't even follow my own advice on this with my own cache of 6 5-gallon jugs having not been changed in several years... gotta get on that methinks!
Kimmer
On Mon, Sep 10, 2012 at 11:23 AM, aweaawea <windpower@earthlink.net> wrote:
soft drink bottles used for water
Using fruit drink and soft drink plastic - ~liter or two liter bottles to save-store water- how long should they be replaced, or at least washed out and new water put in.
What is plastic chemicals that degrade and get into the water?
I presume that it gets worse quiker with sunlight and Heat storage place?
I try not to drink out of it if stored more than a few months - but ?? Does someone have a "yard stick" of rules of thumb?
__._,_.__--
Check out http://groups.yahoo.com/group/californiadisasters/
Read my blog at http://eclecticarcania.blogspot.com/
My Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/derkimster
Linkedin profile: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kim-noyes/9/3a1/2b8
Follow me on Twitter @DisasterKim
__._,_.___
Be sure to check out our Links Section at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/californiadisasters/links
Please join our Discussion Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/californiadisasters_discussion/ for topical but extended discussions started here or for less topical but nonetheless relevant messages.
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
__,_._,___
No comments:
Post a Comment