Water. H2O. Dihydrogen monoxide. It is all the same. It is the stuff of life and we cannot do without it for more than a few days. We each need about 2L a day of water but it varies significantly depending on what you are doing and your body type. Recommendations at 3L for men and 2.2L for women. Although you should drink as much as you want and remember that you can be dehydrated yet not feel thirsty.
Luckily for us in the UK it is readily available. It rains here for all but a few months of the year and so it flows treated and safe to drink from taps in every home and as much as we want is readily available. We are fortunate in that respect.
Now, imagine water on tap was not available. It has happened several times, usually due to a ruptured water main, but there have been other problems as well. It has left entire communities without water to drink, clean or bathe. Usually the water companies transport water in with tankers but what about if there is a significant issue and they cannot? What about when you are out and about in your car and get stuck in some mud on a country road? We need to ensure that we have a source of water that we can use in an emergency.
Buy several large bottles of water for the house and store out of the light. Perhaps in the loft out of the way. Work on 3L per day per person. (6L per day if there is work being done or you are working out long term requirements.) Assume you will be without water for a fortnight. Take several bottles with you in the boot of your car for emergencies as well.
Sure you may not be able to bathe or wash your car but dead people don’t do that either. This water is to keep you alive.
Water is *heavy*, storing a lot of it in the loft is a bad idea. The joists in lofts are usually much smaller/weaker than a normal floor joist (on the assumption that very little will be placed up there).
Skvez,
Another good point.
In my case the whole loft area in my home was reinforced when the extension was built as I wanted a bedroom/office/workshop up there. The joists are thicker than normal and the floor is solid. Now, of course, it is just a storeroom. In saying that the bulk of my water, and other heavy stuff, is in the pantry and the front room.
However, your concern needs to be considered. We need to consider that when we are talking about storage spaces and while we get started a few containers of water to last several weeks should be OK if the load is spread across the joints. Water weighs 10lb/4.5Kg a gallon/3.8Lt. Work it out for the quantity you have and be careful and ensure you store your goods safely. Kind of pointless to be killed by your emergency stores falling through the roof.
Suitable storage containers to supplement your bottled water and even food storage are available from several sources and the price will vary as well.
I found this company very good and worth a look.
http://www.waterbuttsnbottles.co.uk
John
Ayrshire
John,
A good site for storage containers. I found it a few weeks ago, via another URL, when I was looking at the prices for 25L pails.
It is well worth a look.