Safest Plastic for Water Storage

We may earn commissions for purchases made through links on our site. Learn more on our about us page.

When prepping, one of the biggest concerns needs to be water. It’s vital that you overestimate how much water you need because while we can live a few weeks without food, without water, we won’t last for a few days.

So then comes the question of what we store water in. You’re stuck with smaller containers if you can’t afford a 500-gallon tank. You can’t use metal due to rust, so the next option is plastic. This article will talk about which plastics are best to store water in.

Which Ones are FDA Approved?

When something is FDA approved, it means that it meets all of the safety regulations that the FDA has for safe contact with food. There are a lot of plastics that are FDA-compliant, and here is a list of plastics that are approved for food and water consumption:

 

High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

HDPE is one of the most common plastics used for household products such as butter and thicker storage containers.

 

Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)

LDPE is more malleable and used to squeeze bottles or cling wraps.

 

Polycarbonate (PC)

PC does have a BPA present in it, but after numerous tests, the FDA has concluded that it has no adverse health effects. A specific type of PC is used in hospital trays.

 

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)

PET is used for anything in a plastic jar or container, such as peanut butter or salad dressing.

 

Polypropylene (PP)

PP is used for single-serving items like yogurt. This plastic is nonvolatile, meaning it won’t react to anything acidic or basic.

 

For How Long Can You Store Water in it?

According to CDC guidelines, you should change the water every six months. However, you most likely won’t have that option in a doomsday situation. For example, if you’re filling a big container with water and not storing it correctly, it could start getting bacteria.

If you’re storing water in an unopened container, in a temperature-controlled room, away from direct sunlight, then you can keep water indefinitely. However, if you’re concerned about your water, please go through the steps of purifying it before consuming it.

 

Where Can You Buy it?

Since most plastics approved by the FDA are already used for household products, you can find all your storage containers at your local grocery store. You could also just buy cases of water bottles if you want to be sure bacteria is not getting into the water.

If you need an enormous container, they have a selection of them at Walmart, Home Depot, and Amazon. One deal I found was for a 20 container pack for $575 that holds one hundred gallons of water, and other options sell less.

 

How Much Should You Buy?

It’s recommended that one person have one gallon of water per day. So if your bunker holds two adults, you would need at least 3,650 gallons of water to last five years. Luckily, some places sell 5,000-gallon water tanks for around $5,000.

If you have many smaller places for storage instead of just one large area and you’re thinking of buying smaller containers, you would need around 740 5-gallon containers. While containers do come in other sizes, this is just to give you an estimate of the cost.

 

How Can You Store it?

Like most things you store, it’s best practice to keep water in a temperature-controlled room away from direct sunlight.

This is because most bacteria grow between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit, which is known as the danger zone, and bacteria like to grow in warmer water temperatures.

Fortunately, bacteria are less likely to grow if the water container is sealed and cool. However, you want to keep a watchful eye on your water because if that gets contaminated, then you will be in the biggest pickle.

 

Final Thoughts on Safest Plastic for Water Storage

Water is the most important thing when prepping for doomsday because while we can live a couple of weeks without food, we can only live a few days without water. Therefore, we recommend using one gallon of water per day per person.

There are many FDA-compliant plastics, and they can all be found in your grocery store. High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) is used to make butter containers and is the most durable. They do sell larger containers on Amazon.

It is recommended that you use one gallon of water per day per person, so if your bunker holds two people, you would need at least 3,650 gallons of water to last five years.

When storing water, keep it in a cooler space and away from direct sunlight to avoid bacteria growth.

Leave a comment