Pros and Cons of Water Storage Containers

I've been trying to decide which storage containers to use for our water storage.  The following information from FoodStorageMadeEasy was very helpful.  In the end, I decided the water barrels would be the best for us (especially since we already have one... now where did we get that...?)  Looks like I will need to rotate this every 5 years or so.   In addition to this, we will buy several cases of bottled water and rotate them.  In the future, when we have about $80, we plan to get 4 of the water bricks.  Also, we will probably get some of those pouches to put in our 72-hour kits, since we have bottled water in them, and that's not considered safe, since the chemicals will leach into the water after sitting in a hot car.  For now, I suspect we'll drink even that water in an emergency.

Used 2 Liter Pop Bottles or Juice Bottles

Pros
– Essentially FREE if you buy them anyway or get from someone else
– Convenient size for smaller water emergencies
– Easy to store anywhere in the house
Cons
– Must rotate every 6 months to 1 year
– Hard to clean out enough that the taste isn’t a bit “off”
– Concern about bacteria if not cleaned out well enough
Best Used For
– 72 Hour Kits
– People on a tight budget
– Small spaces storage solutions

Store-Bought Water Bottles

Pros
– Great tasting, so it’s ideal for drinking water
– Easy to rotate through the individual bottles
– Easy to store anywhere in the house
Cons
– Must rotate every 6 months to 1 year
– Price per gallon can be fairly expensive
– Difficult to store in large quantities
– Bottles will freeze in winter, and chemicals can leach into them in severe heat, so not ideal for car kits in extreme conditions
Best Used For
– 72 hour kits
– People concerned with taste of drinking water
– Small emergencies

Small Water Pouches or Water Cartons

Pros
– 5 year shelf life!
– Awesome for 72 hour kits
– Water typically won’t freeze in the pouches or small water boxes
Cons
– Expensive storage method
– Not ideal for large quantities
– Not available in local stores everywhere
Best Used For
– 72 Hour Kits
– Car kits

5/6 Gallon Plastic Jugs

Pros
– Decent price per gallon
– More convenient size than large barrels
– Pretty easy to empty and rotate
– Easy to find in the camping section of most stores
Cons
– Many of these jugs end up having problems with cracking and leaking so beware
– 5 or 6 gallon jugs can be HEAVY if you are trying to pour with them and haul them up and down stairs by yourself
– Must be rotated every 6 months to 1 year
– Take up a lot of space in storage since you can’t stack them
Best Used For
– Smaller storage spaces
– Tighter budgets

Water Box Kits (Mylar bags inside cardboard boxes)

Pros
– Good price per gallon
– Stackable up to 3 boxes high
– Only have to rotate every 5 years
Cons
– A little bit complicated to set them up and fill them
– Wasted space in your storage room above the stack of boxes
– Not very convenient for accessing small amounts of your water storage
– Not available in local stores everywhere
Best Used For
– Larger quantities for people who don’t like rotating
– Great for sliding under beds or sticking on closet shelves

Water Bricks

Pros
– 3.5 gallons per brick makes it more manageable than 5/6 gallon containers
– Stackable from floor to ceiling!
– They are safe to freeze so can be stored outside
– Great size to stash under beds, in closets, etc.
Cons
– A little more expensive per gallon
– Not available in local stores everywhere
Best Used For
– Storage rooms where space is an issue
– Shorter term water emergencies for drinking and cooking
– People without considerable budget restraints

Water Barrels

Pros
– Best solution for storing LOTS of water
– Available in multiple sizes from 30 gallons up to 250 gallons
– With additives, can extend rotation needs to every 5 years
– Great use of floor space in a storage room with water barrel towers
Cons
– Slightly difficult to fill and rotate
– Not very accessible when you have to actual USE the water
– Not an ideal solution in small homes/storage areas and can’t be stored outside
Best Used For
– Longer term water shortages
– Large quantities of water storage