How to Store and Preserve Water

Wikimedia Commons by Matthew Bowden

I remember the oft quoted lines of S.T. Coleridge in Rime of Ancient Mariner, 
“ Water water every where,
All the boards did shrink.
Water water every where,
Nor any drop to drink”.

Indeed, water is the most important thing in life and even more important than food. In present times the scarcity of water is increasing throughout the world. The sources of fresh water are depleting and the remaining ones are likely to follow the suit. 
It is better to properly store the water for long term use and it is advisable reduce the use of water to the minimum. 

Normally a person needs at least one gallon of water per day for drinking purpose alone.
Store water in stainless steel or plastic containers, as they do not corrode, or effect the water, or support the growth of bacteria. On the other hand glass though better is fragile and heavy. The metal is generally corrosive and imparts its flavor to the water. Wooden or clay or cement containers are also acceptable.

Always keep the water containers clean, by washing them with soap and water. But properly rinse then after washing to remove the soap contents. Put one tablespoon of bleach for every gallon of water to sanitize the containers. 

For the best preservation of water, store it at some cool or dark place, where it may not get contaminated. 

The tap water does not require any treatment except filtering it. But the water from the well or some natural source needs chlorine bleach for treatment. 

Instead a bit of colloidal silver with and the ozonation of is better. Approximately after every 6 months, the big tanks or containers should be emptied and refilled with fresh water.

Water in Exposure of 1/200 seconds
Wikimedia Commons by Li-sung

How to Save Water at Home

The water saving is essential and an easy way to reduce the consumption or the wastage of water. It will result in the saving on expenses incurred on water.

The old taps, faucets, showers and toilets use a lot of water and result in the wastage of water. The inexpensive changes in water fittings reduce the wastage to 60 percent. 

One can save about $90 per year, by reducing the consumption of water in the toilet. 

Because about 27% of household water is used in toilets. Therefore use new cisterns, which consume up to 1.5 gallons of water, instead of 7 gallons per flush in old systems. Besides place a durable plastic block inside the cistern to reduce the volume of water. The pressure would be the same because the height of water does not change.

Another 17% of household water is used in shower. The maximum flow rate of new shower heads is 2.5 gallons per minute, instead 3-7 gallons in old ones. Besides the former increase the aeration of the water, thereby creating a sensation of high water pressure, without any increase in the amount of water flow. To reduce the flow of water, a shower faucet can be connected to the old shower head.


About 16% of water is used in an average kitchen and bathroom sinks. Here again a low flow faucets can be used to reduce the flow of water in a running tap. To avoid the replacement, just add a plastic insert type low flow rate aerator device inside the old faucet. In bathroom sinks use low flow faucet with a flow rate from 0.5 to 1.0 gallons per minute, instead of 2 gallons per minute.