6 Innovative Ways To Store Water At Home
Water is an essential element in all households because you need water to meet most needs, from cooking to drinking to cleaning. There are times you might run out of water, especially if you utilize municipal water, for various reasons.
To cater to such times, you need to have an alternative water source, which you can achieve by storing water in your home— bringing up this article’s discussion.
How do you store this water?
This article will divulge innovative ways you can adopt to enable you to store water in your home. Read on for this insight.
The innovative home water storage solutions are:
- Rainwater Tanks
Even if the name suggests that these tanks are meant for rainwater harvesting, you can expand their uses. You can partially fill your chosen rainwater tank with water up to a level that’ll meet your household’s needs. Let the rain fill up the remaining part of the tank.
Depending on your water use, you should put in some safety precautions. If the water is for drinking, place a filter at the entry point of your water to prevent debris and other materials from getting into the water contaminating it.
There are many to select from your local vendor when it comes to rainwater tanks, depending on the gallons you need to store and the floor area you have for storage. Even with the many options, the R5000SQ is worth a look for your water storage needs.
- Concrete Cistern
Building a concrete cistern is one of the innovative ways to store water in your home if you have enough storage area. As you plan for this construction, you need to consider the amount of water you’re looking to hold, depending on your needs.
It’ll be helpful to reduce the height of the cistern to give you easy access to the stored water; work on expanding its surface area. Ensure you cover it up adequately to prevent this from becoming a mosquito breeding area and prevent pests’ habitation.
- Underground Tank
Although an underground tank might be a little bit expensive to put up, it’s a viable investment if you’re prone to experiencing water shortages and if you have a large household. It’d also suffice if you’ve no space to spare for storage in your compound.
You can install your tank and have your garden or pavement on top of it.
For an underground tank to serve you efficiently, ensure it’s well piped to supply water into your home. If you’re utilizing a rainwater tank, it can feed the underground tank through underground pipes. Also, improvise a system that allows the tank to take in surface run-off from rainwater.
- Empty Bottles
You might have empty bottles that you previously used for beverages or other purposes in your home. Instead of throwing them away, they can serve as a short-term storage plan for your water.
Be sure to clean them thoroughly with a mild soap and water solution; chlorine is also an option to disinfect them.
- Drums
Drums are an inexpensive way of storing your water at home. The type of drum to get depends on how you plan to use the stored water in the future.
For non-potable uses, you can DIY a drum easily. All you need is an empty container that you aren’t using; you can also collect one lying around your neighborhood. Once you obtain the drum, be sure to clean it thoroughly, especially if you don’t know its previous use. Utilize the water you store in this drum to water your garden and clean your car or pavement when there’s insufficient water.
However, if the water is for potable use, refrain from just picking any drum lying around. Here, you should only use a drum whose previous use you know, and preferably one you’ve utilized yourself. Your chosen drum should be of opaque color. The opaque nature will prevent UV rays that contribute to the growth of algae and bacteria. These contaminate your potable water making it unfit for use.
Alternatively, you can purchase a drum from your local hardware. With this option, you don’t need to worry about choosing the wrong one; the vendor will assist you in settling for one that suits your needs. However, consider purifying the water before drinking it, no matter the precautions you’ve put in place.
- Water Bobs
A water bob is a water-filled bag that serves as a water storage container. You can mainly utilize a water bob if you have a bathtub in your home. Should you suspect an upcoming water shortage, all you need to do is spread it out on your tub and fill it with water.
This bag has a closing system that’ll prevent water seepage. When you need to use the water, you just need to use its mouth to draw water. To avoid water spills as you draw water, you can insert a clean hose pipe and direct the water to your fetching container.
Conclusion
As seen, there are many innovative ways of storing your water at home; you have to be creative. As you utilize these water storage methods, there are a few things you need to consider.
Ensure that you store your containers away from direct sunlight to prevent bacteria and algae growth. Also, ensure you tightly seal your container once you’ve filled them with water to prevent contamination that would make the water go bad.
