Recommendation 2: have a personal reservoir.
Could be as simple as a few cases of bottled water. Pro: easy, cheap, convenient, divisible, mobile, low-profile and unobtrusive. Con: small quantities for things like hygiene, cannot easily refill/reuse containers, cost adds up for large quantities.
View attachment 451667
Large reservoirs
like these (link) are built for emergencies. More common in rural areas that are self-reliant but you could have one in the city just as well. Light weight when empty. Pros: large capacity, best value in price per gallon, many models stackable. Cons: big, extremely heavy (only store on concrete), no mobility, one valve failure at the bottom leaks all the contents. By the way, your home's hot water tank is basically the same thing. You might already have 40-80gal in a reservoir ready to tap in an emergency.
View attachment 451668
Another interesting idea is the WaterBOB. Storm coming? Throw this bladder in the bathtub and fill with water. Pros: big capacity, no permanent footprint, inexpensive. Cons: no mobility, still requires active preparation (what if water supply is already lost/contaminated?), stops anyone from using tub/shower during your just-in-case-let's-prepare period. I'd pass. If you have it, don't let it be all you have.
View attachment 451669
A middle ground is a 1-5 gallon emergency container. Tons on the market, some soft/flexible and others rigid/stackable. Remember, water weighs 8lbs per gallon, so a stack of tanks puts a lot of pressure on seals (personal account later). Also keep in mind the strength of all potential users. I prefer a 3-gal/24-lb container to be sure anyone can lift it. Wire handles like the WaterBrick have a reputation for breaking. The AquaBrick's handle is ideal, molded into the container. Many of these models have their own variant lids with a valve installed or their own filter/pump attachment so you can scoop and treat dirty water.
View attachment 451674 View attachment 451675 View attachment 451676
My experience. Wanted more mobility than a big reservoir. You might need freedom to bug out, but even taking a tank camping or moving it to the other side of the garage would be impossible, and the end user might be a family member across town. Went with AquaBrick for max versatility and two carry handles. Price at that time (Apr 2020) was roughly 3x as much for the same volume as a single tank. WaterBrick's wire handles were no-go for potential to break. The shape looks convenient for stacking but was actually useless for a few reasons, and not just for OCD kids raised on Legos.
View attachment 451670 View attachment 451671 View attachment 451672
First issue, they lean. Stacking either in pairs with 90-degree turns or single-stack in same orientation, after 5-10 stacks they would lean far enough to fall over if bumped. Staggered allowed more than single-stack. Turns out the walls are plenty rigid when moving/handling and even small stacks, but they compress under weight and are not completely flat -- the lean is always away from the longitudinal handle, so single-stack are all leaning in one direction while staggered stack are half-leaning in two directions. I wanted to stack over 6ft high, so neither works unless you have them leaning against a wall, which I specifically did not want so I could recognize if a leak developed.
Second issue, the silicone ring seal inside these caps look impressive, but they perform inconsistently. Threading is pretty high-quality (though I found one big piece of blue plastic shavings inside a few). Placing the cap on, you feel a smooth light resistance as you tighten giving way to gentle increased pressure as you reach the silicone ring. A little tighter and you're good. Most times. Overtighten and you're no good most times since the silicone pinches to the side and creates a break in the seal, obviously invisible to the user but there's an immediate leak when turned on its side. But even sealing looser sometimes leaks so under just gravity weight of the water inside. Add the weight of a stack on top and the pressure frequently gives way.
So I got halfway stacking 96 of these things single-file before some on the bottom started leaking under the weight. Wanted them single-file so I could see all the caps and know if one was leaking, and a puddle forming on concrete made it obvious which stack to look at. So I unstacked and retightened. And did it again with same results. So I unstacked and loosened with same results. I decided to try an array of 90-degree staggered stacks to see if distributing weight differently helped, but no. Thought I had gotten the seal pressure perfect until I stacked all 96, no more than 8 high in a stack, and the following morning a huge puddle. After breaking down the stack again I realized it was one second from the top that had leaked 2 of its 3 gallons, not even bearing much weight on top. On inspection the silicone seal and plastic rim were no different. There's just a statistical risk of them not sealing perfectly, and I'd never feel confident with them on their side in any arrangement. So after eight hours of moving these things across two days, here's the way that left me without worry.
View attachment 451673
Stacked upright, weight applied axially, 3x3 plywood distributing it evenly across the caps, 4x6x4 arrangement.The caps are actually angled when the tank sits like this (see photos above), so there's a slight shear force on them this way. But they lock up so tightly and are constructed so rigidly that they seem to tolerate it just fine, and it's spread across 24. And with no fluid resting at the seal, a microscopic gap is no issue.
While disappointed that intended stackable design didn't pan out, I wouldn't do it any differently if starting over or expanding. This setup still allows a personal reservoir, always ready rather than requiring me to anticipate need, small footprint, mobility/divisibility, two integrated handles that won't break, good seal from elements, and rigid/safe storage as opposed to something that might break or fall over. I usually have four ratchet straps going around like belts for even more stability, but this photo was taken while it sat in a temporary location. Specifically this enough for two adults and two kids under age 5 (3 gal/day pre adult, 1.5 gal/day per kid) for 32 days. Each of 96 tanks treated with 7mL of Aquamira 2-part chlorine dioxide, about $100 total in chemicals, for a 5-year shelf life.
Yet another area where I proposed something that looks pretty eccentric but my wife's response was, "If you think so. I trust you." What a woman. Less than one year later, what would some Texans give to have this in their garage next to a generator today? Even if they had the ability to boil water, a filter or personal supply would make things much easier. Now's a chance to think about their situation and plan for the best outcomes. Any additions or corrections appreciated.
