With the large family we have we try to keep water storage on-hand in case of an emergency. Sure, we live in the NorthWest where it rains alot... but having extra drinking water is always important.We have 5 barrels that hold about 20 gallons each - they are nice because they are small enough to handle them and move them around.
We also keep 4 other 55 gallon drums of water for bulk storage.4 years ago we washed them out, added water, and a touch of bleach. They've been sitting outside on the back of the shop, and we've been curious how well the water has lasted this long...
...so we popped the tops and tested it! We have a handy hand-pump to easily get all the water out.
All of the blue barrels tasted great - except one. It tasted a bit like soap... but was potable.All of the other larger (white) barrels also tested great - except one. It had a slight "orange" and plasticy taste to it. Still potable, though, and we noted that it originally had held orange soda syrup...
Not bad for 4 years! We are planning to move the barrels for a construction project, and will use the water for the berries and garden, then fill them up for another 4 years of storage.
