I'm busy with my annual review of our emergency preparations, making sure I know what we've got and where it is, and checking that everything's still in good order.
This morning I opened the tote that contains our water filters and associated supplies. I found bad news inside. Bags of calcium hypochlorite powder (so-called "pool shock") had perished, spilling their contents all over everything. To make matters worse, the hose connections on our family-size water filter had also perished, and what looks like a foam lining beneath the plastic connection covers had spread brown funky-smelling gunk all over everything. (I suspect possible interaction between them and the pool shock.) Whatever caused it, I wasn't prepared to trust the contents any longer, due to contamination.
*Sigh*
It's an expensive lesson, but that's what our "rainy day fund" is for, among other things. I got onto Amazon this morning and ordered replacements for all our water filters:
- A Lifestraw Family 1.0 unit for large-scale base-camp-style filtration;
- Two Go Series bottles for filtration on the move;
- Four Sawyer SP124 mini filtration systems for personal use (and to share if need be);
- A Survivor Filter Pro compact filtration system for vehicle camping use, plus a spare filter for it;
- A potable water hose for refilling water containers.
Don't think that "out of sight, out of mind" won't take you by surprise and catch you out when you really, really need something. It took me by surprise today. I'm going to have to do a more detailed check of our emergency supplies every year, and not trust to luck, and a passing visual inspection only, that a sealed package has remained sealed, or that what's in it has not perished. Oh, well . . . lesson learned (again). Murphy's Law is alive and well, and this morning (through my own fault, let it be said) it bit me.
Peter
EDITED TO ADD: A number of readers contacted me with questions about this article. I've answered them in a follow-up article; you'll find it here. I hope it helps clarify the situation.
20 comments:
I'm sorry you had to find that storage loss. But far better to learn that now than when opening on opening day of Apocalypse Games and finding even worse. Your glass jar storage sounds like a good idea. I recall those glass soft drink bottles returned years ago and sigh. At least a couple of Grosch beer bottles with ceramic cap were saved, though not near enough to make a difference. Placed in a wool sock, soaked down and left in a breezy location, a pretty decent canteen.
I stock up on those personal water filters, buying one or two when I remember to do so. I'm sure over a dozen in all, with Sawyer Squeeze units making up about half of them. At least two bottles of Polar Pur bottled iodine measuring unit, though I've read too much of that is not good for a person.
Again - my condolences.
You might want to consider something besides a Mason jar for shock storage. Chlorine is HIGHLY corrosive. The glass would be fine, but the lids, nots'much. I know the lids are plastic coated, but if it can get through its original packaging it'll LAUGH at that coating. Maybe put some thicker plastic under the lid before screwing it on or something... Just thinking...
Good to be ready. I don't store all my stuff together. Might be a good idea though to put all the water stuff together as well as the fire stuff and maybe the shelter. But I think pool shock and other powders to make good water with should be on there own in containers.
Probably should get some BOB bags set up as I am sure 30-60 days after the event this domicile will be unsustainable.
And it is looking more like the event is eminent.
Reminded of the old Chinese curse.
The pool-shock off gases and will interact with anything metal that is in the same space.
I would suggest maybe placing the pool shock in a ziploc freezer bag, possibly even double bag it. Then you can go ahead and put it in the mason jar if you want to. The problem with putting it in the mason jar without first placing it into a ziploc freezer bag is that the pool shock is highly corrosive and if it leaks in the mason jar it could rust the lid and ring.
could this be stored in a mason jar with a Harvest Guard plastic canning lid and rubber ring? would the pool shock corode or eat away or damage the plastic and rubber? Thes are made for pressure canners as reusable lids and rings.
Pool shock will eat your metal mason jar lid. Can I suggest vacuum packing in better plastic bags?
Pool shock is very aggressive. Canning lids, metal ones even tho costed, might not work. Maybe try some of the reusable ones might not work. A trail run would be a good idea
Better now than later, and always remember, Murphy was an 'optimist'!!!
For calcium hypochlorite make sure to line the lids of the glass jars with teflon sheet. The bleach will eat its way through just about anything else.
Since I could not be sure that "pool shock" doesn't have other additives, e.g. algicides, stabilizers, etc., I ordered reagent grade calcium hypochlorite. I got it in three half-liter polypropylene jugs. I don't know what the lids are made of, but nearly four years on now, they're still sealed tight. I have them in three different locations with a printout of directions for use with them. The stuff is a very aggressive chemical, and unsealed, will react with anything nearby. Properly sealed, it will store for decades.
Plastic mason jar lids are sold at walmart and other places.
Off the top of my head, not knowing the volume of a 1lb bag, HDPE reagent bottles might be the ticket for storing pool shock long-term. They aren't expensive, and you won't have to worry about the possibility of a broken glass jar, which, no matter how well you arrange your storage, might still happen.
- Mr. Mayo
Ol' Remus addressed the difficulty of storing calcium hypochlorite. His conclusion was that the best you can do is use a glass bottle with an aluminum screw cap (think wine or 40 ounce beer bottle). Then put a nail hole in the screw cap and cover said hole with masking tape.
TEFLON or a larger size inner tube. Cut the circle for the lid with about 1/16--1/8 inch overlap on the canning lid and see to it that the rings pull on the rubber and the lid....
CONSIDER perusing http://pwgazette.com
BEST source of Royal Doulton candles I have found (These are the filter candles found in BERKEY filters)
Night Driver
This times 10!
What B said, re: Pool Shock.
Try some Nalgene wide mouth bottles, or multi-gallon food pails tightly sealed.
If you hadn't found your problems until you really needed the filters, it would have been a bummer.
As it is, it's simply a timely lesson.
Aesop has it right, but I would add that pool shock off gasses that destroys stuff like Peters plastics. Even more if it gets dampness and heat involved.
Keep it cool, dry and in the darks AWAY from things you don't want to be corroded. A hot damp garage with your electrical box is a BAD IDEA as a fellow prepper found out.
There is a reason that city water purification facilities have a secure cool, dry storage with plenty of ventilation.
Those water filters - purifiers will become VERY VALUABLE in a grid down long term situation. I'm guessing less than half of us have a filter of any sort and will have to resort to boiling with whatever burns. For the older citizens who are not capable of the work required to do this, a filter would be required.
Thanks for all the helpful advice. I bought 6x1 pound bags of Pool Shock, and transferred them into 3 quart-size wide-mouth Ball jars. Instead of the metal lids, I got hold of some of the plastic variety recommended by Danny, and used them. So far, so good.
My replacement filters arrived today. I'm busy "bagging and tagging" them and putting them in the freshly cleaned tote. Onward!
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