Storing water safely long term

[ScrubNinja]

I'm a micro grower and decided to switch to rainwater to see if things improve over the tap water I was using. I think it may have chloramines in it.

I can't set up a water tank outside so I've been collecting it in a tray thing and I've already got over 30 litres!! The question is, how do I keep it most optimally? I'm hoping to build up a supply for months away and don't want it to turn into a harmful bacteria tea or anything.

I filtered it a little to take out any leaves or insects. Should I aerate it, or put a lid on? I'm guessing a dark room would be best? Would a few drops of EM in the water be helpful?

Thanks.

 

[Zealious]

im no pro but id say u can add a little dish soap and a little peroxide.. and aerate as much as you can afford... as many air stones and air pumps as possible... umm I once saw a little portable o2 machine for old people at my local thrift shop for like 3 bucks .. I really wish i would have bought that thing..

 

[Hydrosun]

The Brute commercial line works amazingly well. I have one with a float valve on it and a spout at the bottom. I keep it evevated in my garage on cinder blocks. I then fill 18L containers. I use the 44gal for water storage. But I also own the 32 and 20 gal brutes. With the lids on they are light proof and your water should stay perfect forever

Peace,

 

[gomer]

With the lids on they are light proof and your water should stay perfect forever

Peace,

If the water collected had leaves and a few bugs in it before being filtered, do you have to add peroxide or something first before longer term storage in the light proof containers? Does storage temperature make a significant difference?

 

[medi-useA]

ScrubNinja...I would recommend testing the water ph and ec....even temp...
Keep notes and check 1 a week....You might need an air pump...but it should keep pretty well. Keep it as cool as you can..it will hold more DO and be less inviting to wildlife as a home...Have you considered keeping a fish or 2 in the water?...Ya can use them as an excuse if anyone comments on the water!

muA

 

[ScrubNinja]

Thanks dudes. Medi, that was a good idea to check the ph etc. I did it and got a really low ph, so I calibrated my meter and got an even lower ph - it's 3.5. What the hell?

I'm under the impression there is no need to check ph with organics unless it's way out of whack. Is this that far out? It seems awful acidic. I live in a small city, not that much pollution I would think. There wasn't much leaf litter or bugs in there either, only a caterpillar on the edge and maybe half a square inch of leaf matter. It was zero EC by the way (my meter measures in 0.1 EC units), and I haven't started bubbling yet. Thanks for any advice.

 

[guest2012y]

Hey ScrubNinja, I don't know if this helps,but I had constructed a 2000 gallon underground concrete storage tank that I used to store my drinking water which was pumped from a well,so I have a bit of experience working with plumbing,water storage,and well systems. I would say that you can store water as long as you want,the only problem being it gets stagnate. If you had the funds available for some sort of pre-filter before it enters your storage container and then have aeration as the main way of keeping it "fresh",I think it would be alright for the plants. Of course this all depends on the amount of water you use over what period of time if it's even worth the trouble and $$$$.
I currently use rain water for my garden,I store it in a 50 gallon plastic trash can. It sits outside where I have gutter draining into it. As I use it the rain refills the container,so I never move it,and it never goes empty. I have a window screen sitting over it which keeps out most of what could fall in. I don't have any issues with algae or funky bacteria. I also have 15 gallons sitting inside to warm to room temp. at all time. If I feel it's been sitting too long I just plop an bubbler in it for a day. That's my 5 cents worth Brother.

 

[medi-useA]

New plastic might be off-gassing and may be changing the ph...

Perhaps leave in direct sunlight for a week to 'bake' the plastic a bit...
muA

 

[guest2012y]

Quote: New plastic might be off-gassing and may be changing the ph...

Perhaps leave in direct sunlight for a week to 'bake' the plastic a bit...
muA

Good often missed point about off-gassing plastics used in the garden.

 

[guest1ab]

maybe add some charcoal to your tub?? I'm not sure, I'm looking 4 a similar solution somewhere where I can't really use aeration.
I know you could use bleach, but that would sort of defeat the whole purpose, wouldn't it?
H2O2?

 

[medi-useA]

putting a piece of sandstone in the water every so often....and removing it 2 days later...will put enough DO in water to maintain it...

muA

 

[ScrubNinja]

Thank you all, very interesting and helpful. The container I'm using was bought over a year ago but it had weed stored in it a long time ago, so it stunk like a vitamin C smell but should be clean enough. Even in the (very clean and out-gassed) collection tray it measures the same so I guess it's just the rain. I'm using it on plants for a few days now so we'll see if it's too low.

I need to get a larger container but it's a public holiday. It's a 500 litre/hour powerhead pointing straight up, with a venturi attached. I keep some frost mat over the top so it can breathe but keep debris out.

Q: Once sufficiently aerated by mechanical means like a pump, how long does the water take to lose that aeration? And conversely, how long does it take to aerate it in the first place? (say, using an air pump + diffuser with the air figures Microbe man or CTguy recommend)

Cheers.

 

[Zealious]

i think ur good. the power head is all u need.. thats going to keep the water moving and aerated perfectly.. I dont know how long it would stay aerated but maybe try to ad a 2 way valve with a thin vinyl tube attached that u can turn on and off .. to use as a hose.

 

[medi-useA]

Q: Once sufficiently aerated by mechanical means like a pump, how long does the water take to lose that aeration? And conversely, how long does it take to aerate it in the first place? (say, using an air pump + diffuser with the air figures Microbe man or CTguy recommend)

Cheers.

In aquatic environments, oxygen saturation is a relative measure of the amount of oxygen (O2) dissolved in the water. Supersaturation can sometimes be harmful for organisms and cause decompression sickness. Dissolved oxygen (DO) is measured in standard solution units such as millilitres O2 per liter (ml/L), millimoles O2 per liter (mmol/L), milligrams O2 per liter (mg/L) and moles O2 per cubic meter (mol/m3). For example, in freshwater under atmospheric pressure at 20°C, O2 saturation is 9.1 mg/L.

wikki can help.

Solubility tables (based upon temperature) and corrections for different salinities and pressures can be found at the USGS web site. Tables such as these of DO in milliliters per liter (ml/L) are based upon empirical equations that have been worked out and tested (e.g. Weiss, 1970):


and here's a good one.
muA

 

[jjfoo]

Have you considered keeping a fish or 2 in the water?

I'm interested in fish in water. Wouldn't that dirty the water? What is your reason for adding fish in a barrel?

I'm going to read about bio-ponics now...

I'm thinking of getting a large res so I don't have to bring buckets in. I could top it off once a week. I'm thinking I could have some kind of fish that eat algae and stuff that naturally develops which I don't want. I'm thinking of getting an aquarium to use with a simple siphon to get the water out. I know plants can clean fish water in a recirculating system, but I would just have fish in my noncirulating res to eat algae.

 

[gomer]

A couple of things I have half learned about rain water over the last day. I'm sure other members can elaborate more and correct me where I'm off track. I'm posting this mainly so you can look into it yourself.

Testing the Ph of distilled or clean rain water with a meter is difficult. A number of meter manufacturers have warnings or explanations on their sites. It has a lot to do with the low PPM. Google: measuring Ph of pure water. I'm sure a number of the web hits don't directly relate to our measurements but you might want to look into it. A couple of sites say the closer the water is to 0 PPM the more difficult it is to measure accurately with any means.

A couple of sites said water temperature effects Ph readings more when the water has a very low PPM count. The exposure to air can cause a greater shift in the Ph for rain water.

Pollution can be a factor, both air and surface. The low PPM in rain water causes the water to absorb things easily. (not the right term but I forgot the scientific term.) The Ph of the water will be moved by nutes and storage conditions to a greater degree than hard water or city water that has had stabilizers added to adjust and maintain the Ph already. When pure rain water is added to soil the Ph of the rain water will change to match the soil to a greater degree.

 

[guest2012y]

I'm interested in fish in water. Wouldn't that dirty the water? What is your reason for adding fish in a barrel?

I'm going to read about bio-ponics now...

I'm thinking of getting a large res so I don't have to bring buckets in. I could top it off once a week. I'm thinking I could have some kind of fish that eat algae and stuff that naturally develops which I don't want. I'm thinking of getting an aquarium to use with a simple siphon to get the water out. I know plants can clean fish water in a recirculating system, but I would just have fish in my noncirulating res to eat algae.

In smaller grows I had used aquarium water with no bad effects. Had large tanks,and could actually grow a small crop just off fish water alone. No real noticeable difference in quality.

 

[badmf]

Before chiming in how long term are we talking?

 

[ScrubNinja]

Before chiming in how long term are we talking?

Say 4 to 6 months here, but years when I move back into a rural situation.

I mixed up an average sort of flower feed last night - molasses, liquid guano, and liquid kelp, in that order and each consecutive one raised the ph and it was 6.7 when I finished.

 

[badmf]

Say 4 to 6 months here, but years when I move back into a rural situation.

I mixed up an average sort of flower feed last night - molasses, liquid guano, and liquid kelp, in that order and each consecutive one raised the ph and it was 6.7 when I finished.

Plain water can store indefinitely if no light is present, it will need serious aeration to have a "fresh" taste though. I store 100's of gallons each season in cans but I don't add nutes until ready for use. I opted for soil based nutes. I only go to liquid at seasons end. If you mix what you have it will spoil over time if temps are warm. but a 6.7 ph is fine for soil if its not a strong alkaline based soil. You would need to adjust it to 6.0.