Why a splash of bleach helps when treating rain water
Weve been getting some steady rain in the Ozarks, and the rain catchment has been full, Full, FULL! It's a really cool feeling being able to harvest your water from the sky for free. I like not having to depend on a utility company, and the savings has been great!
I wanted to do a followup on the video i did on water treatment and how we keep it clean and sanitary here on the homestead. You can check it out here
Collecting water like this does require its own maintenance, however, and I wanted to show some pictures on the difference in water treated with a very small about of bleach (1/4 cup in a 275 gallon tank) vs an untreated tank. These will be painted soon, as an added measure to prevent algae as well.
Untreated
This tank was left untreated for the purpose of this blog for about a week. The water has taken on an off color greenish tint and there is algae blooming around the edges.
In an environment like this, it would not take much for bacteria and mosquito to try to set up shop. A great way to combat those things is by adding 1/4 tsp : 1 gallon of regular concentrate, unscented, plain old bleach. You can learn more about treating water with bleach here.
After treatment, Ill then allow the water to sit, sealed for 24 hours. Once that is complete, to remove the chlorine taste and smell, I add about 2 cups of 3% hydrogen peroxide, and sit for another 24 hours.
Treated water
The water here has no color, and almost blends in with the tank. No blooms have formed, and its ready for use.
To catch any final debris, we use a house water filter for any solids that may have settled from the roof. Its a sediment and carbon filter, and makes everything taste like pure water, with no taste of chlorine at all.
I hope you enjoyed reading about how we keep water clean. It was a topic Heather and I discussed and researched in length and rain catchment has been proving to be a great investment for the homestead. Until next time Steemians, have a great day and thanks for stopping by!
Appreciate your explanation of water collection process and how to keep it clean and bacteria free. No such thing allowed here in Florida. Nor can we be totally off grid. It stinks if you want to be free, we do like the winters here. Always a trade off. Lol🐓🐓
Thanks for stopping by!
The winters would indeed be great in FL, but then there are those giant hurricanes.... :p
You are 100% correct about bleach being a good way to purify water. But a lot of people don't know that the bleach you buy in the store is only good for about 6 months. The chemical bleach is made from is cheap. For about $25 you can get enough to last a lifetime. But it is VERY IMPORTANT to store it correctly.
Several months ago, I wrote a very detailed article on what to buy, where to buy it, how to mix it to make bleach and how to safely store it for long term use if you are interested. https://steemit.com/foraging/@fernowl13/purifying-water-with-calcium-hypochlorite
Thanks for that, I'll have a look at this for sure.
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That is good info for treating water. If you paint your tanks black you won't have to add chlorine. FYI. It takes 5 1/2 spray cans to paint one tank.
So the sun is what makes algae grow in there? Good tip on the number of cand it takes, thanks!
I've heard of using bleach to treat water, but the tip about the peroxide to remove the taste and smell is totally new to me. Thanks for posting! Rainwater collection is on our ten mile long list of "things to eventually get around to" :)
A great system. I cant drink anything treated with chlorine. Does filter take it out?
Your post was featured in today's curation post- Monday Prepper Curation
Congratulations!
That's how I found it and resteemed by the way @armadillocreek.
Thanks @goldendawne
Wow thanks! Its always an honor to receive your blessings!
Thank you for the Post.
This is a subject that I really need to look into these days. We are about to live on the property that is completely off the grid right now. And I have been wondering lately how to make Rainwater potable or drinkable.
Thanks, I'll watch the video a little later @armadillocreek
No problem glad to help! And good luck on your new adventure!
Thank you. I was wondering, so painting the tank, does it prevent the sun from making algae grow inside of there? I'm not too keen on bleach but if it such a little amount....
Yes, painting the tank will stop the algae, the bleach also covers bird poop or anything else that may get into the gutter or on the roof as well. If you want to feel safer with the bleach, it will naturally start evaporating and alot of it disapates when you let it sit for 24 hours. The key is the small amount. More is not better in this case lol. The peroxide will help the rest of the way, and also give you an extra layer of microorganism protection.
I've got your post bookmarked. Thanks for the info. I'll double and triple check what you're saying because that's what I do... even though I believe you, it's a habit with today's information age!
Of course all the crap that hets on the roof goes in there, I hadn't even thought about the birds!
Thanks
Sweet! I'd heard of treating with bleach, but never the hydrogen peroxide trick.
I'm going to add something like this for our garden, as the property we're buying already has both city water and a well.
Maybe we'll be able to get the well running good enough to completely phase out the city water. :) Goals.
Good luck on the well! Thats what we want to do one day, but the rain catchment gas been very good to us. If youre going to use it for the garden, i would forego the bleach, just make sure your tanks cant let light in and treat with peroxide. 😊
Thanks man! I'll remember that.
how many total tanks do you have and how many people in the household? I keep several gallons of bleach in case of emergency and that is just one of its great uses, cool pictures and I like the hydrogen peroxide tip.
Right now we have 3 275 gal ibc tanks, plus 8 55 gallon barrels. We plan to link 4 ibc totes together eventually for more storage, and free up the barrels for other uses. Its just my wife and I at home
Please is good to store, but i just learned that it is only good for about 6 months, theb loses its potency. Fyi!
now that's a good tip, I had not considered the shelf life of it.