Experience With Drinking H2O Barrels?

sampix · Post by **sampix** » Sun Aug 15, 2004 12:57 pm

I am considering bringing along a food grade, 55 gallon plastic barrel for water storage. Does anyone have any experience, tips or concerns with using one?

frenchblue1 · Post by **frenchblue1** » Sun Aug 15, 2004 1:11 pm

The 55 gallon will most likely not have the support on the sides. Water weighs almost 9 lbs a gallon...actually I think it is 8.9 lbs. So you will have to carry 490lbs. My suggestion is to buy 2 33 gallon containers from home depot for under 10 bucks each and that is easier for 2 people to move.
I imagine this is not going to be drinking water is it? That large of a drinking water container is going to taste funky in a couple of days.
Try a set up of the 2 33 gallon containers and run a spicket out the side that you can purchase in the sprinkler section of Home Depot. You can attached a hose to the spicket too...

Good luck

Apollonaris Zeus · Post by **Apollonaris Zeus** » Sun Aug 15, 2004 1:14 pm

Yes and add a couple of drops of Iodine as an anti-bacterial agent. I would also add some to your ice chest to reduce food poisoning from dirty hands and food.

A II Z

diane o'thirst · Post by **diane o'thirst** » Sun Aug 15, 2004 1:30 pm

Be sure that if you use trash barrels from the hardware store, tape them shut shut shut and have a big sign on them that says "Potable Water!"

First year I went, half my water got contaminated when some responsible person walking along my street decided to leave no trace — into the trash barrel full of water! Good of them, not so good for me :/

Also, the plastic food-grade containers are reinforced so they should be fine for holding that volume of water. We use them in our camp. Be sure you know what was in them before you got them; soda syrup, fruit syrup, vinegar, oil, whatever. Our first year we had cherry-, orange- and licorice-flavoured water from our containers; no arguments here, but I probably wouldn't want to drink vinegar-flavoured water.

Also: if you're bringing those barrels, make sure your truck has a liftgate on it to lower them down to the ground. You won't get them down otherwise, you can't make people catch a 500-pound barrel! After they're on the ground, have a lot of gloved hands on deck to walk/roll them into final position. Or else just leave them on the truck. You didn't mention what you were carrying them in; we had a big flatbed truck for ours. Be careful! Watch those fingers and toes!

Get a GOOD barrel pump for the dispensing! Can't emphasize that enough. Don't skimp on the pump, you don't want it to break and leave you with a surfeit of inaccessible water. Tons of water with no way to get at it in the desert is the definition of Hell.

Tancorix · Post by **Tancorix** » Sun Aug 15, 2004 1:33 pm

Water weight: 1 US Gal = 8.3452641 Lbs.
55 US Gal = 458.989526 Lbs. or basically 459 lbs if the drum is totally full.

I checked the numbers here: http://www.onlineconversion.com/waterweight.htm

Fat SAM · Post by **Fat SAM** » Sun Aug 15, 2004 3:05 pm

We got a 55 gal. drum and when we got it home, we opened the thing up and it smells soooooo strongly of peppermint! We decided that instead of using it for drinking, we'd pour half a jug of Bronner's in it and use it for shower water. We ended up just buying another 30 gallons for drinking use.

Is there a policy about water on the playa? I figure since the water truck drives around and sprays all over it would be ok to just shower onto the ground, right? Do we have to have a pool under the shower? Would it be ok to just lay down a carpet square and go to town? We probably won't be using additional soaps or shampoos thanks to the Bronner's so there won't be chemicals or anything going into the ground....

Just curious.

Tancorix · Post by **Tancorix** » Sun Aug 15, 2004 3:11 pm

Before the flames start roaring your way you really need to read the survival guides. There are definitely rules for water management, in particular grey water and black water. Get to reading.

diane o'thirst · Post by **diane o'thirst** » Sun Aug 15, 2004 3:20 pm

Yeah, the water from the water trucks is straight from the springs. There are no inclusions in it (technically, anyway; I think aquatic critter detritus counts as biowaste). And it's not concentrated in one spot, it's sprayed over a fairly broad area, so comparing the trucks to a camp shower isn't exactly right.

Fat SAM · Post by **Fat SAM** » Mon Aug 16, 2004 1:01 am

That's true and I know it seems like a stupid question, but it's not specifically addressed in the Survival Guide - which I downloaded months ago (the '03 one) and printed two copies of; one for us and one for our camp mates. Read that several times and then when this year's arrived I was so excited, I read it cover to cover even though it was the same stuff and I don't recall seeing the issue covered.

I know it's not fair to compare it to the water truck water - the only reason I did is that people are running behind it getting a bunch of paint and what not washed off themselves so there's a bit of something going onto the ground there that isn't necessarily water.

Just in case, I reviewed the Survival Guide again just this moment and still didn't see anything on this particular issue. So again - Do we have to have a pool under the shower? Would it be ok to just lay down a carpet square and go to town? [/i]

JezebelinHell · Post by **JezebelinHell** » Mon Aug 16, 2004 6:38 am

The rules state that you have to have something (like a pool) to catch the water in, and then evaporate that water over the course of the week. Which is precisely why I just refuse to shower at Burning Man...

Post by **AntiM** » Mon Aug 16, 2004 9:17 am

First: The greywater information is not in the main survival guide, it is in the recommended reading. I've read something more comprehensive somewher but can't find it right now.

http://www.burningman.com/preparation/e ... water.html

Second: We have brought a 55 of water to the playa before, but never used it for drinking, only showers, misting and the like. The trick is to place the clean, empty barrel in your truck or trailer and secure it. Be aware that it will be heavy, so must be loaded correctly. I'm no expert, but there's info on trailer loads somewher in the survival guide. Fill your barrel with potable water. When you get to the playa, LEAVE IT IN PLACE. Sure, it is a pain to pump water climbing in and out of the trailer, but less painful than moving the damn thing. If you have room, bring an empty barrel for greywater. Don't forget a clean pump and smaller containers. We also use a black cement-mixing flat pan for evaporation, works like a charm for small amounts.

A barrel full of water will change the handling and mpg of your vehicle. Slow down and take it very easy on corners and curves.

Fat SAM · Post by **Fat SAM** » Mon Aug 16, 2004 10:44 am

Thank you, M. I often forget about using the search bar on BM.com...I'm sure that would have sent me to that link right away. Thanks agian.

MissNev · Post by **MissNev** » Tue Aug 17, 2004 1:54 pm

We have 2 55 gal. drums for our camp. We use them for showers, cooking, water guns, and even for drinking and mixing with powdered or frozen mixes. Mine was a food grade that smelled very plasticy. The people at Twin City Surplus suggested adding a few drops of peppermint oil to kill the plastic taste (Sam, I would assume that this is why your barrel smells like peppermint). I washed mine thoroughly, let it sit with a small amount of bleach, rinsed thoroughly, and added a few drops of iodine (purchased very inexpensively from Reno Homebrew). The water tastes fine, but it does get rather warm.

Experience With Drinking H2O Barrels?

Experience With Drinking H2O Barrels?

Comparing Buckskin and Oranges