Did I poison my storage water by using the new concentrated bleach?

Discussion in 'General Survival and Preparedness' started by Amelia here, Dec 17, 2014.


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  1. Amelia here

    Amelia here Monkey

    Oh, i am having a hard time posting here as it's different or i'm real dumb. Did i poison my storage water by adding the new concentrated bleach to it? I filled up 7 jugs holding 15 gallons each back in the summer. I didn't know about the bleach change then and didn't read the small print. In fact it does not even say not to use it to purify water. They are real heavy to tip over and empty. The floor will be soaked. Can i boil it out? Or use the Big Berky? Or what? Do i have to start all over from scratch? It's well water and i did it a little at a time which took me a month to do . I tried calling company, wanted my name and phone no. and still didn't give me an answer. Forwarded me to the company that distributes it, but they were closed. Wanted to upc code on the bottle. I said what 's the difference since they are all the same! Still have to call back. I do have one package of dry pool bleach, need more in summer, but hate to empty these giant jugs and start all over again. I think they did it so people can't purify their water as most don't know about the dry stuff. Even my cousin said he pours 2 cups of bleach in his well every summer! Now i guess ya can't do that. Or is Clorox still good? Mine came from Dollar General and i never paid attention. I'm new here, but not new to preps. I live in the country in NY state.
     
  2. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    Last edited: Dec 17, 2014
    chelloveck likes this.
  3. Amelia here

    Amelia here Monkey

    I have a jug in each room. I would have to move them - i'm a small female....stick a hose in and put hose down the cellar and it would go in the sump pump hole. So is the water no good to drink? What a chore. I guess i shoulda put em in the cellar, but my cellar is like a dungeon and who wants to go up and down stairs all the time. I was reading on the bleach post. I don't have the perfumed kind. I used the straight kind which said concentrated. What does that mean? More bleach? Or added ingrediants. I didn't see any listed on the plain bleach bottle. I got the 15 gal. heavy jugs from a farmer who used em for purifying the milk hoses. Said they were safe. I washed out in tub anyway.
    Good idea of using the hose tho. Never thought of that. Hopefully it would be my last resort.
     
    Falcon15 likes this.
  4. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    Welcome to the monkey Amelia. I cannot say yes or no to your original question but since you got the cheap stuff it seems that you have a greater chance of not having the new trendy stuff. We also just discussed bleach on this thread this week.
    In Case Of Emergency Radio Show | Page 14 | Survival Monkey Forums pages 13 and 14.

    In you first post it says you don't know what bleach you used. My instinct would be to dump and start over. I know it is extra work and discouraging but do you really want to trust some yahoo on the phone? Most people I speak to on the phone do not care, they just read off a screen or give you non-answers. I am starting to believe that the pool chems are safer then bleach.
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2014
  5. Falcon15

    Falcon15 Falco Peregrinus

    If this is just concentrated bleach, and does not contain "anti-splash agents" or fragrances, then it is nothing more than sodium hypochlorite with less water added (this increases the base strength of the bleach and reduces the packaging needed by manufacturers, saves weight, water costs etc.)and is ABSOLUTELY SAFE.

    If you would rather err on the side of caution (which in the grand scheme of things may not be a huge deal), then dump and start over.

    Again, concentrated chlorine (without "anti-splash" agents or fragrance) is very stringently manufactured. The "cheap" and "no-name" brands are manufactured by the same companies that make food grade chlorine and "name brand" bleach. They are just what the industry calls "co-packed" in different containers with different labels.
     
    Tully Mars and Motomom34 like this.
  6. Falcon15

    Falcon15 Falco Peregrinus

    Oh, and welcome to the tree, keep your hands off my Nanas, and tune in to my show, it may amuse you. ;)
     
    VisuTrac and Motomom34 like this.
  7. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    No. Amelia, you would not need to move anything but the hose from room to room. ( one end of it anyways) a siphon will drain it over or around any obstacle, and over any length, as long as your hose is long enough(1) and there are no air leaks(2) and the exit is lower than the entrance side (3). The weight of the falling water being greater on the lower side will drain each one dry. If you have trouble getting the siphon started, you can "prime the pump" so to speak, by pouring water into the hose, then move that end to the drain (lower than the entrance) and release it. The falling water will start the siphon for you.
    Another option is a drill pump. If you have a drill, either cordless or corded, you can purchase a drill pump for about ten bucks and use the drill to pump the water. There is no need to move the bottles at all.
     
    chelloveck and Tully Mars like this.
  8. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    To be clear, if it is straight bleach (no additives) the sanitizing reactions take place quite quickly. When you take some out of the jugs, aerate it by pouring back and forth from pitcher to pitcher (or whatever, pan to pan) a couple times and take a sniff. No odor, make your coffee in confidence. Uv cuss, after filling, you need to close the tops on the storage jugs to prevent any (re)contamination. It is also a good idea to store the jugs out of sunlight, and cover them if you can't do that.
     
  9. Falcon15

    Falcon15 Falco Peregrinus

    Ghrit is absolutely correct. Bleach is very reactive.
     
  10. Amelia here

    Amelia here Monkey

    Thanks all. I am positive that i used only the plain bleach. I never use the fragrance kind. Maybe i should just drink a cup of my storage water and see if i die? Kidding.
     
  11. Falcon15

    Falcon15 Falco Peregrinus

    Just take a sample out, pour it between a couple of glasses a few times and give it a sniff. If it does not reek of chlorine, you are golden.
     
    Yard Dart likes this.
  12. Amelia here

    Amelia here Monkey

    If any of you are near a dairy farm they have great strong tall buckets that hold 15 gallons of water. They use it to clean the hoses and lady said safe to use for drinking water. I paid $5 each which is cheap. They have a small screw cap on top big enuf to put a funnel in and then pour gallons of water in. I cleaned out in the tub and just rolled it around. Or maybe you can advertize in the the small town paper looking for a dairy farm. They don't use them over she said.

    Or i guess i can let the glass sit in the sun for a few hours or boil it? But in shtf may not be able to boil - well i can if i use the wood stove or grill out in summer. I was more worried about the fragrances ingredients but i doubt very much i used that as i prefer regular without the extra garbage. I mean IF i happened to use the frangrence kind would it disintergrate and evaporate too? I'm almost positive i used regular concentrated.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 17, 2014
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  13. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    Amelia, you are worried about what you put in the jugs. If you don't know, it's time to start over and stop worrying.
     
    Yard Dart likes this.
  14. -06

    -06 Monkey+++

    Amelia, We quit storing large quantities of water(we have two wells, ponds, and two spring fed small ponds) but have bought HCL packets. We can make our own "clorox" that in turn would "purify" many gallons of water. It will last "forever", is small, and easily transported. For your water--taste it and if strong then dilute it or start fresh after draining. Instead of trying to lift those jugs why not lay them over and roll to where you want them. Think on solutions instead of the problem.
     
  15. chelloveck

    chelloveck Diabolus Causidicus

    Even if the treated water were not drinkable, the water could be used for flushing the toilet (using a bucket) or used for washing floors or possibly laundering.
     
  16. natshare

    natshare Monkey+++

    Honestly, hyper-chlorinating your water isn't going to make it "bad", or undrinkable.....it's just going to make it taste nasty!

    When I served on board ship, they would have to hyper-chlorinate the water storage tanks every so often, to keep the drinking water safe. We're talking big tanks, too! Since we made our own water (using steam-powered evaporation to distill it from seawater), do you think they were going to throw out all that water, just because it tasted nasty?? Heck no! And since it had been chlorinated, we couldn't use it for steam plant make-up water, or reactor plant make-up water, so guess what?? Yep, we got to drink a tank full of water that tasted like someone's pool water, after it was hyper chlorinated!

    Hasn't killed me yet. ;)

    As long as you're buying plain bleach, you'll be good to go. If you had used bleach with added scent, or other additives, I'd worry.....but you should be okay.
     
    Airborne Monkey likes this.
  17. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    A standard Activated Charcoal Filter will remove All the Chlorine from your storage Water.... Easy Pezy....
     
  18. Pax Mentis

    Pax Mentis Philosopher King |RIP 11-4-2017

    As frequently happens, I have but one thing of value to say and find BT has beaten me to the draw :D
     
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  19. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Sorry @PaxMentis ... I just try to be helpful...
     
    vonslob and Pax Mentis like this.
  20. Pax Mentis

    Pax Mentis Philosopher King |RIP 11-4-2017

    It was meant as the direct opposite of criticism B...

    Great minds and all that ;)
     
    vonslob and chelloveck like this.
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