Water storage issues

[Glass]

I have a an SS Berkey with 2 x Royal Doulton silver filters.

I have been using a 25 litre water container to store the filtered water. Ignoring it being plastic. I filter the water then pour it into the 25 litre container. so I know I have about 30 litres of clean water at anyone time. Not a lot of water but I like to have a bit there for all my cooking and drinking.

I've been doing this for about 18 months. Today I noticed the 25 litre container has some spots of green on the bottom and a bit up the side.

The 25lt container is transclucent which did bother me a bit.

So anyway something is a miss and it could be the light or it could be the filters are not working properly. I've been using them for a bit longer than the 18 months of the container but seeing as there is only me and I'm only putting about 2 Berkeys full through the filters per week I figured that I might get a bit more out of them than the instructions suggest. I also pull them out and scrub them down when they are showing signs of surface discolouration.

I'll swap out the filters for some new ones tonight but I'm not sure how to clean out the container. It is basically a bottle with a 60mm hole on the top with a o-ring sealed lid plus a bung with a tap at the bottom for pouring.

I'm not real keen on chemicals but I guess if a bleach or chlorine rinse might clear it out I can live with that. Anyone got any better thoughts on how I can deal with the growth inside?

I remember someone talking about something you could add which was sometimes used in swimming pools? Thx

[Joe King]

Keep it away from the light. As long as it's a container that lets light in and there's water, something will tend to grow.
Why not just get something that doesn't let light through?
Or get a small "blue barrel" and add a tap to it.

As for cleaning it, maybe try food grade H2O2?

[Glass]

Thanks Joe. I think you are right. They are a common camping thing around here. Some times they are jerrycan shaped or square like this one. I did look around for something that would block sunlight but there are not many options here. It is not in direct sunlight but still it is not in the dark.

the h202 option is also good. Will pick some up and add it. It seems pretty sudden onset to me but perhaps it's been a problem in the making and it just hit critical mass so I can actually see it.

[Shami-Amourae]

What % H202? I do 3% for my mouth wash.

[Glass]

What % H202? I do 3% for my mouth wash.

Another reason to get some. Shami-Amourae, do you have a recipe you could share? Perhaps you have shared it here already? Thx

[ArgenteumTelum]

I think the H2O2 approach is a god one. Also, is the unit sitting where it can be exposed to direct sunlight? If so, move it to a shaded location.

[croc]

have you tried dropping some silver in it......... works with milk

[palani]

Everclear?

Would also lower the freezing point.

Got to be better than bleach.

[Mouse]

We keep 15 gallon clear plastic totes of water in the basement, the water source is our well so it is clean but not treated. There is some light in the basement, but you could say it's in the shade or dark. We change out the water yearly. This summer was our second change out. The water was a bit flat tasting, but I drank some and it was fine. We rinsed out the containers and refilled them. We add 2 teaspoons of household (plain 6%) bleach per 15 gallon container. We get no greenies or problems and the water is fine as we tested it for at least a year.

For water outsourced (our rain tanks) we do not bother to treat it as it is garden use or emergency use. We keep filters and would filter, then probably add some bleach and let it sit for a few days (if practicable) before drinking it. From swimming pool education, bleach basically kills the organisms and in so doing is converted to chloramines gases(the "chlorine" smell that you get from a public pool, for instance). Bleach is pretty safe stuff, it's just an alkaline salt that happens to be awesome at killing critters. I would stress out more about drinking unknown water that I had NOT put bleach in than if I had. If you treat it and let it stand for a few days, all the chlorine is pretty much burnt up, especially if it gets out in the sun.

Bleach is a no brainer prep item. Have many gallons on hand.

[Glass]

I've been to the market a couple time since posting this and have forgotten each time. I haven't been confident about bleach because they all look like there is other stuff in the mix.

[MNeagle]

I've been to the market a couple time since posting this and have forgotten each time. I haven't been confident about bleach because they all look like there is other stuff in the mix.

Just be sure it's plain bleach & you'll be fine. No scents, etc.

[Shami-Amourae]

Another reason to get some. Shami-Amourae, do you have a recipe you could share? Perhaps you have shared it here already? Thx

Just go on E-bay and search for Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide (http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=food+grade+hydrogen+peroxide&_sacat=0&_odkw=food+grade+h202). They usually tell you in the instructions how to make it into mouthwash.

[Joe King]

Just go on E-bay and search for Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide (http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=food+grade+hydrogen+peroxide&_sacat=0&_odkw=food+grade+h202). They usually tell you in the instructions how to make it into mouthwash.
If anyone buys food grade at high percentages, just be very careful with it and always dilute it before use.
Take care not to spill it, and don't get it on you. Carefully pour it into a container for mixing as opposed to drawing it out with a syringe or something.
Eye protection wouldn't be a bad idea either. It only takes one unexpected incident to make you wish you'd worn some.

Be safe.

[big country]

instead of getting a new container why not just paint it so no light can get in? Its on the outside so no need to worry about foodsafe paint...get some krylon fusion for plastics (so it bonds...great stuff for plastic) and tape off a small (narrow!) strip down one side. Paint over the whole outside and then peel the tape so you can see your water level in the container. Lots less light into the container that way, should help prohibit any algae growth.

[Glass]

BC, good idea. I think I am going to drop a light proof bag over the top. Perhaps a large garbage bag for starters. I'll also move it to a darker corner of the kitchen.

The key is whether I can clear this green stuff out of this container. Going down the road shortly to see what I can get my hands on to purify the container. The container cost $25 so it will be a toss up on price. Here, natural products are 2x - 4x the price you guys pay in the States.

[big country]

if you can go a week or two without water in the container just drain it, and dry out the inside with a hair dryer or whatever if the only access to the top is small it will inhibit evaporation naturally so you will need to use some sort of forced air to dry it. Let it sit for 2 weeks or so in a bone dry place and that algae will die and usually will peel off pretty easily especially on plastic (just try to rinse it out). If it won't debond from the container I would just throw some bleach in there (diluted!!!) and swish it around a few times to make sure it is good and dead and not worry about it. make sure to rinse out the container after bleaching. I would also let any water you use from the container sit for an hour or two before using it so that any residual bleach can outgas from the water.

Most algae isn't a contamination issue anyways so I wouldn't get too worked up about it.

[Dogman]

BC, good idea. I think I am going to drop a light proof bag over the top. Perhaps a large garbage bag for starters. I'll also move it to a darker corner of the kitchen.

The key is whether I can clear this green stuff out of this container. Going down the road shortly to see what I can get my hands on to purify the container. The container cost $25 so it will be a toss up on price. Here, natural products are 2x - 4x the price you guys pay in the States. Just a thought, know anyone that has a power washer or is there a self operated car wash? High pressure blast to clean out your containers, and then later use a strong chlorine bleach rinse and then let dry. Have used both to get gunk out of containers so they can be used for potable water storage/hauling.

[Glass]

Thanks Dogman, BC. Seems kinda obvious now you mention it. I'm not using the container since I seen the green so I'll do that.