Containers 101

John RameyStaff - December 21, 2020

Common mistakes Being frugal and recycling is great, but your first-line-of-defense water (the first few week’s worth you have stored) is the last pla
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If store bought water is properly stored, is it safe to consume after the manufacturer’s expiration date? I am steadily buying waterbricks for water storage, but also have gallon bottles from the grocery store and have always wondered how long these will remain potable. Thanks!

 

Bottled water from the store will have an expiration date two years from bottling. The water isn’t going to go bad after that expiration date, but the bottle that it is contained in may possibly start breaking down after that point and slowly release plastic chemicals into your water. Heat and sunlight are big factors that will speed up this process of the plastic bottles breaking down, so if stored in a cool dark environment you should be able to drink bottled water past it’s expiration date. If you see, taste, or smell anything funky when you do open your water, play it safe and dump it. 

 

I saw a previous video (not from your site) that talked about NOT storing the large food safe plastic containers directly on cement. Fact or fiction? They had put the container on a pallet (for whatever reason I can’t remember)???

 

When the plastic water tank heats up, like from sitting on hot concrete, the plastic can leach nearby chemicals and contaminate the water inside. A common example is a concrete floor with a nearby generator. The oil/gas from the generator could leak over to the tank, then be absorbed up and into the plastic. A wood pallet or metal base in-between will solve the problem.