WaterBrick or similar?

[Amy98]

Hi there!

So I've been looking around for something a bit more durable to store water in and I found this great item called a 'WaterBrick' (http://www.waterbrick.org/products.php) It seems really good and you can store foods such as rice in there and they are stack-able. However, as prepping is a relatively new thing here in the UK, they aren't for sale so I'd have to ship them over at ridiculous costs.

Has anyone got/used these and have an amazing review, that much to make me buy one?

or...

Are there any cheaper alternatives out there that I could get/import at a cheaper cost?

Thank you!

 

[Colt 1911]

We store the 2.5 gallon container from the store. If i have to give one out i am not out 18.00 for a container.

 

[DrHenley]

A 3.5 gallon container for $20? Maybe if I am using and reusing it, but for long term storage it doesn't make much economic sense when I can buy gallon jugs of water at the supermarket for 87 cents a gallon.

Another idea that might be available on your side of the pond is water dispenser bottles. And a water dispenser to go along with them

That would make dispensing the water a lot easier, and some water dispensers have a hot water side as well as a cold water side. You could leave it unplugged if you didn't want it using electricity.

Here is one on Amazon that has hot and cold and only runs $63.95:
http://www.amazon.com/Ragalta-RWC-1...r_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1383161746&sr=1-2

Sealed 5 gallon dispenser bottles (with water) are available here in most supermarkets for around $14. Even though they don't stack as well, the cost savings over using the water brick is considerable. Plus you get certified water in a sealed container.

 

[Amy98]

A 3.5 gallon container for $20? Maybe if I am using and reusing it, but for long term storage it doesn't make much economic sense when I can buy gallon jugs of water at the supermarket for 87 cents a gallon.

Another idea that might be available on your side of the pond is water dispenser bottles. And a water dispenser to go along with them

That would make dispensing the water a lot easier, and some water dispensers have a hot water side as well as a cold water side. You could leave it unplugged if you didn't want it using electricity.

Here is one on Amazon that has hot and cold and only runs $63.95:
http://www.amazon.com/Ragalta-RWC-1...r_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1383161746&sr=1-2

Sealed 5 gallon dispenser bottles (with water) are available here in most supermarkets for around $14. Even though they don't stack as well, the cost savings over using the water brick is considerable. Plus you get certified water in a sealed container.

I didn't even think of those! Thank you very much, a great, cheaper alternative. Thanks!

 

[Maverick]

I Like the waterbrick, the current crop is manufactured in the US but according to it's web site it states this:

"Also in the works are discussions about licensing agreements with companies in various locations outside the U.S. to capitalize on potential savings in manufacturing and transportation costs"

Does this mean future products will be manufactured outside the US and sold back here under the same name WaterBrick? The statement above is bothersome IMHO, I want to know if two years from now I'll being getting the same product and not something manufactured in china's chemical factory!

 

[jimLE]

A 3.5 gallon container for $20? Maybe if I am using and reusing it, but for long term storage it doesn't make much economic sense when I can buy gallon jugs of water at the supermarket for 87 cents a gallon.

Another idea that might be available on your side of the pond is water dispenser bottles. And a water dispenser to go along with them

That would make dispensing the water a lot easier, and some water dispensers have a hot water side as well as a cold water side. You could leave it unplugged if you didn't want it using electricity.

Here is one on Amazon that has hot and cold and only runs $63.95:
http://www.amazon.com/Ragalta-RWC-1...r_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1383161746&sr=1-2

Sealed 5 gallon dispenser bottles (with water) are available here in most supermarkets for around $14. Even though they don't stack as well, the cost savings over using the water brick is considerable. Plus you get certified water in a sealed container.

there is one way of stacking that comes to mind..put down the first water bottles down.then 1/4 inch plywood on top of them.then more bottles of water and continue from there with plywood as you stock up on the water..i hadnt thought of them as well..but then again.i rarely see them in use any where..

 

[DrHenley]

You can stagger them, kind of like stacking cannonballs.

 

[jimLE]

ahh yes thatd work to..

 

[sharkbait]

Milk crates also work great for stacking 1g jugs.Bought a dozen this summer at a yard sale for $10,them came in very handy.I also see milk crates on craigslist from time to time cheap.

 

[Lindy]

Hi Ms. Amy98,
We got 10 Waterbricks in January of this year. I was looking for a better way for us to store water. When we bought jugs of water at the market they always seems to burst. I didn't want a 50 gallon drum of water because you can't exactly throw that in the car if you have to leave. I read about the Waterbricks and liked the fact that it is an organization that helps in times of crisis. Here in the US they helped in major storms. Abroad they helps Villages with plans for clean water etc. They stack like Legos and like you said can also hold dry goods like rice etc. They are great to use in small places like storing them under a bed etc. their website gives many creative ideas on how to store them!

I can tell you from first hand experience they can take a beating. This past April we had a major rainstorm. Water rose through the storms sewer in our backyard, across the lawn and collected in the window well of our basement. When the pressure got to great it burst through the window and a flash flood of just under 6 feet of water flooded our finished basement. All this happened within a 15 minute time frame. The filled Waterbricks were at one end of the basement behind closed doors on the utility side of the basement, after the Firefighters pumped out the water the Waterbricks were at the other end of the basement on the finished side, so they traveled. We lost 90% of our belongings, the furnace, water heater, a fully stocked freezer, the list goes on. We are still trying to recover, it has been a long road but we are thankful no one got hurt or worse. The Firefighter Chef said the water was "live" so had anyone been downstairs they would have been electrocuted because the water rose so fast and got into our electrical box it is unlikely that anyone would have been able to get out in time.

All that is to say that this was a good test for the Waterbricks and one I hope never to experience again! Not one of the bricks lost their seal, we had 2 of the 10 bricks filled with food. One brick had a superficial scrap the only reason I saw that was because I looked very hard.

We could not live in our home until it had passed 3 inspections. The. Red Cross helped us with a hotel so we didn't need to fend for ourselves, but it was good to know we had made a purchaser that did weather a huge storm.

They are pricey but we liked that they helped people, so for us it was worth it at the time. We will not be able to buy any more while we try to get back on our feet, if we could we would. I hope this helps.
Lindy

 

[Dani]

Honestly, I would use buckets with food grade lids. You can usually get these from grocery stores or restaurants for free and you can clean them out pretty easily depending on what was stored in them. You can also recycle pop/Coke bottles for both water and dry goods and they are easy to stack upon when laid down on their side. I just wash with a bleach/water mixture and let air dry. Good to go!

 

[Brent S]

Honestly, I would use buckets with food grade lids. You can usually get these from grocery stores or restaurants for free and you can clean them out pretty easily depending on what was stored in them. You can also recycle pop/Coke bottles for both water and dry goods and they are easy to stack upon when laid down on their side. I just wash with a bleach/water mixture and let air dry. Good to go!

i use 2 liter soda bottles, after rinsing i drop 4 drops of bleach in and fill with clorinated tap water. My wife thinks im crazy as they are in the backs of all the cabinets thoroughout the house. I have two creeks and a rainwater collection system of 1050 gallons, but all that has to be filtered. The soda bottles are cheap, quick,clean and portable, althought not real durable. I havent had one burst yet, but if stored in a dark area you can get a few years out of them. I grew up in a hurricane prone state and know how important it is to have a backup when the tap dosen't work.

 

[Amy98]

I Like the waterbrick, the current crop is manufactured in the US but according to it's web site it states this:

"Also in the works are discussions about licensing agreements with companies in various locations outside the U.S. to capitalize on potential savings in manufacturing and transportation costs"

Does this mean future products will be manufactured outside the US and sold back here under the same name WaterBrick? The statement above is bothersome IMHO, I want to know if two years from now I'll being getting the same product and not something manufactured in china's chemical factory!

I didn't even see that, thanks! Hmmm, yes. If they do start being made in chemical factories are never good for storing water, unless you also purchased something like the lifestraw to purify it after being stored!

 

[Amy98]

Hi Ms. Amy98,
We got 10 Waterbricks in January of this year. I was looking for a better way for us to store water. When we bought jugs of water at the market they always seems to burst. I didn't want a 50 gallon drum of water because you can't exactly throw that in the car if you have to leave. I read about the Waterbricks and liked the fact that it is an organization that helps in times of crisis. Here in the US they helped in major storms. Abroad they helps Villages with plans for clean water etc. They stack like Legos and like you said can also hold dry goods like rice etc. They are great to use in small places like storing them under a bed etc. their website gives many creative ideas on how to store them!

I can tell you from first hand experience they can take a beating. This past April we had a major rainstorm. Water rose through the storms sewer in our backyard, across the lawn and collected in the window well of our basement. When the pressure got to great it burst through the window and a flash flood of just under 6 feet of water flooded our finished basement. All this happened within a 15 minute time frame. The filled Waterbricks were at one end of the basement behind closed doors on the utility side of the basement, after the Firefighters pumped out the water the Waterbricks were at the other end of the basement on the finished side, so they traveled. We lost 90% of our belongings, the furnace, water heater, a fully stocked freezer, the list goes on. We are still trying to recover, it has been a long road but we are thankful no one got hurt or worse. The Firefighter Chef said the water was "live" so had anyone been downstairs they would have been electrocuted because the water rose so fast and got into our electrical box it is unlikely that anyone would have been able to get out in time.

All that is to say that this was a good test for the Waterbricks and one I hope never to experience again! Not one of the bricks lost their seal, we had 2 of the 10 bricks filled with food. One brick had a superficial scrap the only reason I saw that was because I looked very hard.

We could not live in our home until it had passed 3 inspections. The. Red Cross helped us with a hotel so we didn't need to fend for ourselves, but it was good to know we had made a purchaser that did weather a huge storm.

They are pricey but we liked that they helped people, so for us it was worth it at the time. We will not be able to buy any more while we try to get back on our feet, if we could we would. I hope this helps.
Lindy

Wow that's awful, hope you're okay! Thanks for the review, I've just watched a video that showed a bear trying to get food out of one and it took the bear 45 minutes so I think they might just be durable enough. All the best.

 

[Lindy]

Thanks, it very overwhelming. The city is saying it is the builders fault the builders are saying it is the responsibility of the city to maintain the storm sewers, blah, blah, blah. All we know is we built this house to fit our needs and everything that we could check out, we did. They are still fighting over six and a half months after the event, so who knows IF we will ever get a settlement. Our estimated losses are between $70,000-$80,000 between the damage to the house, the special environmental clean up we had to get before we could move back In, along with the replacement of electrical, furnace etc. and our furniture etc. We just moved here 3. 1/2 yrs ago and we only moved what was special to us so I know exactly what was down their. It wasn't like a 31 year storage room we just throw things into. (I thought at some point it would get like that again, but it wasn't yet) When we finished the basement it turned into our family room, a play room for our grandchildren, family albums pictures, mementoes all that was done there, it was such an inviting place to be and watch the grandbabies explore and play. I know it is all things, no life was lost and we are thankful, but it is still a huge loss for us. Literally only God knows how all of this is going to turn out, but we will make it!

 

[Lindy]

Ms. Amy,
When I first got our Waterbricks I posted something under Lady Preppers Forum. It is called "Water for bugging in or out. I just checked it is on the 2nd page. The event didn't happen yet so I was in a more cheerful mood when I spoke about them

 

[Amy98]

Ms. Amy,
When I first got our Waterbricks I posted something under Lady Preppers Forum. It is called "Water for bugging in or out. I just checked it is on the 2nd page. The event didn't happen yet so I was in a more cheerful mood when I spoke about them

I'll go and have a look now, thanks!

 

[neohiobiker]

Hi there!

So I've been looking around for something a bit more durable to store water in and I found this great item called a 'WaterBrick' (http://www.waterbrick.org/products.php) It seems really good and you can store foods such as rice in there and they are stack-able. However, as prepping is a relatively new thing here in the UK, they aren't for sale so I'd have to ship them over at ridiculous costs.

Has anyone got/used these and have an amazing review, that much to make me buy one?

or...

Are there any cheaper alternatives out there that I could get/import at a cheaper cost?

Thank you!

go to a factory that makes food/bread they have 30-50 us gal. (blue) containers you can get cheap from them

 

[alabaster]

Me take on water storage is pretty simple. It is one of, if not the single most important resource you'll need. Not only is it SUPER important for human survival, it's also a potential problem in almost ANY survival situation you can be in.

I hate when people say "You get what you pay for", but..... You get what you pay for. There are very few water storage containers that actually hold up to minimal abuse. The advantage of these is not only that they do take abuse(As you can see from Lindy's VERY REAL testimony), but they can be used for food, structural "support" and myriad other uses.

I'm not trying to make this a commercial for water bricks, but there are a lot of things out there that won't measure up. This is one of hte reasons I like lifestraw. Unless there is a draught or other contamination issue(Which I acknowledge is a VERY real possibility) then you have water at home or on the go. I know some people that have stockpiled literally hundreds if not a thousand gallons of water, but when asked how they're going to move them if they can't hunker down at home, they looked at me with a kind of lost look on their face.

Planning to stay or go is going to have a big impact on your water situation. If you plan to do BOTH depending on the situation, then definitely address both. There is little doubt in my mind that lifestraw is a necessity whether you stay or go, but I'm sure there are other options. If you are thinking of bugging in, then a 55 gallon drum could be used. We have had one at camp for decades that have been used to connect to showers and pumped into the sinks, etc. It's not an easy thing to set up, but it will work. They take room, but like water bricks, they can be stacked on and used for security against doors even.

I'm writing a book here, sorry about that. I tend to do that sometimes... This is a never ending discussion with endless possibilities though, and one that should be had as often as it does.

 

[Amy98]

Me take on water storage is pretty simple. It is one of, if not the single most important resource you'll need. Not only is it SUPER important for human survival, it's also a potential problem in almost ANY survival situation you can be in.

I hate when people say "You get what you pay for", but..... You get what you pay for. There are very few water storage containers that actually hold up to minimal abuse. The advantage of these is not only that they do take abuse(As you can see from Lindy's VERY REAL testimony), but they can be used for food, structural "support" and myriad other uses.

I'm not trying to make this a commercial for water bricks, but there are a lot of things out there that won't measure up. This is one of hte reasons I like lifestraw. Unless there is a draught or other contamination issue(Which I acknowledge is a VERY real possibility) then you have water at home or on the go. I know some people that have stockpiled literally hundreds if not a thousand gallons of water, but when asked how they're going to move them if they can't hunker down at home, they looked at me with a kind of lost look on their face.

Planning to stay or go is going to have a big impact on your water situation. If you plan to do BOTH depending on the situation, then definitely address both. There is little doubt in my mind that lifestraw is a necessity whether you stay or go, but I'm sure there are other options. If you are thinking of bugging in, then a 55 gallon drum could be used. We have had one at camp for decades that have been used to connect to showers and pumped into the sinks, etc. It's not an easy thing to set up, but it will work. They take room, but like water bricks, they can be stacked on and used for security against doors even.

I'm writing a book here, sorry about that. I tend to do that sometimes... This is a never ending discussion with endless possibilities though, and one that should be had as often as it does.

I personally found it a very informative, useful book! Thanks very much!

I'm bugging out big time so was just going to get one or two of these to grab and go. A life straw is a good idea!

 

[Brent S]

Me take on water storage is pretty simple. It is one of, if not the single most important resource you'll need. Not only is it SUPER important for human survival, it's also a potential problem in almost ANY survival situation you can be in.

I hate when people say "You get what you pay for", but..... You get what you pay for. There are very few water storage containers that actually hold up to minimal abuse. The advantage of these is not only that they do take abuse(As you can see from Lindy's VERY REAL testimony), but they can be used for food, structural "support" and myriad other uses.

I'm not trying to make this a commercial for water bricks, but there are a lot of things out there that won't measure up. This is one of hte reasons I like lifestraw. Unless there is a draught or other contamination issue(Which I acknowledge is a VERY real possibility) then you have water at home or on the go. I know some people that have stockpiled literally hundreds if not a thousand gallons of water, but when asked how they're going to move them if they can't hunker down at home, they looked at me with a kind of lost look on their face.

Planning to stay or go is going to have a big impact on your water situation. If you plan to do BOTH depending on the situation, then definitely address both. There is little doubt in my mind that lifestraw is a necessity whether you stay or go, but I'm sure there are other options. If you are thinking of bugging in, then a 55 gallon drum could be used. We have had one at camp for decades that have been used to connect to showers and pumped into the sinks, etc. It's not an easy thing to set up, but it will work. They take room, but like water bricks, they can be stacked on and used for security against doors even.

I'm writing a book here, sorry about that. I tend to do that sometimes... This is a never ending discussion with endless possibilities though, and one that should be had as often as it does.

 

[Brent S]

Yeah alabaster, I liked your novel too! I couldn't agree more about water being the most important thing you can prep for, just look at what's happening in the Philippines. I hear lots of people talk about having multiple ways to make fire, but most only have 1 storage system for water. Remember, redundancy is always wise, have a backup plan for both bugging in and out, having a third option is really smart too. I recently saw a show called naked and afraid, they take two people, strip them down and drop them in a remote location and see if they can make it 30 days. (I guess the naked is to see how tough you really are!). Anyways, this episode I think was in a jungle in Borneo, and the guy drank from a stream after about two days of not getting a fire going to boil water. Sure enough, two days later he was sick as a dog, and ended up being hospitalized. This was a reality show, where the crew was able to step in and help, if it was real not only was he going to die, but his partner that was relying on him would too. Don't ever take water for granted!