I never saw a yellow kerosene container. Out of curiosity blitz shows a yellow container but they note that it is a diesel fuel container. I have never seen the yellow one stocked anywhere or in use. They make a blue can which is noted as a kerosene container. Blue is the only color I have seen used for that purpose.
Kero can be legally carried in a yellow (diesel) container. This is because the two are so similar as to be safely interchanged. (in most cases) In North America, BLUE is also water - which makes using blue for Kerosene a problem.
After the last 4-day power outage, I've been looking off and on for some semi-potable water rated jerry cans, to store 20 or 30 gallons in basement to bathe and flush toilets with. (I'm on a well, so no power, no water, once the itty-bitty tank goes flat, which doesn't take long.) I probably wouldn't drink stored water, but wanted something cleaner than the water I harvested from the plugged-up gutters last time.
Anyway, nobody has cans around here that don't have Kerosene or Gasoline or whatever, molded right into the side. Plus, they want an insane price for them, since they all have to be certified as self-venting, yada yada yada. Getting tempted to steal some 5-gallon jugs from the water-cooler guy's cart at work, but finding or making tight lids for those is problematical.
(Yes, I know I need a generator, but to do even a minimalist setup for this house would cost close to a grand, and there is a lot of stuff higher on the list.)
We keep a 50 gallon tank in the garage. Screwed a valve in the bottom for filling smaller containers.
That is a possibility, I guess, but I would have to rig a stand in the basement, and a way to fill it. (Maybe a tee on cold side of washer fill hose?) No room in my garage, and while my garage seldom freezes hard (since so much heat leaks from house and hot engine blocks), it does sometimes freeze hard enough that the water bottles in the cars get frozen. No way could I get that down my basement stairs if it was full. I was looking for portable cans, since I know I can carry five gallons at a time, and could use one container at a time carried upstairs to bathroom, and pour directly into toilet or stoppered sink as needed. But I may have to be more flexible in my plans.
Alternate idea - at my last house the PO's had above ground cisterns on each of the two downspouts. could you divert rain water into something? NB: you need good, sealed screens on them or they will turn into a breeding ground for mosquitoes, and also tree leaves etc. will get in and steep and turn the water nasty. I don't know that I would drink rainwater either, although obviously if it is the only thing available...
The primary purpose of those cisterns was to provide water for gardens in dry periods and also provide water for washing cars etc. but I don't see why you couldn't use them to fill a bucket to flush a toilet...
nate
If you are worried about having enough water in an emergency, install a couple of old electric hot water heaters in the basement - hung from the ceiling or on a strong rack would be best - and have all your water go through them so the water is always "fresh". In case of a power failure you could drain water from them. No vent required if you just crack a tap open above it to let air in.
On 9/11/2011 5:18 PM, snipped-for-privacy@snyder.on.ca wrote: (snip)
Okay, McGyver. Somehow that doesn't sound real practical, or cheap. It gets TOO nasty, I can just go to a hotel. Only problem with the Memorial day storm was, the damage and outage was so widespread, there wasn't a hotel room within 50 miles. I managed, but it wasn't pleasant. 20 or 30 gallons of stored water would have made it a lot easier. I was looking for a cheap and painless way to do that. Like 4 or 5 5gallon plastic jerry cans for less than 20 bucks each.
Like I said before, proper cure is to get somebody who knows local code to come in and put half-a-dozen critical circuits on a transfer switch for me, and buy a generator. If I can have furnace (and maybe AC), water, and 2 or 3 outlets for fridge, computer, tv, reading lamp, etc, I would be fine. But given how seldom I have extended outages (every couple of years), the other stuff the place needs (like new siding) has to be higher on the list.
Go to the camping supply department at Walmart or whatever your favourite local reseller is, and buy a couple of camping water totes. Ours was blue - 5 US gallons, and had a tap on it and a little vent plug that you needed to pull. Only problem is keeping the water FRESH.
You want simple, effective,AND cheap??? Pick 2 - you can't have all 3.
If I lived where power outages were anything close to common AND depended on a well for water I WOULD have a buffer tank installed in-line that would hold a goodly supply of "always fresh" water. A "gravity tank" in the attic would make the some sense, as it would allow water usage in a normal manner, through the regular taps.
When I was in Zambis ALL houses were fed from a "gravity tank" in the attic - and the "geyser" didn't have (or need) a pressure relief safety valve because the "gravity tank" was not under pressure. Picture a big livestock watering trough with a float valve and a snug-fitting but not air-tight lid. If (actually when) water service was disrubted because the pump broke down at the main water works, you didn't even know about it unless it was off for quite some time - and they did not have a "water tower" to provide system pressure like most cities here do.
Not advocating doing that here.
they also have square 7 gallon blue water jugs there.
you can get 5 gallon water jugs like the water delivery trucks at walmart or the stores that sell water for .25/gallon if they have them in your area.
replying to James, Chris wrote: I have plenty of empty plastic 55 gallon drums for sale and I can deliver 1 at a time for 25 bucks. Call me or text 702-409-3193
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.