Saving rain water

[Higgs Boson]

I have filled 2 trash cans with rain water, and could have filled two more! Also assorted buckets and other receptacles. We have had some great rains here in So. Calif. coastal, after several years of almost no rain. It's only end December, and the rainy season theoretically lasts from Nov. to March, but these days who knows..

Question: To keep the water barrels from getting scummy or worse, I'm thinking of adding bleach -- not enough to render the water dangerous to plants, but enough to keep it safe.

How much per 32 gal. trash can would fill that bill?

TIA

HB

[Higgs Boson]

Please, if anybody has had experience, would you share it? Tx

HB

[David Hare-Scott]

If you cover them properly you will have very little problem. This keeps out mosquitos and other bugs and prevent algae from growing by excluding light. 32gal US is a tiny amount of water which isn't going very far. Unless you plan on keeping this water for months for souvenir purposes no bleach is required. And you will be able to wash your hair in it.

David

[cshenk]

1 ts per 5 gallons.

[FarmI]

I use a garbage can to catch the overrun from a small tank that catches the rain off our side verandah. I use all of the water from the garbage can in one watering session of pot plants with a watering can. I can't see any need to treat it at all given that it's such a tiny amount.

[Brooklyn1]

Chlorine bleach evaporates quickly... "1 ts" won't do a whit and within a couple hours it'll be like it was never there at all.

[cshenk]

1 TS per 5 gallons is the USDA recommended amount to render clear water safe for drinking. With only a 32G container (my fish tank is more than double that) he's not storing it for long. Of course he will have to reapply if he is storing for long, but one assumes he knows that since he specified Bleach.

[Brooklyn1]

Your aquarium water is chlorinated, you're an idiot and a liar.

[FarmI]

According to a couple of sites I looked at, it's a half a teaspoon per 5 gallons. But I doubt whether doubling the dose would be a problem and I wouldn't even bother to add any for such a small amount of water. I'd worry more about mosquitos breeding in it so would use it quick sticks.

[cshenk]

No, you have to declorinate fishtank water or you kill the fish.

You ok? You've been in a bad mood for days now.

[cshenk]

"FarmI" wrote

I got different answers too so picked one that made more sense to a storage tank. It breaks down fairly fast.

Quick Sticks? Not familar with that. Fill me in?

[FarmI]

Ah sorry. I try to post in a universal language North Americans can understand easily without resorting to google but sometimes the local lingo slips out (David H-S would know what I meant). It just means 'quickly'.

[FarmI]

Sheldon goes through his grumpy old man phases now and then as do we all. He'll be OK again in due time.

[cshenk]

"FarmI" wrote

Yeah, but it normally doesnt stretch out into this group. Just a bit worried about him is all.

[Billy]

He never has been.

[cshenk]

"FarmI" wrote

Ah! No problem! Been a traveler most of my life (US Navy, 26 years, now retired and on second career). I can OZ speak cookery pretty well. I also know to not make reference to 'God, the Son, and the Holy Ghost' having sex as an exclaimation there. Tends to bring a bar there to a screetching halt in conversation. An oddly touchy group (grin).

[FarmI]

Well as OK as Sheldon ever is. Having read him for at least 10 years (probably more) I've become used to the way he is.

[FarmI]

It just means

??? That one went right by me and I don't understand it. Being touchy about a religious comment in a bar is not something I'd associate any Ocker group with. You didn't make it around a bunch of drunk Catholics did you?

[Billy]

You must be a saint ;O)

You're in New South Wales, aren't you? Away from the flooding?

[David Hare-Scott]

That is Secret Women's Business.

There are plenty of floods in NSW and there will be more to come until the Little Girl retires for the year.

David