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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 1 Jun 2020 14:02
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I got a chlorine test kit. Same as the household bleach I put in my water tank right? Doesn't even turn as dark as the lightest scale, 10 ppm. How many ppms is good?
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 1 Jun 2020 14:39
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I don't think that is a proper kit to use for drinking water. The water we drink should not contain more than 4 PPM. The CDC has some info online about chlorine and how to use and test.
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 1 Jun 2020 16:09
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OK, maybe it's for pool testing. Good excuse to get one.
Thanks!
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 2 Jun 2020 08:19
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I wouldnt be bleaching your water for your primary drinking needs.
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 2 Jun 2020 09:58
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I still bring in city tap water for drinking but do use boiled well water for coffee. I thought it was normal to put some bleach in water tanks? I have been using about a cup for 500 gallons. That 500 gallons lasts 3-6 months depending on showers.
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 2 Jun 2020 10:23
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If you are hauling in treated municipal water you probably don't even need to add any bleach, especially if you are not drinking it.
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Nobadays
Member
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# Posted: 2 Jun 2020 10:25
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Using bleach in your water is perfectly normal. Municipalities have been chlorinating water for years. You do want to use unscented household bleach, usually a 5% solution. As ICC stated you want no more than 4PPM (though some government agencies use 5% as maximum. )
Our spring water commonly has Total Coliform present (this is considered an indicator bacteria meaning harmful bacteria could be present, Coliform is often present in soil), never has had Fecal Coliform to my knowledge which would be cause for alarm.... meaning surface runoff entering the spring.
We try to hit around 3PPM in our 550 gallon cistern, so we use 1/2 cup of bleach on each fill. You can smell the bleach in the big tank but it is not discernable at the tap. We do use a PUR faucet filter for drinking and coffee/tea water.
Here is a PDF from the CDC with dosage rates/gallon... HERE
Hope this helps!
(Retired Public Works Director)
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 2 Jun 2020 22:00
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Thanks Noby. The CDC info doesn't say anything about how long it lasts. As I said, my tank can last 6 months or more. Is there any need to add bleach after the initial dose?
As I mentioned, we do drink the water in coffee (lots of it) after boiling, also brush our teeth with it since it's convenient.
I had my well water tested 3 year ago. E Coli was negative but 'Total Coliform' was positive
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DaveBell
Moderator
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# Posted: 2 Jun 2020 23:23
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Quoting: Brettny I wouldnt be bleaching your water for your primary drinking needs.
90 rolls of toilet paper doesn't know the water authority puts chlorine in tap water.
Paul, guidelines for using pure bleach in drinking water can be found online. I use it all the time for mountain stream water.
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Nobadays
Member
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# Posted: 3 Jun 2020 08:45
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Paul... unless you add more water or you don't have a tight fitting lid, i.e. contaminants can enter the tank.... you should be ok treating, then storing the water. You are correct in thinking the chlorine will dissipate, it does over time. But the "bugs" won't come back to life. Water doesn't "go bad" if stored in a container made for potable water storage. That said it will go stale, which primarily means the dissolved oxygen will also dissipate leaving the water flat, stale.
You don't want to store water in a clear/semi transparent tank in sunlight, it will warm and very likely begin to grow algae. Chlorine will kill "bugs" but it will not kill or remove nutrients that will allow algae to grow. I cringe when I see neighbors up here with white tanks full of water beside their cabins! Some algae can be quite harmful.
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 3 Jun 2020 11:07
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Thanks again guys. My tank is green, it's closed off except for a 2" vent pipe with a screen over it.
I would surely like to stop hauling in a gallon of tap water every trip. I take it the bleach kills the coliform. Maybe I'll drink a quart of it today, supposed to be in the 90s. If I don't post tomorrow I'm on the toilet..
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 3 Jun 2020 15:30
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Quoting: DaveBell 90 rolls of toilet paper doesn't know the water authority puts chlorine in tap water.
My butt is clean..sounds like yours isnt. 
I do know the CDC has guide lines for this.. I do know there are better ways to get potable water.
If your tanks dont have light in them you really dont need to bleach. Also you really dont need potable water for showers.
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mj1angier
Member
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# Posted: 8 Jun 2020 22:39
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I store 55 gal barrels of water as a back up to county water going down. I use the recommend amount of bleach per the CDC site. I empty it one a year into our pool and put fresh in. It will go flat but never had any growth in it (blue barrels). Smallest amount of bleach smell when opened but not when pored into glass and no taste.
I might would find a good filter for the vent, not just a screen
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