55 gallon water barrel question

[AnnaRaven]

Okay, so I bought a water barrel. A nice big food-safe water-storage barrel. Came with a pump to get water out and water treatment stuff and everything. I plan to store it in my garage in a corner where we can get to it but it's not in the way of everything. My only problem is:

How do I get the potable water *into* it? I mean, I'm told you're not supposed to use a garden hose cuz they're not foodsafe. So, um, how do I get the water into the barrels? Carry it over a few gallons at a time from the sink? Just curious how others have done it.

 

[Boogity]

Anna go to any camper store and purchase a food grade water hose. Campers and RVers use them all the time. They are just a little more (cost) than the typical garden hose. You can usually tell the food grade by the white color. Also check the RV section at wallyworld as they usually have them too. It's in the automotive area.

A food grade hose can be used in the garden or yard too so it's not just a one-use purchase.

 

[SKR8PN]

Do you have any idea how many people have drank water out of a regular old garden hose and lived to tell about it? Use the hose you got, your going to add a tablespoon or two of bleach to the water in the barrel anyway, right?

 

[morgj]

Do you have any idea how many people have drank water out of a regular old garden hose and lived to tell about it? Use the hose you got, your going to add a tablespoon or two of bleach to the water in the barrel anyway, right?

True, as a kid, I always had to drink out of the hose so I wouldn't keep running in and out. For us old folks, the things we did and still live to tell the tale. Don't get me started on monkey bars and steel slides with wax paper to go faster...

 

[hoosier]

Do you have any idea how many people have drank water out of a regular old garden hose and lived to tell about it? Use the hose you got, your going to add a tablespoon or two of bleach to the water in the barrel anyway, right?

True, as a kid, I always had to drink out of the hose so I wouldn't keep running in and out. For us old folks, the things we did and still live to tell the tale. Don't get me started on monkey bars and steel slides with wax paper to go faster...

That brings back memories . . .

 

[VickiLynn]

Back when we milked cows, the dairy we shipped our milk to would send someone out once a year to get a sample of our water for testing. One day, I had a hose attached to the faucet, and told him to just get the water from the end of the hose. He told me a water sample from a garden hose would never pass because hoses are loaded with bacteria. That, along with all the news about garden hoses leaching lead into the water, would make me think twice about using a regular garden hose for potable water.

 

[Boogity]

Oh yeah! I remember so well that rubber or plastic taste and sometimes hot water from laying in the sun. The warm water in the hose probably accelerated the bacteria growth 10,000 times. Yummmmm. It made us healthy and maybe improved our immune systems.

Those were the days my friends
We thought they'd never end
Oh yes those were the days

Who sang that song?

 

[AnnaRaven]

Anna go to any camper store and purchase a food grade water hose. Campers and RVers use them all the time. They are just a little more (cost) than the typical garden hose. You can usually tell the food grade by the white color. Also check the RV section at wallyworld as they usually have them too. It's in the automotive area.

A food grade hose can be used in the garden or yard too so it's not just a one-use purchase.

Oh. Thanks! I didn't know they existed. Figured there had to be *something* people use though. And figured that people here would know.

Given it's for long-term storage, starting out with clean as possible seems not unreasonable, even if I am adding the stuff to it.

 

[Denim Deb]

Do you have any idea how many people have drank water out of a regular old garden hose and lived to tell about it? Use the hose you got, your going to add a tablespoon or two of bleach to the water in the barrel anyway, right?

True, as a kid, I always had to drink out of the hose so I wouldn't keep running in and out. For us old folks, the things we did and still live to tell the tale. Don't get me started on monkey bars and steel slides with wax paper to go faster...

That brings back memories . . .

Of course, you didn't want to go down them in shorts on a hot, summer day.....

 

[hoosier]

True, as a kid, I always had to drink out of the hose so I wouldn't keep running in and out. For us old folks, the things we did and still live to tell the tale. Don't get me started on monkey bars and steel slides with wax paper to go faster...

That brings back memories . . .

Of course, you didn't want to go down them in shorts on a hot, summer day.....

Oh - I had forgoten about the burnt legs!

Boogity - Mary Hopkins