A prepper looking to store a full year's worth of water for his family was originally considering purchasing more than two dozen 55-gallon barrels but was concerned that the weight would crack the concrete floor in his garage.
Turning to the internet for advice, the prepper found that many commenters recommended taking a different approach.
Here's what to know
In a Reddit thread on r/preppers, the original poster said their goal was to store roughly 1,375 gallons of drinking water in their garage, dividing the water into 25 different 55-gallon barrels. However, they feared the weight would be too much for the garage's concrete slab floor.
Looking for another option, they wrote: "I was thinking of partially burying my barrels in the backyard instead."
In the comments, the responses to both of the OP's plans were largely negative, with Redditors raising a number of problems with the prepper's approach.
Many of the criticisms focused on the OP's choice to use barrels.
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"Burying 55 gallon barrels (that aren't designed to be buried) is asking for problems," said one commenter, who suggested that the OP look into a cistern instead.
Several other commenters agreed that a single dedicated cistern made more sense than dealing with 25 separate barrels.
Other commenters chimed in to note that the OP was underestimating the strength of the garage's concrete slab floor.
"12k lbs is basically two medium to large SUVs or trucks," said one by way of comparison.
"You're underestimating the concrete," added another.
More background
Another branch of the discussion focused on how much emergency water people need in the event of a "dry tap" and how much water it is feasible to store at one time.
"1,375 gallons of water is enough to last 4 adults for over 2 months at 5 gallons a day each," said one commenter.
The OP responded that the 1,375 gallons was based on each member of their family of four having one gallon of water per day for an entire year.
On this point, another commenter chimed in that the one-gallon-per-day figure often cited in emergency preparedness advice is actually a bare minimum.
"They say a gallon a day is minimum but that's really minimum for survival," the Redditor wrote. "It doesn't count for bathing or cleaning."
Where can I learn more?
Water storage can take a lot of different forms depending on the risk and the budget. The stories here look at off-grid rainwater storage, wildfire-focused reclamation systems, water-generating hydropanels, and backup planning with solar power.
• In western Pennsylvania, residents are embracing rainwater tanks and van life to cut utility dependence.
• In California, Descanso Gardens launched a 250-acre rainwater storage project aimed at reducing wildfire risk.
• One homeowner said installing water-generating hydropanels helped produce water at home and cut bills.
• New hydropanels now make potable water from air using only sunlight and humidity.
• Preppers weighing backup systems said solar panels are better than generators for blackouts.
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