Does water go off?
Submitted: Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 at 15:09
ThreadID:
49700
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5059
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Mike Harding
I have a few plastic
water containers (15 & 25lt) which I use to take fresh
water with me when I go bush. Every year or so I clean them with
Milton (baby’s bottle steriliser stuff). Sometimes one of the containers comes back from a trip unused and still full – is there likely to be dangerous bacteria growth in that
water over the space of a month or two or can I still use it for
drinking water? The containers are stored out of sunlight in a darkish garage which gets hot in summer.
Mike Harding
mike_harding@fastmail.fm
Reply By: Shaker - Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 at 15:21
Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 at 15:21
Mike, I would say yes, because I have
drinking water in an aluminium
water bottle "go off" in my car. It developed a smell & the inside of the container felt slimy.
AnswerID:
262252
Reply By: handy - Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 at 15:29
Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 at 15:29
have a look on the bottled
water you buy from a
shop,
it has an expiry date. lol
AnswerID:
262254
Follow Up By: BIG_red87 - Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 at 16:03
Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 at 16:03
Apparently the expiry date for bottled
water is for the plastic container, which breaks down over time. Then again it has no preservatives so i suppose bacteria growth is another factor
FollowupID:
523746
Follow Up By: Kev M (QLD Bound) - Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 at 16:15
Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 at 16:15
All packaged food products must by law have an expiry date.
Cheers Kev
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FollowupID:
523748
Follow Up By: Tim (vic) - Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 at 22:08
Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 at 22:08
Expiry or best before
One is edible after the best before date
FollowupID:
523820
Follow Up By: Ozboc - Sunday, Sep 16, 2007 at 12:10
Sunday, Sep 16, 2007 at 12:10
HI there , yes Bottled
water does have a used by date , WHY ? the
water is treated with Ozone which kills any bugs in the
water but in time the bottle does begin to break down as
well as the
water quality does reduce, as for fresh tap
water in containers - yes it does also 'go off" because there are lots of bugs in the
water - and when it sits in warm temperature those bugs are allowed to bloom , thus giving you tho off smell and slimy feeling
i think you can get an additive to put into your jerry cans to extend the life of your
water , but i cant remember the name of them at this moment .....
Boc
FollowupID:
523919
Reply By: Member - Lionel A (WA) - Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 at 15:41
Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 at 15:41
Hi Mike,
Like you I carry
water in plastic jerry cans and since its become fashionable to conserve
water I also store it in the dark corner of the shed.
Just checked
mine this morning ahead of a trip at the end of the month and noticed the full one smelled and tasted ok, the half filled one seemed a little off.
I think the term is "you can live on it but it tastes like shyte".
Both cans have sat together since April this year. May have something to do with air in the used one ???
Cheers mate,
Lionel.
AnswerID:
262255
Follow Up By: Middle Jeff - Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 at 16:30
Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 at 16:30
Hi Lionel
You are right it is the air that helps the
water to grow bad stuff, If you realy want to keep tap
water for a long time boil it first then fill the container as much as possible to remove as much air as possible.
Have fun
Craig
FollowupID:
523752
Follow Up By: Blaze - Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 at 23:22
Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 at 23:22
Sounds like I'm the only one here that changes
water regularly. I know that we have to preserve
water (I live in an area that depends on the stuff to survive), but don't see a problem with doing our weekly watering using the jerry cans instead of the tap and then refilling the tanks. I would rather spend this extra bit of time than get a crook gut whilst out bush...
FollowupID:
523827
Reply By: disco driver - Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 at 16:06
Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 at 16:06
Why bother keeping them full?
Water is not that dear or hard to get.
Use the
water for gardens, washing vehicle etc.
Store your empty containers in a dark place to protect the plastics from uv damage, caps on but not tightly done up to allow the containers to breathe a bit
Before refilling, wash out your plastic containers using a "Milton" type cleaner.
Then refill with fresh
water before you go on your next trip.
This way minimises the risk of getting "upset tummy" or a dose of the dreaded "trots"
AnswerID:
262263
Reply By: Axel [ the real one ] - Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 at 17:02
Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 at 17:02
Yeah ,Mike ,
water does go "off" , but in yours and lots of others its more a matter of the
water going "stale " , its caused by lack of movement to keep the
water oxygenated , over time
water wants to release excess oxygen so it seems to go off , , inbetween
camping trips we keep our c/t
water tank filled to the brim /same for our
water jerries [ex army green plastic] and then just prior to a trip we simply empty onto the garden and refill with fresh ,
AnswerID:
262281
Reply By: Motherhen - Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 at 23:46
Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 at 23:46
Water itself does NOT go off. It can get contaminated from an outside source, depending on storage situation. If in a light coloured container, sunlight may cause a growth of algae. Kept in the dark it keeps for ever. Underground
water being drawn from aquifers for use in our cities may be 30,000 year old. Our
water is from rainwater tanks, and it can sit there for years if we are lucky. If it runs out, we use ground
water which has probably been sitting under us for thousands of years.
AnswerID:
262359
Follow Up By: Member - JohnR (Vic)&Moses - Monday, Sep 17, 2007 at 17:39
Monday, Sep 17, 2007 at 17:39
Spot on Mutha, you and I have had rain
water out of a
tank that may be years old. Just keep it in the dark. Hopefully we don't use the
water from the aquifer that is too old as it will have a finite life with us drawing it down. Lots of local
water here that is recharged annually.
Seldom had
water that can't be improved with the addition of a bit of whiskey ;-))) Chin, chin to Jim too...
FollowupID:
524200
Reply By: Members - Chris/Lindsay (VIC) - Sunday, Sep 16, 2007 at 20:52
Sunday, Sep 16, 2007 at 20:52
Apparently green containers prevent the growth of some algae. Temperature would definately effect
water quality. Tip it on the garden. Chris.
AnswerID:
262559
Reply By: Member - Dalb (SA) - Monday, Sep 17, 2007 at 15:46
Monday, Sep 17, 2007 at 15:46
Mike
I know very little about this subject, but my experience has been that water will eventually taste if a plastic container is exposed to sunlight for day after day.
I recently purchased a good water filter for filling my van and also plastic jerries for camping. The person who sold it to me was experienced with filtration systems and he said that filtered water tends to go 'off' quicker than unfiltered water, even in an undervan tank - although he was unable to explain the logic of this.
Just thought I would pass this on......
cheers, Dalb
AnswerID:
262681