Is 1200 gallons of water with two gallons of bleach safe to drink?!
Answers:
Best Answer - Chosen by Voters
how about you try it???
The man may not be wrong ( he may be old-school and know something we don't) but I would not trust it.
Check out this emergency water site: http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/programs/extensi…
How should I treat the water for storage?
Be sure that the water you are treating is drinking-quality water to begin with. To treat water for storage, use liquid household chlorine bleach that contains 5.25 percent sodium hypochlorite. Do not use bleach with soaps or scents added. Add the bleach according to the table below, using a clean, uncontaminated medicine dropper.
4 drops bleach per quart or liter container of water
8 drops bleach per 2-quart, 2-liter, or ? gallon container of water
16 drops bleach, or 1/4 teaspoon, per gallon or 4-liter container of water
When treating larger quantities of water, use the following table to convert drops to standard measuring units.
8 drops = 1/8 teaspoon
16 drops = 1/4 teaspoon
32 drops = ? teaspoon
64 drops = 1 teaspoon
192 drops = 1 Tablespoon
384 drops = 1/8 cup which is equal to 2 Tablespoons
Stir the water and allow it to stand for 30 minutes. Chlorine should be detectable by odor after the 30 minute waiting period. If the water does not smell like chlorine at that point, repeat the dose and let it stand another 15 minutes. Place caps on containers and attach labels describing the contents and when each was prepared.
Water stored in metal containers should not be treated, prior to storage, with chlorine since the chlorine compound is corrosive to most metals. Therefore, only very pure water should be stored in metal containers.
You've got to remember that in every pint of water, there will be one milliliter of bleach - which is absolutely next to nothing. You've probably drunk far worse in bars and pubs before, I really wouldn't worry.
1200 gallons of water and 2 gallons of bleach. That's not a lot. However bleach is bleach so consult your local poison center or someone else about that.
Thats a 1:600 ratio. I would contact the poison control center. I think theres a non emergency line.
