Many people purchase and use bottled water found in any grocery or convenience store. The containers may have a waterfall or some mountains pictured on the label, conjuring up a mental image of pristine mountain streams. It is easy to believe we are doing something beneficial by using this water. After all, bottled water is the best, right? The companies that produce this water want us to believe their water is from bubbling springs and is clean, pure and healthy for us. This is probably one of the most bold and clever sales campaigns ever presented. Many bottled water producers use regular old tap water. They are selling us our own water! It is very interesting that bottled water is regulated by the Food And Drug Administration, while municipal water is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. The rules imposed are very different. Consider for instance that municipal water cannot contain any Coliform contaminates. Yet bottled water has no such requirement. The bottled water industry is one of the most profitable markets ever invented. All of the major soft drink companies are now in the bottled water business because they see the potential. Predictions are that within a very short period of time, income from bottled water is going to surpass the profits from soft drinks.

There is no guarantee that the bottle of water you purchase does not contain harmful contaminants. The website WWW.NRDC.ORG is but one place you may find some very interesting reading on bottled water. There are many other web sites relating to this subject. A web search using “bottled water” will provide a lot of interesting reading.

If you want water that is clean, wholesome and tastes good, try the process we use. We not only use this process while traveling in our motorhome, we are now using it at home. We have safe, excellent water at all times for drinking and cooking. The cost? Almost nothing.

The secret to our process is to start with clean, sterilized storage containers and fill them with water from the RVF-1 filtration system. We use plastic water bottles but glass is better. Glass is not permeable. Plastic is. However, due to the possibility of breaking a glass bottle and making a mess, we stay with plastic. The one proviso is that plastic may allow some contaminants to infiltrate and get in the water. So, we store water for no more than two weeks, and then we dump, clean and refill the bottles. You may have noticed that commercially bottled water now has an expiration date on it (see above). Ever wonder why? Now you know.

Any container or bottle you intend to store potable water in must be made of food grade material. Previously used containers are fine to use, such as 2 liter soda bottles, previously used plastic water jugs or any other food grade container. We use flat, one-gallon water jugs purchased at K-Mart under the Martha Stewart brand. Do not use milk jugs or cartons. They are much more difficult to clean.

To clean the container, first wash with soap and water. Then rinse well with filtered water. Fill the container with filtered water almost to the top. Add 2 or 3 teaspoons of regular Clorox bleach of at least 5.25% concentration.

Do not use bleach with detergent added or with fragrance. Use straight, basic bleach not more than 3 months old, if possible.

Tightly cap the bottle and shake to mix the bleach. Allow the mixture to rest for several hours or overnight. When ready, dump the bleach mixture and rinse the bottle with water processed through the RVF-1 filter system. Fill the bottle, cap and place in a safe storage area, away from chemicals, cleaning supplies and direct sunlight.

Remember that plastic is permeable. There is always the chance that some sort of contaminant will find its way into the stored water. Knowledgeable people have told us that it may take months, perhaps years for contaminants to show up in water stored in plastic.  Being very conservative, we normally store water for two weeks then dispose of it and repeat the above process.