The need to keep your preps out of sight of nosy neighbors and other individuals is not only a good idea but it could mean the difference between life and death in the event that some sort of catastrophe should happen.
When people start to get hungry and thirsty they will remember that one family always bragging about how much food storage they have in their basement. They will remember who has a backyard garden and which house always has a rain barrel set up.
Many people keep a 250 gallon tote or the 55 gallon plastic barrels for their water storage. If it is a rain catchment system or just a sealed container, if it is visible from the outside it could attract unwanted attention, especially if it is illegal to store rainwater. Even if you fill these containers with household water, you may get a visit from the police.
The real trouble with storing water is that it takes up a lot of space and not everyone has the space to store large containers. Of course if you have the space, use it, but the purpose of this article is to get you thinking of ways to store water without it being obvious to anyone.
Solution 1: Outside in plain sight.
Repurpose a backyard bench or outdoor planter and utilize the space inside to keep sealed containers of water. These can be purchased or built to suit your needs. Not only stylish improving the look of your yard, but capable of storing hundreds of gallons of water protected from the elements and the sun.
Solution 2: Water Bladders
These bladders are large and come in several shapes and sizes. The most attractive feature of the bladders is that they can be easily set up in a crawlspace, under a deck, or in the attic. Because of their low height, they can make great use otherwise useless space.
Solution 3: Underground
Cisterns, buried water tanks or Hydroblox can be installed underground in your front or back yard and out of sight. Another benefit of an underground system is the implementation of permeable pavement. Create an inlet to your underground water storage directly underneath a rain spout but topped with permeable concrete pavers. No pipes or tanks can be seen. Water just hits he ground and disappears into your secret storage tanks.
Solution 4: Inside the stairs
Even if you don’t have access to the space under your stairs, it may be possible to remove a riser and reveal lots of square footage otherwise unused. If you do have an under-stair cubby or closet already built, then install a water storage device inside and drywall over the opening. If you have the resources you could even go so far as to permanently plumb in the storage device so that you would not need to enter the secret space disrupting your camouflage.
Solution 5: The fireplace
Did your home have a fireplace in the past but not anymore? There is a good chance they just bricked up the opening to the old fireplace and dry walled over top. You might have a huge empty cavity in your wall that you could store a large amount of water in. You could even use a fireplace that you just aren’t using. Just to be sure that you clean out any ash and protect your water container. If water mixes with ash it can become caustic and corrode your container over a long period of time.
Solution 6: The furniture
Worth mentioning even if it is obvious. Utilizing water canisters, bladders or even cleaned out 2 liter bottles, you can usually find space under a bed, in the back of cabinets, the space between your cabinets and floor, inside coffee tables or even just the bottom of a closet. While it is convenient to have it all in one place, if space is tight then consider breaking up your reserves utilizing several different solutions to get you to the number of gallons you need to be prepared.
Of course there are a lot of solutions to this problem but I hope to have been able to at least get you thinking about what you could do for your your situation.
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