Why do some people can water?
Posted by saras998@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 50 comments
I stored drinking water in refilled clean bottles in case of emergency and when our water was shut off for a leak we used that which was fine. I thought of buying mason jars to store more water but then I read about people canning water. And sterilizing jars. Why when water doesn't go bad? As long as there are no conditions for mold. Is there an issue specifically with mason jars (ie. the rubber seal) that puts water at risk for mold compared to regular water bottles?
Fragrant-Platform163@reddit
Water doesn't expire, but plastic absolutely will degrade. Especially the thin Type 1 plastics. They are not meant to be reused because of leaching and they have an expiration date. Ever drunk a bottle of warm water you found in your car because you were really thirsty? It tastes awful. Like chemicals and microplastics.
Plus the water you bottled from the tap isn't exactly sterile. Boiled water is, but then you'd have to wait for it to cool anyway. A soapy scrub is good enough to get it clean and you can certainly drink out of it, but you should dump your water and change it out every six months or so. Plastic can be produced to be sterile, but isn't meant to be sterilized. Plastic is more porous than glass or metal.
Canning is already a sterile process by necessity. Contaminated food will produce toxins that don't go away through cooking, never mind what the build up of gasses will do to a sealed jar or can. Glass doesn't really breakdown as far as we know. It's extremely stable on the micro level. Though it can of course break on the macro. The canning process itself is a sterilization process under boiling water and/or pressure. If you're already putting it in jars, why not seal it via canning so no microbes can get in?
I don't really have room for home canning food storage, much less water, so I just have Aquatainers, which are plastic but are thick, don't bend, and reusable. I still change them out every six months and get new ones every couple of years. A re-use alternative is rinsed bottles from bleach (original, don't use scented or nonsplash), food safe barrels like pickle barrels from restaurants.
Paranormal_Lemon@reddit
Boiling without pressure only pasturizes. Pressure is required to raise the boiling point to around 120C to completely sterilize. The only time it's safe to can without pressure is when you are canning something acidic like tomato sauce.
MisterIceGuy@reddit
What do you think about this note from google?
“No Pressure Canning Needed: You can use a pressure canner for water (e.g., leaving the vent open and using it exactly like a boiling water bath), but you should not bring it up to pressure. Building high pressure can cause the water to boil violently and liquid to siphon out, which interferes with sealing.”
Paranormal_Lemon@reddit
I am not familiar with the details of the canning process, but I do know non-pressurized canning is only safe for acidic foods. The process may differ depending on the type of pressure cooker you have, it may require a longer cool down period then when canning foods. There are many videos on YouTube for pressure canning water, and you would need to read the manual for your pressure cooker to see if any changes need to be made depending on what is being canned.
Video example
WishIWasThatClever@reddit
Great comment.
One correction. Plastic is routinely sterilized using means other than steam/pressure. So it’s not that plastic can’t be sterilized. It’s that those processes aren’t really accessible for home use. Example: The majority of the plastic bits used in a medical setting that come out of peel pouches.
Understanding the difference in the terms clean, sanitized, disinfected, and sterile is helpful when trying to sort out how good is good enough.
Some_Guy106@reddit
I went to the ER recently and they have plastic fkn needles now
KountryKrone@reddit
They've had plastic catheters, IV needles since before I graduated from nursing school 50 years ago. They are less likely to infiltrate, like through the vein after it is placed.
They aren't the same type type of plastic as used in water bottles.
Paranormal_Lemon@reddit
Boiled water is pasturized not sterile. Sterilizing requires boiling AND pressure to raise the boiling point to around 120C, otherwise spores can survive. The canning process uses pressure, unless you are canning something acidic like tomato sauce then you don't need pressure.
Metal cans are plastic lined and jar lids have a lining plus a rubber seal.
whimsongered@reddit
canned waters great for something just another handy thing they got love it and wants around such things just as options i found a reason at some point so i guess theyre is one been awhile though mr helpfull making comment
Ok_Eggplant_6143@reddit
ALL WATER "grows" bad stuff, especialy a rusted can after a couple years.... UNLESS IN GLASS, even that I'd boil and ad bleach after 5 years.... ALL goes bad, except ! distilled water ! a buck a gallon at walmarts, buy electrolyte powder and put oxygen absorber in it, u need electrolytes because distilation removes everything good from the water.... But its all good for 20 years, OH, and distilled water will grow stuff really fast, use in a week after opening as its like a sponge to things in environment.
kentuckyvelvet@reddit
Blue can pure water. You can order 2400 cans of water that last 50 years.
Equal_Educator4745@reddit
I went to their website and that looks cool.Do you know how much it costs
kentuckyvelvet@reddit
Not sure never pulled the trigger I assume give them a call or email something of the sorts because the pallet would have to be delivered so I assume y’all would calculate delivery costs and price per case etc
J_Thompson82@reddit
Water absolutely goes bad. I had some in a clean camelbak bladder in the back of my car and it went awful. It does depend on how you store it.
boggs002@reddit
As somebody that works in a plastic plant. Your Bladder degraded into your water even if your water was perfect. But water itself does not go bad. Other things in your water can multiply and get worse
erik_salvia@reddit
I had a camelback in high school and found that out the hard way
afternever@reddit
Because they can
saras998@reddit (OP)
Thank you for your answers. I still don't understand doing this as it's a whole lot of work for water and I don't have a canner. I will clean the jars well and replace the water every 2-3 months after reading this probably boiling the water first. The algae part concerns me the most but otherwise there isn't really anything for microbes to grow on.
ductoid@reddit
I don't understand your logic. You don't need a pressure canner to home can water; just a big enough pot to boil the water/jars in.
If you're going to boil it anyway, it's so much less work to do it once, and it's good for years, instead of cleaning jars, boiling water, and dumping it and repeating every 2-3 months.
In my area we don't get many natural disasters, no apacolypse situations. But just last month in the next town over, a water main broke, and people were lining up for bottled water distribution because of that. It takes way less time to boil water and stick it in jars, than it does to drive to a distribution center like that and wait in line. All the more, when you consider most of the time to can it is passive time when you can do other things while the water/jars are boiling.
jacksraging_bileduct@reddit
Pressure canners need to be full in order to work properly, so if mine holds 7 quarts and I’ve only for enough product for 5 quarts I’ll can two quarts of water just to put on the shelf.
Prairy1313@reddit
This. I also like the idea of having enough water to last us a few days. Grocery stores will be cleared of bottled water within no time.
IAmSoulshaper@reddit
This is the way.
SheistyPenguin@reddit
When your favorite tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. People who can their water, are usually into canning other things as a hobby- so they have a surplus of glass jars sitting around.
Personally I think it's a little inefficient, unless you are into brewing and have some giant glass carboys handy.
4Yk9gop@reddit
Ah so you're saying my 4 year old water should be replaced. Damn. Should probably get on that.
erik_salvia@reddit
I’ve heard different numbers, but the general rule I’ve heard is to replace the water every 6-12 months
quietprepper@reddit
Guaranteed sealed and sterile, while taking up no more space than the empty jar. I dont do it myself but i understand the concept.
Significant-Mango772@reddit
If you stock empty cans its a win 8f yoi can keep them not frosen
Eeyor-90@reddit
My jars take up the same amount of space if they’re full or empty. I store empty jars with water in them. I only seal the jars if I need an extra to fill my pressure canner. I use previously used lids instead of new to close jars used to store water.
Sufficient_Sell_6103@reddit
I know old timers who would always fill empty Mason jars with water for storage. Its going to take up the same amount of space if it's empty or full so may as well store water in case of an emergency
Eleutherian8@reddit
I do it because I’m a set-it -and-forget it prepper, and that’s the only method I’ve got handy that will meet my 25+ year shelf life criteria. It was an expensive, tedious, time consuming and energy hungry process, but it feels good to have the FEMA recommend 2 week supply for my family forever stocked and ready. I’m in the Cascade subduction zone, so an earthquake could easily keep municipal water offline for quite a while.
YouControlYou4822@reddit
I’ve heard you should never leave an empty jar.
mommaquilter-ab@reddit
If I'm doing an odd number batch of food, I'll throw in a jar of water. It helps prevent the jars from clanking around, potentially breaking. If I ever need that jar, I just open and dump the water. Lids are not free, but they're relatively cheap enough that using one for a jar of water isn't a big deal. I've reused lids for water in the past too - if they open without a ring, you'll know the seal failed, but the water doesn't go bad per se (just stale). And having sterile water on hand (it isn't distilled, just sterile), is never a bad idea. And if I'm storing jars anyway, filling them with water isn't exactly taking up space.
hollisterrox@reddit
"water doesn't go bad" Tap water isn't sterile, it's just safe to drink.
Technically, A sealed jug of tap water could , maybe, have some microbe grow in it, and maybe, possibly, make you mildly ill if you drank it.
but if I was that suspicious of my tap water, I wouldn't be canning it, I'd be doing something else entirely.
Paranormal_Lemon@reddit
Even if it was and you had a sterile container you'd need a clean room to fill it because one second of exposure to the air is all it takes to innoculate it with bacteria.
mckenner1122@reddit
I am a canner. Our household probably puts up 1500 jars (give or take) a year of food.
As someone else has mentioned, if I’m running jars anyway, I need to fill empty space in the pot both for thermal load and so that my product-filled jars don’t tip over under a rolling hard boil.
Usually, these are jars of water with no lid on top - canning lids are single use and cost about $.25 each. I also do not have the space to store enough water for my household just 2 quarts at a time. That’s silly.
Having said that… note I said usually
I do keep a few canned jars knocking around because I like sterile water for my neti pot, I like having sterile water handy for mixing baby formula when people visit with tiny babes, and sterile water is still needed for wet cell batteries.
But for “water prep”? Nah. I have my cubes. Drain, clean and refill every 6 months.
Emotional_Seat_7424@reddit
In general alot of people are doing to much to avoid doing to little.
eagler92@reddit
Also babies. Need sterile water for newborns whether mixing with formula or things like nasal washes, etc.
AlphaDisconnect@reddit
You have 2 gallons in the back of your toilet. It is probably fresh... unless you dont do the brown thing. Somehow.
FunctionCold2165@reddit
I similarly don’t understand people buying flats of .5l bottles and storing them in the basement. Buy some 5 gallon jugs and fill them with tap water. Treat as necessary and seal. I’m depending more on my filter than on storage, because it just isn’t possible to store enough water for long term.
YonKro22@reddit
Do large last bottles work well for that and how do you sanitize them?
SummerBirdsong@reddit
Glass jars are more rodent resistant. I've had rats and squirrels get in my garage and chew their way into plastic water containers.
Amoonlitsummernight@reddit
There are two primary factors that cause people to want to hand water. First is to prevent algae growth, and the second is to prevent plastic degradation.
Top water is relatively clean, however it is not truly sterile. Chlorine prevents microbes from growing in it, however, chlorine decays over time. While the small amount of growth that you might see in tap water isn't likely to be dangerous in small quantities, it can alter the flavor and can be off-putting to some. In a large container, however, you might have a significant amount of algae grow and rise to the surface, which can be enough to cause people to get sick.
Plastics can also break down over time or reach some of the chemicals used in the fabrication into the water. Again, although it's not likely to kill you, it's certainly not good to drink a lot of it, and it can be very off-putting when the flavor becomes strong. Some plastics are better than others, with HDPE (high density polyethylene) being the gold standard for most cases.
Boiling water removes the chlorine, which allows the water to be used for certain other purposes, such as baking, and it kills everything that's inside of it. As long as it is sealed while it is still hot, so nothing can get in to contaminate it, it's essentially sterile from that point forward.
Glass does not break down and does not reach chemicals into the water. This makes it ideal for long-term storage, especially when temperature fluctuations are more likely.
All that being said, glass containers are more fragile and are heavier than plastic containers. Although the canning process should sterilize the water, if done improperly, or if stuff gets into it before the can is closed and sealed, it is possible for contaminants to get into the water. It is recommended to replace water in Mason jars every once in a while. And although glass is very helpful for long-term storage, it's cheaper to have some water stored in plastic containers for bulk purposes, which is cycled through more frequently. For those worried about microplastics and water stored in plastic containers, there are microplastic rated water filters which can be used.
Unicorn187@reddit
Tap water isn't sterile. Just safe enough to drink. Put it in a bottle and in a few years it could have growth. Even leaving water on the counter will have a measurable growth in microbes after a day. Still safe because of the chlorine, but eventually it can become too much.
So why not can it? You know it's sterile, even after a few years. You know the bottles are clean. If you're going to have the bottles, they might as well do something.
Things, "go bad," because there is some sort of growth, so yes, water can "go bad."
EngineTraditional478@reddit
I use to store water in big plastic Hi-c jugs with couple drops of bleach in it. (Not for drinking but for other uses). Then i moved and have not started it up again. Anyone do something similar? Does the ol' bleach trick work?
Gene-reader@reddit
Canned water is sterile and I keep about two cases of pint jars on hand. After a hurricane, city/well water can get contaminated and boiling water takes time and fuel. If someone needs wound care due to an injury from debris cleanup, the sterile water is helpful flushing out the wound. I like to keep enough to share with neighbors because no one around me cans.
Icy-Medicine-495@reddit
Its good practice run for people new to canning. There is no wasted food if the batch fails to seal.
Forsaken_Lifeguard85@reddit
It's glass storage and doesn't go bad ever. Storage in plastic requires added work. I can water in half gallon jars and have a enough on hand to get us through a few days. It's nice peace of mind.
616c@reddit
Tap water testing is not constant or instant. Municipal supply testing, looking for E.coli bacteria that will propagate in a culture, takes a day or two.
If I was on a well that was only tested annually or less, I might boil my water too. Intrusion from rain/flooding at the well pipe, or shallow water level might be an issue.
Spiley_spile@reddit
Earthquake territory isnt great for glass. Not that I can water. I use plastic containers. But that's not e eryone's cup of tea.
erik_salvia@reddit
I collect every glass bottle I get for home brewing purposes but I have a large excess of bottles, so I (intend to) bottle water for storage with my extras. They’re reusable as long as you don’t break them and can be used for heating water if needed