The WaterBob bathtub bladder is an ideal water storage solution for emergency situations. Due to the food-grade plastic, WaterBob’s drinking water storage system keeps up to 100 gallons of water safe for 16 weeks.
People like this product because:
- It’s inexpensive (price hovers right around $35)
- It’s easier to store than other water storage strategies, such as large barrels.
- You can deploy it easily, with just a few minutes (as long as it would take to fill up a bathtub)
Like what you hear? You can see the full specs and details on the official WaterBob bathtub bag on Amazon here.
Here’s the quick version:
There have always been threats to our supply of clean drinking water–tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. I had family members near Toledo who had to use bottled water for nearly a month. Due to an unusually warm summer, toxic algae eventually contaminated the surrounding water supply.
One of the most critical things to remember is that if you are on municipal water, a power outage almost always means no water as well (pumps can’t run).
Without a solid emergency water plan , you leave yourself vulnerable during survival situations. Once the grocery stores run out of clean water, you’ll find yourself at the mercy of strangers and organizations like FEMA and the Red Cross.
Real Stories of the WaterBob in the Wild
Since WaterBob began selling its bathtub water storage system, people from all over the world have attested to the product’s usefulness. With over 1,200 ratings on Amazon, this puppy has a 4.7/5 (at time of writing).
In one 5-star review, a two-time hurricane survivor wrote:
A Florida resident faced the worst-case scenario: no power for an entire week:
Finally, a Hurricane Matthew victim found the WaterBob Bathtub Water Storage useful once the storm hit:
WaterBob Pros
- WaterBob’s product comes in a small compact container, which makes convenient storage.
- Constructed of FDA-approved, food-grade plastic
- It’s effortless to set up and holds about a hundred gallons of water for up to sixteen weeks.
- The included pump system is convenient for filling
WaterBob Cons
- The biggest con is that you need to actually have 15-30 minutes of notice, in order to actually fill it up. This makes it PERFECT for disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, ice storms, rolling blackouts or fires, but probably not a lot of help in something immediate like an earthquake or sudden power outage.
- You can only use the WaterBob storage system once. However, it’s only $35, so buying another won’t wreck your bank account.
- Doesn’t hold as much water as storage barrels or water bricks
How To Use Your WaterBob
Using the WaterBob water storage container is intentionally straightforward. It’s easy to hook up to your bathtub faucet and takes less than half an hour to fill.
- Remove the bladder from the box, and unfold it.
- Then, you’ll find a valve at one end to hook up to your bath’s faucet. When you spread the container out in your tub, make sure the filling valve is closest to the drain.
- Connect the tube to the lid and tap, and start running the water.
- Your WaterBob will take about 15 to 30 minutes to fill, and then you’re good to go.
- If you’re going to add water purification drops, it’s a good idea to add them shortly after filling, so you don’t forget, and the drops can begin treating the water.
- When you need to fill up a day’s worth of water in a jug, use the included pump to access the water for drinking, cleaning, cooking, and flushing.
Here’s a few more important details:
About WaterBob The Company
Tony Woodruff, the inventor of the WaterBob Bathtub Water Storage, created this product after watching countless people scramble for supplies amid natural disasters. Once officials declared an emergency, people were left to their resources to prepare. In a scramble for survival, the news showed people frantically stocking up on food and bottled water.
Over time, Tony Woodruff developed his water storage system so people would have access to drinking water until help arrived. During events like hurricanes, essential utilities can stay out for weeks at a time. But even if these basic needs remain running, flooding can contaminate essential running water.
WaterBob constructs their water containers using the highest quality, BPA free materials. Various prepper books like Lights Out have mentioned this product, and it’s appeared on channels such as CNN and National Geographic. With over a thousand positive reviews, it seems Tony Woodruff succeeded in his goal of creating a secure water storage system.
The WaterBob Bathtub Water Storage is Great For Everyone
WaterBob’s product is a godsend for those left vulnerable to powerful natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, and more. Having this sixteen-week buffer of drinking water will help to make sure you give help enough time to arrive.
This product is especially suited for people who live in city apartments or who just don’t have room for a couple of water barrels. While larger products store more water, many people either can’t afford them or don’t have the necessary storage space.
Urban preppers especially love this product because the plastic containment system is easy to store. The only thing to keep in mind is storing an unused WaterBob system in a dry place.
Also, when you do fill it with water, try to keep the inflated system away from direct sunlight. Too much exposure can lead to algae growth. WaterBob recommends only using this system once since you might not completely drain it afterward. The excess water can then lead to future contamination after exposure to the outside air.
Why Storing Safe Water is Important
It’s never safe to assume your community is immune to water and food shortages, but the events in Flint, Michigan, shattered any lingering misconceptions.
According to the CDC, in 2017, nearly 7,000 Americans died from illnesses contracted via contaminated water. These diseases include dysentery, typhoid, and hepatitis.
According to WaterBob, most people use over 150 gallons of water a day. However, what’s frightening is that a person can survive only a couple of days without water. So when you’re preparing for an emergency, you should have at least a three-day supply. A general rule for this is one gallon allotted to every person per day.
But you also need to keep in mind that water needs vary from person to person, and preparation requires personally customized plans.
Emergencies strike without warning, often leaving you little to no time for preparation. For example, water scarce areas in the West have already tasted the danger of a water-shortage. This effect will amplify, especially as more water reservoirs dry up from farming and other purposed.
Natural disasters are another big risk, since hurricanes and pandemics can leave people and necessities separated for a long time. WaterBob’s storage system costs only $35, meaning you’re not sacrificing much for this long-term investment.
Other Water Storage Solutions
Aquapod Bathtub Bladder
WaterBob isn’t the only bathtub bladder company out there; it’s just the best. Other companies, such as AquaPod, offer similar products that only hold about 70 gallons. AquaPod’s water storage system will keep your water clean, but only for about eight weeks. In comparison, WaterBob’s product keeps your water supply clean for up to sixteen weeks.
55 Gallon Water Storage Barrel
Water storage barrels are a great option if you have the real estate and the cash on hand. Each barrel costs somewhere a hundred and two hundred dollars, and take up a considerable amount of space. However, two of these barrels can keep a family of four hydrated for about a month.
Auguson Farms has a great option that includes filtration bottles. When you treat the water, it has a four-year shelf life so long as you store it in a cool area.
Water Bricks
Water bricks are similar to storage barrels. However, water bricks are smaller and storage-friendly to stack. The benefit to products like Reliance’s “Aqua-tainer” is that it holds seven gallons and only costs around $15 on Amazon.
While water bricks are more accessible to store than barrels, they don’t hold nearly the same amount of water as products like WaterBob’s bathtub bladder. They also pose a logistical nightmare when you think about rotating out the water in them on a yearly basis.
FAQs About The WaterBob and Water Storage
Can my bathtub actually support the weight of a full WaterBob?
A WaterBob will hold 100 gallons of water. At 8.3 lbs. per gallon, that is about 830 pounds of weight in your bathtub. This seems like a lot of weight, but remember, it’s the same amount of weight that a bathtub always holds when it’s full of water…. only this time, it’s in a plastic bag.
How does the Water Bob hand pump work?
You get the water out via a hand-pump device, a “siphon pump”; you unscrew a cap and place the pump when you want to take water out, and replace the cap when you are finished removing water, until the next time.
The hand pump is a simple device. It has an opaque plastic hose attached. You are supposed to place a water containment unit (pitcher, whatever you want to put the water in) BELOW the level of the hand pump. That could get tough as the water reduces in the tub, just being honest about it.
Can I really only use the Water Bob once?
Per the instructions that come with WaterBob, you should scrap it after 1 use. To quote the instructions:
“When fresh water is no longer needed, slit the side of the liner and drain the remaining water. The bladder should be disposed of and recycled.”
I called the company and inquired as to “why”. The answer was about what I expected: “because it’s impossible to get all the water out and it can be contaminated.” Translation? Covering our butts so when someone claims they got sick from repeated use, we can say, “we told you to use it once.” Because a Waterbob is difficult to fully dry, contamination from mold and mildew are a potential threat forever afterwards.
However, some preppers that live in hurricane prone areas have reported using them more than once, exclusively for showering and flushing toilets.
How often do I need to rotate my water supply?
About every year, you should switch out the water in your containers. While proper storage allows you to store water indefinitely, it’s always safe to change out the supply. This process is necessary because different bacteria can form over time. Also, the longer you store water, the worst it will taste over time. Combat this by swishing around the contents to mix it with more oxygen.
Conclusion
The WaterBob water storage system is one of the best short-term solutions. Developed to help people stranded by hurricanes and other natural disasters, it uses the space of your bathtub to give you a relatively low-cost way to quickly store 100 gallons of water, and is a superior alternative to fighting through the crowds for a week’s worth of water bottles.
Good Information Servantheart, We purchased a water Bob last year and have thought about another one. I wonder if diluted bleach could be used after emptying the Water Bob to help prevent to growth of mold or mildew and then thoroughly drying? I know it would need to be a weak solution or it would destroy the plastic. Anyway just a thought.
These are a cheap and effective way to have emergency water supply in a hurry, but do make sure you’ll be able to get it out.
Just learned something:
DO NOT vacuum pack Milk Duds (or, any soft candy). You’ll end up with a milk dud bar and the paper box stuck to it; I hate picking that paper out of my teeth! ;)
Who needs a chuckle today?
Cletus is passing by Billy Bob ‘s hay barn one day when, through a gap in the door, he sees Billy Bob doing a slow and sensual striptease in front of an old John Deere tractor.
Buttocks clenched, he performs a slow pirouette, and gently slides off first the right strap of his overalls, followed by the left. He then hunches his shoulders forward and in a classic striptease move, lets his overalls fall down to his hips, revealing a torn and frayed plaid shirt.
Then, grabbing both sides of his shirt, he rips it apart to reveal his stained T-shirt underneath. With a final flourish, he tears the T-shirt from his body, and hurls his baseball cap onto a pile of hay.
Having seen enough, Cletus rushes in and says, “What the world’re ya doing, Billy Bob ?”
“Good grief, Cletus, ya scared the bejeebers out of me,” says an obviously embarrassed Billy Bob ..
“But me ‘n the wife been havin trouble lately in the bedroom d’partment, and the therapist suggested I do something sexy to a tractor.”
(Don’t make me come splain this to you!
Awesome hitnrun!!
Rourke
LOL at the joke @hitnrun! no splainen needed here! I get the idea behind the product, but if I know i need to purify the water anyhow, why add the expense? esp if advertised as one use only? I can use a swimming pool (yeah, sun/algae) and rain barrels so what makes this so special?
Good morning, Lee! Excellent question.
What makes the Water BOB special is that it is affordable for nearly everyone and provides a means of making available 100 gallons of water very quickly. The box it is stored in is only about a foot long by six inches wide, so, it requires little space for “storage”.
Probably the majority of us do not have a swimming pool. Some people simply do not want the expense and maintenance of a swimming pool.
There are many tools available for back up water for emergencies, both short and long-term; this is one.
I also have rain barrels (plural), and a number of other “back up” plans for water.
You do not NEED to purify the water; it is not a requirement. It is a safety measure, and, sometimes, just a preference. Many people drink municipal water straight out of the tap. I am not one of them; not for 35 years, and will not start today, although, I do have city water.
The point of purifying the water while still in the BOB was to decrease the likelihood of some sort of unwanted “growth” in the unit that might be contaminated upon future use. Just wisdom applied, nothing more.
I hope this serves to adequately answer an excellent question.
Blessings to you, and all that is yours,
Here’s an article I think will interest all of us:
Nine Cities Running Out of Water
Severe drought continues to threaten the water supply of large parts of the Western U.S. According to a group that monitors drought conditions, Lubbock, Texas has averaged the worst level of drought since the beginning of 2011.
Based on data provided by the U.S. Drought Monitor, a joint program produced by academic and government organizations, 24/7 Wall St. identified large U.S. urban areas that have been under persistent, serious drought for months.
Most of these urban areas have experienced prolonged periods of “extreme drought,” characterized by the Drought Monitor as likely to involve crop or pasture loss, water shortage, and some water restrictions. Most have even had prolonged periods of “exceptional drought,” which involves widespread crop losses, low reservoir levels, and water shortage emergencies. Albuquerque, the largest city in New Mexico, has been in a state of exceptional drought since April, 2013.
Exceptional drought persisted in at least three quarters of Pueblo, Colorado, since February. The cause of the drought in these areas is historically low rainfall. In Pueblo, Colorado, which is part of the southeastern region of Colorado that has been especially hard-hit, just 3.77 inches of rain were reported through late July, compared to the more than 7 inches it normally gets by this time.
Conditions have been bad in some of these areas for so long that some rain may not be enough to fix the problem after such a prolonged and persistent drought. Last week, severe thunderstorms in some of the drought-affected parts of Colorado produced some temporary relief for residents. However, as assistant climatologist/geologist at the National Drought Mitigation Center Brian Fuchs explained to 24/7 Wall St., it is unlikely that the rainfall will fix the region’s long-term problems.
Fuchs noted that these rains will possibly provide only short-term relief for agriculture and will add some moisture to the soil. But, he added “unless you have several rain events to percolate into any kind of ground water, one significant rain event … won’t even touch the water table.”
This threat to regional water tables and reservoirs, which are in many cases at historical lows, are what city planners are now dealing with. “We do see municipal water restrictions that typically go through several stages, from voluntary to mandatory, to even more stringent mandatory restrictions, depending on the circumstances,” Fuchs said.
Most of these cities with high drought levels have at least voluntary restrictions, while some, like McAllen and Corpus Christi, Texas, have implemented mandatory restrictions. The current plan in McAllen, which is being employed for the first time in the city’s history, prohibits a variety of water use activities during the day, including watering lawns and cars, as well as filling swimming pools.
These are the nine cities running out of water:
9. Santa Fe, N.M.
8. Albuquerque, N.M.
7. Corpus Christi, Texas
6. Brownsville, Texas
5. Harlingen, Texas
4. Colorado Springs, Colo.
3. McAllen, Texas
2. Pueblo, Colo.
1. Lubbock, Texas
Read the whole story @ 24/7 Wall Street:
Nine Cities Running Out of Water – 24/7 Wall St. http://247wallst.com/special-report/2013/08/01/nine-cities-running-out-of-water/#ixzz2bBjkpddx
China has plenty of water, but, the Chinese people have so heavily polluted it, little is potable; so, rather than going to the expense and work of decontaminating their water, they simply export ours by the supertanker load, as they’ve been doing for years. This explains why China is buying up Toledo, Ohio, and similar places – proximity to freshwater supply.
India and Pakistan have also been buying freshwater from us for decades, but not in the quantities that China has been.
Some prophecy teachers believe that the final war will be ignited by water rights, not oil. I’m tending to think they may be right.
I should probably also mention that in some parts of the country, to fill your swimming pool right now would send you to jail.
Servantheart, as good as this information is, it is very incomplete. The reason I can attest to that is this is my area of the country. Lubbock is 3 hours north of me. There are 2 small cities with a much worse water condition. The 2 cities are less than 15 miles apart from each other with a combined population of 250,000 people. They were put on monitory water restriction last year. No, watering the yards, no washing vehicles, No filling up of private pools you get the idea. Also a very small town south of them ran completely out of water last year and they are now trucking water into residents. Yes, Texas and most of the southwestern US is in sever drought. We have been below average rainfall for almost 10 years. The Ogallala aquifer which feeds these areas is drying up. This aquifer ends in this part of Texas and starts in the Far Northern US. Americas breadbasket. All the lakes and rivers are drying up or have already dried up completely. If this isn’t enough reason to store water and food then think of it this way, next years food prices are going to triple because of the lack of agriculture in a lot of states all due to water shortage.
Good info, Suni; this piece was written by 2 guys who work for 24/7 Wall Street, visited the area, and interviewed people. Much different when living in it, eh?!! Well done, Suni.
Disaster Management:12 Ways To Keep Cool Without Electricity (Posted by Liz; original located below)
In a crisis situation there’s a good chance the grid is going to be down. The refrigerator and air conditioning will not be working and excessive heat can be dangerous for the elderly, the very young and for many with chronic medical conditions. Here’s 10 ways to keep your cool when the temperature soars.
If you have an attic or loft open the hatch/door to allow the hot air to keep on rising rather than staying in the areas you use more often.
Just as we advise people to stay warm in one room in very cold weather if you have a room that’s cooler than all the rest use it in preference to the other rooms in the house.
Put your hands into a bowl of cold water. Your hands have a large surface area and the blood vessels at the wrist are near the surface. Putting your hands into a bowl of cool water will chill the blood a little as it passes through and help keep your temperature within normal limits. Dipping your feet into cool water has the same effect.
On the same theme a cool cloth on the back of your neck will make you feel much cooler almost instantly.
Use natural cotton bedding if you have it, it will soak up sweat much more effectively than synthetics and will save that slick clammy feeling on humid nights.
If you are really struggling at night wet your hair. You will feel much cooler and the water evaporating will cool you down even more.
Draw the curtains on the sunny side of the house before the room heats up. Open those and close others as the sun moves during the day.
Establish which windows provide the best airflow through the house. Depending on where your walls and doors are you can often get a decent flow of cooler air by opening certain windows. Biggest is not always best where windows are concerned.
Don’t have a cold shower. Immersion in cold water will shut down the blood flow to the skin and trap the heat inside you. Tepid bathing is far better as the blood keeps flowing cooling as it nears the skin taking that cooled blood around your body which in turn makes life more comfortable.
Loose clothing is a must. Tight clothing prevents the evaporation of sweat and it’s evaporation that makes you feel cooler. Loose cotton clothing is better still.
Eat spicy food. This may sound odd but spicy foods contain capsaicin (capsicum) which makes you sweat, and as I said it’s sweat evaporating that causes heat loss and cools you down.
Dampen your clothes. The heat of your body will dry the clothes and it’s this heat exchange that produces the cooling effect.
Remember that once you start to feel thirsty you are starting to dehydrate. Ensure adequate fluid intake during hot weather. Heat stroke kills fast and the death toll soars during heat waves.
Going swimming was not included because to be honest, in a crisis the last thing on my mind would be taking off to the beach.
http://undergroundmedic.com/disaster-management12-ways-to-keep-cool-without-electricity/?utm_source=BD+News+Flash&utm_campaign=b95409e01f-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8dab905704-b95409e01f-325086765
flutterby good information on staying cool, This is the type of information we can all use. No matter where you live.
Thank you for the reply @servantheart we dont have a large pool but it could serve as storage for us. Blessings to you and yours as well, and thank you all for this site. It is my ‘go to’ for advice! There is much wisdom here! And no craziness!