Hurricane Preparedness Blog

Aqua Pod Kit - It’s like Orbitz for your bathtub. (4 out of 4 stars)

Today we’re going to put one of the more recent hurricane preparedness inventions to the test - the Aqua Pod Kit emergency water storage device. I picked up one for myself at the National Hurricane Conference this year. Let’s begin by learning why we would think of storing water in the bathtub in the first place.

We’re told to store at least a 3-day supply of water in our hurricane kit, but what does that mean exactly? If we use the minimum recommendation of 3 gallons of water per person per day, and half that for the family pet, a family of 3 (with dog) would need 31.5 gallons of stored water. Who has room for that?

You might be thinking, I don’t need that much to drink. Well, you’re correct. But let’s not forget about flushing toilets, bathing, cleaning dishes/utensils and brushing those chompers. We call these water needs “sanitary water needs,” as opposed to “drinking water needs.” Those 31.5 gallons will go by quicker than you thought.

The common solution to this water storage problem is to fill the trusty bathtub with water the night before the storm. Here’s a few reasons why filling your tub without an Aqua Pod Kit is a bad idea:

1. If you have a tub where the drain doesn’t leak at least a little, you must be sweet with the Maytag Man. It’s difficult not to lose the water you’re storing slowly over time.
2. Would you lick your bathtub? Then I take it you wouldn’t be drinking water out of it either. Cleaning solutions, lime, rust, and Mr. Bubbles will contaminate your water quickly.
3. Dust, debris and other outside agents will enter that bathtub before long. Go back and forth between the tub and the toilet with water a few times and you’ll get the picture.

So, how could we turn that bathtub into the ideal water storage device - line it with a bladder! Aqua Pod Kit has designed a plastic bladder that stores 65 gallons of water in your bathtub without contaminating it. This means you can use that water for both sanitary and drinking water. And, for our family of 3 (plus Fido), this means fresh water for nearly a week! Break out the Slip-And-Slide!

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