The 55-gallon drum setup: from barrel to drinkable water
A food-grade 55-gallon drum is the most economical large-volume water storage option available to households. One drum holds 55 gallons — nearly four weeks of drinking water for a single adult — in a footprint of roughly two square feet. The drum itself costs $50 to $80. The accessories needed to make it work cost another $30 to $40. The setup is not complicated, but it is specific.
What you need — complete list
55-gallon food-grade drum — $50 to $80
Must be food-grade — meaning it previously held food or beverage product and is rated for food and water contact. Many beverage distributors, bottling companies, and online retailers sell these. Avoid industrial-use drums regardless of how clean they appear. Closed-head drums (two small bungs on top) are simpler to seal than open-head drums; either works. Blue is the conventional color for water storage, which helps identify the barrel's contents. Target a drum with gaskets still in good condition on both bungs.
Drum bung wrench — $8 to $15
The two threaded openings (bungs) on a 55-gallon drum require a specific wrench to open and close. Standard tools do not fit. A plastic or metal bung wrench is available for $8 to $15 and is required for the initial fill, for adding Water Preserver, and for annual inspection. Buy one with the drum — you cannot open the drum without it.
Hand siphon pump — $10 to $20
A filled 55-gallon drum weighs 458 pounds and cannot be tilted to pour. Water is dispensed by inserting a siphon pump tube through one of the bungs and hand-pumping water out. An inline siphon pump with food-grade tubing is the standard method — manual squeeze-bulb models work reliably and cost $10 to $15. An electric siphon pump is faster for dispensing large volumes. Either type must have food-grade tubing.
Water Preserver Concentrate — $10 to $15
Added at fill time, it maintains a protective chlorine residual in the stored water for up to five years. At one 55-gallon drum, the economics of adding Water Preserver are straightforward: the alternative is annual rotation of 458 pounds of water, which is a meaningful physical undertaking. Water Preserver eliminates that task for five years per fill.
Fill hose or food-grade adapter — $5 to $20
Standard garden hose fittings connect to most utility taps. A food-grade water hose (look for hose marketed as "drinking water safe") is preferred over a standard garden hose, which may leach plasticizers and taste compounds into the water during filling. If you are filling from an indoor utility tap, a simple faucet-to-hose adapter handles the connection.
Siting considerations
Place the drum before filling it. A filled drum at 458 pounds cannot be moved without specialized equipment. Consider:
- •Indoor or temperature-controlled location. Extreme temperature swings accelerate chlorine residual loss and can affect the drum material over years. A basement, utility room, or climate-controlled garage is ideal.
- •Away from direct sunlight. UV exposure degrades the drum material and the water quality over time.
- •Elevated enough for pump access. The siphon pump tube inserts through the top bung. No elevation is strictly required, but having the drum accessible from above without kneeling makes pumping more practical.
- •Check floor load capacity. Standard residential basement and first-floor construction handles this load without issue. Elevated storage (second floor) should be evaluated against the floor's rated capacity before placing the drum.
The fill process
Rinse the interior of the drum with a small amount of unscented household bleach solution (1/4 teaspoon bleach per quart of water) before the first fill if the drum's prior contents are uncertain. Rinse thoroughly with clean water after sanitizing. Open both bungs — one serves as the fill inlet, the other allows air to escape during filling. Fill completely, then add Water Preserver Concentrate according to the manufacturer's instructions for 55 gallons. Close and tighten both bungs with the bung wrench. Label the drum with the fill date and "Drinking Water."
What to do right now
- 1 Identify your site before ordering the drum. Decide where the drum will live, confirm floor access and clearance, and confirm you can get the empty drum into position before you need to worry about the filled weight.
- 2 Order the complete kit at once. Drum, bung wrench, siphon pump, Water Preserver, and a food-grade fill hose. Missing any one of these on fill day means the drum sits empty. The full accessory cost is $30 to $50 — not an argument for skipping any of it.
- 3 Add Water Preserver at fill time. Once the drum is sealed, re-opening it to add the concentrate is an additional step most people skip. Add it during the fill, before sealing, when access is straightforward.
- 4 Test the siphon pump before you need it. Run a pump test while the power is on and everything is normal. A siphon pump that fails during an outage is considerably more frustrating than one that fails at setup.
On the shelf
55-Gallon Food-Grade Water Storage Drum
$50 to $80 from beverage distributors or online retailers. Available in blue (standard water storage color). Buy with a bung wrench, siphon pump, and Water Preserver Concentrate to complete the setup in one order.
Full water storage guide →Go deeper
Full guidance on NWS:
Related field notes
Sources
- CDC: Creating and Storing an Emergency Water Supply
- FEMA / Ready.gov: Water Storage Guidance
- Water Preserver Concentrate: Manufacturer application instructions