Bringing this back to prepping in an apartment. So if you need 4 liters per day. How much for drinking vrs other (half and half I think?) what are some feasible storage options for an apartment? I like the pop bottle idea but at 4 liters a day per person thats 8 bottles a day. That adds up really fast. And being in an apartment means limited space. Any more ideas? Even at half and half thats 2/3 case of water a day for drinking, and 4 pop bottles.

The split is 3L consumption and 1L for hygiene/other use. As you can guess..it isnt a lot at all.

Like mentioned in the post above the tub is a great option. If you see trouble on the horizons, fill anything and everything up you can. There are water storage containers, and the following is one that is mentioned quite often here...a really great idea:
http://www.thereadystore.com/65-gallon-emergency-bathtub-water-container

If your by a Dollarama any time soon, in the outdoors/camping section they are selling collapsible water containers (I think they are 4L ones) for $1.25 each. They are small, collapsed with a detachable spigot on them. Perhaps its an option to consider to fill them when needed if disaster strikes. Water pressure in the city system will not stop immediately. Dependent on the use, etc. you could have hours or days before it would stop. Are you near a water tower?

I will definitely go to Dollarama and pick up a few. I like the idea that they are collapsible. A much better idea for apartment storage. No no water tower close by.

These jugs from the dollar store are great I forgot all about them. I have about 4 doz in my storage shed.

Those jugs are really good until you bump them after filling. They will split quite easily then. We live in an old (70's vintage double wide with poor flooring) One of our cats slid on the floor and hit her head on one of those jugs. Didn't know it till the next day when I saw an empty jug. All the water ran through the floor to the crawl space under the mobile. I now treat the floor loading like an apartment. I store heavy things like water against a wall, where the steel frame is.

Ive never had a problem with them leaking. But they are definitely not high grade thick plastic made for camping, outdoors, etc. I cant say I've had a problem with them as being as fragile that a cat head buts them and they leak...I've jostled them, knocked them over, etc. and no issues...that being said I cant see them being used long term as they will eventually break. For $1.25 each your not getting a high end quality product. But compact, easy to store and quick to pull out to fill up in a bind...perfect.

Mentioning an apartment and loading is a good point KK. Water is 1kg/Litre. Storing hundreds of litres of water distributed throughout an apartment style condo shouldnt be an issue. Especially if you have a concrete floor. But concentrating loads could be a problem if they get excessive. Actually in a wood frame home it would be a bigger problem on wood joists than in an apartment. Storing it on a the concrete slab either in the basement or garage mitigates the issue.

One benefit of a condo building high rise apartment style is they are made of non combustible construction, and concrete/steel. So the loads they can take are more than a wood frame say like a residential house...plus if you gave me a choice of weathering out a storm/tornado/etc. in an apartment building vs. a stick frame house...I'd be more apt to take cover in an apartment building. Concrete trumps wood.

As we gear up for winter any ideas to keep the apartment warm? I have done those shrink wrap things before but not really great. The apartment doesn't seem to keep warm very well. Any ideas?

As we gear up for winter any ideas to keep the apartment warm? I have done those shrink wrap things before but not really great. The apartment doesn't seem to keep warm very well. Any ideas?

-The imfamous shrink wrap on the window. 🙂 Ya it sucks but it does save a lot of $$$.

-Doors to balcony or patio. Not sure if you have one but if you do, make sure the weatherstripping is all secure and stops drafts. If you dont need access to this over winter you can seal it right off. At the base roll up some towels to impede any cold drafts coming through. Or they now sell those novelty door things that sit along the base of your door and do the same thing. (I've seen them at linen stores, dollarama, craft stores, etc.)

-Check the caulking around the windows on the exterior and interior. Fill it in where necessary. You can also caulk around the trim. I've had it where in severe cold I've felt cold air dumping in from the trim around the window. Not the best solution but better than ripping everything apart just caulk the trim to act as an air barrier.

-Do you have forced air heating in your place or radiators? Whatever you have make sure they are clean. so if its forced air (like a furnace blowing unit) replace the air filter, and vaccuum out the vents and return air grilles as best you can. If its baseboard heaters or hot water vaccuum off the grilles and keep them clean to maximize efficiency.

-Check the seals on windows. If you see condensation inbetween the panes of glass the thermal seal has broken. That means virtually no insulating factor in that glass. (If it isnt sealed, it cant keep the air trapped inside to act as an insulator) If the window is under warranty get it replaced. If not there are companies in the yellow pages that reseal these for a fraction of the cost of replacing the entire unit.

-Any receptacles along the exterior wall? Take off the face plate and give it a quick look. Often they dont wrap them with insulation and the odd time you can see daylight! If you can, have them replaced with insulated boxes. If you can do it yourself or if the condo corp./management company has to do it see if you can jam some additional insulation around them also. Its not a technically difficult job but does require some experience. If neither of these is an option, just put some of those child protection plugs into the slots and if you can something against this area during the winter months to impede the cold coming through.

-If you have to buy smaller base board or parabolic heaters to plug into the wall. Check the kw/hr ratings on them. Some models are way more efficient than others. And even though you may pay an extra $50 bucks for one vs. the other you'll make that up in efficiency over a few months anyways..then it pays for itself. I'm not sure if what type of heating system you have but if its nat. gas you would be better using the furnace than electricity anyways.

Hope that helps to start. 🙂

Thanks thecrownsown. Some of those things I have done, like the caulking around the windows I fixed last year basic draft protectors. I will definitely take a look at the receptacles through, that's one I never thought about.
Our apartment has those cheap baseboard heaters. What do I need to do to clean them? Can I replace those elements inside them? Who knows how old these are.
Thanks for the ideas.

Hey drwkids, i imagine the baseboards could probably just be vacuumed out and check that the fins arent all mangled and bent. As far as the plugs and switches go you can buy foam "gaskets" for them that fit behind the cover plates and help to seal out drafts. If you are thinking about stuffing insulation or something around the boxes i would suggest turning off the power or at least using something non-conductive like a popsicle stick or a paint stir stick. For obvious reasons screw drivers and butter knives, although effective, should only be used after confirmation that the power is off

Hey drwkids, i imagine the baseboards could probably just be vacuumed out and check that the fins arent all mangled and bent. As far as the plugs and switches go you can buy foam "gaskets" for them that fit behind the cover plates and help to seal out drafts. If you are thinking about stuffing insulation or something around the boxes i would suggest turning off the power or at least using something non-conductive like a popsicle stick or a paint stir stick. For obvious reasons screw drivers and butter knives, although effective, should only be used after confirmation that the power is off

Yes. 100% correct.

I'd just add that the actual boxes for the receptacles can be bought that are already insulated. Not just a gasket as an air barrier but they will have a foam casing to help act as a thermal barrier. I'd still jam insulation around them if there is none present in the wall system by the existing boxes. Cant hurt to have more insulation. As WB said, make sure the power is off and if your hesitant to do this yourself make sure you get someone who is experienced in handling this kind of stuff and can rewire the receptacles, etc.

Also, if the fins are old and bent, see if you can pry them back off each other. Its more efficient that way then if they are smushed up against each other. Just double check to make sure they are electric and not hot water. sometimes you can get hot water running in a similar type of baseboard heater and there are a number of condo's like that in KW. Either way vaccuum them off and your set.

I am getting my well upgraded to have the extension , so will be looking again at this idea