FAQ page
What makes Ready H2O stand out in the emergency preparedness water market is our commitment to ZERO bacteria every time, not something all our competitors can say.
We use a full 5-15-day heterotrophic (HPC) test for bacteria in Ready H2O emergency water, since we believe that slow-growing and dormant bacteria can fly under the radar for the first 48 hours of standard incubation. Even though Heterotrophic bacteria does not pose any health risks to the population at large, it is an indicator for water management criteria. All packaged water sold to the public must pass safety and purity testing. Yet the presence of higher levels of heterotrophic bacteria could be an indication of other problems in the water.
Since your emergency drinking water might sit on the shelf for decades, Ready H2O takes NO chances.
The Short Answer: 20 years
Unfortunately, because the FDA and USDA currently do not regulate long-term shelf-life claims, several companies in our industry are making promises they cannot fulfill. The fact is that if your water is bacteria free and the packaging on the outside can endure the stresses of time, your water can't go bad.
Just look at the water packaged in soldered tin (not steel or aluminum) cans that were dipped in enamel during World War II. Because the water was pressure cooked in the can (killing all the bacteria), and the can was seamless (bacteria couldn't get back into the water), the water is still bacteria free and good to drink even 50-70 years later.
Because we are bacteria free and our bottles don't allow bacteria to re-enter the water while in storage, we offer a 20-year guarantee that your Ready H2O water will remain pure and secure. We're also most likely the ONLY emergency water in the industry to pass an accelerated 20-year study where our bottled water was subjected to high levels of stress for lengthy periods of time and still came out strong. Each bottle is date stamped to help you know when it was made.
The Short Answer: HDPE is tough and food grade and keeps the water safe for long periods of time.
THERE ARE A VARIETY OF REASONS! Here are a few…
Longest Lasting
Thick HDPE bottles are superior to pouches, cans, and boxes—they won't tear, bend, or crush and leak. Instead, HDPE bottles can expand and contract with temperature changes, resist degradation, and can be stored for over 100 years without breaking down. Additionally, once the product inside is consumed, HDPE bottles can be recycled repeatedly.
Thick-Skinned
This isn’t weakling packaging! It’s thick and sturdy and because of that you can preserve your water from the Water Vapor Transmission Rate (WVTR) which occurs with store-bought bottled water or even aluminum pop cans where the seals can go bad from a little bumping or bending. For example, if you leave store-bought bottled water on a shelf for a long time, the water can evaporate through the pores of the bottle or the lid, gradually decreasing your water supply. Similarly, with pop cans, the carbon dioxide or nitrogen gas inside creates internal pressure, causing the water to evaporate over time through bent seams or small holes that may develop in the thin, unstable tops.
FDA Approved
HDPE is one of the safest plastics and is FDA approved for potable water. Because of its high-density nature, you don’t have the plastic chemicals leaching into the water like you would from a cheap plastic. That’s why HDPE is used for long-term water-storage tanks, such as those 55-gallon storage drums we’re familiar with.
Doesn’t Rust
This almost goes without saying, but if you leave a steel can of water out long enough it can rust from the outside in and from the inside out. All it takes is for water to work itself into the seams of a metal can over time, and eventually the water seeps out.
Less Weak Points
The more seams, the more weak points, and the more chances of your water escaping over time or becoming contaminated. For example… A metal can has seams at the bottom (a very bad place for a seam!) and on the top. An aluminum pop can has seams around the top edge and a thin, weak, breakable indentation where it pops open. But, thick HDPE plastic bottles are seamless. There is only a hole at the top that is sealed by induction and then a tight lid keeps it all in place for decades without the unnecessary worry that water will eventually “seep” out of broken seams or weak points, like you find with pop cans.
Aluminum Free
There is a lot of debate on the internet about how unsafe aluminum may be in deodorant, cooking utensils, and even soda cans. Some people claim that Alzheimer's may even be linked to all the aluminum we are exposed to these days.
Waterproof
Because of the thickness and the density of the HDPE (“High-Density” Polyethylene), water doesn’t get out and water doesn’t get in!! Try soaking a can in water over time (especially salt water), and see what happens (not a good thing!). Being waterproof means that your emergency water is protected from the corroding effects of basement flooding or even something as simple as humidity in the air.
BPA Free
Yes, importantly, it’s BPA Free.
No Denting
When deciding how to package Ready H2O, we consulted with some of the largest and most reputable packaging manufacturers worldwide. We learned that to ensure the safety of our water, we needed a container that could withstand drops or be stored in an emergency kit without being compromised. Although we considered cans, we were advised that the seams on cans can easily bend, leading to rust in metal cans and evaporation from aluminum cans. Given the unpredictability of emergency situations, we realized that even a small dent could ruin your water supply, which is critical for survival. In contrast, dents are not an issue with the sturdy HDPE bottles used for Ready H2O.
Doesn’t Tear
Thick HDPE plastic doesn’t tear, so it is safer to put in a 72-hour kit or let it roll around in a trunk or anything else. These bottles are tough!
Reusable in Emergency Situations
One great feature of our HDPE bottles is that each comes with a reusable cap. This means that in an emergency, Ready H2O bottles can be reused repeatedly, serving as a canteen that you can drink from and refill as needed. In fact, our bottles are made from the same materials used by the U.S. military for their canteens, making Ready H2O truly unique in the prepackaged emergency water market.
Recyclable
HDPE plastics are one of the most recycled plastics in the world and can be used and reused again. Did you know that even your store-bought gallons of milk are made from HDPE?
It Can Float!
This is a big plus for emergency water, because your precious water supply is protected against flooding, rivers, lakes, or oceans. Emergency water that floats means an extra level of security in a variety of emergency situations and a great backup water supply for the U.S. Coast Guard and the Navy as they travel in the open waters.
The Short Answer: Yes. Lifetime for manufacturing defects.
Ready H2O provides a 20-year warranty from the date of manufacture, ensuring the drinkability of your water according to government standards as verified by an FDA-certified lab. We also cover any manufacturing defects in the materials and workmanship of the Ready H2O Water packaging.
We don't cover problems because of improper transportation or storage conditions, such as allowing the water to freeze (ice may form and damage the protection seals) and/or if the product is stored near chemicals, sharp objects, or other hazards that may compromise the integrity of Ready H2O bottles and the water inside.
In the event the water, in its original container, is determined undrinkable by an FDA Certified laboratory, Ready H2O will replace, upon request, the entire batch of unopened water in the possession of the customer with drinkable water of equal or greater value.
First of all, our bottles are BPA free, but also HDPE is known as one of the safest plastics for food and beverages in the world. It's made of Type 2 plastic which neither contains bisphenol A nor phthalates. It is not known to contain any other harmful chemicals as well. It's the same plastic used to make the big blue 55 gallon drums preppers use all over the world to store their water in and the same plastic the U.S. military uses with their canteens. Yet, just like any other emergency storage water (including 55-gallon drums and canteens), don't store your bottles directly on concrete or near dangerous chemicals or fumes to avoid leaching and deterioration.
The Short Answer: They aren’t as reliable for long term storage of water.
Both steel and aluminum cans are not made to last through the unpredictability of emergency situations. Steel cans rust from the inside out and the outside in and have seams on the bottom of the can where the water is most likely to leak out over time. Plus, if you bump or dent any of the seams, you weaken the integrity of the can, and you may compromise your emergency water without even knowing it.
Aluminum soda cans fortunately don't have seams at the bottom, but their biggest weak point is how thin the can is and how weak the seams on the lid are. Soda manufactures have spent years finding and developing the thinnest, cheapest way of putting their drinks into a can, so they can maximize profit - that is the aluminum soda can. If these manufacturers were concerned about longevity, they would still be canning in tin cans like they used to during World War II or in thick HDPE plastic like we do, but that gets way too expensive and would cut into their profits.
Additionally, the tops of both steel and soda cans, where you drink from, are exposed to dangerous toxins, chemicals, and particulates in the air during emergencies. Furthermore, when soda cans are opened, the lid often goes downward into the can, potentially pushing these contaminants into the water. Drinking from such cans can lead to diarrhea or vomiting, causing dehydration faster than you can rehydrate. In contrast, a good, pre-packaged emergency water uses lids or other methods to protect the drinking area where the mouth comes in contact with the container.
Another thing to consider is that the seams and pop tops of soda cans are weak points. Soda cans sometimes "pop" open over time simply from heat and cold shifts. Also, the CO2 or Nitrogen inside the can may even cause the thin seams of the can to expand over time because of all the pressure. It's not uncommon to hear about soda cans that sometimes lose their pressure over just a few years of storage.
The Short Answer: Like water, of course!
Ready H2O has a pure, clean taste. However, like any water that sits on a shelf for several years, the dissolved oxygen might separate out. If this happens, simply pour a little water out and shake the bottle vigorously for a minute to reintroduce oxygen, making the water taste fresher.
Additionally, because HDPE plastic is the safest and most durable way to keep water bacteria-free for 20 or more years, the water might develop a slight canteen taste if left in the heat, similar to military canteens. The water is still safe to drink, and more importantly, it remains bacteria-free, which is crucial for survival in an emergency. We like to store powdered drinks along with our emergency drinking water like Kool-Aid or Lemonade to help our water storage taste good and provide sugars the body needs.
The rule for emergency water storage is to have at least 1 gallon per day, per person. That’s the bare minimum for survival. More is always better. That’s to make sure you have enough water for drinking, cooking, bathing, cleaning, sanitation, and first aid. When it comes to drinking water though, you should have at least 32 ounces of water per day, per person. That’s why Ready H2O Emergency Drinking Water contains at least 32 ounces of life-sustaining water inside each bottle.
The beautiful thing about our bottles is that they can expand or contract in the heat or the cold and they go right back to where they were before. We've put our bottles through numerous stress tests, including freezing, and though most of the bottles remain completely sealed after thawing, there were a few that formed micro holes in the induction seams. So, we recommend NOT freezing the bottles, just in case. Store in a location that never goes below 33 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Short Answer: Absolutely yes!
Because our water is bacteria free, it can even reach temperatures of up to 130F. Heat tends to incubate bacterial growth, and since we don't have bacteria in our water to start with, the heat doesn't affect the safety of Ready H2O water. There have been some instances where Ready H2O was left in the heat, and there was a little bit of a canteen taste, just like you get with military canteens, but the water remains completely safe to drink and will sustain you in an emergency situation without problems. And, since our bottles are tough and secure and flexible, you don't have to worry about the bulging and leaking that happens that heat creates with other emergency water in the market. Shake the bottle to put more oxygen in the water and it will taste fresher.
Yes! 100% recyclable. In fact, HDPE is the most recycled plastic on the planet and easy to re-purpose in an emergency (just type "hdpe projects" into YouTube for a number of do-it-yourself projects). And yes, please do reuse, recycle, and if needed, re-purpose!