# Canning Water



## JustMe2 (Mar 8, 2011)

Ok, I have another question for the pros! :help:
Has anyone heard of canning water? I stumbled across a website that was talking about this, but further research is just making the decision on whether or not I want to do this, more difficult for me. And I can't find answers for my questions regarding this. 
Are they using tap water, filtered water, some other kind of water??? 
I do more research, some were saying the water was safe to use for brushing teeth or for sterilizing cuts, etc. others were saying it was safe enough to drink without using bleach.
Has anyone done this or is doing this? I would love some input!

Thanks!


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## OH Boy (Dec 22, 2010)

I recall seeing a few posts about this subject. If I remember, they were just putting jars of water in the canner when they did not have a full load of jars of green beans or corn or whatever. The water is sterilized when it goes through the canning process so it should be shelf stable and not need any bleach or other sanitizer. I think the posters were using city tap water or water from their wells. The idea was just to have a small supply of clean water on hand in case some sort of emergency made their usual water supply unavailable or unusable.


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## JustMe2 (Mar 8, 2011)

Oh ok, so it would be safe to drink.
Thanks so much!


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## BlackFeather (Jun 17, 2014)

My jars are too valuable for food to just store water. You can can it if you want, I would prefer a ceramic water filter and filter water as you need it instead of canning. Just for information purposes, I have heard of cold canning water, fill jar with water add ice cubes and seal. when Ice cubes melt and become water they take up less space and they create a slight vacuum to seal the jar. Water wouldn't be sterilized though.


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## cfuhrer (Jun 11, 2013)

If I were going to can water I would probably use the same process as when I vacuum sealed it. Filter tap water through the britta and then boil it too.

Probably overkill but I'd rather not find out I under did it at a most inopportune time.


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## mtviolet (Jan 17, 2012)

When I have an empty spot or two in a canner I will fill jars with water and put a saved, used lid on it. That way the filled jars don't rattle around as much. if the jars of water seal then I put them in the storage area, until I need a jar, or if they don't seal I am not out anything. I figure I have to store empty jars anyway, so why not have a few with water in them? Not costing me anything, and when I need a jar it is not a major crisis to empty one.


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## TerriLynn (Oct 10, 2009)

I can water. I hate to use up valuable canning jars to do it though, so what I have been doing is saving glass jars that other things come in, such as pickles, spaghetti sauce, beans....etc. Any glass jar with a metal screw on lid. I even have my friends save their jars for me.

I wash the jars and fill them with my own well water, then process in a boiling water bath for 10 min. In most cases the jars will seal, I've only had a couple that didn't. I have even done a couple 1 gallon glass pickle jars and they sealed too!


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Canning water is also a good way to figure out your canner. I feel awful when I hear of people that are afraid of canning. Takeing the "food" out of the first time, takes the pressure off a person so they can just master the process.


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## Janis R (Jun 27, 2013)

I use empty canning jars with the used lids to "can" water but I just fill with water, drop of bleach and put on the shelf.
The way I figure it an empty jar takes up as much space as a full one, the jar has sterilized water. Also having water in the jar helps keep the jar from getting dirty on the inside and I don't have to scrub the jars before using again.


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## mosepijo (Oct 21, 2008)

I have a water distiller that I use all the time. I just set a half gallon canning jar under it to catch the water. When it gets full, the jar is too hot to handle, so I put a canning lid on. It seals and that's the way it is stored. I know it's really not canned. No processing or anything. We are off the grid now and still drinking the jars of water. About 3 years old and still tastes like good distilled water.


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## TerriLynn (Oct 10, 2009)

mosepijo said:


> I have a water distiller that I use all the time. I just set a half gallon canning jar under it to catch the water. When it gets full, the jar is too hot to handle, so I put a canning lid on. It seals and that's the way it is stored. I know it's really not canned. No processing or anything. We are off the grid now and still drinking the jars of water. About 3 years old and still tastes like good distilled water.


you want to be careful with drinking distilled water exclusively. I read that since there are no minerals in the water it can leach them out of your body if that is you only water source for an extended period of time.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

I think that is an old wive's tale. 
Most stuff I've seen says it's not true, however on a few sites that are hawking filters, they will agree with it....


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## mosepijo (Oct 21, 2008)

TerriLynn said:


> you want to be careful with drinking distilled water exclusively. I read that since there are no minerals in the water it can leach them out of your body if that is you only water source for an extended period of time.


40 years now on distilled water. I have read recently that it is fine. Can't be any worse than city water with all the added chemicals.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

This is a great idea for having sterilized water on hand to irrigate wounds with. Think I'll have to throw a few jars in the PC next time I can!


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## Melesine (Jan 17, 2012)

7thswan said:


> Canning water is also a good way to figure out your canner. I feel awful when I hear of people that are afraid of canning. Takeing the "food" out of the first time, takes the pressure off a person so they can just master the process.


That is what I did the first time I pressure canned. I did a run with water in the jars.


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## cfuhrer (Jun 11, 2013)

mosepijo said:


> I have a water distiller that I use all the time. I just set a half gallon canning jar under it to catch the water. When it gets full, the jar is too hot to handle, so I put a canning lid on. It seals and that's the way it is stored. I know it's really not canned. No processing or anything. We are off the grid now and still drinking the jars of water. About 3 years old and still tastes like good distilled water.


Would you mind sharing some information about your distiller?
Make, model, capacity, etc.


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## mosepijo (Oct 21, 2008)

Aqua clean stainless steel countertop distiller. I put about 1-1/2 gallons of water in an it puts out about 3/4 of a gallon. After drinking it for so long, it's hard to drink any other water.
I would have to dig it out for the model number. (We just moved and am now off the grid) Now just using a Berkey water filter but I did buy a distiller that sits on top of the wood stove. There is one just like my other one on eBay right now for $150 (I paid $8 for mine in a yard sale)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/AQUA-CLEAN-...778?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d25bf297a


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## cfuhrer (Jun 11, 2013)

mosepijo said:


> Aqua clean stainless steel countertop distiller. I put about 1-1/2 gallons of water in an it puts out about 3/4 of a gallon. After drinking it for so long, it's hard to drink any other water.
> I would have to dig it out for the model number. (We just moved and am now off the grid) Now just using a Berkey water filter but I did buy a distiller that sits on top of the wood stove. There is one just like my other one on eBay right now for $150 (I paid $8 for mine in a yard sale)
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/AQUA-CLEAN-...778?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d25bf297a


Many thanks!


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## kully (Feb 19, 2008)

I hate to have only 6 jars filled and waste the extra canning space so I fill one of my glass mayo jars with water and can it. I don't want to use one of my good canning jars, but I have a ton of the mayo jars. I bought them at yard sales when all the companies began going to plastic jars. I have used mayo jars to do regular canning tho, and have always had them seal properly. Mostly I use them to store things dry like rice and beans.-----The last time I counted there were 8 jars of sterilized water in the pantry.


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## halfpint (Jan 24, 2005)

I can water when I have extra space, but I use old lids. I've never had a lid not seal though, and some of them have been reused several times. I primarily use the water for medical needs or rinsing off kefir.

Dawn


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