Which totes can hold water
For irrigation and wash water that never touches food, a rinsed tote with a non-hazardous history is a common choice. For anything near plants you eat from, or an animal's trough, a food-grade-history or new tote is the safer answer. The CDC advises against storing emergency water in containers that held toxic chemicals such as bleach or pesticides, and calls FDA-approved food-grade containers best.
Rainwater has a separate rule: stored rainwater is not for drinking, and openings should be screened against mosquitoes. See catching rain in a tote and the mosquito guide.
| Last contents | Irrigation or wash water | Food-contact water | Animal drinking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food or beverage ingredient | Fine, if rinsed | Only with documented history | Ask a vet or your program first |
| Water or rinse only | Fine | Only with documented history | Not cleared by the grader |
| Non-hazardous chemical | Check the SDS first | No | No |
| Hazardous chemical | No | No | No |
| Unknown | No | No | No |
Sun, algae and covers
A clear or translucent bottle in the desert grows algae, and UV chalks the plastic. Cover the tote or shade it, and keep it off hot ground. The desert sun guide goes through what covers do.
Size, fittings and where it sits
A 275 gallon tote fits through more gates. A 330 gallon tote holds a fifth more on the same pad. Either needs a base on level, firm ground, because a full 330 gallon tote carries more than a ton of water. Use a hose adapter or camlock fitting at the bottom valve; the fittings page covers sizes.
Ask for the last contents in the request and say what the tote will hold. The reply says whether a tote can be matched to that.
Questions people ask
Is it safe to drink water from an IBC tote?
Do not drink stored rainwater. For any other water, a tote needs food-only history or a new bottle, and your own water authority decides what is acceptable.
How much does a full 330 gallon tote weigh?
About 330 gallons of water weighs a little over 2,700 pounds, plus the tote itself. Plan the pad.
Can I keep fish or livestock water in one?
Only from a tote with a clean, documented history. The grader never clears hazardous or unknown totes for animals.
Sources. Last reviewed 2026-11-11.