The Ancient Art of Using Clay Pots for Water Storage
For thousands of years across many ancient civilizations, clay pots were a commonplace method for storing water. From the Middle East to South Asia to the American Southwest, these unglazed earthenware containers allowed people to have a cool supply of drinking water even in the hottest climates.
The porous nature of clay is key to this traditional water storage method. As water evaporates through the clay pot's surface, it causes the outer surface to become cooler through evaporative cooling. The thicker the clay pot, the more effectively it can keep the inner water reservoir cooled down.
To use a clay pot for water storage, it first needs to be seasoned. This involves allowing the new clay pot to soak in water for a few days until the clay is fully saturated. After this initial soaking period, the pot can be filled with water that will be cooled through the pot's surface evaporation.
Placing the clay pot in a shaded area out of direct sunlight is recommended to minimize overall evaporation and extend the water's freshness. In hot, dry climates, the outer surface can be kept damp by applying a little water every so often. The water reservoir inside the clay pot will stay remarkably cool this way.
Some Southwest Native American cultures would bury these terra cotta pots partway in the ground to take advantage of cooler soil temperatures for enhanced evaporative cooling. Others would wrap the pots in wet cloth orPlace them on a bed of sand kept damp.
Though simple, this ancient clay pot technique allows drinking water to be kept around 10-20 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the ambient outdoor air temperature. It's an efficient, electricity-free way to have a supply of cool, drinkable water using nothing more than the porous, heat-absorbing properties of natural clay.
So while modern refrigeration has made clay pot water coolers largely obsolete today, they represent an ingenious example of humans developing effective low-tech solutions from nature's simple resources. Trying this ancient method can give you a taste of how our ancestors kept hydrated during the ages before air conditioning.
