What are people out there using for their espresso machine drain basins when they can't connect to the drain in their home? I see several people use the 5 gallon water containers, but I was hoping to find something a little smaller/shorter. Can I safely use any 2-3 gallon water jug from Amazon? Do I need to worry about the 200° water that will be entering these containers or will it not be an issue due to cooling in the drain hose and the cooler water that will already be in the container?

Glass growler would work if you want it much smaller

Most polymer items contain a recycling symbol, so you can determine what was used to make containers. Some polymers would certainly work well. I suspect low density polyethylene might not be a good choice, because it melts not too much above the boiling point of water, around 110C. High density polyethylene, especially with a sturdy and thick enough container would probably be a fairly good choice. The usual stuff melts around 125C, maybe a bit higher. Polyethylene is cheap and does not react with most things. There are other choices, you can look up properties in reference books, and the Internet.

I boil water in 1 gallon milk cartons with no horrible side effects other than they get soft till they cool off again.

Put small amount of water in milk carton
Heat until water has boiled for 10 seconds, wait till opening is pointing towards door opening
Open and quickly attach cover
Watch milk carton collapse on itself.

Annoys my wife, entertains me, would probably entertain young kids bit I have none to test with. Be careful with kids as the bottle is very hot.

Ira

Cambro polycarbonate food container & lid. Available in a variety of sizes/capacities from most restaurant supply stores, Amazon, eBay.

What kind of jug is that for the fresh water?

Chris,

10-gallon NSF RV water container: http://m.ebay.com/itm/RV-camper-trailer ... ING_ACTIVE

Much more compact form than the previous 2-5 gallon jugs.