How long does bottled water last?

G

Gargoyle

Joined
Feb 14, 2004
Messages
14
Now that summer is here I want to keep some bottled water in my Jeep. The water won't be exposed to the light, but the car will be so figure a maximum temperature of 140F. Will normal bottled water or distilled bottled water last 3 months sitting in a car?
 
It depends mostly on the bottle. Polycarbonate bottles will hold up much better than the cheap plastic that bottled water is sold in. Do a test. Buy your water and then use some to fill a polycarbonate bottle. Then put that bottle and a regular plastic bottled water in your car. Check them in a week. I carry water with me and use it up each day and I still go with polycarbonate bottles. They're pretty tough too.
 
If you wrap the bottles in aluminum foil it will stop the growth of algae that might be in the water. Other than that it is just a matter of what chemicals the water leaches out of the plastic containers. If you had a secure place to keep glass bottles it might taste better. You would need to do a real good cleaning job before sealing. As ras says, you could do a test. I guess I would evaluate the results by taste.
 
Gargoyle,bottled water has an expiration date printed on the package.Any I have toted have been good for several months(I usually get spring h2o)Let that be your guide.tom. :cool:
 
As you suspect, the real risk is the heat. Nearly all bottled water contains little critters inside that can thrive in and spoil water above 120 degrees F.

Also, as ras stated, many cheaper polyethylene plastic bottles will react under heat like that and foul the water--thicker polycarbonates (think canteen plastic) will hold up much better.

And as deputy tom writes, look for and abide by the expiration date. If no expiration date, assume 6 months provided the water has not been exposed to the air since bottling (in other words, if you reuse the same bottle, you're exposing the water to air).

So-called "pure" bottled waters will last for 12 months or more--but look for a date.
 
and don't forget.. if you are using it for home survival... it's still usable after filtration and purification.. I have 25 gallons at home.. if they get used tomorrow, or 2 years from now, I'd treat the water first anyway. The fact that you have water stored is the point.
 
i store survival water by distilling it several times, then storing it in sterilized Nalgene containers. (the dark ones)
 
I have drank water from a canteen (as an experiment) that was over a year old with no preservatives of any sort , while it didnt taste the best there was no sickness of any sort.
I think bottled water can store for years and years as long as it is kept out of the light and somewhat airtight.
My rule of thumb would be , smell , look , taste. If all those are ok then drink it.
I dont see how you could get sick from it. If it tastes bland I hear you can shake it up a bit to improve taste.
I have read about people drinking from stagnant pools to avoid dehydration and/or death , if they can do that and live then any bottled water is fine I would think.
 
Start with distilled water. It is the purest you can buy, without buying sterile water.

You might wantt to contact the manufacturer and see what their take is on high temp/time exposure.

Rotate as often as possible.
 
ras said:
Another read from Mercola.com
Click to expand...

blech..good read, i sure as heck never knew about the elaching effects of lex!!!! i should have noted in my post that the nalgenes i use are not the lexan camping ones but the lab grade HDPE....
 
would a good plan be to have water with you that you know you will need to boil before using? Say you want to store it for 6 months or so?
 
blgoode said:
would a good plan be to have water with you that you know you will need to boil before using? Say you want to store it for 6 months or so?
Click to expand...

Actually, This is what I'm currently doing.. I bought bottled water last year during hurricane season, and still have 25 gallons left.. I know the moment I open them I'll need to treat them, either by boiling, or with bleach/iodine tabs..

But It's not nearly as bad as most of the "alternate water sources" that will be full of shingles, debris, runoff, and all the assorted other crap that makes it's way into the water during a hurricane.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top