How Long Will bottled Water Keep?

In principle, it lasts forever. Water is chemically stable.

In practice, it depends on whether it's sterile when you buy it, and on whether the bottle contains any material that will dissolve into the water over time.

My guess is that if you buy a plastic bottle of water today and put it in a closet somewhere, the water will last longer than you will. Which is forever for all you care about.

The issue is the growth of various life forms in the water. If unopened, and stored at a reasonably cool temperature, it should last a couple of years. Once you open it, it's wise to refrigerate it, and not to keep it longer than a few weeks, or else you risk the growth of bacteria, algae, etc.

Depends on what it's stored in and where. Glass is best. Typically, plastic bottles will be stamped with a 2 year shelf life... but that's really more of a guide than an expiration date. When stored in a cool dark place; it can be safely stored for much longer. Ideally, you want to rotate your "hurricane supply" in daily use. This way you'll never have any stored for more than 2 years anyway. Cheaper brands are stored in cheaper containers, so you will detect a flavor difference the longer you keep it.

I find that water can be stored indefinitely if it's mixed with bourbon (5% water/95% bourbon)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1081685/Could-hyperactive-hamster-power-house-All-answers-worlds-pointless-questions-.html

Keep in mind, if it's in a plastic bottle the bottle will degrade over time thus polluting the water. Glass bottles will keep it good forever.

Forever, if u boil it b4 u use it.

If exposed to sunlight the plastic may decompose and release estrogen like components to the water and may affect your long term health.

so that would not be a problem if stored in a cooll dark place?

Does this mean I'll grow tits if I drink the water???

Wrong. The contamination would occur at a slower pace. If you're building a bomb shelter; include ordinary bleach: 8 to 16 drops per gallon (depending on how nasty it looks), then wait 30 minutes and it won't matter how old the water is. Just like in your pool; bleach kills the crap, then rapidly evaporates. Like I said; glass is your friend if you want it to last and remain tasty… and rotation is your best bet with plastic.

For truly long term solutions; pack a shovel and a heavy smooth plastic tarp like a painter might use as well. Then, if you run out of water, dig holes a little smaller than the squares you cut out of the tarp. Place a water receptacle in the middle. Then cover the hole with the tarp, pulling it tight, and secure the border to seal in the air as much as possible. A stone placed on the tarp, directly over the water receptacle, will provide a drain point for your makeshift evaporator. This evaporation system would convert your own piss to tasty water in a pinch.

A more industrious water maker might dig a long trench and hang his plastic towards a gutter in the middle, to collect it in a single spot at one end. Such a system could collect rainwater when it rains, and use solar energy to produce clean evaporated water when it doesn’t.

I stored an unopened 2-litre plastic bottle of Pepsi Clear in my basement back in the early 90's. A couple years ago, I looked at the bottle and found it crumpled to about half size due to evaporation. I didn't try the Taste test. May have been from carbonization, but I'll bet that over a number of years, microscopic evaporation will occur in any plastic bottle.

A quick glance at your avatar tells us what you've been drinking.