Milk jugs are the worst. The plastic they're made from deteriorates quite rapidly.

If you're using clean tap water or bottled water, you shouldn't have to put bleach into it.

I don't know about the freezing, though... It's going to freeze, sooner or later, depending on exterior conditions. We had a discussion some months ago about insulation just slowing down the freezing, even with insulation. The cold gets to it, no matter what you do, even if you buried it in a rolled-up sleeping bag.

People with more experience with extreme cold will have to chime in. Nebraska..... brrrrrrrrrr!

Sue