Since we've had a slew of water threads today, I thought I'd continue.

What would be the shelf life be of water no longer in a factory sealed container? For instance, if you took a Nalgene or even a Poland Springs bottle, filled it with tap water or store bought water (or mostly filled it, if expansion from freezing was a concern), and put it in your preps, either in a house or a vehicle? How long could you expect the water to stay "good" under normal or even widely varying climates?

Store bought water has expiration life of about 2 years that the manufacturer guarantees safe levels of bacteria.
I have read many government recommendations that if you store non-bought water in your house, you have to replace it every six month.

Doesn't that life decrease if the water is un-capped or re-packaged though?

Of course, the water has to be sealed, so bacteria doesn't get in.

That was my original question, what the shelf life is of non-factory sealed containers.

It varies greatly with the quality of the water placed in it.. For the most part, most folks hint at 6 months with a shot of bleach.. In regards to the 2 years manufacturing, I think it was just a fed requirement.. It does not make the water unsafe to drink.. At least that is my belief.

I also think the experation date is more of a legal requirement than an indicator of shelf life. Assuming you start out with purified, bacteria free water, stored under normal condition (no sunlight, no extreme temperature cycles), I think the shelf life would be a lot longer than what is written on the bottle. I would almost say it's indefinite, or at least as long as shelf life of the container. It may taste funny or flat, but it will still be safe to drink. I've had bottles in my car for over 2 years, going through many heating/cooling cycles, with no problems.

Water that's been purified and refilled at home is a different story though. I don't think it's possible to get the water or container as sterile as from the factory, there's always a chance for a little bit of contamination. In an emergency, I'd probably still drink it, but I doubt it would last as long as factory sealed water. It might be still be safe to drink, but I know it will start to smell and taste funny a lot sooner.

With all the options for store bought water, why would you want to refill a container for long term storage?

I once got a bunch of canned water, provided by a nationallly known beer manufacurer, at a federal emergency. Six pack of white painted "beer" cans, full of drinking water. I stuck some in a nice cool spot and kinda forgot about them. Within a year or so they had all exploded...

As far as I understand, if one takes an empty clean container and fills it up with tap water, the shelf-life is somewhere in the vicinity of 6 month.
This will most likely vary depending on storing conditions/environment. I.e., if its hot - water will go bad faster, if cold - slower.
One way to remedy this situation is to use Water Preserver . It can keep water bacteriologically safe for a very long time without the need for change. Actually only rated for 5 years, but it was tested for as long as 8 years or longer.

1 gallon Crystal Geiser water jugs are $.78 and that is good spring water to drink around the house.

Buy 10 to 20 and rotate through your supply EVERY month.

This of course doesn't work if your storing 50gallon drums but the chat seems to be about "bottled".