How long you can store your tap water and it still be safe to drink will depend on how and where you store it… the better sealed, better (higher grade/quality) of storage container, the longer your water will stay “fresh.” Also keeping it in a cool dark space that maintains a pretty consistent temperature will help it maintain longer. You absolutely want to avoid the single use bottles as a storage method, and any water you keep in your car you want to change out regularly as it will be subject to high heats and extremely varying temperatures. I imagine that your home filter will be fine for properly stored water, but I would check the stats of your specific system before using it beyond that. That being said, there are many great portable water filters out there, I personally like the Sawyer Mini due to it’s excellent filtration ability, compact size, ease of use, compatibility (it can be screwed onto many basic readily available bottles and even connected to Camelbak and other hydration bladders) durability, and it’s inexpensive usually found between $20-$30.

This thread reminds me that one should make it a top priority to include a reliable and portable means to boil water as part of any disaster prep kit. There are many effective and affordable options to do so. A time proven Coleman type camp stove that runs on the disposable 16 oz. propane canisters is a good option for most folks. The propane fuel has an indefinite shelf life, it is simple and clean to use, and can be used indoors as well as outside–so long as it is only used for relatively short durations and placed near a slightly open window to allow fresh air in.

I think the 3 to 6 month estimate is a bit on the overly cautious side to be honest. Household bleach, if stored in a fairly mild temperature environment, and protected from direct sunlight, should last a year before it begins to lose its disinfecting properties. Secondly, after this one year, the bleach will not suddenly lose ALL of its disinfectant capability, but rather simply BEGIN to lose its ability. So bleach over a year old can still kill germs, it might just require larger amounts to do so than when it was fresh.

If properly sanitized, your pool water should be fine, except that you will have to use a pre-filtration product/ first stage filter to make sure that you get all of the dirt and leaves etc. and possible mosquito larva out from this water. If you have a salt water pool, you will need to use alternative methods to make this suitable for drinking.I actually use my pool water to wash/bathe and flush toilets. It is a good It is a good water source when you don’t need basically sterile water/sterilized water, but if you filter it properly before adding bleach or chemical water sterilization tabs it would be fine. I personally would not use it for drinking unless there was absolutely no other way of getting drinking water. It would all depend on what you use as sterilization/chlorination/bromination for the pool on a routine basis.

I am a physician, and worked as a biochemist prior to Med school. Bleach is bleach. Sodium hypochlorite. As long as the chemical percentage is the same, volume per volume, even “dollar store “ / any generic brand will do. I store my water each year in 5 gallon water jugs. I put city water in it then cover with a blue nitrile glove, rubber banded to the neck of the bottle. Since I live in a hurricane-prone area, I fill my bottles in June and label with the date. I leave it there through hurricane season (end of November), but keep it that way until the next June. This way if a boil water order is issued due to broken water mains, I use this water, but may or my not add a few drops of bleach. When June comes around again, water bottles are emptied, sanitized and the process is now begun again.