Sorry to ask such a rudimentary question."
Now... I don't advise this if you are in an earthquake prone area, but I don't use plastic - I use glass. I buy apple cider in the one gallon glass jugs. Once the apple cider is gone, I wash out the jugs well and then disinfect them. I let them dry. I then fill them with water at a temperature just below boiling (mine comes out of the water heater at 200 degrees, so I use that.) This use of hot water causes the seal on the lid to reseal, and as the water cools, it pulls a vacuum and keeps the water even better sealed.
I tested this system of storage over a 10 year period... Upon opening the jug, I found the water to be just as tasty as the day I bottled it. I find the benefits of the glass jugs far outweigh the risks of an earthquake in my area.
It is important that if you are going to use plastic containers of any type that you do not place them on a concrete surface for storage. I'm not a chemist, but one here on FR did acknowledge that the make-up of concrete can have a detrimental effect upon plastic that causes it to break down over time and possibly contaminate your water. We came up with the idea of placing the plastic jugs on a wooden palate, a section of carpet, or a wooden shelf as a way of preventing this loss...
Oops - when the Northridge quake threw everything around, the trash cans got knocked around, the jugs all split and the paper goods became worthless.
“I then fill them with water at a temperature just below boiling (mine comes out of the water heater at 200 degrees, so I use that.) This use of hot water causes the seal on the lid to reseal, and as the water cools, it pulls a vacuum and keeps the water even better sealed.”
Reminds me of how the ladies put up fruit and vegetables in mason jars when I was a kid.
“What we need: More people that can shoot like Tennesseans and fight like Texans!”
How about people that shoot like Mr. Magoo and fight like the Pillsbury Dough Boy?