Water has an unlimited shelf life it might go flat and need to be aerated, but it’s still good.
A solar set-up would be your best bet, but as you say it’s expensive.
Expensive and stationary. One of the things I’m counting on if the SHTF in the spring or summer are fires, purposely or accidentally set with no means of fighting them.
If you’re planning on disinfecting your water with bleach,,,,,, I’ve been in the water biz for almost 30 years. Public water supply. We use Sodium HyperChlorite to disinfect the water. SHCL is bleach. The stuff we use is the same as pool shock, 12.5%. Household bleach is 6,25%. It’s important to know that SHCL/bleach starts to deteriorate the instant it’s created. It must be stored in a cool, dark place, and that still won’t stop it’s degradation, only slow it down! Studies have shown that, by the time a home consumer buys bleach at the store, it may have dropped to 3%. So,,,, don’t store bleach for too long, and count on it’s effectiveness. Buy a color wheel chlorine tester. Cheap! It will tell you when the water has been safely disinfected. Me? I keep the “pool shock” strength stuff around. The crystalized product might be even better, as you could make you own fresh SHCL whenever you needed it. I’m not sure about that, as I’m a potable water guy, not a pool boy!
Water doesn’t go bad but the containers its stored in do. Depending on the container they can break down and contaminate the water. Likewise stored water is heavy and space intensive.
The basic act of using the water can introduce bacteria and other contaminates which will make it unsafe to drink.
Message to Solyndra: when your b0ss crashes the economy, the market will demand an 1800W portable solar generator for under $500, to run wells.
Seriously, anyone know of any?