Figured I'd post this in case anyone was interested in knowing what happens to water if you don't put any effort in. I've been storing water off and on for the past 2 years or so, which has come in handy a few times, but due to a sensitivity I was reluctant to add bleach. For a while I maintained rotating, but finally decided to leave it alone and see what happens - I could always filter it just prior to use if needed.
So I took about a dozen glass bottles (I can't stand the plastic taste), filled them with filtered water, placed then under my trailer and promptly forgot about them.
10 months later I'm now assessing the result. Several of them shattered from freezing temperatures. No surprise there. The remaining ones were put through a warm summer, and most of them had a slight layer of green algae at the bottom. The water was very clear.
Two bottles had no visible algae, so I decided to try tasting them. One may have had the slightest possible algae taste if you were looking for it, but didn't taste bad, in fact, I dare say it even tasted cleaner for it. The other one tasted like the day I bottled it. I noticed, when opening the latter bottle, that it had been filled completely to the brim, and wonder if this had anything to do with its success. The ones lacking headspace would have also been those that burst from freezing.
I think I'll do some more fiddling around. I have a few other ideas...
