Why is my bottled water leaking?

If they're in your garage , my guess is that the heat may have melted a weak spot in the plastic . It melted. I wash out the milk jugs, fill them with water and put them in the freezer in case of a storm . That way nothing in my freezer thaws and if we need water , I can pull one out.

It looks like temperature has taken its' toll on the containers. I think it is safe to say your water is no longer sterile. At least I would not rely on them as a first aid drinking supply. Still probably good in an iron, but I would worry about it as a source of drinking water.

I've had the same problem when storing water in gallon jugs like that in my garage or enclosed porch. Neither of these spaces is temperature controlled, so the water bottles expand & contract with the temp. fluctuations, they crack and they leak. But when I store water in areas that are temperature controlled I don't seem to have that problem. If you don't have a temp. controlled space in which to store the water you would need to find something stronger to store the water than those lightweight plastic bottles, like 30 or 50 gallon food grade barrels. We set them up on concrete blocks and fitted them with water spigots (a new/clean hose can be attached for draining) near the bottom before filling them to make it easier to access the water when needed. Be sure to add chlorine bleach (details below) to prevent anything from growing in the stored water.

Chlorination

You can use household liquid bleach to kill microorganisms. Use only regular household liquid bleach that contains 5.25 to 6.0 percent sodium hypochlorite. Do not use scented bleaches, color safe bleaches or bleaches with added cleaners. Because the potency of bleach diminishes with time, use bleach from a newly opened or unopened bottle.

Add 16 drops (1/8 teaspoon) of bleach per gallon of water, stir and let stand for 30 minutes. The water should have a slight bleach odor.

https://www.ready.gov/managing-water

Thanks! This is very helpful! Especially the part about the bleach. Thanks! 👍🏼

I keep water too, but for earthquake purposes. I have some in each closet in my house and under the bed in the master bedroom. I rotate containers all the time so the water is always fresh. Use the old for watering plants and cooking.

I use old juice bottles and rotate them from time to time. Like every 6 mths. Plus I keep zip lock bags of ice in frezzre along with my water jugs.

Sounds like I need to buy a freezer!