Boil Water Advisory: How to Use Water Safely
Water Safety
Boiling and storing water during a boil water advisory
Making tap water safe to drink
During a boil water advisory, you need to boil your tap water before it’s safe to drink it, use it, or store it. Boiling kills harmful germs that might be in the water.
Follow these steps:
1.Fill a pot or kettle with tap water and heat it on the stove until it reaches a full boil.
2.Let the water boil for 1 minute.
3.Turn off the heat and let the water cool. Then pour the water into a clean, disinfected container.
If the water tastes fl at, leave space for air in the container and shake it well a few times. This will add air to the water, which will make it taste better.
Choosing the right containers
Store safe water in containers that are clean, disinfected (see below for how to disinfect containers), and made of food-grade plastic. Make sure they’re airtight and sturdy.
You can buy containers at department or camping supply stores, or use clean, disinfected 2-litre pop bottles with tight-fitting screw caps.
If you’re storing a lot of water (for example, in 10-litre or 18-litre water containers), make sure everyone in your home can lift the full containers. One litre of water weighs about 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds).
The following containers are not right for storing water:
containers that held chemicals such as bleach or laundry detergent
milk or juice containers made of plastic or cardboard
Cleaning and disinfecting containers
Follow these steps to clean and disinfect water storage containers:
1.Wash out the storage containers with hot, soapy tap water and rinse them.
2.Mix 5 millilitres (1 teaspoon) of unscented liquid, chlorine bleach (5.25%) with 1 litre of safe water(boiled or bottled water). Don’t use bleach that is scented, colour-safe, or includes added cleansers.
3.Pour the bleach and water mixture into the container. Close the container and shake it well for 30seconds.
4.Pour out the mixture and rinse the container with safe water.
Storing water
Store water in a cool, dark place. Put the containers or bottles in dark, plastic bags to keep the light out.
You can store boiled water in well-sealed containers for 6 months. Write the fi ll date on the containers so you know when to refi ll them. Store at least a 3-day supply of 5 litres of water per day for each person or pet in your home—that’s 15 litres of stored water for each person or pet.
Store-bought bottled water is safe to keep for 1 year in the original, sealed container. Check the expiry date before you use bottled water.
More information
Learn more about safety during a boil water advisory from Alberta Health Services
Environmental Public Health
.
Using water at home during a boil water advisory
When there’s a boil water advisory, your tap water isn’t safe to drink or use as usual. The following information tells you how to be careful with water during an advisory and what to do when the advisory ends. See
Boiling and storing water
to learn how to make your water safe to drink.
Drinking water and preparing food
During a boil water advisory, take these precautions:
Don’t use tap water for drinking, preparing food (including washing vegetables and cooking rice),making juice, or preparing baby formula.
Don’t use any ice, filtered water, drinks, or food that was made with tap water. Throw it all away.
Don’t use a home water filter to try to make your water safe. Home water filters can’t safely treat contaminated water.
Don’t give your pets tap water to drink.
Don’t use tap water for a pod-style coffee maker.
Use a drip coffee maker
only
if it heats water to high temperatures.
Cleaning surfaces and washing dishes
During a boil water advisory, any surfaces that touch food—such as counters, dishes, and cutting boards—must be washed with soap and water, rinsed, and then sanitized.
To sanitize counters after you wash them, add 5 millilitres (1 teaspoon) of unscented liquid chlorine bleach (5.25%) to 1 litre of bottled or cooled boiled water. Use the mixture to spray or wipe the counter.
To sanitize dishes after washing them:
1.
Add 10 millilitres (2 teaspoons) of liquid unscented chlorine bleach (5.25%) to 5 litres of tap water in an empty sink. Don’t add soap.
2.
Soak the dishes for 2 minutes.
3.
Take the dishes out of the sink and let them air dry.
It’s safe to use tap water for laundry and cleaning surfaces that don’t touch food, such as walls or floors. It’s also safe to use a dishwasher on either the high-heat setting or the sanitize cycle.
Bathing and cleaning your body
Here’s what to know about bathing and cleaning yourself during a boil water advisory:
Don’t use tap water to brush your teeth—use bottled water or boiled water instead.
You can use tap water to shower and bathe. Watch small children closely to make sure they don’t drink the water. But
don’t
use tap water to fi ll a wading pool, play areas, or water play tables.
You can use tap water to wash your hands. Always use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol after you wash your hands with soap and tap water.
Taking precautions after the advisory ends
Here’s how to flush, clean, and sanitize areas that have contact with water after the boil water advisory ends:
Turn on all taps and flush water lines for at least 5 minutes (10 minutes if you live in an apartment building).
Read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for flushing, cleaning, and sanitizing cisterns(containers that store drinking water), water filters, and ice and water dispensers.
Drain and refill hot-water tanks that are set below 45ºC.
Run water softeners through a regeneration cycle. Follow the instructions from the manufacturer.
More information
Learn more about safety during a boil water advisory from Alberta Health Services
Environmental Public Health
.
Disinfecting and flushing RV water systems during a boil water advisory
If you’re camping or using a recreational outdoor area during a boil water advisory, it’s important to know what to do.
The following is general information about how to safely disinfect and fl ush out RV water tanks and systems during a boil water advisory.
If you’re in the backcountry or you can’t boil your water, learn other ways to make your drinking water safe:
Drinking Water in the Backcountry
How to make your drinking water safe when you can’t boil it
Disinfecting and flushing RV water tanks and systems
If your recreational vehicle (RV) is fi lled with water that’s unsafe, you need to disinfect and flush the water system. You may also want to do this for other reasons:
The water from the RV water system smells stale.
The RV has been sitting for a month or more and the water system has not been used.
It’s important to follow the owner’s manual for disinfecting RV water storage tanks and for fl ushing the RV water system. If you don’t have the owner’s manual, then follow the steps below.
Disinfecting RV water storage tanks
1.Remove any internal or external water filters.
2.Drain all the water out of the water storage tank, water lines, and the water heater, then close all of the drain valves.
Caution:
Never drain the water heater when it’s hot or under pressure.
3.Find out the size of your water storage tank (in litres).
4.Figure out how much unscented liquid bleach (5.25%) you’ll need. For every 250 litres of water yourstorage tank can hold, use 250 millilitres of bleach.
5.Mix the amount of bleach you need into 5 to 10 litres of water fi rst. Then use a clean funnel to pourthis solution into the RV water storage tank.
6.If there’s a bypass for the water heater, set it to normal use so the water heater will be disinfected.
7.Fill the RV water storage tank as full as you can with fresh water that’s safe to drink.8.
Turn on the pump. Run all hot and cold water taps one at a time for a few minutes until you smell thebleach, then close the tap.
9.Top up the RV water storage tank with water that’s safe to drink.
10.Let the bleach water sit in the water storage tank and plumbing system for at least 6 hours (overnight is better).
11.After 6 hours (or in the morning), drain the bleach water using the taps into the grey and black wastewater tanks.
Caution:
Highly bleached water is not safe for drinking and is not good for pets. It will cause problems if drained directly into septic fi elds or into surface water. Always drain this water into grey and black wastewater tanks.
12.Fill the water storage tank again with fresh water that is safe to drink, and drain the tank using the taps to fl ush out any leftover bleach.
13.Install new internal or external water filters.
Flushing RV water systems
Some RVs don’t have a water storage tank, but they have a direct connection hookup to a water supply.Here’s how to fl ush this type of RV water system:
Current as of:
July 6, 2022
Author:
Environmental Public Health, Alberta Health Services
This material is not a substitute for the advice of a qualifi ed health professional. This material is intended for general information only and is provided on an “as is”, “where is” basis. Althoughreasonable efforts were made to confi rm the accuracy of the information, Alberta Health Services does not make any representation or warranty, express, implied or statutory, as to the accuracy,reliability, completeness, applicability or fi tness for a particular purpose of such information. Alberta Health Services expressly disclaims all liability for the use of these materials, and for anyclaims, actions, demands or suits arising from such use.
1.Remove any internal or external water fi lters.
2.Drain the water heater.
Caution:
Never drain the water heater when it’s hot or under pressure.
3.Connect the RV directly to a chlorinated town-water supply that’s not under a boil water advisory.
4.Run the hot and cold water taps that are the furthest away from the direct connection hookup. Letthe water run for 5 minutes.
5.Flush all other taps for 5 minutes.6.
Install new internal or external water fi lters.
More information
Learn more about safety during a boil water advisory from Alberta Health Services
Environmental PublicHealth
.
