What to Do in a Boil Water Advisory

When you receive a local health and safety notification that your area is under a boil advisory, it’s time to take stock of your water and take steps to manage any negative impact. Anywhere in your home that uses water can be affected, from the kitchen to the bathroom.

What Causes Boil Alerts?

Boil water advisories are issued in response to a known microbiological contamination, or as a precaution when conditions pose a threat of contamination – such as water main breaks, construction, flooding and other situations (the precautionary approach is much more common). They are typically related to the potential presence of bacteria, viruses, protozoa or parasites in your water supply.

Steps to Take During a Boil Water Alert

If your area is under one of these directives, protect yourself and your loved ones with the following the guidelines:

• Don’t drink the water.
• Avoid preparing food or brushing your teeth with your home’s water. Don’t use materials that have been in contact with water.
• When you do need water, boil it for a minimum of three minutes. Clean storage containers with the boiled water, then use those to store your sanitized water.
• If you have the right kind of advanced water filtration system in place, like Culligan’s Aquasential® Smart Reverse Osmosis System with the Advanced Post Tank Filter, you can continue drinking your RO-treated water during a boil alert (see more information on this below).*
• Throw away ice cubes, coffee, tea, and any stored beverages made with your home’s water.
• Turn off your water or block access to refrigerator water dispensers and faucets to have a visual reminder that helps curb normal habits.
• Use boiled water to clean any dishes and utensils you plan to use for eating or food preparation.
• Do not use your dishwasher.
• Give young children sponge baths to prevent water consumption. Adults can bathe or shower but take care not to swallow any water.
• You can still use the water to shave and do laundry.
• Bottled water can serve as a short-term alternative; Culligan recommends aluminum bottles where possible to reduce plastic waste.

What to Do After the Boil Order is Lifted

Staying safe and healthy during a boil order extends beyond the duration of the order. To make sure your home is prepared to integrate uncontaminated water back into your routines, ensure any remnants of contamination are addressed before going back to business as usual by taking these steps:

• Run the dishwasher through an empty bleach cycle.
• Flush your water lines. Run all cold-water lines inside and outside the house for at least five minutes and until they become clear. Run hot-water lines for at least 15 minutes for a typical household 40-gallon tank. Flush water-using appliances like toilets and dishwashers.
• Boil faucet screens.
• Purge and sanitize water-using appliances, including the refrigerator water line, icemaker, coffeemaker, and tea kettle.
• Change your refrigerator’s water filter.
• Optional but recommended: Run a bleach cycle through your washing machine.

You’ll also want to make sure you sanitize any water filtration or water softening systems after a boil order. Depending on your system, some filters may need to be changed. Contact your local Culligan expert to help navigate this process.

Solutions for Safer Water and Peace of Mind

It’s helpful to have a water test after a boil water advisory for added confidence and control. While these advisories are lifted when your local public health organization deems the water supply safe for regular use, having your own test results can provide additional peace of mind.

Another alternative is to get a comprehensive drinking water filtration system to protect against issues that cause boil alerts, in addition to a broad range of other potential contaminants in your water.** Only a filtration system that is third-party certified to reduce viruses, bacteria and other factors that cause boil orders should be used during these times. This includes Culligan’s Aquasential® Smart Reverse Osmosis Systems and Aquasential® Reverse Osmosis Systems. When used with the Advanced Post Tank Filter, these systems are certified to NSF Protocol P231 for bacteria, virus and cyst reduction.*** That means they can provide drinking water you can trust, even during a boil advisory. (Note that these types of systems are not intended to protect against potential chemical contamination.)

Have more questions about how to protect yourself during a boil water advisory? Refer to these guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), call your local health department, or contact your local Culligan expert.

*If you already have an Aquasential Smart Reverse Osmosis System or Aquasential Reverse Osmosis System that does NOT include the Advanced Post Tank Filter and you want to add one, your system should be properly sanitized before usage.
**Contaminants may not be present in your water.
***As verified and substantiated by test data. The Aquasential® Smart RO and Aquasential® RO are not intended to convert wastewater or raw sewage into drinking water. While testing was performed under standard laboratory conditions, actual performance may vary depending on water pressure, temperatures and other substances that may be found in your water. Do not use with water that is microbiologically unsafe or of unknown quality without adequate disinfection before or after the systems unless installed with the Advanced Post Tank Filter. Systems certified for cyst reduction may be used on disinfected water that may contain filterable cysts.