How to Get Clean Water in an Emergency
If you are at home during an emergency without a stored supply of clean water, there are several things you can do to get through the crisis. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Gathering Water
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Use the water that remains in your pipes. Start by allowing air into the plumbing by opening a faucet as high above ground level as you can. If you have an upstairs, open an upstairs faucet. Then go to the lowest faucet and open that up. A small amount of water should trickle through. Collect that water.
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Turn off the gas and electricity and open the drain at the bottom of your hot water tank. Turn off the water intake valve and open a hot water faucet. Once you have collected the water from the tank, be sure that the gas or electricity remains off.
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Allow any stored ice or ice cubes to melt into a container.
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Collect the water from the reservoir tank of the toilet. Do not use water from the toilet bowl.
Treating Water
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You should treat all water that might be impure to avoid the risk of illness. Boiling is the safest method to treat water. Bring the water to a boil and allow it to boil for up to 5 minutes. Allow the water to cool to desired temperature (depending on use).
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Regular household bleach can be used to disinfect water. Add 16 drops of bleach for each gallon of water. Sir and allow to settle for 30 minutes. The water should smell from the bleach. If there is no odor, repeat the process. Use only bleach that contains 5.25 percent sodium hypochlorite.
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Distillation is another method of cleaning water. Fill a pot halfway with water. Attach a container to the inside of the pot lid so that when the water boils, the container collects the condensed vapor from the underside of the lid. Boil the water for 20 minutes and then carefully remove the container. The water that has collected in the container is distilled.
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Tips & Warnings
Filter murky water through clean cloths and allow it to settle before treating.
If there are broken water and sewage lines, you should turn off the incoming water valve.
