The Toledo Lucas County Health Department provides the following instructions for residents about water usage post- water ban. Please Read.
Toledo city government officials say some residents will need to flush their pipes by running water for 15 minutes. This is only necessary if residents shut off their water on Friday and have not used it since.
How to flush your plumbing system
Please complete these steps in the order set out below. Finish each step completely before moving on to the next step.
- Flush ALL hot water taps for 15 minutes
Begin the flushing procedure by opening the hot water taps in your bathroom(s). Open ALL hot water lavatory (sink) fixtures, hot water bath fixtures, and any other hot water fixtures, such as kitchens, wet bars, etc. Run these hot water fixtures for at least 15 minutes. Shut water off after 15 minutes. After you have flushed each hot water faucet for 15 minutes, your hot water heater will be safe for use.
- Flush ALL cold water taps for five minutes
Once the hot water tank and hot water piping have been flushed, open ALL of the cold water fixtures, flush each toilet at least one time. Run these cold water fixtures for at least five minutes. Shut water off after five minutes. This does include the water in your refrigerator water dispenser.
- Flush ALL remaining faucets and appliances
Open any remaining fixtures such as hose bibs, external faucets or fixtures not used for drinking for at least five minutes to finish the plumbing system flushing. Take additional steps to remove water from other appliances. See How to Flush Plumbing Appliances and Faucets for more information. This includes:
Ice makers
Dishwashers
Humidifiers
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)
Oral, medical or health care devices
Baby formula, food and drinks made with water during DO NOT USE
Water filters
Water Softeners
Reverse osmosis units
Clean Your Ice Makers and Refrigerators
If you have an ice make in your refrigerator, make sure to throw away all the ice.
If you have a filter on your ice maker, make sure to first flush out your refrigerator’s ice maker and then replace the ice maker filter. Check to make sure that you have replaced any filter after flushing cold water supply. Then flush the cold-water dispenser for five minutes. After flushing these lines, let the ice maker container fill up completely and discard the ice and clean the container before replacing. If you have more than one refrigerator, make sure to repeat the same process.
Water Filters
Clean or change your water filters. If you are unsure of how to change your water filter, call the filter manufacturer for more details.
Pools
If you have added water to your pool after 8/1/2014, make sure to superchlorinate and change the filters.
Remember: the first thing unavailable in most emergencies is potable drinking water.
Check out our website for our Filtercon Emergency Filtration Systems
http://www.filtercon.com/specials
References:
- http://storage.cloversites.com/toledolucascountyhealthdepartment/documents/FlushingGuidance.pdf
- http://www.wxyz.com/news/drinking-bathing-water-ban-lifted-in-toledo-southeast-michigan
Image Credit to Paul Sancya/Associated Press
