Here’s what you need to know about a Boil Water Notice

What is a Boil Water Notice?

If your municipality has issued a Boil Water Notice (BWN) or Boil Water Advisory (BWA), there are some things you need to know.

First and foremost: your water has been deemed unsafe to drink untreated. This is most commonly due to the presence of harmful bacteria, protozoa, or viruses that can infiltrate a water supply for a variety of reasons. Boiling for 1-3 minutes will neutralize these threats.

Next, a BWA or BWN is different than a Do Not Use or Do Not Drink notice. These are most commonly issued when a water supply has been contaminated by toxic chemicals that cannot be neutralized by boiling, and the water is therefore unsafe to come into contact with under any circumstances.

What should you do during a Boil Water Notice?

As your trusted Kinetico® Water Systems dealer, Aquarius Home Services wants you to have the cleanest, safest water possible.

Kinetico® makes the finest water treatment systems on the planet, but not every piece of equipment is designed to filter and sterilize microbial contaminants.

If you are in doubt, boil your water 1-3 minutes before consuming. Playing it safe is always smart.

Read on to see what you should do during a boil water notice based on any water treatment equipment you have.

Safe solutions are shown in Green.

Unsafe solutions are shown in Red.

Can Reverse Osmosis (RO) Filtration Systems remove bacteria and viruses?

Kinetico® K5 Drinking Water Station

The Kinetico® K5 has ports for many different filters that aim to remove different contaminants.

Call your Kinetico® dealer to find out which filters are installed in your K5

With a Purefecta Guard Filter

The Purefecta Guard Filter will filter any microbial contaminant that could trigger a BWN. Continue to drink from your K5 station with confidence and ensure that you use only water from your K5 to brush your teeth, wash produce, make ice, etc., while the BWN is in effect.

After your BWN expires, you should have a Kinetico® water specialist visit your home to sanitize your K5 system. This is a free service for our K Club maintenance plan members.

Without a Purefecta Guard Filter

Other K5 filter cartridges are not rated to remove microbial contaminants. Call your Kinetico® dealer to have a service technician sanitize your system and install a Purefecta Guard filter.

Can UV Water Treatment Systems remove bacteria and viruses?

If you have a UV system, you will not need to boil your water during a boil water notice.

UV light treatment is one of the most effective disinfecting solutions for drinking water. UV light sterilizes water from 99.99% of microbial contaminants. Ultraviolet radiation destroys a microbe’s DNA, which makes it impossible for the microbe to reproduce. If microbes cannot reproduce, they cannot make you seriously ill and present no threat.

Contact us to find out more about installing a UV light treatment system in your home.

Can Carbon Filter Systems remove bacteria and viruses?

Carbon Filters

Carbon filters, such as water pitchers, faucet attachments, refrigerator drinking water filters, and under-counter carbon filters, are not capable of filtering microbial contaminants.

Can Water Softener Systems remove bacteria and viruses?

Water Softener Systems

Water softener systems are designed to remove dissolved minerals like magnesium and calcium and are not capable of removing bacteria, viruses, or any other water-borne contaminant.

What to do after a Boil Water Notice

After a Boil Water Notice expires, it is important to ensure your water system is restored to proper working condition. Anything that has come into contact with contaminated water now needs to be cleaned to ensure that the problem does not persist in your home even after the municipal water supply has been rendered safe.

Bacteria and viruses can live on inside filters, storage tanks, and transmission lines, and all should be sanitized according to manufacturer recommendations.

To-Do:

  • Discard food, beverages, and ice that were made with the contaminated water.
  • Flush appliances connected to the water line, including the refrigerator and ice maker.
  • Flush pipes and all taps, including cold and hot.
  • Replace filters and pre-filters, and water filters in pitchers.
  • Flush and clean RO tanks, systems, and possibly sanitize the RO membrane.
  • Clean or replace any items that were in contact with the water.

For Aquarius Home Services Kinetico® customers, equipment flush and cleaning services are included at no extra cost with our K Club membership plans. For non-members, we are happy to perform these services for a one-time service charge.

If you would like a free quote for any of the solutions mentioned above, such as a K5 with Purefecta Guard filter and/ or a UV light treatment system, call or visit our free quote page!

Summary

  1. Know what you’re up against

    2. If you’re under a Do Not Drink advisory, your water cannot be consumed.

    Under a Boil Water Notice, boil 1-3 minutes before drinking.

  2. Certain water treatment systems can make your water safer

    3. A K5 drinking water filter with Purefecta Guard or a UV sterilization system is the system of choice.

  3. Sterilize your water treatment system when the notice is lifted

    4. Call a Aquarius Home Services water technician if you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself.