Oh No! No Water!

There are few things in life we depend on more than our water supply. That realization becomes a reality during and after big storms, electrical blackouts and water main breaks. For people living or working in hi-rise building (condos, apartments, offices, etc.) when the lights go out so do the pumps that maintain the water pressure in those buildings, unless there are backup power generators. A single family homes is no better off when the public water supply is interrupted, and private well systems suffer from the same malady ... no electrify = no water.

Hundreds of residents of Montgomery County, Maryland have learned how vulnerable they are to aging water supply systems. A rash of water main breaks have made headlines in the local papers and television news programs. According to the Gazette Community News, "There have been 42 breaks and leaks in the WSSC's (local utility company) water network in May alone (2007).

Like iceburgs, the major part of the pressurized water pipes are out-of-sight and out-of-mind buried under roads, and many of these pipes are over 50 years old. As the pipes age and deteriorate they become susceptible to ruptures from the traffic bouncing along overhead. The ensuing floods buckle roadways, disrupt traffic, close down schools, fill basements with water, shutdown air conditioning systems in high-rise buildings, wash away gardens and lawns, leave bathrooms and kitchens without running water and leave a massive mess to cleanup.

After one pipe ruptured in Montgomery County, four homes were evacuated; one home had its basement fill with muddy water to its ceiing. Weeks later two of those home remained empty and condemned.

While few households can store a large enough supply of emergency water to keep the plumbing system operating at full speed, there are some steps that can be taken to minimize the hardships. First, keep a supply of bottled water in your home for drinking purposes. Then collect, wash thoroughly, and fill bleach jugs or 2-litre soda bottles with water for other purposes. Find an out-of-the-way place to store this emergency supply of water in the basement, garage, laundry room, etc. Then periodically, change the water. I use my supply to water plants and then refill so my supply is rotated, and the water isn't wasted.

Don't be Caught Flushless

When the possibility exists that your water supply may be cut off (i.e. in anticipation of a hurricane) remember you have one more flush for each toilet, but then that's it. So, to insure you are not left flushless, fill your bathtubs with water and put a large bucket next to each toilet in the house. One bucket of water dumped quickly into a toilet bowl should completely flush a toilet. If your bathtub drain leaks, smooth out a plastic grocery bag over the drain cover.

Who Pays for Cleanup?

In addition to cleaning up the mess of a water main break, a homeowner can face the cost of restoring and replacing lawns, gardens, furnishings, etc. In the case of the above mentioned homeowners in Montgomery County the water company paid for a hotel and other costs of the damage, but you shouldn't assume that will be the case in every locality. Now would be a good time to check with your insurance company to learn how you are covered. After hurricane Katrina, the folks in Louisana and Mississippi learned that insurance companies make a distinction between falling waters, rising waters, blowing waters, sewer backups, etc.

From personal experience, I can tell you that even when the costs of a water main break are covered by insurance or paid for by the water company, the event is a nightmare that you won't soon forget.

	Enter your search terms Submit search form
	Web www.toiletology.com