Water, Water Everywhere
Now that you have your 14 gallons or water per person stored, here are some tips about how to get to the water in the plumbing system of your home as a source of addition water storage.
Nearly every home has a hot water heater that stores between 40 and 80 gallon of water. Here is what you need to know…
The process of heating water forces out sediments that are naturally carried in water. As a result your water heater is gradually filling up with sediment. To flush out this sediment simply attach a hose to the faucet-looking valve located at the bottom of the water heater and open the valve using the hose to direct the water to a nearby drain or bucket. At first the water may be cloudy or even ‘muddy’ (these sediment are completely safe). Continue flushing until the water is clear…once a year ought to do.
Why? A clean water heater is more efficient (saves you money), stores more water (not sediment) and when you need to use the water as an emergency supply you will have clean, not muddy water.
Note… City water systems in the past have become contaminated for various reasons, usually for short periods of time (a few days), so storing water in separate containers is still crucial.
Second Note…You may have hear those advocating using water from the toilet tank in an emergency. First, there is a very large different between the tank and the bowl of the toilet. This water is potable, but do not use if you have ever put in your tank those “make my toilet smell better” chemicals. Last resort on this one!!!
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