The short answer is YES, a power outage will affect your water supply because whether water is coming to your home from a well or from your city it requires a pump and that requires electricity.

Do You Need Power For Running Water?

If your home is on city water, the source of that water is more than likely a local water tower and in order for the water to get into that tower – it has to be pumped in. This requires electricity. So, yes, an outage can definitely affect your home’s water supply. If your getting your water from your own well – your pumping system also runs on electricity so again, a power outage will affect your water supply.

If you are one of the many people who have had to use a generator for running water in your home, you know that without it, you may be out of luck. While some homes and businesses do have generators, most homes are not equipped with them. Here is what you need to know if you are running low on power and need a generator to get you through to the next town.

The main reason you would need to have a generator is because there are times when you will have to rely on running water. If you are relying on rainfall, you would need to have enough water to last you until your next rain.

There are some homes and businesses that have enough running water supplies to last them through the entire storm. This means that they don’t really need a generator. They may have running water stored up in an underground tank that they will draw from if the power goes out. In order to determine if you do need a generator, you should consult a qualified individual who is experienced with emergency power issues.

Ideas On How To Prepare For Possible Power Outage

It’s always in the best interest of every home owner to be prepared in case of an emergency. So here are some tips on how to ensure you will be able to have water if there is a lengthy power outage in your area.

1. A back-up generator is a great way to ensure that your water heaters and other appliances continue working during the power outage. Not everyone can afford it or has space to store one, so the best back-up source for power outages is, of course, a generator. Even a small generator with gas or diesel is working, and you can keep your well pump running during most power outages.

2. Fill your bathtub or spare tank with enough drinking water for your whole family, even if you say you have a well water pump system.

3. Try to use as little water as possible during the outage to save what you may have stored. Saving water during a power failure allows the usable water supply to be maintained for a longer period of time.

4. If the blackouts continue for longer, low pressure may occur, as the water tower cannot pump new water until the city ramps up its emergency generators. Once electricity is restored, use your water supplies until you can get hot water back from them.

5. If you need to shower during a power outage, do so while your water tank is still hot and make the most of it. 6. If you have an electric kettle or tank, you should have hot water in the tank for showering at the time of the power failure, so that it can be hot in your tank during the power failure.

6. If you are using well water you should turn off the breaker switch to your pump to help protect it from a possible electrical surge.

How Do I Turn My Water Back On After A Power Outage?

If you are on city water – there’s nothing to do. When the power comes back on you should automatically be back to getting water as you did before the outage.

But it’s a different story if you are on well water.

You will either need to prime the pump of your water well or reset the pressure switch. These are the most common problems with malfunctioning well pumps after an outage.

If you are not sure how to perform these steps or need help, contact a professional plumber for help.

Can I Flush The Toilet During A Power Outage?

As if these problems were not bad enough when the electricity is off, you may also wonder if you can flush your toilet when it is off.

The answer is YES.

The simple truth is that toilets don’t need running water in order to flush. All they really need is gravity and water in the toilet tank. It doesn’t care how the water gets into the tank, as long as there’s water in there. So, when you press down to flush the water in the tank goes into the toilet bowl, pushes whatever is in the bowl down the drain and gravity works to push it. Normally, the toilet tank would then re-fill with water but until your water gets turned back on, you can continue to use your toilet as long as you have water to put in the tank.

Follow these steps…

1. Check the water level in the tank first – you may already have water in there.

2. Make sure to only use clean water (meaning water without any debris, leaves, etc.)

3. Pour enough water into the toilet tank up to the normal refill level (it should be marked inside your toilet tank)

4. You may end up needing a large quantity of water – especially if you are expecting a hurricane or large storm that may create tornadoes, etc. Make sure to have plenty of water on hand.

5. You can use water from your pool, hot tub, a running stream, etc. Just make sure there is no debris.

6. Pour the water into the tank steadily. You don’t want it to splash back up onto your face, the floor, the walls, etc.

If you have any questions about general plumbing, call Atlantis Plumbing today at 770-443-8229. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.