Why flushing matters
When an advisory is lifted, the pipes in your home can still hold water that sat stagnant during the event — along with sediment, biofilm and any organisms that survived. Utilities flush the public mains, but everything between the meter and your faucet is the owner’s job. A systematic 15-minute flush clears it.
Step-by-step household reset
- Run cold water taps one at a time, starting with the tap closest to the meter and working through the house, for about 5 minutes total at full flow.
- Run and discard water from every faucet that has an aerator — remove and rinse aerators if pressure was low during the advisory, since they trap debris.
- Flush all cold-water appliances: refrigerator water dispensers, instant hot taps, water coolers plumbed to the line.
- Run the hot taps for several minutes to pull fresh water through the heater; if the advisory lasted a week or more, drain and refill the water heater per the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Empty and clean ice trays and the ice bin, then discard the first two or three batches of ice the machine makes.
- Replace pitcher, faucet, fridge and whole-home filter cartridges — old cartridges can hold contamination and re-seed the water you just flushed.
- Regenerate water softeners and run a cleaning cycle on water treatment units per the manual.
- Run empty dishwasher and washing machine cycles once before using them with dishes or clothes.
Houses and buildings with special plumbing
Large buildings, childcare centres, medical and dental offices, hotels and homes with complex plumbing (multiple floors, booster pumps, storage tanks, greywater loops) should follow a more thorough flushing procedure — many health departments publish one for buildings after advisories, mirroring Legionella flushing guidance. When in doubt, ask your water utility for the building-specific protocol.
If your water still looks or smells off
After a complete flush, water should run clear, without odor. Cloudiness that clears from the bottom up is trapped air and harmless. Persistent discoloration, a bleach smell that will not fade, or sediment that keeps returning are reasons to call the utility — and keep boiling your drinking water until they confirm the system is clean.
FAQ
Do I really need to throw away ice made before the all-clear?
Yes. Ice freezes contaminants rather than killing them, and ice machines distribute water across many drinks. Discard everything made during the advisory and the first batches after.
How long can I stop boiling once it is lifted?
You can drink straight from the tap as soon as the issuer announces the lift, ideally after completing your home flush. There is no need to keep boiling unless a new advisory is issued.