With severe winter weather rampaging across the United States, we’re seeing unprecedented temperatures, snowfall, and wind chill. Electric utilities in the Midwest are using rolling blackouts to attempt to keep the grid from becoming overwhelmed. Boil alerts are being issued at an alarming rate as pipes freeze and burst across the nation.

We’ve never seen issues on this scale before in the United States.

But while we deal, yet again, with an unprecedented crisis, we want to remind you that all of us at AquaNui are here to help.

What should I do if I am in a Boil Alert area?

First, if you have an AquaNui water distiller, you don’t have to worry about boiling your water. Boiling is already the first step in the distillation process.

Second, if you do not have an AquaNui water distiller and you are in a boil alert area, know that filtering and reverse osmosis are not enough. You need to take additional steps to stay safe.

The main reason boil alerts are issued are because biological contaminants (i.e. germs, viruses, parasites, etc) may have gotten into your water supply. The CDC recommends boiling the water to kill these biological pathogens.

According to the CDC, you should fill a large pot with water and bring it to a full, rolling boil for at least one minute; then let the water cool and store it in a clean container preferably glass

Be aware that boiling the water only helps protect you from these biological contaminants. The process actually concentrates other kinds of contaminants, like heavy metals, that may have been stirred up in whatever catastrophe caused the boil alert.

Good news though: AquaNui water distillers help protect you from these other contaminants too.

Also, if you do use filters or reverse osmosis membranes, you will need to replace them after the boil water advisory has passed.