If the water stops working, are you prepared?
A water outage, power outage, or contamination can quickly change everyday life. With a few simple preparations, you can ensure that your family has access to drinking water even when the tap doesn't work as usual.
Prepare for at least a week
The Swedish Defence Research Agency recommends that everyone should be prepared to cope without normal public services for at least one week. Water is one of the most important parts of that preparedness.
The Swedish Food Agency recommends that you allow for approximately 3 to 5 liters of drinking water per person per day. This should be enough for drinking, cooking, and basic hygiene. The requirement may be greater in warm weather or during physical activity.
Good to remember
For an adult, this corresponds to approximately 25 liters of water for one week. If you have children or pets, their needs must also be taken into account.
Think in 3 steps
1. Store water
Have drinking water at home even before anything happens.
Use clean containers and bottles intended for drinking water. Store the water in a cool, dark place and check your supply regularly.
2. Be able to collect more
During a prolonged outage, the municipality may need to provide emergency water at designated locations.
Therefore, have clean containers or other vessels that can be filled, sealed, and easily carried when full.
3. Be able to treat water
If your stored water runs out, you may find yourself in a situation where you have access to water but do not know if it is microbiologically safe to drink.
In that case, you need to know how to treat the water before using it as drinking water.
Three situations, three different ways to react
1. No water is coming out of the tap
Start with your stored drinking water. Follow information from the municipality and Krisinformation.se. If the municipality opens a location for emergency water, you will need to have your own clean jugs or containers to collect the water in.
Therefore, it is a good idea to have both stored water and empty jugs at home.
2. Water is available, but the municipality says it should be boiled
Always follow your municipality's current recommendations.
The Swedish Food Agency recommends that when a boil advisory is issued, the water should be boiled until it is vigorously bubbling. Boiling it once is sufficient.
3. You must use water from another source
Water can be clear and odorless but still contain microorganisms.
If you have to use water from, for example, a lake, pond, or other source, you should choose the cleanest water you can find and follow the authorities' advice on treatment. The Swedish Defence and Security Cooperation Agency recommends boiling water that has been collected outdoors. If the water is cloudy, particles and dirt must first be removed.
Important: Boiling and disinfection do not remove all types of contaminants. Water that may contain, for example, fuel, chemicals, or other harmful substances should not be considered safe just because it has been boiled or disinfected.
That is why water treatment is part of a well-planned home preparedness strategy.
Storing water is the first step. But in the event of a longer interruption, the stored water may run out. Then the ability to collect and treat new water becomes important.
FreeBact® Water is Xinix’s product series for the disinfection of drinking water, available for everything from small personal volumes to larger canisters and tanks.
FreeBact® Water kills ALL bacteria and viruses in the water without leaving the typical taste or smell of chlorine.
Prepare before you need it
FreeBact® Water Extreme
150 ml is sufficient for treating up to 100 liters of drinking water.
The small bottle takes up minimal space in an emergency supply kit and has a long shelf life, making it easy to keep at home along with water containers and other emergency equipment.
Start with the most important thing
A simple emergency water kit for the home containing what you need to collect, carry, and treat water if the regular water supply fails.
This kit provides 200 liters of safe and tasty drinking water for the whole family!
The kit includes
- 10-liter collapsible water container
- 2 × FreeBact® Water Extreme
- Information sheet on water and home emergency preparedness
SEK 259
(Usually shipped the same day from Täby)
