It may or may not surprise you to learn that tap water in Los Angeles is generally safe to drink. Regulations mandate that city officials filter our supply of H2O to make sure it arrives to our faucets, safe to drink. Although it contains elements such as Chlorine and Fluoride, they allegedly exist only in trace amounts, and pose no serious health risk to us.
However, certain exemptions should be made during exceptional circumstances. While there isn’t necessarily an abundance of evidence to support avoiding tap water during these conditions, common sense tells us that it’s just not a good idea to drink water out of your faucets when it has likely been contaminated.
And in the end, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Here are a few circumstances in which you should avoid your home’s tap water.
Water main break
Water main breaks in Los Angeles seem to be a dime a dozen these days. Following the major flooding event last summer in Westwood, we hear stories of underground pipes bursting with some regularity. These events are dangerous enough, as they flood the streets and make walking and driving incredibly difficult. But when floods hit us at home, the threat dramatically increases. If you a main breaks in your neighborhood, floods your home or corrupts your water supply, don’t drink water out of the tap. Instead, drink bottled water until you get an “all clear” from a plumber or city officials.
Sewer line clog
A clogged sewer line can be very dangerous to homeowners. In addition increasing pressure and potentially causing an explosion as a result, clogs will often send the pipe’s water back into the house, as it has no where else to go.
Do NOT drink your tap water, shower, wash your hands, or generally use a faucet if this happens. Instead, you’ll need the help of the most skilled plumber in Los Angeles to repair the clog. Joseph Davidson will use minimally invasive techniques to locate and fix the cause of the problem. Whether you live near Sony Pictures Studios or along Washington Boulevard, our team of experts will make remove the clog, repair the pipe, and restore the purity of your tap water.
After a major storm
Storm water runoff occurs after a big storm when precipitation flows over the ground, into a storm sewer system, and into our water supply. The problem is that this water accrues debris, oil from the road, and other harmful contaminants that aren’t safe to drink. To protect yourself after heavy rainfall, or at any other time of year really, use a filtration system at home. Actually, this is just a basic fact about home ownership in Los Angeles: water filters are essential. Whether you install a full filter tank under your sink, or just use a simple pitcher that filters the water for you, running your tap water through a cleansing system will ensure that you don’t ingest any toxic chemicals or debris.
