During the time buildings have been shut down with little or no water usage, the water has sat in the plumbing for an extended time. It is a good idea to prepare your building for occupancy before employees return by flushing your pipes to bring in fresh water from the distribution system. A typical flushing process would be:
- If the building has a point-of-entry filter, isolate the units from the water system before beginning the flush protocol. If any point-of-use filters are in use, ensure that the filter is being bypassed.
- Begin by running the cold water faucets closest to where water enters the building.
- Open other cold water taps sequentially and allow the water to run until temperature seems constant at furthest tap—generally, you’ll detect the water getting colder as fresh water comes through.
- In a multi-level building, start on the level at a tap where the service enters the building. Complete flushing on that level before proceeding to the next level. Flush one level at a time.
- Flush toilets at least once
- Flush any outside spigots