What problems can your home water have?

Have you ever wondered how the water you consume reaches the taps in your home? There are two possibilities: water can come directly from the company or it can be stored in a water tank. Both situations have advantages and disadvantages, but in the case of a building with a water tank, it is essential that measures are taken to ensure the quality of water consumed by residents. Read on to learn more.

Water Tanks

If you have no idea how the water gets to your home, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Most people do not know whether or not their building has a water tank or reservoir. This is an issue that should be asked to the condominium management company.

Reservoir problems are very common. Although they have advantages, such as ensuring that the building is provided with water supplies water during the company’s cut-offs for at least two days (due to repair work, for example), they can also endanger the health of residents.

There are several cases where water reservoirs are in poor condition, endangering residents who may be consuming contaminated water. It is very important to carry out the diagnosis of the reservoir and then its rehabilitation. The diagnosis should verify its waterproofing conditions, checking possible water losses and waste entry.

At Prudêncio we are often called upon to rehabilitate or reactivate water tanks or reservoirs, which have been deactivated many times over several years, to ensure the water pressure of buildings with pressure problems on the top floors. Suitable waterproofing of these water tanks must be ensured so that rehabilitation is carried out safely and effectively.

For water tanks’ rehabilitation, the waterproofing solution that we advise and perform is Köster’s TPO Aqua certified membrane coating for drinking water. Learn more here.

How to know if the water is contaminated?

It is important to be aware that the water may appear clean and still be contaminated. It is not unusual that only when the symptoms come, people realize that there was a problem with the water they drank.

However, it may be suspected that the water is contaminated and is therefore unfit for consumption when:

Has some smell;
There are small particles of dirt suspended in water;
It is not properly transparent and has a yellow, orange or brown color.

What happens if you drink contaminated water?

Consumption of contaminated water can lead to symptoms and some diseases, such as diarrhea, intestinal infections or other more serious illnesses caused by bacteria such as E. coli or Salmonella.

This is because bacteria grow easily in standing water, such as reservoirs.

Signs that you may have drink contaminated water

If contaminated water is swallowed, symptoms such as fever and chills, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, stomach ache, vomiting, and diarrhea may occur. In such cases, you should rush to the nearest health center or hospital for diagnosis and prompt initiation of appropriate treatment.

The outcome of treatment depends on many factors such as the level of water contamination, the amount of water ingested, the speed and effectiveness of the diagnosis, the time taken to start treatment, and so on. The sooner you begin proper treatment, the more likely you are to recover quickly.

It is very important that you avoid both self-medication and dehydration and you should follow the treatment prescribed by the doctor.

Do not increase the risks to your health. Intervene now!

We rehabilitated your water tank by applying Köster TPO Aqua membranes. These waterproofing membranes meet the strictest hygienic requirements for drinking water environments.