When the toilets stop working

Two systems, not one

Water supply brings clean water in. Wastewater takes dirty water away. They fail separately.

• No water, drains fine: the toilet works if you add water by hand.
• Water fine, sewer not: city sewer systems use electric lift stations. If they stop, sewage can back up into the lowest drains in a building. Officials may tell everyone to stop flushing.
• Septic systems with a pump stop when the power does. A gravity-only septic system keeps working.
• In a frozen house, the traps and the toilet itself can freeze and crack.

Flushing with a bucket

If the drains still work and nobody has told you to stop, pour about 4 to 6 litres (1 to 1.5 gallons) of water quickly into the bowl. The toilet flushes itself. Use water you would not drink: bathtub water, melted snow, rain, water from washing.

Flush less often, and never use your stored drinking water for it.

When to stop flushing

• Officials say to
• Water or sewage is coming up in a floor drain, tub or lower toilet
• The toilet drains slowly or gurgles when it did not before
• The house is freezing and the plumbing has been drained

In an apartment building, follow the building's instructions. What one unit flushes can come up in another.

An emergency toilet

You need one before you need it. The simplest dependable setup is:

• A sturdy bucket with a snap-on toilet seat, or a portable camping toilet. For anyone who cannot crouch or balance, a bedside commode chair is safer. See emergency bucket toilets on Amazon.
• Heavy-duty bags to line it, doubled.
• Something absorbent to cover each use: cat litter, sawdust or commercial gelling powder. This controls smell and liquid. See toilet waste bags with gel on Amazon.
• A lid that closes, and a second sealed container for tied-off bags.
• Toilet paper, wipes, hand sanitizer and a light, all within reach.

Put it somewhere private and stable. Some households line their empty, drained toilet bowl with a bag and use that, which keeps the familiar seat.

What to do with the waste

This is the part that depends on where you live. Rules differ, and in an emergency your town may set up special collection. Ask your local public works or public health office now what they would want households to do.

Until you know: tie bags tightly, store them in a lidded container away from living space, food and water, and out of reach of children and animals. In winter an outdoor bin in the cold works well. Do not dump waste on the ground, in a storm drain or in any water, and do not bury it in a yard in town.

Handwashing

Dirty hands are how one sick person becomes a sick household.

• Set up a wash spot: a water container with a tap, or a jug and a helper, over a basin, with soap and a towel.
• Wash after the toilet, before food, after handling waste.
• Hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol is the backup when water is short. It works poorly on visibly dirty hands.
• Budget water for it. It is part of the 4 litres per person per day.

The supplies people forget

• Toilet paper for two weeks or more
• Menstrual products
• Diapers and wipes, for babies and for adults who use them
• Garbage bags, disposable gloves, disinfecting wipes or spray
• Paper plates and cups, so dishes do not use your water

Keep clean and dirty apart

Use different containers and different places for drinking water, wash water and waste, and label them. Whoever handles waste washes their hands before touching anything else. It is simple, and it is what stops stomach illness spreading through a home with no running water.

Sources

Official guidance this page was checked against. If your local authority says something different, follow them.

• CDC: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Emergencies
• Ready.gov (US): Build a Kit
• Get Prepared (Government of Canada)