Water Safety UK
Ultramech have qualified technicians who can quality control your water, whether it's drinking water at the office, or water hygiene around the swimming pool - we have it covered.
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We also specialise in Sprinkler Systems, talk to an Ultramech Technician today and let us support you through the solutions to your water safety concerns.
Water Disease Control
The primary method used to control the risk from Legionella is water temperature control.
Water services should be operated at temperatures that prevent Legionella growth:
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Hot water storage cylinders (calorifiers) should store water at 60°C or higher
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Hot water should be distributed at 50°C or higher (thermostatic mixer valves need to be fitted as close as possible to outlets, where a scald risk is identified).
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Cold water should be stored and distributed below 20°C.
A competent person should routinely check, inspect and clean the system, in accordance with the risk assessment.
You must identify 'sentinel' outlets (furthest and closest to each tank or cylinder) for monthly checking of the distribution temperatures. You should also check the hot water storage cylinder temperatures every month and cold water tank temperatures at least every six months.
Stagnant water favours Legionella growth. To reduce the risk you should remove dead legs/dead ends in pipe-work, flush out infrequently used outlets (including showerheads and taps) at least weekly and clean and de-scale shower heads and hoses at least quarterly. Cold-water storage tanks should be cleaned periodically and water should be drained from hot water cylinders to check for debris or signs of corrosion.
Design systems to minimise Legionella growth, by:
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keeping pipe work as short and direct as possible;
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adequately insulating pipes and tanks;
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using materials that do not encourage the growth of Legionella;
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preventing contamination, eg by fitting tanks with lids and insect screens.
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Water samples should be analysed for Legionella periodically to demonstrate that bacteria counts are acceptable. The frequency should be determined by level of risk, in accordance with the risk assessment.
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Water chlorination is the process of adding chlorine or chlorine compounds such as sodium hypochlorite to water. This method is used to kill bacteria, viruses and other microbes in water. In particular, chlorination is used to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and typhoid.