According to statistics, about 1 out of every 10 people who gets sick with Legionnaires' disease will die due to complications from their illness. This tragic fact is a symptom of an imperfect infection defense system in our healthcare. Despite this, there are a number of ways to protect your water source from legionella.
1 - Follow legal obligations
Legally speaking, you will need to identify the level of the risk and then prepare an action plan. This will force you to commit to a decontamination scheme that is practical and effective. You will need to appoint a ‘responsible person’ who will take charge of the decontamination process.
2 - Keep your water clean
Legionella thrives in stagnant, dirty water, so keeping your water clean is essential. If a supply of nutrients is present such as rust, sludge, scale, algae and other bacteria, legionella may thrive. To reduce the risk of dirty water, make sure there are no blockages in your system causing stagnation.
3 - Control the temperature
Legionella thrives at temperatures between 20-45 Degrees Celsius. Although it can survive at lower temperatures, higher temperatures kill it. Therefore, if you can heat the water on a regular basis, you’ll reduce the risk of infection.
4 - Replace the water system
If your water system is old and inefficient, and requires maintenance regularly, there is more of a risk of contamination in the water. It may be more cost-effective and less risky to simply replace it.
5 - Reduce water leakage
A water leakage requires a hole to leak through, and this allows potentially harmful bacteria to enter your water system and is one of the primary causes of rust, which enables legionella to spread. The best way to prevent leakages is to ensure your system is as compact as possible, therefore minimising the amount that water has to travel. You may also want to replace the system entirely if it is leaking out of control.
6 - Treat your water
Water in your system should be treated to reduce harmful bacteria like legionella. Biomaster – an inorganic and non-leaching silver ioniser that has been proven to reduce 99.99% of bacteria within 2 hours, and 80% within just 15 minutes. We incorporated Biomaster technology into the Multi-Shower to ensure that it is maximally effective against harmful bacteria like legionella. To find out the latest about the Multi-Shower, follow the link here. Multi-shower