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Posted By Lulu
Hopefully there is an expert out there who confirm this.
After combing through L8 my understanding is as follows.
A cold water system supplied by the mains with a temp of over 20 degrees C will not present a risk from ingestion as it is chlorinated.
Circumstances are that a cold water header tank gets warmed in the summer months and the tap temp will go over the 20 degrees C. However the water is used only in a staff kitchen NOT showering.
Am I right?
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Posted By Steve Cartwright
I would not recommend drinking water from a tank.
The tap should be fed directly from the mains if it is to be used as drinking water.
The other thing I would do is check the tank for sludge and anything else that might be floating in it.
When was the last time the tank was cleaned?
I heard of one company who had a similar system. They found dead birds floating in their tank.
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Posted By holmezy
Lulu,
Your assumption is pretty much correct.
The mains cold water system should deliver water at a temperature way below 20 degrees, and as you rightly say is treated with chlorine, flouride and allsorts of other goodies. If you have stored water, ie a header tank then you need to monitor the temp of this, however, temps between 20 and 40 alone wont necesarily give you a problem as the bugs need food, ie the silt in the tank, so a good clean and chlorinate is recomended every so often. It may be that the flow of water through the tank is high and the bugs dont get chance to proliferate?. Where you seem confused is when you say ingested.....you could, in theory, but not recommended, drink water that is effectively a legionella soup, without any ill health effects. The bugs need to be inhaled into the respiratory system, ie lungs for them to become a problem. don't know your circumstances, but cooling towers are high risk. Also if you have any showers, then these would need to be regularly purged to clear any water that is in a "deadleg". Some air con units also might be a risk. Any recirculating water system should be monitored. Someone tried to convince me that a toilet flushing presents a risk, but I cant see that, unless of course you like to sniff flushing toilets. Not a nice thought!!
If you are using the water in a staff canteen, I assume that you are not producing an aerosol so any bugs cant be inhaled, so I would say its extremely low risk.
Alot of words to answer a short query, but hopefully we got there!!
Going for a non infected beer now.
Holmezy
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Rank: Guest
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Posted By Vicki Filson
It is now normal to have drinking water break tanks in office buildings to allow pumps or gravity to distribute water around a building at an adequate pressure.
Obviously these should be checked reqularly for damage and cleanliness. They should have lids and vermin gaurds should be present on vents and overflows. Chlorination should only be necessary if highlighted by visual inspection or microbiological analysis.
With good turnover legionalla should not be a problem. However if in the legionella thermal hazard band remember it is possible for spray to be produced from water impacting on sinks. Therefore increasing control by say flushing more regularly during summer months may be advised. You will however want to ensure the water is suitable for drinking, therefore many people carry out monitoring for TVCs, coliforms and e-coli to demonstrate its suitability.
Hope this helps
Vicki
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