Water hygiene
Keep your heating systems in safe working order.
Follow this water hygiene guide to prevent Legionnaires' disease:
Legionella bacteria is found in the natural environment however with the correct conditions legionella may have the opportunity to contaminate and grow in hot and cold-water systems. This is where you may or may not have heard of Legionnaires’ disease. Legionnaires’ disease is a potentially fatal form of pneumonia caused by inhalation of small droplets of contaminated water.
Below we have outlined some simple, but effective control measures that will help keep your heating systems in safe working order.
Running your taps
It is important that your hot water system is kept hot, your cold water is kept cold, and the water in general is kept circulated by regular use. If you have been in hospital or on holiday and have left your property vacant for 7 days or more, please ensure on your return that your taps and showers (not forgetting any outside taps) are flushed by running them for at least 2 minutes.
Showers
If you have a shower, it is important that the shower head is cleaned every 3 months. For those who do not pay for this service via their service charge, the traditional method is:
1. Unscrew your shower head and hose and place in a plastic bag
2. Pour in a solution of one-part white vinegar to one-part water and leave for 3 hours (you can also use any general de-scaler)
3. Rinse the shower head and hose thoroughly
This will remove any scale and other sediment which otherwise provides the environment for legionella to breed.
If you want to share this information with your family or friends, please download our leaflet here.
What you can do?
It is important that your hot water system is kept hot, your cold water is kept cold and the water in general is kept circulated by regular use. If you go on holiday and leave your property vacant for a few days or more, ensure on your return that your taps and showers (not forgetting any outside taps) are flushed by running them for at least 2 minutes.
Boiler
It is equally as important that you tell us if your boiler is not working properly, particularly if you notice any debris or discolouration in the water coming from your taps. We ask that you do not interfere with the settings on your boiler or hot water system. Following your annual heating service, the hot water will be set so that the water is heated up to 60°C. This is the temperature to which legionella bacteria cannot grow.
