Below are some of the reasons that legionella and other bacteria still multiply in our water systems:
Can you think of others?
1. Mains Water Doesn’t Receive Enough Attention
There is insufficient focus on the analysis of mains water. The analysis of mains water can provide information on potential corrosion scaling and microbiological problems.
2. Inadequate Measuring
The belief that a few temperature measurements in a month, tells you that a system always meets control requirements. Remote continuous monitoring has taken too long to be introduced.
3. Chlorine Doesn’t Remove Biofilm
The belief that chlorine is a good legionella biocide when it is well established that it cannot remove or treat biofilm. Chlorine burns off the top layers of a biofilm allowing the biofilm to regenerate.
4. Ineffective and unproven Showerhead treatments
The use of single treatment showerhead cleaners in hard water areas. Some have no proven efficacy against biofilm. Many organic acid-based cleaners behave like chlorine and only affect the outer layers of a biofilm.
5. Shower Heads can be Hard to Clean
Fixed shower heads can be difficult to clean. There is no standard for the chemical used for showerhead cleaning. Each cleaner should demonstrate scale removal and biofilm removal capability as well as low corrosivity.
6. Not all Silver Stabilised Hydrogen Peroxides (SSHPs) are the same
A belief that all silver stabilised hydrogen peroxides are the same. They all contain 50 % v/v hydrogen peroxide and 300 ppm to 500 ppm silver, but their effectiveness depends on how the silver / chloride reaction in water is prevented. There is a big difference in how these products are stabilised. Some are ineffective against biofilm. Independent proof of biofilm removal capability should be provided before use.
7. Lack of Understanding of Oxidising Biocides
Disinfection is one of the most important aspects of controlling legionella, yet there is generally a lack of understanding of oxidising biocides – Chlorine, Chlorine Dioxide, Electrolytic chlorine, and silver stabilised hydrogen peroxides.
8. Continuous Dosing is Best
The continuous dosing of a low-level oxidising biocide would change how most systems are controlled. (The advantages are no TMV’s no TMV servicing, and lower energy costs).
9. The use of temperature control rather than disinfection.
The water treatment /water industry are followers and not leaders. That’s why we heat our water to 60°C and then use TMV’s to reduce temperature the temperature to 40°C. Great business for sellers of TMV’s. Why do very few water treatment companies implement a water treatment solution?
10. Water Treatment Companies Don’t Know it All
Biofilm is a relatively new science – first real investigations were conducted by MIT in 1990. MIT confirmed that chlorine could not penetrate a biofilm in 1994. The water treatment /water hygiene business still has a poor understanding of biofilm and how to deal with it. The use of plastic pipework, plastic fittings(like tap aerators) and flexi hoses also increase biofilm growth.
