Water Treatment Services Knowledge and Resource Centre

Scale, Corrosion & Microbiological Control in Cooling Water Systems

In the UK the Health and Safety Executives Approved Code of Practice ACOP L8 and Guidance document HSG274 Part 1 dealing with the control of Legionella bacteria and Legionnaires’ disease in cooling water systems describe issues which can influence the effectiveness of a water treatment programme developed to control legionella. These issues include the control of:

Controlling legionella in hot and cold water systems

Controlling Legionella in Hot & Cold Water Systems

This article is about the control of legionella in hot and cold water systems, an essential task if you are to protect the safety and health of people who may use such systems or come in to contact with them.

Guide to Flushing & Pre-Commission Cleaning of Pipework Systems Pre-Handover

It’s often easy to take the performance of engineered-water systems for granted. Ensuring that they perform as they should can be helped significantly by following the correct pre-commission cleaning and flushing procedures of the pipework systems at the pre-handover stage. There is a lot to think about when you’re carrying out a pre-commission clean or on-line flush of a water system, and irrespective of whether the responsibility for doing this is with the client, main contractor or engineering sub-contractor, there are a few key steps that you need to follow to ensure success.

Dust Monitoring & Air Quality Testing in the Workplace

There are any number of reasons why dust in the air could become a problem in your home or workplace. Sometimes dust can be a temporary issue caused by building work or external environmental conditions like a strong wind blowing sand, dust or pollen around more than usual. However, dust can become a real health issue in workplaces where the activities of the business itself result in high levels of dust and fine airborne particles (particulates) being created. This type of air pollution can lead to a significant decrease in air quality, and prolonged exposure can lead to conditions including coughs, wheeziness and headaches. Dealing with dust is usually straightforward, but first you need to identify whether or not you have a problem and this is where dust monitoring and air quality testing come in to play.

Taking on the Role of the Responsible Person for Legionella Control

If you work in an organisation which has any type of water system, including hot and cold water systems, showers, spa pools, air conditioning units or cooling towers, then there should be someone in your company who is designated as the responsible person for legionella control. This role can be an onerous one depending on the size and complexity of the buildings and water systems at your place of work. The role typically involves assessing the risks and putting in to place procedures and systems for the control of Legionella bacteria, the microorganism which can cause Legionnaires’ disease, a potentially fatal lung infection.

Choosing Biocides for Closed Systems – Closed Circuit Heating & Cooling Systems

Most organisations are keen to take steps to control the growth of micro-organisms which can flourish inside closed circuit water systems, including closed heating and cooling systems. Controlling the growth of bacteria in such closed circuit systems can also help to prevent the build-up of biofilm on the inside of pipe surfaces. It will also help limit the bacterial breakdown of any corrosion inhibitor chemicals that have been added to the water in the system.

Reducing Boiler Costs with Reverse Osmosis

Reducing Boiler Costs using Reverse Osmosis Pre-Treatment

If your steam boiler or hot water heating systems are not running at optimum efficiency then you could be wasting more money than you think. Inefficient boilers and poorly performing heating systems can result in higher fuel costs, lower thermal performance, more down-time and increased maintenance bills. However, it is possible to improve performance and reduce these costs by improving the quality of the water which feeds into your boiler system. This is can be done using specialist boiler water treatment chemicals or some other way of purifying the water. In low pressure boilers, water purification and pre-treatment would usually involve ion-exchange. However, with high pressure boilers where the pressures required in the boiler are significantly higher, the quality of the boiler feed water needs to be much better, and this can be achieved using a reverse osmosis (RO) pre-treatment process.

Testing Indoor Air Quality – Sick Building Syndrome Investigations

It probably comes as no surprise that most of us in Western Europe and North America spend around 90% of our time inside, whether at home or work. The air we breathe inside our buildings can have a huge effect on our general health and wellbeing. You’ve probably read about the issues surrounding indoor air quality and the phenomenon of Sick Building Syndrome or SBS. This is where people working or living in a certain space find that they develop a range of symptoms such as a cough, headaches, dizziness or fatigue and those symptoms tend to disappear when they leave that environment.