Water Tank Cleaning & Legionnaire's Disease

Cold water storage tanks can provide the ideal breeding ground for a host of bacteria including Legionella (the bacteria responsible for Legionnaire's Disease). Typically, water tanks are positioned either above the boiler house or in the loft, which tend to be two of the warmest places in a building this can lead to the water within the tank heating up considerably. In addition, a build up of scale, rust and other contaminants provide nutrients for bacteria which, when added to the above and an over storage of water can create almost incubator type conditions for bacteria to multiply.

With regard to Legionella, although tanks do not create an aerosol themselves they do of course supply services that do, such as showers. It is therefore essential that cold water tanks are kept fresh and free from contaminants to prevent the build of bacteria and biofilm. Biofilm is a layer of bacteria / micro-organisms embedded in a protective layer attached to a surface. This can occur in cold water tanks (e.g. slime along the water line) but also along the inside of pipework. Once bacteria are contained within a biofilm / attached to a surface they change their fundamental characteristics and can become much more difficult to eradicate than free floating bacteria. Read more >>