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Legionella Bacteria in water pipes – Prevent contaminants from lurking in your plumbing system

It is not uncommon to find bacteria in water pipes. In fact it happens quite often, as tap water contains millions of harmless bacteria. The problem is when certain “bad” bacteria finds its way into your drinking water. Therefore, to avoid that it is extremely important to have the optimal plumbing system installed in your house, apartment, or commercial building.

Today it is imperative for property owners, community managers, investors, and commercial & residential developers and engineers to be well informed of the dangers coming from having unwanted bacteria in water pipes. Industry professionals have to be wary when it comes to how and what plumbing systems are being installed at their properties.

The first step is always to stay ahead of the game and be proactive. Educating yourself about what is the optimal plumbing system design and piping materials is crucial. In addition, knowing and identifying places where problems may arise is also as equally important.

Legionella Bacteria found in Water Pipes

For example, one of the most dangerous bacteria found in water pipes is called Legionella. If this bacteria is present in you water pipes, it can grow and dangerously multiply when the right conditions are present. Then, a process called aerosolization happens. This is when the bacteria breaks into microscopic water droplets. In this case the danger comes from the fact that in this form, the bacteria is easily breathed by humans, and penetrating their lungs. Complications from breathing in Legionella include cough, high fever, and in some cases severe pneumonia, which can be deadly.

What causes Legionella Bacteria to grow and multiply?

Therefore, all building owners and community managers are responsible for finding out if their properties are at risk. In this case we recommend contacting a licensed plumbing contractor and inquiring about Legionella risk assessment in your water distribution system. It is good to know that the risk of having Legionella bacteria in your water system goes up with some of the following conditions:

• The water temperature in your plumbing system is not high enough
• Your water distribution system has low flow areas, where water is accumulating for long time
• Your water distribution system is not designed well and is accumulating deposits, allowing for bacteria to multiply and grow

Although, Legionella bacteria is everywhere, we still need to be proactive and put barriers to its transmission. The most important thing here is to act before it even happens. In a case where a property owner already knows that there is legionella in the water, he/she can explore different methods for disinfecting potable water. However, the better way would be to prevent this from even happening whenever possible.

Conclusion

There are many solutions to bacteria problems in your water. One of them is to make sure that your plumbing system is designed in the most optimal way. In addition, constant maintenance and regular checks to your water heater by a proficient plumbing contractor is also necessary.

At Advanced Pipe Restoration & Repipe, we always strive to provide the best solutions to all of our clients. Therefore, all of our repiping solutions are ecofriendly, using the optimal piping materials and technologies. We are always available for a free in-home consultation, where our repiping specialists can answer all of you questions. Contact us directly at (888) 445-8720 or visit us at Advancedrepipe.com.

We offer the best ecofriendly repiping solutions in California & Nevada, including San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Irvine, Pomona, Las Vegas, Henderson and all surrounding areas.