Keeping your water clean and safe:
- Simple steps can help to keep your water clean and safe from harmful bacteria.
On this page you’ll learn more about what you can do, and how we’ll make sure our water systems are maintained to the highest standards.
You can also watch our short video for a summary.
Factors that can affect the quality of your water:
We’ll make sure that our water systems are installed and maintained to the highest standards.
However, if your home has been empty for a long time, your water quality may be affected by the natural growth of legionella bacteria, which can occasionally occur in the mains supply. Situations where this can happen include:
- If you’ve been away on holiday.
- If you’ve been in hospital.
- If there are water outlets such as showers, taps, or hose pipes that aren’t used regularly.
What is legionella and legionnaires’ disease?
- Legionella is a naturally occurring bacteria present in water.
Although the risk is very low, there’s a chance that legionella bacteria can develop in stagnant or stored water in your home.
Legionella bacteria can survive at low temperatures and develop quickly at temperatures between 20°C and 45°C.
High temperatures over 60°C kill legionella bacteria. Legionella can affect anyone, but some people are at higher risk, including those over 45, smokers and heavy drinkers, people suffering from chronic respiratory or kidney disease, and people whose immune systems have been weakened.
How do people get legionnaires’ disease and what are the symptoms?
- If you inhale water droplets which contain bacteria, you can become ill.
Legionella causes serious lung infections, while legionnaires’ disease causes similar but less serious conditions.
Symptoms of legionnaires’ disease are a high fever, muscle pain and chills, and possibly a persistent cough, chest pain, and breathing difficulties. The disease can’t be passed from one person to another.
What do I do if I think I have legionnaires' disease?
If you develop these symptoms and you’re worried that it might be legionnaires’ disease, see your doctor explaining why you’re worried. If you’re diagnosed with legionnaires’ disease, please contact us.
What can I do to reduce the risk of legionella?
- Keep your hot water hot. Make sure that the thermostat on your hot water system is set to a minimum of 60°C and leave it on for at least one hour before use. Take care when using your hot water to avoid scalding.
- Avoid stagnation by keeping your water moving. Any hot or cold tap, or any shower, that isn’t used at least weekly should be flushed through for two minutes on your return to the property.
- Turn the taps on slowly and take the shower head down if it’s on a flexible hose to avoid splashing and the release of water droplets.
- Any toilet that hasn’t been used within a seven-day period should also be flushed on your return to the property. Close the lid to avoid contact with any water droplets.
- Keep it clean. Shower heads and taps should be regularly cleaned and disinfected to ensure no scale or algae build up, which could help the bacteria to survive.
We're here to help:
If you’ve any concerns regarding the quality of the water supply in your home, or for advice on how best to flush your taps and shower, please contact us.
We’re here to help – just call 01204 328000.