Dr Nick Hill, Authorising Engineer (Water) at Water Quality London, and chair of IHEEM’s Water Technical Platform, discusses the temperature performance of cold water systems in healthcare premises, based on a study of five buildings during a London heatwave, including the potential remedial actions which can be taken.
When testing the water temperature at a cold tap during the summer months, it is not uncommon for the tester to conclude that ‘it’s over 20˚C; it must be the incoming mains water – thus it’s the water supplier’s fault’. Consequently no action is taken – ‘Well we can’t do anything about it, can we?’ If the tester is someone who is carrying out a legionellosis risk assessment, the response to a cold water temperature at 20˚C or greater is often to quote a generic recommendation for better insulation of the pipework. These examples illustrate a lack of understanding both of relevant critical control criteria, and of how to monitor cold water temperatures and how to respond.
A paper published in Health Estate Journal earlier this year by Steve Hunt, entitled ‘Domestic water systems: how warm is your cold?’,1 provides a good introduction to this subject. In this article I will look to answer his question for five healthcare buildings of various ages, with surprising results – namely that large buildings can deliver cold water with very little temperature gain despite days of high ambient outdoor and plant room temperatures.
HACCP and Critical Control Criteria
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