More people die from unsafe water than from all forms of violence. Shocking, isn’t it?
So how can you ensure that your water is safe. Here, ProEconomy CEO Byron Bedford reveals his advise on improving your water quality.
-
Stagnation is bad. Full stop.
Stagnant water smells funny for a reason. It is a breeding ground for bugs. During Lockdown we will have seen a build up of stagnating water. This is bad.
Stagnant water aids the formation of biofilm – a bacterial playground that grows on the inside of water pipes. The more biofilm, the more bacteria and it isn’t easy to get rid of. Flushing, chlorinations and pasterisations are good, but they can’t be guaranteed to get rid of all your biofilm.
As with everything prevention is better than a cure, so try and keep your water moving even when there is little use.
-
High temperatures can help, but can’t be counted on.
Maintaining high water temperatures is undeniably a good thing. Consistent temperatures at outlets is an indication of good flow and the higher the temperature the less likely that a bacterial problem will occur.
Unfortunately, not all water systems are created equal and maintaining good temperatures can be very troublesome, especially in complex water systems.
-
The deadly Dead End.
Dead Ends are pieces of you water system that don’t go anywhere. Remember us talking about how bad stagnant water is, well the same applies here. Dead Ends are full of water that isn’t moving and so is a breeding ground of risk.
Worse still these dead ends can seed bacteria throughout your water system. It may not be easy, but if you can get rid of them.
-
Track and trace isn’t just for Covid.
Sampling is just as important for your water system as it is for tracing Coronavirus. The same principles apply. If you don’t sample then you are blind to you waterborne risk. Ignorance is no excuse, put together a sampling plan and stick to it – rotating the outlets you sample can help cover more ground.
If in doubt, contract it out. We can help here with our cloud based water management system called Tetras.
-
Be systematic with remediation
Remediation can be key, but with everything a plan is important. Log all remediations to see if they are working and try to be systematic.
-
Where possible, make your life easier
Water is often a small part of your portfolio of problems. There are many systems that can help you understand you water better and track your water quality more effectively. Again we can help with our cloud based water management system called Tetras, but there are a raft of water management systems out there for you to choose from. There is no need now a days to reply on paper and spreadsheets. Try and find a good online tracking tool – it’ll make your life easier.
-
Consider a secondary biocide
Maintaining good water quality is complicated at the best of times and impossible at the worst.
ProEconomy sell a secondary copper and silver biocide so I am biased, but I have seen first hand the results that biocides can deliver. A biocide can offer reassurance – a belt and braces approach to supplement temperature control and it can offer fantastic results for sites that have engrained water quality issues.
