Commercial Water Treatment – Because Water Quality Matters
Secondwind Water Systems’ Commercial Water Treatment Team was recently called in to help out one of our mechanical contractor partners at a home for veterans in Manchester. They had a domestic hot water mixing valve that was not maintaining the proper temperature in the hot water. The water was fluctuating up to dangerous temperatures, which presented a serious safety concern. The mechanical contractor disassembled the mixing valve and found a strange biological growth in the valve, which explained the mechanical failure. (See picture below.) This growth surprised all of us as it is fed by city water, which is disinfected prior to distribution.
We came in and evaluated the water system and found water coming into the building was within all EPA limits. Our next step was to take specialized bacteria samples and this is where we found the problem. We discovered high bacterial counts (not coliform or E.coli) in the hot water, but not in the cold water. We concluded that some form of bacterial growth (most likely iron bacteria) had developed in the hot water system and was forming a bio-mass in the piping and storage tanks. The system needed to be disinfected.
Heavy dose disinfection and flushing was not an option as this requires extended water system shut-down. The veterans home has over 20 residents who need to use water each and every day for drinking, cooking ,bathing, cleaning and they have nowhere else to go; shutting off the system simply wasn’t an option. So, we set-up one of our small rental disinfection systems to inject a low-dose of disinfectant to kill off the bio-mass. We carefully calculated the dose so the water is still safe for use, but the bacterial mass will be destroyed.
We are monitoring the correction process to ensure that the water remains safe and stable.
Another water mystery solved by the commercial water sleuths at Secondwind Water. Learn more about our Commercial Water Services.
