WATER SYSTEM SAFETY
should be considered for surveillance of systemic temperature profiling. Sensors should be located throughout the whole hot and cold water systems to ensure they give representative temperature values.’
DVS’s Inform real-time temperature monitoring offers a digital way to maintain constant oversight of water system assets, by feeding accurate data ‘24/7’ to a secure cloud-based platform. Inform provides reports, alerts, and data through an intuitive dashboard, which can be accessed on a PC, mobile phone, or tablet.
The dashboard displays six key function icons, making it simple to use, DVS says.
commonplace method of control is by maintaining appropriate water temperature.
Monitoring
Accurate and reliable monitoring is clearly a crucial element in maintaining safe water supply. However, in a large complex system, reliable temperature checking can be a demanding and time-consuming task. Furthermore, achieving constant real-time monitoring is not possible via conventional methods.
Limitations of conventional temperature monitoring
Even regular site visits and temperature measurements cannot guarantee 100 per cent safety of water supply. Issues can arise quickly, and if they occur between monitoring sessions there will be a potentially dangerous time lag in identifying a problem. Human error, site access issues, manual data inputting – such challenges can and do compromise the effectiveness of conventional monitoring. Safety is of course the paramount concern, along with maintaining compliance, but the time and labour costs of conventional monitoring can also pose significant challenges, which the duty-holder is legally obliged to meet. In practical terms, the lack of constant real-time monitoring can increase risks aside from bacterial outbreaks. Scalding from over-hot water is a possibility; at the opposite extreme, frozen pipe damage can also occur when data is not available in real-time. The shortcomings of conventional monitoring also correlate with more maintenance engineer call-outs, water leaks, and energy wasted in heating water needlessly.
A digital alternative
Today there are effective digital solutions to help organisations manage bacterial risk in water supply with much more insight and control. The HTM-04-01 guidelines state that: ‘More extensive use of automatic sensors and reporting systems
70 Health Estate Journal November 2021
How DVS Inform remote monitoring works
Remote Inform devices are installed across the water system. These communicate via Narrowband IoT Low Power Wide Area Technologies (LPWA) – to ensure increased building penetration. This provides reliably effective communication in dense urban settings and remote areas alike. The data from all the system sensors are relayed to Inform’s cloud-based central management system, linking to the user through the solution’s dashboard. The system’s prime function is to ensure the safety of water supply around the clock to the highest standards. Because Inform delivers real-time data which can be accessed and analysed instantly, reporting is easier to perform and far more detailed. Inform simplifies achieving and maintaining compliance with regulations, for far less cost. It is also a very flexible solution – qualified installation teams can fit Inform to all kinds of systems, regardless of their design, complexity, or age. Operating a system with Inform monitoring gives a level of information that can identify potential problems before they arise.
Digital efficiency and simplicity Clear graphic displays make the Inform system easy to adopt, whether a PC, tablet, or mobile is used. All reporting is based on automated temperature measurements made every 10 seconds, with minimum, medium, and maximum readings recorded every 15 minutes. Inform will automatically generate alerts as issues or potential problems begin to develop. The rich data also provide a full audit trail of all events, with accurate reporting and documents stored securely in the cloud-based system. It is a self- contained solution with no requirement to access IT data networks.
Inform includes an antimicrobial system box, and the battery-powered sensor units can run for up to five years before battery replacement becomes necessary. The dashboard displays six key function icons, making it simple to use. These include: n New alerts – email notifications report new issues as they happen.
n Active alerts – both acknowledged and unresolved alerts remain open, and default reminders help support compliance.
n Closed alerts – rectified issues will be closed, but the history remains readily available.
n Administration – A space to manage assets, buildings, and users.
n Reports – real-time 24/7 data and reporting on water temperature for every asset.
n Information – to contain plans, user manuals, instructions, and other key information on assets and the dashboard
Greater accuracy and safety Digital temperature monitoring’s primary benefit is clearly increased safety and accuracy. Real-time monitoring equates to much better temperature control, and therefore less risk of harmful bacterial growth. However, the benefits of digital control in terms of operational considerations are also hard to ignore. The instant alerts and reporting, less costly reactive maintenance, and enhanced control, prove that the case for digital temperature monitoring is compelling. As water temperature remains the most appropriate and practical Legionella control in many public premises across the UK, it is clear that effective real-time temperature monitoring by digital means can increase safety, cut costs, and support sustainability measures.
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Craig Holmes
Craig Holmes, today Dart Valley Systems’ Design, & Health, Safety, Environment and Quality manager, has been with the business since 2014. His responsibilities include all aspects of design, quality, environmental, and health and safety, and he is the main DVS technical contact for industry committees and forums.
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