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WATER SYSTEM SAFETY


through regular use and through HTM 04- compliant flushing regimes. For high-rise hospital buildings, smaller, zoned pressure breaks should also be designed into the installation to ensure consistent flow rates and hot water delivery speeds throughout the building.


Eliminating deadlegs


The configuration of the water and pipework system is also essential, as this can ensure that dead-ends and deadlegs on the system are eliminated, even if the installation involves parts of the network that will not be in daily usage. There should be no ‘blind ends’ on the system, and the design should avoid the storage of hot or cold water, as water storage is a potential stagnation hazard. Temperature control and the insulation of pipes, ideally with separate service ducts to prevent heat transference from hot to cold pipes, will also protect the installation from the risk of stagnant water within the 25-45˚C optimum conditions for Legionella growth.


Better by design


The design layout of the pipework is also critical to reducing the potential for stagnant water and conditions that support Legionella growth. The traditional ‘Tee’ installation uses fewer lengths of pipe and more tee connections to direct water flow specifically and only to the water outlet activated by the user. This approach has commonly been used because it can help to maximise water pressure, improve speed of delivery of hot water to the point of use, and reduce water consumption. It is also often perceived as lower cost, because it usually requires fewer pipe materials. However, due to the amount of tees required, the system is actually expensive to install, and more vulnerable to leaks and higher maintenance than alternative configurations.


The real problem with tee installations


is that they allow potential deadlegs on the system by failing to flush water through any pipework for services that are not in use. Therefore, if a seldom-used water outlet is at the end of a tee network, stagnant water can accumulate, increasing the risk of Legionella. Conversely, a ‘Serial’ installation can avoid deadlegs on the network provided that the most frequently used water outlet – usually the toilet in a standard a bathroom – is placed as the final item on the network. Where this is the case, water regularly travels through the pipe to reach the frequently used service, flushing away the potential for stagnant water and the Legionella it might harbour in the process. From a cost perspective it may appear less attractive than a tee pipework design but, while it uses more pipe, it requires fewer connections and fewer fittings, making it faster and less expensive to install, as well as reducing Legionella risk.


‘Loop’ installations The most effective pipework configuration of all for avoiding stagnant water on the system and mitigating Legionella risk is a Loop installation. Used commonly in Scandinavia and Germany, where Legionnaires’ Disease is more closely monitored, a Loop installation connects a small set of services, and flushes water through the whole local pipe network every time that any water outlet on the system is activated, flushing all pipes regardless of where the water is used. It requires fewer connections and fittings, and enables excellent water pressure and speed of hot water delivery, while completely eliminating deadlegs and enabling specification of a consistent pipe size throughout each local network. Legionella will inevitably always remain a risk that requires vigilance and monitoring. However, with best practice management regimes, and improved installation design and specification, the risk can be significantly reduced.


Dave Lancaster hej


Uponor’s product management lead for plumbing in the UK, Dave Lancaster, is responsible for product development strategy, market engagement, new product launches, and technical support across both the company’s internal team and its customers. As an applications specialist, he is responsible for supporting the company’s sales team and its client base from first enquiry through to specification and installation. His role encompasses a solutions-driven approach to appropriate product selection for the specific sector and project, technical specification, and ongoing technical support throughout the installation, including training schedules for installation teams on site. His expertise ensures that Uponor’s product portfolio is aligned to market requirements and expectations, and he is responsible for driving a solutions-based sales strategy. He is also in charge of product management for Uponor’s MLC (multi-layer composite) and PE-X plumbing ranges.


A typical loop installation serving two bathrooms, both monitored by one Smatrix Aqua hygiene station.


66 Health Estate Journal June 2018


Dave Lancaster joined Uponor as a business development manager in May 2016, with responsibility for sales and client management throughout the South of England. His extensive experience within the building services sector made him ideally suited to a role as an applications specialist, which he has held since November 2016. He has worked in the building services sector since 2008, in a range of specification and technical roles, while his technical background also includes a 14-year spell with consumer disability access specialist, Stannah.


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