landlords legionella

[stokecity]

hi guys,

ive been to a landords property to day which has had a legionella test, I spoke to the guy on the phone as he has told landlord that it is a legal requirement and she will be in a world of trouble if she doesn't :-

- re pipe the hot water expansion pipe to outside or into F+E tank ? ( the small amount of limescale around the end is a sure sign of legionella )

bare in mind the test results take 2 weeks

anyone come across this?

he also said the hot water cylinder needed changing as immersion was at top not bottom haha muppet

 

[IDCHAPPY]

Sounds like a crock of :nono: to me...

 

[PlumbBobBob]

Sounds like a crock of :nono: to me...

couldn't have put it better myself

 

[Dotty]

Hmmmmm..... Maybe not.....

HSE - Legionnaires' disease - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

 

[stokecity]

Hmmmmm..... Maybe not.....

HSE - Legionnaires' disease - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

doesn't mention anything about having to re pipe expansion for no good reason?

 

[Ch4 plumbing]

doesn't mention anything about having to re pipe expansion for no good reason?

I've seen this done in commercial properties recently but not in domestic.

 

[ma701ss]

hi guys,

ive been to a landords property to day which has had a legionella test, I spoke to the guy on the phone as he has told landlord that it is a legal requirement and she will be in a world of trouble if she doesn't :-

- re pipe the hot water expansion pipe to outside or into F+E tank ? ( the small amount of limescale around the end is a sure sign of legionella )

bare in mind the test results take 2 weeks

anyone come across this?

he also said the hot water cylinder needed changing as immersion was at top not bottom haha muppet

Download the ACOP L8, it might say in there, but I remember something about the reason for the expansion tank was to allow the water to cool before allowing it to discharge to outside via the overflow (so it doesn't scald people below). This was on a large residential block of flats. Limescale is not an indication of legionella as far as I'm aware.

 

[solutions]

Sounds like a croc'o :nono: to me. Who requested the test or has a tennant come down with Legionella? What type of heating system is the cylinder on?
What is the hot water expansion pipe over at the moment. The only logic I can apply from your info assumes that hot water expansion is over cwst and that he has taken scale on the expansion pipe to indicate the hot watwr cylinder is kettling in to the cwst which could leave it at a temperature where Legionella could develop. But that would indicate to me that a cylinder stat or stats are not working and have not failed safe. I cant see the relevance of the orientation of the immersion.

 

[Centralheatking]

Yea limescale is indicative of hard water end off. One of our investers
has over 300 properties and is right up there with elf and safety
he said last night that there is no requirement except in public
buildings CHK

 

[IDCHAPPY]

Is there a mixer shower at the property? lets be honest here Legionella AFAIK needs to be atomized into droplet/mist form to be inhaled into the lungs to start infection.
If they had a cooling tower in the back room then i might be a bit more concerned :lol:

 

[Dotty]

The fact that the landlord has a responsibility for the prevention and control of legionella isn't a crock.

What your boy has recommended certainly is.

As long as the cwst is piped correctly giving a cross flow so there's no stagnancy and the hwc temperature is set correctly then there shouldn't be an issue.

You rarely ever see dead legs on a domestic system the way you would on a commercial one.

 

[Dotty]

Seems there are two threads on this. I'll merge them later.

 

[Dotty]

Seems there are two threads on this. I'll merge them later.

Sorted.

 

[Ermintrude]

Lime scale and scum help liggonella bacteria grow and feed.

 

[AWheating]

Is the expansion pipe scaled up because it's to far into the tank?

 

[Smunt]

Guys. I am a legionella consultant. There are a few points that need sorting here.

1) There is no legal requirement to have a Legionella test done
2) Scale build up will harbour and feed the Legionella bacteria
3) The "aerosols" we are talking about here are invisible and can't be seen but are there
4) There is a legal requirement to carry out a Legionella risk assessment in ANY building other than privately owned domestic properties (so landlords do need to assess their portfolio's)
5) The new Legionella guidance now refers to landlord responsibilities on page 88 of the HSG 274 part 2 which can be found on the HSE website

 

[Dotty]

Thank you Smunt.

Hang around with us old son, I think you could be a useful addition to our wee family.

 

[rpm]

+1 to that croppie.
Excellent first post Smunt, how long you been in that field of work?

 

[stevetheplumber]

its hard enough getting landlords to pay out for basic needs