Not surprisingly, we’re often asked for advice on water hygiene and Legionella by our customers. Of course, our blog is full of useful tips and information and we like to think we know what we’re talking about, but sometimes we come across other good sources of advice and help which we thought it worth sharing.
When it comes to domestic water systems, did you know that there’s such a thing as the Drinking Water Inspectorate? Part of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), it was formed in 1990 “to provide independent reassurance that water supplies in England and Wales are safe and drinking water quality is acceptable to consumers.” It has published over 20 water hygiene advice leaflets on a whole range of subjects, including one on water tanks which contains specific information for landlords.
For hands-on landlords and letting agents another useful source of water hygiene advice is the Association of Plumbing & Heating Contractors, which “provides consumers with essential basic information on a range of plumbing and heating matters including installations, repairs and maintenance.” Its leaflet on Understanding hot water systems in the home is a very useful illustrated guide to domestic plumbing.
In a similar vein, Home Energy Services has produced several useful water hygiene advice guides, including an illustrated guide to Understanding cold water systems which features example schematic drawings.
One particular issue we often encounter in rented properties is when tenants have modified a water system without permission, often unwittingly endangering the safety of the water quality, such as installing a douche next to the toilet. The Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS) is a very useful source of advice on water hygiene. There is a section on their website covering common plumbing problems, including information on preventing the risk of backflow in bathrooms.
Last but not least, browsing You Tube often reveals a whole host of useful video tutorials on your particular plumbing or water hygiene issue. Since it’s a global platform it’s worth making sure that whatever you’re watching is applicable to UK plumbing systems, but just search for water hygiene and you’ll find nearly 78,000 videos to choose from! One channel which has caught our eye is Plumber Parts which claims to offer “honest reviews and advice” in their weekly uploads to over 44,000 subscribers.
We’d love to know about your favourite sources of water hygiene advice so drop us a line at [email protected] or tweet us @complylandlords.