There is plenty of information on the web about Legionella bacteria and why it is such a huge health issue in building water systems. It's a hot topic! Some plumbing engineers, designers and other industry professionals have some very specific questions on the subject. For example, "What is the best way to kill Legionella in domestic hot water (DHW) applications?"
The answer is "thermal disinfection". Using elevated water temperature is an effective, affordable and well-established approach in controlling Legionella bacteria. It involves temporarily elevating the entire DHW recirculation system for a specific period of time (for example 160°F for 30 minutes) to kill the bacteria. The key component in implementing a thermal disinfection strategy is a digital mixing valve and controller product designed for the application, such as the Caleffi 6000 Series LEGIOMIX® digital mixing valve. It has been sold around the globe for decades and is the first master mixing valve in North America with schedule-based automatic thermal disinfection programs and integral data-logging history. Check out all of the LEGIOMIX specifications, functionality and application here on our website.
Don't miss this! We go into great detail on Legionella control in the 22nd edition of idronics™ - our complimentary educational journal series for industry professionals. Safe and Sanitary Hot Water Delivery Systems focuses on methods and hardware for controlling temperature in DHW delivery systems. It describes temperature-based disinfection for minimizing the potential for biological contamination. It also discusses ways to ensure that the water supplied from fixtures will not cause burns. eVersions are available on our website. Please contact your nearest Caleffi Representative for your own hard copy.
