Legionella Monitoring
Understanding Legionella and Its Risks
Legionella is a genus of bacteria commonly found in natural water sources such as rivers and lakes. However, when these bacteria enter man-made water systems, such as plumbing and cooling towers, they can multiply rapidly under favorable conditions. The most concerning species, Legionella pneumophila, can cause Legionnaires’ disease - a severe form of pneumonia - and Pontiac fever, a milder illness. This makes controlling Legionella in water systems essential, particularly in buildings such as hospitals, hotels, and residential complexes.
How Does Legionella Grow?
Legionella thrives in stagnant water between 20°C and 50°C, particularly in systems with sediment, scale, or biofilm, which provide nutrients. Common problem areas include hot water tanks, pipes, and cooling systems. Without proper monitoring and intervention, these bacteria can pose a serious health risk, especially when water droplets containing the bacteria become aerosolized and inhaled.
Where Does Legionella Grow?
Legionella bacteria thrive in warm water systems and are commonly found in hospitals, swimming pools, elderly care facilities, hotels, and large plumbing systems. Stagnant or improperly maintained water sources, such as cooling towers,
hot tubs, and showers, create ideal conditions for bacterial growth. High-risk environments, especially those housing vulnerable individuals, require strict water monitoring to prevent outbreaks and ensure safety.
Legionella Monitoring Methods
Preventing and monitoring Legionella in commercial settings involves regular water testing, temperature control, and system maintenance.
Hot water should be kept above 50°C and cold water below 20°C to prevent bacterial growth. Chlorination, UV treatment, and copper-silver ionization are common disinfection methods. Automated monitoring systems and smart sensors help detect risks in real time, ensuring compliance with health regulations and protecting public safety.
Legionella monitoring relies on various sensors, including temperature sensors to ensure water stays within safe ranges and flow sensors to detect stagnant water. These sensors must be accurate, reliable, and compliant with health regulations, ensuring continuous monitoring and early detection to prevent outbreaks in commercial water systems.
Traditional Legionella Monitoring is Expensive
The traditional method for preventing Legionella bacteria growth involves analog monitoring of the water pipes. Staff manually checks to ensure water is flowing regularly and maintained at safe temperatures, often through listening to the pipes. This typically includes routine flushing of rarely used taps and showers to prevent stagnation, using thermometers to verify water stays above 50°C for hot water and below 20°C for cold water, and recording data in logbooks for compliance. Staff may also conduct periodic water sampling for laboratory testing to detect bacterial presence. While effective, this method is labor-intensive, prone to human error, and lacks real-time monitoring capabilities.
CubicMeter: An Advanced Defense Against Legionella
The CubicMeter is an innovative, non-invasive water meter designed to provide comprehensive monitoring of water systems, playing a vital role in Legionella prevention. Its ultrasonic technology offers high-accuracy flow and temperature readings while requiring no plumbing expertise for installation.
Here’s how the CubicMeter safeguards your property:
Temperature Monitoring
Legionella grows best in water temperatures between 20°C and 50°C. The CubicMeter continuously monitors water temperatures within this range (0.1°C - 70°C) with an impressive accuracy of ±2°C. This ensures early detection of potential risk zones, allowing property managers to adjust system temperatures promptly to deter bacterial growth.
Leak Detection to Prevent Stagnation
Stagnant water creates a breeding ground for Legionella. The CubicMeter identifies small leaks (>1-9 l/h over several days) and larger bursts (up to >1500 l/h within five minutes). It is accurate in detecting water that has not moved.
Data Insights, Wirelessly
The CubicMeter’s integration with LoRaWAN enables configurable frequent data transmission to cloud platforms, providing users with actionable insights. Through the Quandify app, property owners can remotely monitor water flow, temperature, and system integrity.
Maintenance-Free Longevity
With a battery life of up to 10 years and no invasive components, the CubicMeter is a maintenance-free solution, ensuring that system integrity is preserved and monitored long-term .
Why Is This Important for Your Property?
Compliance and Safety
Many jurisdictions mandate rigorous Legionella control measures for commercial properties. The CubicMeter helps property managers meet these regulatory standards while minimizing risk to occupants.
Operational Efficiency
By providing early warnings for leaks and temperature anomalies, the CubicMeter reduces water waste and energy consumption. Maintaining higher or lower water temperatures in line with safety recommendations becomes more manageable with precise monitoring.
Health Assurance
The ultimate benefit is peace of mind. By mitigating Legionella risks, property owners can provide safer environments for tenants and visitors while avoiding costly outbreaks and potential legal liabilities.
Success Stories
Properties using the CubicMeter have reported significant improvements in water system safety and operational efficiency. One multi-office building integrated the CubicMeter into its water safety plan. Read more about the case with Forest Rock.
Make Legionella a Thing of The Past
The CubicMeter is more than a water meter; it is a shield against waterborne pathogens, an enabler of regulatory compliance, and a driver of operational efficiency. Whether you’re managing a residential complex or a high-traffic commercial facility, the CubicMeter empowers you to take control of water safety with ease and precision.
Take a proactive step towards safeguarding your property against Legionella today. Explore the capabilities of the CubicMeter and ensure peace of mind for you and your tenants.
