How To Clean Shower Head To Prevent Legionnaires Disease

If the scale deposits are visible we recommend you carry out the following.

How to clean shower head to prevent legionnaires disease. Dismantle the shower head remove any limescale other debris and disinfect it on a regular basis. Bacteria such as legionella will multiply in temperatures between 20 and 45 degrees celsius but is killed once the temperature goes above 60 degrees celsius. Furthermore if you have been away on holiday run your shower for a few minutes before using it. Simply add your showerhead to a saucepan of vinegar and bring it to a gentle simmer. It doesn t take long and it could potentially be a life saver given the evidence from the public health england investigations.

Remove the shower head from the pipe. To reduce the risk you should remove dead legs dead ends in pipe work flush out infrequently used outlets including showerheads and taps at least weekly. Regular cleaning of the shower is important. To prevent any additional spread of infection and cases of legionnaires disease from popping up the hospital decided to install medical grade water filters on all of the hospital s shower heads and taps. Stagnant water favours legionella growth.

Bacteria is dormant at temperatures below 20 c but can still survive. Flushing showers could prevent life threatening legionnaires disease. Protect the fixture s finish with soft rags or towels while you re working. Use an old toothbrush or bottle brush to scrub the showerhead inside and out. Remove your showerhead usually by unscrewing and shake out any excess water.

Within a few minutes the limescale should start to dissolve. Place the shower heads and hoses in a bucket and cover with neat solution of showerhead plus. By victoria franks acop l8 hsg274 legionella water zetasafe. Reattach the showerhead to the shower arm using the wrench. In tests 30 per cent of shower heads contained mycobacterium avium a bug linked to lung disease.

Put the showerhead in the vinegar water and let it sit for 30 minutes. To kill any organisms detach the shower head and run water at 60 c for a minimum of 2 minutes on a regular basis legionella bacteria breed at temperatures between 20 45 c. 5 ways to prevent legionella in your shower. Wear rubber gloves an apron and safety glasses. Before use carefully flushing the shower through with hot water can also help.