Salmon Plumbing Guarantee to ARRIVE ON TIME to your scheduled appointment.
In the rare instance that your plumber has been delayed due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, we promise to give you a MINIMUM 30-minutes notice of ANY change in arrival time and will offer to reschedule, if that’s more convenient for you
If we don’t give you at least 30 minutes notice in advance, we will happily give you a FREE Hour of Service on your plumbing job.
This offer is not to be used with any other offer.
Does not apply to quoted jobs.
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Deposits
Deposits are not refundable however partial or total refunds of deposits may be made at the sole discretion of Salmon Plumbing.
Cancellations
Salmon Plumbing reserve the right to charge for lost time as a result of cancellations and or postponement made less than 2 business days from the scheduled appointment time.
Warranties
Salmon Plumbing offers a 6 and half year warranty as per the Queensland Building & Construction Commission (QBCC).
Legionella, long associated with air-conditioners, may well be living in your home. But, your HVAC isn’t the only hotspot for Legionella incubation. You can also find legionella in hot water systems. Legionella can cause of Legionnaires’ disease, Legionellosis, and Pontiac fever – and it could be coming through your hot tap!
Updated July 2024
Legionella in Australian Water Heaters
Legionella is a reasonably common bacteria that exists in the home and in commercial settings throughout Australia. A study by Flinders University in Adelaide showed that 75% of homes were incubating Legionella. Learn more about legionella in hot water systems in Queensland here.
In its more serious form, Legionella can cause Legionnaires’ disease. Legionnaires’ disease is a serious infection of the lungs that has a lot of the same symptoms and problems as a severe bout of pneumonia. It can result in the onset of headaches, muscular pain and chills, as well as confusion, stomach pain and even death in some instances. The less serious form of Legionella infection, Pontiac fever, produces similar symptoms but is far less serious because it does not cause an infection in the lungs. What feels like a bad flu, could actually be exposure to legionella in your hot water system.
Where Legionella Lives
Legionella is found outdoors and in nature in soil and
water, but rarely causes any illness because it is simply not present in enough
numbers to invade a human body with any effect. However, in the home, it’s a different
story. In water systems of almost any kind, Legionella can find a cosy home and
multiply rapidly. Some common areas for the bacteria to be present are hot
water tubs, spas and outdoor mist/fan combinations.
How Legionella Takes Hold
For all its potentially damaging effects, Legionella
is actually quite a delicate bacteria. It is dormant below 20 degrees Celsius,
meaning that most cold water systems and cold water taps are at low risk of
hosting Legionella. It is also less able to multiply and grow at temperatures
above 60 degrees Celsius. It’s for that reason that home hot water systems are
required by regulation to be able to heat hot water to 60 degrees before it is
released into the pipework.
Legionella typically takes root and multiplies in
warm, humid environments and a storage Hot Water Unit that is set to only heat the
water to modest or ‘luke warm’ temperature is a major risk.
This environment creates the ideal place and temperature for Legionella to multiply.
Protecting Your Family
Watch for non-transmissible symptoms
To protect yourself and your family against this
potentially dangerous bacteria, you can take a few simple steps. First of all,
if people in your household are getting flu-like symptoms regularly, but not
passing them to each other, it may be worth mentioning that to your doctor.
Legionnaires’ disease,
unlike the flu, does not spread easily from person to person.
Run showers and taps regularly
If some showers and taps aren’t used
regularly, run them at least once a week with hot water so that any bacteria living
inside the pipes is regularly flushed out and cannot multiply to dangerous
levels.
Don’t drink tank water
Yes, Boomers drank from the tank and nobody died – it’s true. But the Australian government would like it to stop now please. Brisbane is especially susceptible to legionella in rainwater tanks because our hot summers create tank water in the perfect temperature range for bacteria cultivation. Don’t drink the tank water. Don’t feed your hot water system with it unless you get a professional Brisbane plumber to consult, if you’re using it in the garden, don’t breath in the spray.
Don’t turn off your hot water system unnecessarily
Your hot water system and any solar boosters should remain “on” and solar batteries should be set to “switch to grid” when they run out of juice. If your water is cooling to “tepid” you are creating a wonderful breeding ground for legionella in your hot water system. Keep it at above 60 degrees at all times.
If you do turn off your hot water, do this before using
You’re going to need one of those leftover masks you’ve got stashed in the back of the cupboard from lockdown days! If you do need to turn your water heater off, for a prolonged holiday or during periods of vacancy, wait for the tank temperature to rise to 60 degrees before using hot water. Once it’s had ample time to heat up (depending on the system it could be several hours – leaving it overnight is recommended), put on your mask to prevent exposure via droplets. Run the hot tap, standing well clear while the cooler water flushes from the pipes. Then “flush” all of the pipes in the house with hot water for at least 15 – 30 seconds.
Maintain your hot water system
And finally, you should call a plumber regularly for home hot water maintenance and testing of your home hot water system to ensure that it is heating your water to the right temperature each time. As homes and systems age, their likelihood of being less effective rises. Just like a car, a hot water system gets a lot of use, and it needs regular servicing and maintenance to ensure its effective operation.
Our friendly, experienced team of professionals at Salmon Plumbing to do your hot water system servicing. Salmon are the plumbers Brisbane trust for advice on healthy water in, and out of your home.
