It was very encouraging to receive pertinent technical questions (which IPC practitioners appear to have avoided- wholesale – in previous years) relating to mixed water dead-legs, pipe flushing and other possible control measures.
Horne Engineering welcomes this increasing appetite for knowledge and understanding of relatively technical issues. Better teamwork and understanding across contrasting disciplines such as Nursing, Infection Control and Estates & Engineering can only serve to improve healthcare facilities for all who work there and, more importantly, for patients’ treatment and recovery.
At IPS 2011 Horne exhibited the award-winning* Optitherm thermostatic tap, which is both a thermostatically controlled warm water tap (fed by an integral thermostatic mixing valve or TMV) and a dedicated cold water tap. Its dual levers allow for hygienic closure after use while its smooth surface and lack of acute angles and recesses ensure it is very easy to clean. The modular nature of the Optitherm, as well as all its internal components being fully accessible from 'tile-side', ensures that maintenance procedures are straightforward with minimal disruption to healthcare delivery.
The Optitherm's unique design also facilitates good water system management and aids Legionella control. There are four unique features of the Optitherm’s design that enhance any Legionella control regime:
• There is no mixed water deadleg - the TMV, which automatically controls the output temperature to 41?C, is integral to the tap and sits immediately upstream of the outlet.
• Cold water turnover is increased – as a combined mixed water tap and a dedicated cold water tap, every use, for either warm or cold water delivery, draws cold water through to drain. This increased turnover reduces the opportunity for water stagnation, and thus bacterial growth, when the tap is not in use.
• Regular flushing of the cold and hot water pipe systems helps to improve water quality. Biofilm forms on the internal pipe surfaces and adapts to the prevailing flow and temperature conditions. Upsetting the equilibrium of these conditions by periodically increasing the velocity of the water flow destabilises the biofilm formation and effectively shears it from the pipe walls. The Optitherm’s design facilitates this system flushing process using the unique flushing adaptor accessory. This adaptor also enables quick and easy sampling of the water supplies with no requirement to remove wall panels.
• L8 ACOP Control of Legionella in Water Systems recommends regular disinfection of terminal fittings by thermal means. The Optitherm’s Thermal Disinfection Adaptor (pictured) reroutes the flow of 60?C water from the hot water supply and brings it through the TMV to the outlet via the TMV’s cold water port. As 60?C water passes through the tap body, heat spreads throughout the metal body by conduction – pervading all areas and surfaces to effectively kill all present bacteria.
Thermal disinfection of the Optitherm is fully illustrated in a narrated animation that includes a sequence of thermal imaging video footage showing the spread of heat throughout the tap body.
The Optitherm has numerous other features and benefits not described here – please visit www.horne.co.uk/Products/Optitherm and view the animation to gain a full understanding of this highly innovative design.
* Best Interiors Product, Building Better Healthcare Awards 2008
