Legionella ???

Derheatmeister

Hallo

I know this has been a topic for some time now,I myself have a good friend Mark that had contracted Legionella and was serious ill from it.

Now, a long time very good family friend Otto from AZ called me and told me that he has a Waterheater that SMELLS LIKE ROTTEN EGGS!!!

The waterheater had been Off for some time now!

I told him not breath around it,and to put some Chlorine into his entire system via a pump

I also told him to turn the thermostat on the waterheater up and let it go for about an hour at 140F What do y'all think the proper way will be of cleaning a system that has been contaminated with Legionella ??? Any help/advise will be greatly appreciated.

Richard von den Heatmeister

Bruce M_2

Health Department

You need to get the local health department involved as it is almost a certainty the legionella is not only in the heater but also in the pipes. Professional testing is absolutely in order. At the very least you need to send a water sample to a certified laboratory. Here is a link to one such laboratory.

http://www.legionella.com/index.html

Jeff Lawrence_25

Rotten eggs

Usually means sulfur. The dissolved minerals in the water are coming out because they are stagnant and sulfur is one of the ones that is real odorous.

I'm not saying there may or may not be a Legionella bloom or not, but as I recall, Legionella won't have a smell.

I would have the water tested and check the anode rod.

Larry Weingarten

Odor is common...

...in tanks that go unused for a time. I'd drain out the tank and then flush it. Then fill it and add two pints of the standard 3% hydrogen peroxide per 40 gallons. Checking both the anode and relief valve is a good idea. The peroxide is non-toxic in this strength and can be left in place. Best to let sit overnight. Legionella likes warmth. As the heater was off, one might wonder if that particular bacteria is a serious threat in this case. If in doubt, test.

Yours, Larry