H2O Hygiene were approached by a charity organisation who serve and care for people who have a mental disorder, such as dementia. The organisation operates three residential care home sites in the UK, where service users receive treatments for their physical and psychological needs.
H2O Hygiene had worked with the organisation in the past on similar projects and contacted us about an issue they had with their hot and cold pipework at one of their sites.
They had previously experienced poor communication from their water hygiene provider, who had conducted three water risk assessments and failed to identify vital issues with the pipework. The existing pipework was made using galvanised steel which needed to be replaced with WRAS-approved materials, such as copper.
As none of the pipes were made from WRAS materials, chlorination works could not take place as this would speed up the REDOX process, leading to damaged pipework and leaks in multiple locations around the care home. The galvanised steel had to be removed to comply with The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999.
The scale of the project was quite challenging, with services needed for 120 occupied bedrooms. This meant that residents would have to be relocated, either to another room or a home nearby.
For this reason, the project was carefully divided into phases 1-4, so it was clear which areas engineers would be working in, and which systems needed hot and cold water flowing at peak times, such as bathing and mealtimes.
The detailed planning of both 1st fix and 2nd fix plumbing was important and required collaboration with experienced internal staff and engineers before outlining when and where the project would start, right up until the last day.
Once phase 4 was completed, further tests needed to be carried out, which involved switching the systems from old to new to test the pressure and balance of the hot water systems.
The project was a success, with the care home reporting that there were now no sample failures. The site is now safe, compliant, and achieving satisfactory temperatures all year round.
At H2O Hygiene, we understand that a well-managed water system is the key to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of your service users.
If you have any concerns about the water systems in your care home, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team today.
