Water and drainage safety

Domestic hot and cold-water systems can provide an environment where harmful bacteria grow.

For some people, especially those with underlying medical conditions or weakened immune systems, infection with bacteria can be fatal.

To help avoid Legionnaires' disease and other water problems we do not allow you to install outside water taps as these are not used regularly enough to avoid the bacteria forming and growing.

If you live in one of our sheltered or extra care facilities we carry out regular checks and assessments of the water systems in your building.

Legionnaires' disease

Legionnaires' disease is a potentially fatal form of pneumonia, which can affect anybody. It is caused by certain types of legionella bacteria, which can lurk in contaminated water.

The bacteria spreads in droplets of water, and while the risk of getting Legionnaires' disease in a domestic property is low, it's important to take care. The bacteria multiply in slow-moving or standing water. If you've been away for a week or more and not used your taps, showers and toilets, follow this advice:

• Set the thermostat on your hot water to at least 65 degrees Celsius - but be careful you don't scald yourself if you don't have mixer taps
• If you've not used a tap for a week or more, run it for at least two minutes to flush it through - take care to avoid splashing
• If you've not used your shower for a week or more, that will need flushing through as well, at both maximum and minimum temperatures. To protect yourself from being splashed by water droplets, you could secure a plastic bag with a corner cut off over the shower head to allow water to escape, or place the shower hose over the drain
• Clean and disinfect shower heads regular to make sure scale and bacteria don't build up
• Flush any toilets that haven't been used for a week or more - keep the lid closed as you do so.

Blocked drains

It's really important to keep the drains in and around your home clear so that water can flow freely. A blocked drain can be an unpleasant thing to deal with, so prevention is better than cure.

Here are some tips to help you to protect your home:

• Don't pour grease or fat away in your sink - it can stick to the inside of pipes, building up over time and causing a blockage
• Clear hair from bathroom sinks and plugholes
• Don't flush anything but paper down your toilet - sanitary products, wipes and nappies should go in the bin
• Sweep up falling leaves as soon as possible, so that they don't end up blocking a drain

If we have to clear a drain, sink or toilet at your home and you are found to be at fault you will be recharged for the work.

Saving Water

If you're on a water meter, it pays to reduce how much water you use. And even if you're not, saving water helps the environment, because less water has to go through the treatment process (which involves lots of chemicals).

There are some easy changes you can make to how much water you use. Having a five-minute shower instead of a bath, for example, will mean you use 35 litres of water instead of 80. Here are some easy tips:

• When cleaning your teeth, don’t leave the tap running
• Dripping taps are water running down the drain; get them fixed
• Only wash full loads in the washing machine
• Put a water displacement device (sometimes called a 'hippo') in the cistern of a higher flush toilet - you will reduce the amount of water used for each flush, typically by one or two litres. Most water companies provide free displacement devices for their customers

To see how much water you could save visit the Energy Saving Trust [external link].