Milan Hotel: Legionella Control Without Chemicals Since 2017

Home 9 Case Studies and Results 9 Milan Hotel: Legionella Control Without Chemicals Since 2017
Key results
0 Legionella recurrences
No new scale
Biofilm removed

Summary

Legionella control without chemicals was not a preference at Hotel Des Etrangers in Milan; it was the only option. Legionella kept returning to the hotel's domestic hot water system, but the installation was old enough that chlorine dosing risked corroding the pipework it was meant to protect. Biofilm had built up inside the pipes, giving the bacteria somewhere to shelter, and scale was affecting system performance. In December 2017 one HydroFLOW® C100 was installed on the cold supply and one P100 on the hot water delivery. During an initial cleaning phase, deposits detached from the pipe walls and were seen at the outlets. Since then Legionella has not reappeared, biofilm has been removed from pipe surfaces and no new scale has formed. This case study covers why chemicals were ruled out, the two installation points and what the cleaning phase looked like at the taps.

Case Study from HydroFLOW Italia

The Challenge

  • Legionella control without chemicals was needed because the ageing system could not take chlorine
  • Legionella was recurring in the domestic hot water system
  • Chemical dosing risked corroding the old pipework
  • Biofilm had formed inside the pipes
  • Scale deposits were affecting system performance

The Solution

One HydroFLOW® C100 was installed on the hotel’s cold supply and one HydroFLOW® P100 on the hot water delivery in December 2017, treating the domestic hot water system from both ends. Because nothing is added to the water, this route to Legionella control without chemicals carried no corrosion risk to the ageing installation. The signal disrupts the conditions biofilm needs to hold on to pipe surfaces, so accumulated deposits detached and were flushed out at the outlets during the initial cleaning phase, while new limescale was prevented from forming.

Key Outcomes

R

No Legionella recurrence since December 2017

R

No new limescale deposits across the system

R

Biofilm detached and removed from pipe surfaces

R

No chemical dosing, no added corrosion risk

Independent Verification

All results in this study were measured and verified by third-party facilities managers and technical staff.

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