What is legionella?

Legionella is a pathogenic bacterium which is most commonly found in water. The bacteria can cause Legionnaire’s disease which is a type of pneumonia or a less serious illness called Pontiac fever which presents as mild flu-like symptoms.

The bacteria can multiply in water between 20-42 degrees centigrade – below 20 degrees the bacteria will remain dormant and above 60 degrees, the bacteria will not survive.

How can you be effected by legionella?

Legionnaire’s disease is uncommon but can be very serious; people catch the disease by inhaling water which contains the bacteria. The most common environments in which legionella is able to build up are in hospitals, offices and hotels – it is very rare to catch it at home.

How can legionella build-up be prevented?

If water is left stagnant and constantly remains at the optimum temperature, legionella will grow and multiply. Therefore, it is really important for companies and hospitals to maintain their building’s water management systems.

Legionella is most commonly caught through the following:

  • Air conditioning units
  • Hot tubs and spa pools
  • Hot water tanks and heaters
  • Decorative fountains
  • Showers, taps and toilets

There are various ways in which legionella build-up can be prevented such us using chemicals like chlorine or installing a water temperature control system.

How can Chaps help?

One of our surveyors can visit your company’s building and carry out an extensive legionella risk assessment, we will then create a report and send this over to you. Once our report is received your business will then be able to take measurements to prevent the build-up of legionella in the water system.

You can then rest easy knowing that your employees and customers are safe.

For more information regarding our Legionella Risk Assessment service, please contact us today.

References:

NHS Website

Centers of Disease and Prevention

Clear Water Services

 

A-Z of our plumbing services

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We have created a simple A-Z guide of the services we offer to our customers across Henley, Marlow, Beaconsfield and the surrounding areas. Take a look and if there is a service/s you are in need of let us know and we can provide a quote and book you in an appointment with one of our engineers.

Call us on: 01491 571 743
Email us on: sales@henleychaps.co.uk

Throughout our many years in the central heating and plumbing industry we have learnt from our customers that trust is everything. At Chaps we aim to ensure our customers receive a fantastic service and are 100% happy with the work carried out.

 

Why is it important to trust the companies you choose?

1. Your home is your haven When hiring a plumber, boiler engineer, bathroom fitter or central heating installer you are allowing this company to enter into your home; you’re allowing someone to enter into your life bubble. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the people working for you are trustworthy and respectful.

2. You’re a paying customer There’s no worse feeling than handing over a sum of money for a service or product that you’re not happy with. Investing in a new boiler, fitting a bathroom and looking after your central heating system are all essential elements to ensuring your home is perfect. However, these necessities can be expensive. You hear all these sayings: ‘buy cheap, buy twice’, ‘you get what you pay for’… when looking into plumbing companies you need to make the decision as to what you value most. A top-quality product? A top quality service? Both? A lot of the time it is better to pay that little bit extra to ensure you get the service you require.

3. It’s a long-term investment/relationship A boiler installation, brand new bathroom and your central heating system are long term investments. A boiler for example needs to be serviced annually and will last you a long time, if it’s cared for properly. Therefore, building a strong relationship with your central heating and plumbing company is essential to a stress-free future.

4. Life is stressful enough without added disappointment Have you ever experienced a really poor service? It gives you that horrible disappointed feeling, you feel cheated and hurt. Life is stressful enough as it is, we are all balancing work and family life, and it often feels like you’re spinning too many plates! Therefore, choosing a trustworthy company to carry out a service takes away that extra worry and disappointment.

5. Why settle for second best? Like we’ve said already, life is already stressful, so why compromise when choosing a company and service? Have a shop around, look at reviews and compare, this way you can make an informed decision on the companies you choose to work with.

A little bit about Chaps

Chaps is a central heating and plumbing company based in Henley-on-Thames, we have a team of engineers and dedicated office staff. We pride ourselves on the top-quality service we provide to our customers – not only are our engineers experts in their field but respect all our customers and their properties. Our surveyors are available for free quotes and the office books in appointments for our customers. Nick McLeod is the founder of Chaps; he is an integral part of the engineering and office teams and is a frequent tea-maker! So, when it does come to investing a new boiler, bathroom or central heating system, trust Chaps.

What our customers think of Chaps

“We have used Chaps for over 20 years. Their service has been consistently excellent.” Checkatrade, October 2019   “Well communicated by office. Plumber smart and polite, explained everything. Sorted heating out, used Chaps before, will use again.” Checkatrade, October 2019   “Very thorough – explained everything that had been done and anything that might need attention in the future.” Checkatrade, August 2019

See more of our Checkatrade reviews here.