Water safety

Most water systems contain some bacteria, including the bacteria that can cause Legionnaires' disease.

Legionnaires' disease is a respiratory disease, similar to pneumonia. It can be fatal in extreme cases, especially if you have a pre-existing medical or health condition.

To ensure our customers ' safety, we carry out risk assessments to make sure there is no bacterial growth in our communal water services.

We also carry out:

• water temperature checks
• water sampling
• water contamination or bacterial infestation checks

Keeping your water clean and safe

There are steps you can take to keep your water is clean and safe:

• Keep your hot water storage temperature at a minimum of 60°C/140°F. You can control the temperature using your hot water cylinder or combination boiler.
• If your home has been empty for several days, run the taps for a few moments to flush them through until the water cools down or heats up to the correct temperature.
• If you're going on holiday for more than two weeks, consider turning the stop cock off, and running your taps and flushing your toilet. This is so water doesn't sit in the pipes or cistern while you're away as this can allow bacteria to grow.
• When rinsing food or other items, don't allow them to touch the spout of the taps.
• Clean showerheads and taps regularly to prevent limescale from building up.
• After cleaning showerheads and taps, always run the water for several moments to remove any cleaning product.
• Run hot water through taps and showers for about 5 to 10 minutes once every three months.

If you notice your hot water system is:

• making excessive noise
• producing unusually hot water
• producing steam

you should contact Axis and they will arrange for your service to be checked.