Connect
Waterheater at 130 means no need for filters, showered changes etc?!
I had an email exchange with Dr Falkinham (the scientist who does all the work on exposure to NTM, especially in water sources) asking whether raising the temperature of the home water heater meant you do not have to use special filters or shower heads. As much as I have read this (and the NTM) forums, I did not understand the answer to this. It seems like so many people on here are only doing tub baths (me) or buying special and replacing special filters or shower heads. His reply is below and would indicate that we don't need to make any of those other changes if we raise our water heater temperature to 130 or above. This seems like such as easy fix compared to all of the other undertakings.
Dear Tamara:
Thank you for your reply and request for further information.
In a study of Philadelphia suburb patients, we discovered that raising the water heater temperature setting to 130 F or higher led to the disappearance of Mycobacterium avium from samples of household water, including showerheads.
That might surprise some as a showerhead will be delivering both heater (hot) and unheated water (cold). Yes, the source of water from the water heater is cold water, but in most municipalities the water delivered to homes has low numbers of NTM. My colleagues and I believe that the water heater is where NTM grow and are mixed with the cold.
We haven't tested "tank-less" or "instant" water-heaters, but logic suggests there should be no growth of NTM, as those water heaters don't have a large tank.
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the MAC & Bronchiectasis Support Group.
Connect
Wow! He’s the expert. I’m so surprised that we don’t have to still worry about shower heads, aerators, etc. as long as the water heater is set high enough. Sounds too good to be true! I’d sure love to be able to shower again! I have one of those tankless, on-demand water heaters and he seems to think those should be good enough too. Wish we had some actual data to see.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
3 ReactionsMay I copy the text of that to a private Australian NTM fb group, without disclosing anything that is identifiable? That is very interesting to hear as we have instantaneous hot water powered by LPG (I'm in New Zealand), and we are not allowed to have it as hot as 130C to prevent scalding. It was suggested to me that NTM would only be in hot water cylinders but if I thought NTM was in all plumbing pipes and wanted to kill all NTM entering our house, we should install a UV filter. I'm sure I read somewhere that UV may in fact mutate NTM's.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 ReactionsI believe it's 130F not Celsius, that would be really hot! I'm sure it's just a typo, but clarifying just in case.
Are you saying the UV is good or not good to have?
@thorne
Would it be possible to get the reference for the “ study of Philadelphia suburb patients, ”?
Thanks!
Armando
Hay @suethenanny, The UV light is near where water comes into the home. So it kills virus and bacteria that is in the water coming from outside, but if the NTM is in the biofilm in the pipes it can still pick it up along the way to the faucet. I DO have a UV light, but also boil or use Lifestraw to get the rest out. Hope that helps!
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 ReactionsThe problem with UV filtering is that it does not impact any NTM or other bacteria that the light does not contact directly, so anything already living on biofilm in the pipes or hot water reservoir would not be killed.
You may copy the text, but please attribute it to Dr Joe Falkinham, who wrote to Tamara, as he is a recognized expert in the field of NTM and water.
I am sure he is referring to 130F which converts to 55C.
Sue
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionHi Armando - you could use Google Scholar to look for it, with the name key words plus Dr Joe Falkinham and NTM (as he always refers to the infection). I'm not sure if he published it, but there is probably an article somewhere.
His grad students often do these projects.
Sue
I don’t know.
Still investigating.
The paper I read from Dr. Falkenheim at Virginia Tech says to keep your water heater at 140 degrees Farenheit. He also says to drain your water heater once a month. Yes, it's hot, but apparently that is the temp needed to keep the water heater from becoming a breeding ground. We set our water heater at that temp and have simply adjusted by adding more cold when needed. We also give our guests a heads up so they don't have a problem washing their hands.