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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.
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Draining a hot water tank once a month is a lot of trouble especially if your tank is large. It still seems like doing a water test from the hot water tap would tell you if that was even necessary? Regarding the UV, I believe that would always come BEFORE the hot water tank so it would not solve that issue of it growing in the tank. 140 is quite hot. Wonder about the safety of having the tank set so high as tanks get older. Would it cause pressure to build up??
Yes, it's 55C or 130F. I read a study (should have saved it) saying that NTM dies after a 5 second exposure to temperature 55C or higher. I guess if we could all take baths in temperature 55C or higher, we would be free from NTM instantaneously. Also, I read that NTM is resistant to UV light, otherwise we could be cured using UV light therapy. It said UV light only kills about 10pc of bacteria when exposed. (I will be saving those studies in the future to post here.)
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1 ReactionThis is from an NYU Langone presentation. I guess the details can vary from study to study, but for all we know, yes heat kills NTM.
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1 ReactionI have been concerned about finding a shower head with holes larger than 1 mm diameter, as recommended by Dr. Falkinham in his 2021 article "Reducing Exposure to Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM)." If anyone has been able to find one that you recommend, please let me know. Also, do most rainshower shower heads have larger than average holes? I was relieved to read in thorne's comment on Jan.31 that Dr. Falkinham says that you do not need a special showerhead as long as you set your water heater to 130 or higher, which I have done. Thank you so much for sharing that information. It really relieved a lot of my concerns. Donna Turnbaugh
Following. I tested the temperature of our water and it is around 135. My question is do I need to run the hot water through all of our faucets and showers to kill bacteria in the pipes? Or are we only concerned with the bacteria in the water heater itself?
You bring up a good point. I am a big fan of Dr Falkinham and his research and follow his recommendations. I have my water heater turned up above 130°. But what about the cold water that mixes with the hot? We can't take showers with water of 130°. The cold water would have NTM. Wouldn't we still need to use the shower heads recommended and clean them? Just trying to think this through.
This is what he said Re this issue:
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.
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5 ReactionsBack by popular demand:) Dr Falkinham’s recommendations for reducing exposure to NTM.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/reducing-exposure-to-nontuberculous-mycobacteria-ntm/
Enjoy,
Linda Esposito
How did you test the temperature of your water?
I ran the hot water for 3 minutes. Then, I put my meat thermometer in a glass and continued running the hot water into the glass with meat thermometer for another 2 or 3 minutes. I read this method on the internet somewhere but I figured it might be as accurate as any other method. I’m open to trying it another way if someone has a suggestion.