What is Legionella Testing?

A dedicated process that identifies any presence of Legionella bacteria in water systems, Legionella testing can be carried out on a wide range of properties to ensure the highest health and safety standards. From hot water tanks to air conditioning systems, cooling towers and plumbing systems, Legionella testing assesses if the water has been contaminated. Plumbing services for Legionella are best left to a professional and expert team such as SR Coates, as we understand all the regulatory standards and guidelines for landlords, healthcare facilities, hotels, restaurants and commercial properties. You can count on our reliability and knowledge in the area to deliver a comprehensive check of your water systems and provide honest advice and guidance about what steps should be taken next for a successful solution. Regular maintenance on any property is key to making sure that those under your responsibility are kept safe and away from harm.
Contact us

What Risks Does Legionella Pose?

The biggest risk of Legionella being found in water systems is Legionnaires disease. This is a severe form of pneumonia that can be contracted with small droplets of water contaminated with the bacteria being inhaled. Symptoms can include flu-like illness, high fever, chills, shortness of breath, headaches, fatigue and muscle aches. In more severe cases, organ failure, respiratory failure, septic shock, and even death if the disease hasn’t been diagnosed promptly or treated with antibiotics. Pontiac Fever is another risk but milder than Legionnaires’ disease in that the flu-like symptoms only last for a few days and won’t need specialist treatment. In order to reduce these health risks from waterborne pathogens, SR Coates can assist with our Legionella services.

What Kind of Legionella Testing Do We Do?

Our Legionella testing services are available to a variety of customers who require specialist plumbing solutions. From landlords to hotels, healthcare facilities, spas and restaurants we want to ensure that you’re adhering to the highest water safety standards and regulations to keep everyone safe. We’ll carry out a dedicated visit to your location at a time and day that works best for you to perform a Legionella risk assessment and collect the water samples to be sent off to the laboratory. Once the results have been returned, we’ll advise on what to do if bacteria has been found and deliver a solution to reduce the contamination.
Contact us

What is the Legionella Testing Process?

Our accurate and efficient service is always compliant with the latest regulations when carrying out the Legionella testing process. There are five key steps that we will deliver to ensure that you’re getting the most accurate results possible.

Firstly we’ll take a sample from various points within the water system. This includes the likes of showers, cooling towers and faucets that could be potentially contaminated. Next, we’ll take the water sample collection to a specialist laboratory for analysis. During this time culture-based methods will be used as part of the testing as well as a visual inspection for colony formation. These techniques will then be able to provide fast and accurate results. After the laboratory analysis has taken place, the results are interpreted to see the concentration of the Legionella bacteria present in the samples provided. If they exceed the limits deemed acceptable by the regulatory standards, then actions will need to be taken to reduce the risk of contamination.
Contact us

What are my Responsibilities Around Legionella Testing?

If you’re a landlord of a residential property or responsible for a commercial building, it is your responsibility to ensure that the water systems are not contaminated with Legionella bacteria. It’s essential that you are compliant with the relevant regulations, standards and guidelines governing Legionella management according to regulatory agencies and public health authorities. Having a dedicated legionella risk assessment carried out and documentation to identify that your water systems are safe will give you and those who use the building peace of mind.

Why Choose Us?

At SR Coates we pride ourselves on delivering the highest level of service to achieve complete customer satisfaction. With over two decades of experience in the industry, our expert team have worked on a large number of properties and projects to achieve the best outcomes using state-of-the-art equipment. We’re certified in Legionella testing and perform the testing process efficiently and effectively whilst providing the right documentation for your needs. As experienced plumbers, we provide the full package with landlord safety certificates, central heating, boiler services, bathroom design, solving common plumbing problems and installations.
Contact us

Legionella Testing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We understand that this area can be confusing, but our Legionella FAQs will help to give more guidance on the importance of Legionella prevention and health and safety in water systems.

Why is testing necessary?

For Legionnaires disease prevention and other health defects, Legionella testing identifies if there are bacteria in your water system. A dedicated test carried out by SR Coates will address what the levels of bacteria are and advise on how to reduce them for the safety of your property. Landlord Legionella responsibilities in particular need to be high on your agenda if letting out your property to ensure that you’re adhering to the latest regulations.

When should the testing take place?

The frequency of testing depends on the type of water system you have, the history of Legionella contamination, risk assessment and regulatory requirements. It should be carried out as part of your water management plan with routine monitoring booked in.

Who should perform the Legionella Testing?

A qualified individual or team dedicated and highly knowledgeable in this area is key as they’ll be able to identify safe and unsafe levels of bacteria. SR Coates are experts in this field and will be able to do the test with the right equipment, the correct type of laboratory and provide the right guidance to ensure Legionella compliance.
If you’d like to find out more about water safety and our Legionella services in Oxford and the wider area, contact our team who are on hand to provide professional guidance for your residential and commercial Legionella testing queries.