Water testing corrective actions
Hi all,
We just received our tap water test result that indicated TVC @22C and TVC @37C above 300 cfu/100ml (Coliforms & E.coli= 0 cfu/ml). This water is used for cleaning only.
What would be our corrective action in this case? Do we need to clean our tap (if yes, how do we do that??) ? I was trying to find some information but no luck. I'm a bit lost, so any kind of help is much appreciated!
Thank you in advance!
Hello
Did you try retesting the same spot and verifying that the water was not contaminated when the sample was taken? That could be your first corrective action. If the count still remains high, do you have a main source where the water comes into the facility that you can test? If the main source sample is within specification, then you need to understand the flow of the water through the pipes (map it out), and if additional samples can be taken along that route (sometimes a water tap can be installed for minimal amount of money by your maintenance department). That way you can possibly narrow down where the contamination is coming from potentially. UV lights can also help if nothing else does. Hope that helps
Hi Peaches,
Thank you for a quick reply.
I'm just about to collect another sample and send it off to our lab.
I'm just wondering if I should stop our production in the meantime or is it not a major hazard, since we use that water for cleaning only? Since I don't have a team, I need to figure out everything myself, so don't want to go overboard in this case...
Thank you!
I'm not sure what type of products you produce (high risk/low risk, etc) Do you take any swabs or ATP type swabs that verify the surface is clean besides a visual inspection?
We produce dried products (low risk) and routinely do ATP swabs which are usually clear, so that's why I'm a bit confused. We test our water on annual basis and it usually comes out clear. I'll wait for other results and try to figure out where this contamination came from.
Thank you :)
Hi all,
We just received our tap water test result that indicated TVC @22C and TVC @37C above 300 cfu/100ml (Coliforms & E.coli= 0 cfu/ml). This water is used for cleaning only.
What would be our corrective action in this case? Do we need to clean our tap (if yes, how do we do that??) ? I was trying to find some information but no luck. I'm a bit lost, so any kind of help is much appreciated!
Thank you in advance!
Hi Inverse,
i assume yr intended specs are as per EC limits.
Not sure if you have perhaps confused the EC requirements or simply mis-typed yr own data, ie compare -
water micro spec.pdf 41.39KB 130 downloads
One routine test is as to whether there is a detectable free chlorine level in the water.
This might be a silly thought but did you remove the aerator that is typically on the tap? Also, did you ensure a sanitary sample? When I took many water samples in my previous job, I used a blowtorch to ensure the outlet itself was clean. You have to remove the aerator because they are plastic and will melt. This solved many of my positive samples.
Charles,
Thank you for that. I will definitely need to do more research.
sqflady,
Thank you, I haven't thought about it. I will have a look at our outlets and wait for the next result.
Charles,
Thank you for that. I will definitely need to do more research.
sqflady,
Thank you, I haven't thought about it. I will have a look at our outlets and wait for the next result.
Hi Inverse,
Yr data may be perfectly acceptable as is with respect to limits. But maybe less so operationally if data shows a significant deviation from yr established baseline.
If there is a positive residual free chlorine, IMEX, the plate counts /ml are typically very low assuming that residence times are adequate.
I had issues like this with water sampling and done the following;
- UV light added after mains tank area
- flame sample point
- run sample point water for 5/10 mins to ensure water sample taken is representative of water in the tank.
Good luck.