Point of Use Filters, Risky Sticking Plaster or Solution to Water Safety Incidents?


When a notifiable water safety incident such as a Legionella, Pseudomonas flare up occurs many users reach straight for the Point of Use (POU) filter as an initial remedy, sometimes a stop gap solution but more often as an ongoing solution, effectively putting an expensive sticking plaster over a more serious underlying red flag problem.

This is in direct contradiction to the standard operating procedure in any health care environment which is to first and foremost make safe and identify the underling problem, then treat it effectively until it is resolved safely to everyones satisfaction. Yes POU Filters are a make safe stop gap but should not be considered as a long term solution.

The source of the majority of identified water safety incidents is in pipe work within 2 meters of the water outlet. This would suggest that the most common problem is back contamination or water stagnation or combination, both of which can be resolved by the fitting of back contamination prevention (as above) and regular duty flushing device. Such units can quickly and easily provide a safe, permanent and cost effective alternative to expensive POU’s that often require regular replacement and in some cases due to their reservoir of trapped microbes may compound the back contamination risk even further.

It’s a hard nettle to grasp but many manufacturers of POU Filters rely on uncertainty, fear and indecision to encourage users into not making any decision and making do by throwing money at a problem month after month rather than spending time and resources in identifying the root problem and fixing it.

In applications where POU Filters are used regularly month after month costing in some cases hundreds of thousands of £’s, the question should be raised “What are you doing?”

Indecision is not a decision. Time spent on identifying the source of the problem and implementing a viable and cost effective simple solution is seldom wasted and should be the primary aim  in order to ensure the ongoing safety of both patients and staff.

Challis Ag+ Sentinel Tap and shower products have now been Independently tested using ASTM E 2149-20 Standard and have been proven to Kill 99% of Legionella, Pseudomonas and Ecoli

For more information on cost effective alternatives to POU Filters call us on 01629 530800 or chris@challisms.com

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Duty Flush Device Read More