Bugs in Your Water Heater

Believe It or Not!
"Bugs in Your Water Heater" or "Bacteria Can Swim Upstream"

No one is sure if they swim backstroke or freestyle, but you can bet that coliform bacteria can swim upstream. They have no respect for the flow of water, and if you leave a garden hose under pressure at the end of the house, you just might find bacteria in your pressure tank.

The same goes for unprotected boilers, solar panels and water heaters. Those rascal bugs will move throughout a whole water system if you give them a chance to grow and don't take adequate protection.

A garden hose is a wonderful place to grow bacteria; it's nice and warm — and if it is full of water and under pressure, one bacteria will grow 23,000,000 times in 24 hours. That kind of growth can spread throughout the entire water system in a short period of time. So if your water test comes back "UNSAFE," check to see if the garden hose has been left on under pressure.

Domestic boilers (furnaces) without a check valve, and solar panels plumbed directly to the water system are other warm water problems that can lead to water testing nightmares.

Lately, the most famous "UNSAFE" problems have been churches. No one is around much during the week. Not much hot water is needed — except at potluck suppers, so the hot water heater is turned way down. That warm water is a perfect place for opportunistic bacteria to set-up housekeeping.

Because bacteria grow so fast, and can move upstream, you may find them in your pressure tank. So, if you have a chronic "UNSAFE" well, one of the first places to look is the hot water heater. If the temperature is turned down, crank it up, re-chlorinate the well and see if your "UNSAFE" doesn't turn to a "SAFE."