In the event that this pipework cannot be removed from the system, our specialist engineers will terminate the pipe so that it is as close to the main as possible and fit drains from the area in order to reduce risk. Where it is possible, dead legs should be removed from the water system completely to eliminate all potential hazards.

A legionella risk assessment will identify these areas of risk and outline any remedial actions to be taken. How to identify and remove them from your systemīrodex engineers are specially trained in identifying areas of risk within a water system, including pipework no longer in use. Any dead legs in place that exceed these guidelines pose an even greater risk of stagnation and contamination. Water that is allowed to stand unused also creates conditions which encourage the growth of Legionella a bacterium which if inhaled can be extremely harmful.Īccording to WRAS guidelines, the length of a dead leg should now be limited to one and a half of the pipe’s diameter in an attempt to decrease the risk of bacterial growth. Because water is no longer flowing and circulating through the pipe this poses major risk in terms of contamination as water can be left standing in the dead leg to stagnate.

Redundant pipework is considered to be a persistent and often critical source of risk within water systems. For example if you remove a sink and cap off the piping that once led to the appliance, instead of removing the piping at the source, this would create an area for water to stagnate. Dead legs are often formed in both industrial and domestic process piping as processes are changed or modified. These sections of process piping therefore become isolated and no longer maintain a regular flow of water. What is a dead leg?Ī dead leg is a length of pipe leading to an outlet which has been removed or is rarely used or unused entirely. Dead legs are a common feature of any water system and may be present without being visible.

Hot to avoid dead legs in pipe