Hygiene - a schoolboy error

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Gixxerman

Guru
Location
Market Rasen
I left some orange squash in one of my bottles for almost a week once. Went I opened it, they were things growing. I had the 'bright' idea to wash it out and leave some TCP water mix in it overnight to sterilise it. Well it cleaned it ok, but after many rinses and water being left in it for days, it still tastes of TCP, so I had to bin the bottle. Lesson learned.
 
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Ajax Bay

Guru
Location
East Devon
Lesson learned.
So what was the lesson identified, and what did you change? A lesson is not learnt until a change has been made.
 

Gravity Aided

Legendary Member
Location
Land of Lincoln
TOP TIP: don't drink water that's lain in your bottle for two days during a heatwave!

About an hour later I had awful stomach cramps with ominous internal gurgling and, sure enough, I was soon able to shoot through the eye of a needle at thirty paces.

It was only then I recalled that I hadn't changed the water for a couple of days.
Eejit.
Isn't that a very quick incubation period for a waterborne illness? (Not that I know shoot about the waterborne illnesses of the British Isles).
 
I was wondering about that during the recent hot weather. I think that the prime incubation temperature for legionella is about 37C. My loft hits that regularly during a heat wave. Suppose we go away for a week and the house is unoccupied. On our return, will we have a festering tank of evil? I know we could run off the tank before drinking anything from the taps but that isn't exactly topmost in your mind when you return, jet-lagged in the middle of the night. Should I call in a H&S wallah? It's a worry....
The main route of infection for Legionella is by airborne droplets. The thing to be wary of is using your shower after a period of non use. If you know the water is heated to a high enough temperature post tank, you should just need to flush through the water that's been sitting in the pipes leading to the shower before using it (after a period of non use.)
Hotels and the like should have Legionella controls in place to ensure their water heating systems do not incubate or deliver the bacterium into their rooms.
 
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[QUOTE 4854458, member: 259"]I don't use reusable bottles on the bike as the whole idea is minging. I use water bottles from the shop and I top them up during the ride. And then I chuck them in the recycling bin.[/QUOTE]

Likewise. I buy the packs of 12 x 500ml bottles with the flip top lid from Lidl.

Halfords do bottle cages specifically designed to take these bottles, so I have one of those on the bike. It was a deliberate purchase.
 

DaveReading

Don't suffer fools gladly (must try harder!)
Location
Reading, obvs
The kitchen's on the mains but the bathroom's on the tank. I don't brush my teeth in the kitchen.

Me neither.

But nor do I swallow the stuff that comes out of the bathroom tap.
 

subaqua

What’s the point
Location
Leytonstone
The main route of infection for Legionella is by airborne droplets. The thing to be wary of is using your shower after a period of non use. If you know the water is heated to a high enough temperature post tank, you should just need to flush through the water that's been sitting in the pipes leading to the shower before using it (after a period of non use.)
Hotels and the like should have Legionella controls in place to ensure their water heating systems do not incubate or deliver the bacterium into their rooms.


It's covered under L8.

The duty holder is responsible for ensuring it happens.

And it generally does as the new guidelines for prosecutions mean it doesn't have to have infected anybody! Just happen
 

keithmac

Guru
A lad I used to work with was big on the MTB trails, came in after one weekend and said he'd taken a big swig out of one of his bottles and the realised it had been spattered in dog mess..
 

Bodhbh

Guru
Not read it all, but if you're not gonna wash the bottles suppose there's an argument for sprinking a bit of bakers yeast in there, using fruit juice/water mix and at least you know what's growing.
 

Randy Butternubs

Über Member
[QUOTE 4854458, member: 259"]I don't use reusable bottles on the bike as the whole idea is minging.[/QUOTE]

Is this serious or a joke? Do you refuse to use reusable plates and cutlery too?
 
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