There are many mistakes people should heed when re-opening their building and/or office.  Let’s face it, COVID was fun and all (it absolutely wasn’t), and now people are having to learn how to cohabitate in the office again!  But making sure your water system is up-to-snuff after a prolonged shutdown is imperative to you and your employees.  In fact, the CDC has put out an entire article about this here.

They’ve added additional guidance for things like mold awareness, lead and copper for buildings with little to no water use, and even legionella guidance for people with weakened immune systems.  In short, reduced operations and temporary shutdowns can create challenges for returning workers.  In fact, you may want to go in a few days before reopening and take some precautions!

Pre-Opening Precautions to Take Before Reopening Your Building

1. Getting a building inspection may not be a bad idea. Check for things like excess moisture and mold.  If mold is detected by sight or smell, you may want to have this cleaned up and remediated as soon as possible.
2. Set indoor humidity as low as possible, or at least below 50%.
3. You can do other things such as keep the windows open to get fresh air circulating throughout the building and to remove any stagnant smells.
4. Having your HVAC system and plumbing checked out too may not be a bad idea either. Changing out those vents and ensuring there is no legionella bacteria growing within your plumbing system is vital for the mental, emotional and physical health of your employees!

SPECIAL NOTE:  Legionella is a type of bacteria that leads to legionnaires’ disease.  It is a severe form of pneumonia.  While there are mild and severe forms, if left untreated it can be fatal for humans.

Other Hacks to Take Before Reopening Your Building

1. Set your water heater temperatures correctly. In an effort to save energy, many building owners don’t set the water heater at the correct temperature which can spawn legionella.
2. Replace your water filters and HVAC filters.
3. Flushing out dead or stagnant water and replacing it with live water is important, but if there are any biofilms left on the fixtures or pipe walls, you could be unintentionally exposing your employees and customers to legionella. This includes water features, sprinkler systems, ice machines, water fountains, and other devices which use water.
4. Use proper disinfectants. Industrial grade may be the order of the day before reopening your building.  If you have to mix you disinfectant, be sure you mix it with water free of biofilms or free from exposure to biofilms.  And be sure that your disinfectant kills up to 99.99% of bacteria and viruses!  This is of the utmost importance!
5. Placing hand sanitation stations around the office is another plus.
6. If you do have an office, consider having potential customers or clients make appointments BEFORE coming into your building.

In summary, while America is cautiously optimistic about reopening their buildings, and hopefully, boosting the economy, this doesn’t mean we get to ignore the fact that COVID and all of her variants are still abound in our nation.  Taking the proper precautions for you and your buildings’ residences is paramount to yours, and those renting from you, success.

About Aquasani Water Purification Systems

Aquasani is an authorized dealer for Rainsoft, WaterLogic, & JavaSmart.  Based in Springfield, Mo., and at Lake of the Ozarks / Osage Beach in Missouri, Aquasani services areas in the Ozarks including Osage Beach, Camdenton, Aurora and even Jefferson City.  In essence, we service Mid-Missouri, Southwest Missouri, and Northwest Arkansas, and have been servicing these areas since 2004. We provide home water softener systems, drinking water filtration systems, whole-house air purification systems, and problem-solving water filtration systems for homes and offices. We also service other water softeners like Culligan, Sterling, Hydroquad, Pro-Series, and Whirlpool to name a few!

Aside from our purification systems, we also sell all-natural cleaning products and household items which are environmentally friendly and low-cost.

We specialize in water filtration and purification for both commercial businesses and residential homes.  If that isn’t enough, we provide free trials for our water cooler services.  If you would like a free estimate, schedule an appointment with us by calling (417) 881-4000 or (573) 692-4009 if you are in the Lake of the Ozarks area.

Fill out the form below and one of our Aquasani teammates will sort you out!