FormWorks is Here!

After trialing and liking, Spectrum have decided to go ahead with Digital Solutions' FormWorks system. Our engineers have been armed with iPads and Spectrum have taken a big jump towards eliminating that nasty hard copy paperwork, in favour of the environmentally-friendly, electronic kind.
    FormWorks is an online data collection system, which as you know, Spectrum have been looking into for a while. Its speed, versatility and easy-to-use interface won us over and now we can offer, our clients, an even more efficient service. Technical Reports and Risk Assessments will be flown, through cyberspace, quicker than ever before. I think we need a catchphrase - from iPad to eye? (I'll keep working on that one!)
   Spectrum opted to create our own forms, on the system, based on our existing hard copy ones. We found it pretty easy to load and edit forms and the only real problem we came across, in the end, was the amount of editable fields we are allowed, per form. We have a lot to say and we don't like being limited!
    So if you see one of our Spectrum engineers wandering around the place, clutching an iPad, you will know what they are up to.

Please join me in crossing your fingers that we won't have any water damaged iPads.

Fernox F1 is suiable for use with Softened Water, says the HHIC

News has hit the grapevine than the inhibitor F1, made by Fernox, a market leader in water treatment chemicals, can be used with softened water.
In general, we shouldn't trust rumours, but the public release of the information has come strieght from the horses mouth -

we received a PDF press release, originally from fernox explaining the details a little bit. The technical bulletin states:

"In January 2013, the water treatment group of HHIC approved the following statement concerning the use of water softeners: 




Where a water softener is present in the dwelling ensure that a heating system primary circuit is filled with mains water via the general bypass valve as required within BS14173. Note: A water 

softener must comply with BS14173 (this states that there must be ‘a general bypass valve which 

enables the softening unit to be isolated from the mains, while maintaining water supply to the 

end user’. For installation requirements, refer to WRAS Information and guidance Note No 9-07-

01 “Information for the installation of ion exchange water softeners for systems supplying water 

for domestic purposes”. 

Refer to boiler manufacturer’s instructions for any additional advice on softened water."

Consequently any future central heating installation where a water softener is present should not be filled with softened water.

The DWTA support this advice, however there will still be some existing installations where the primary circuit has already been filled with softened water. For these installations, the following advice is still relevant.

When a central heating system is filled with base exchanged softened water, Fernox Protector F1 will adequately protect the heating system as long as it is correctly dosed and maintained t

throughout the life of the system. The correct dose rate of Fernox Protector F1 can be verified 

using either a Protector Test Kit or a Fernox System Health Check, both available from plumbing 

merchants.

This recommendation is identical to that given for natural waters and indicates that Fernox Protector F1 inhibits in all water conditions."

What is a 'Duplex' water softener?

It's not always the most straight forward of things, buying a softener. The most frequent question is, "what is a duplex?"

The best way to describe this is to explain a simplex softener first - the 'simplex' describes a single vessel within the softener.

The picture to the right, shows a model with two vessels (the two dark blue canisters) ; this is known as a duplex model.

The simplex softeners were the first ones on the market; These need time to 'regenerate' the resin. Or, in lamens terms, to soak up all the sodium goodness into the small resin beads, before the softening process starts again. This limits the use of your softener, but only on occasion. There are many ways to get around that, one is to use a 'timer' softener (which we will link to another post shortly) and the other is to invest in a 'duplex'.

A duplex softener only uses one canister/vessel at a time, so one of them has a full chance to 'regenerate' before needing to be used - it's a feature that ensures soft water is being made 24/7, and is the choice most people make when deciding to buy a softener.

This is what happens when a softener regenerates...

Crown Block Salt Water Softener Review

The block salt softener everyone's raving about... The Crown and the Crown Ultra - We'll we're going to review them since we've fitted and tested a bunch of them!

Hopefully we'll address some questions you may have about this softener brand too.

OK, a bit about us - you wouldn't want to take advice from just anyone now, would you? - We're water treatment professionals - so when talking chemistry, we think this softener is one of the greatest for softening your water at home since it softens even the hardest water we've come across.
Being a 'duplex' softener, they run around the clock, and since they run on block salt, you'll never wonder whether its time to top up on salt or not, unlike some traditional softeners - it'll be completely obvious! Since it's quite easy to damage a softener if you forget to top-up with salt, the block salt softeners are definitely the best ones.

Of all of them, these are super easy to fit too - they only require a DIY fitting kit that you could buy for about £30-£70 extra, and (helpfully) fitting a softener couldn't be easier with all the tutorials and manuals you can get a hold of on the internet. (Pssst, by the way, we'll upload a few fitting videos for y'all soon...)

The Crown is manufactured in the UK, and promises quality and affordability - bearing in mind this machine will last several years, usually coming with a long warranty which makes the prices look even more tempting, but there are other excellent benefit to investing in this particular model...

Softeners, in general, save money by reducing the amount of cleaning products you use; for example, when having a bath, and shampooing your hair, you would only need to use a small amount with soft water since it suds-up really quickly - or when doing the washing up, and the bubbles just disappear with hard water... or when your scrubbing scale off your shower with an expensive descaler product... The Crown softens even the hardest water, reducing the use of your household cleaning product use to the maximum amount. What we're getting is that, across the softeners lifetime with you, it will have paid for itself !

There are a million good things about this softener we could talk about! Including an amazing flow rate, and the benefits your skin hair and nails feel when bathing in soft water... The only thing I would ever pick on, is the fact that the size of the unit only makes it applicable to homes that have around 1-2 bathrooms.


But I guess I cant complain about that anymore since they brought out the Crown Ultra - a nice big softener for large homes, that has the same benefits.

If you're thinking about a softener, we would have to give this one 10/10. It's simply brilliant.

News Update: Infection Control: Legionnaires' disease and dental unit water

We came across this brilliant article on : Infection Control: Legionnaires' disease and dental unit water - If you're a dentist, and worried about legionella, we don't blame you...

"On a certain Monday morning in February, some of us were getting the same question from our patients. The question was similar to the questions that dental offices received in 1987 regarding transmission of HIV in the dental setting, as well as questions in 2001 regarding the transmission of HBV in the dental setting. My hope was that you answered these questions without hesitation.
Your current answers should be that your office is doing everything they can to comply with the guidelines, regulations, and laws governing infection control in the dental setting, including infection control procedures that treat the water lines.
In Rome, Italy, it was confirmed that an 83-year-old Italian woman who died from Legionnaire’s disease contracted the infection from the water lines in a dental practice.
The case was quickly diagnosed, and the source of the disease is unquestioned. The woman was admitted into the hospital with breathing problems and a very high temperature. She was admitted to the intensive care unit with continued fever and respiratory distress.
Chest radiography showed several areas of lung consolidation. She had no underlying diseases or conditions. Legionnaires’ disease was promptly diagnosed by a Legionella pneumophila urinary antigen test; a bronchial aspirate was taken for microbiological examination. Oral ciprofloxacin (750 mg every 12 hours) was started immediately. Nevertheless, the patient developed fulminant and irreversible septic shock and died two days later. An investigation to find the source of L pneumophila infection was initiated. After testing, she was diagnosed with legionnare’s disease.(1,2)
The part of this story that makes it clear that the disease was a direct result of dental treatment is what led up to this. The patient left her house only two times within the incubation period of two to 12 days. Both of those trips were direct trips to the dentist and back.
The evaluation of the dental setting included an evaluation of the water in the dental lines. Samples of water were taken from the dentist’s tap, from the dental unit water line, and from the high-pressure pump supplying the waterline. The testing that was done revealed that all three samples of water tested positive for Legionella pneumophila bacteria and the sample from the water pump was particularly convincing. Aerosolised water from high-speed turbine instruments was most likely the source of the infection. Warm temperatures and periods of water immobility provide a breeding ground for the bacteria. Distributed in fine droplets by a spray, the bacteria are then breathed in. Elderly people or individuals with poor immune systems are most at risk.
Genetic sequencing confirmed that the bacteria found in the dental water line directly matched the bacteria that killed the patient. The bacteria is a particularly virulent substrain called Benidorm.
Legionnaire’s disease, as we all know, is unusual. Most cases have involved air conditioning units, spas, and water fountains that are not properly cleaned or looked after. No one previously has identified the dental setting as a possible source of this disease, but we all know it could happen. That is why we are all so diligent in applying infection control guidelines, regulations, and laws into our daily practice of dentistry.
The case report has suggested a number of recommendations, including the use of filters and sterile water and adding a continuous loop of disinfected water. 

What is Legionnaires’ disease? 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines Legionnaires’ disease as a disease that is caused by a type of bacteria called Legionella. The bacteria got its name in 1976, when many people who went to a Philadelphia convention of the American Legion suffered from an outbreak of this disease, which is a type of pneumonia (lung infection). Although this type of bacteria was around before 1976, more illnesses from Legionnaires’ disease are being detected now. This is because we are now looking for this disease whenever a patient has pneumonia.
Legionella bacteria are found naturally in the environment, usually in water. The bacteria grow best in warm water. This is why you will find it in places such as hot tubs, air conditioning units, and water tanks. People acquire Legionnaires’ disease when they breathe in a mist or vapour (small droplets of water in the air) that has been contaminated with the bacteria. One example might be from breathing in the steam from a whirlpool spa that has not been properly cleaned and disinfected, or a dental hand-piece that has water flowing through to cool it down that is aerosolized. This disease is not spread from one person to another, but rather from the environment to the person.
The populations at the greatest risk for developing this disease are older people (usually 50 years of age or older), people who are current, former smokers, those who have a chronic lung disease (such emphysema), people who have weak immune systems from diseases, or those who take drugs to suppress (weaken) the immune system.
The problem with diagnosis of this disease is that symptoms are similar to other forms of pneumonia. It may be hard to diagnose at first. Symptoms of the disease can include a high fever, chills, and a cough. Some people may also suffer from muscle aches and headaches. Chest X-rays are needed to find the pneumonia caused by the bacteria, and other tests can be done on sputum (phlegm), as well as blood or urine to find evidence of the bacteria in the body. Symptoms usually begin two to 14 days after being exposed to the bacteria.
Legionnaires’ disease can be very serious and can cause death in 5% to 30% of cases. Most cases can be treated successfully with antibiotics, and healthy people usually recover from infection. "

Read more at DentistryIQ...

For more information on Legionella Bacteria and control measures call Spectrum Environmental Solutions on 0870 729 0199

Block Salt For Water Softeners - Let's Take a Look at The Top 10 Reasons

BUY NOW for £5.24 per bag! 

There could not be a better time to buy a water softener these days - prices are going down, the units themselves are improving, but most people just want to know what the best kind of salt is to use in what softener. This question crops up very frequently, and we only have one answer....


Block Salt.
Is it the best kind? 
Yeah, we think so.


There's nothing worse than splitting a bag or granular salt all over your garage floor, or taking forever to pour a heavy bag of pellet (or tablet) salt into a softener tightly tucked under your kitchen sink, shaking your head, asking "Why on earth isn't there an easier way of doing something so simple?"
Block salt, when used in a water softener, can increase the user experience as well as the performance of the softener itself. There are a fair few kinds of water softeners that take block salt now, so there's even more reason to buy! The comparison between using other types of salt (tablet/pellet or granular) makes it an easy choice for us - Here are our Top 10 countdown of reasons why:


10. Storage
These beauties stack up very neatly - their shape makes it super easy to pack them away in small spaces - They'll probably fit under the sink too!


9. Weight
Their weight makes them ideal for every type of person; The whole range of salt made available on the market today are usually around 25Kgs! And let's face it, unless your a fitness freak or a body builder, no ones going to find moving huge salt bags of 25Kg an easy task, especially if you want to stock up. The block salt comes in easy carry bags, that weigh only 8Kgs each (each block is 4Kgs)


8. Cleanliness
As I mentioned before, dropping a load of granular salt all over the floor isn't fun - it's a waste of money for a start, and cleaning it up is murder - definitely something we could do without - Thank god for block salt!


7. Widely Available
There are literally tons of suppliers in the UK that can delivery direct to the door - one phone call, and that's it! Of course, this is true for other types of salt too, but none is so widely available as block.


6. User Experience
There are many customers that find it difficult with softeners that take other types of salt to work out when they need to top up to make sure their softener carrys on running at its best. This is where block salt is handy as its shape means that once there is only a third of a block left two more can be popped in, meaning your softener never reaches empty!


5. Wide Range of Softeners that Take Block Salt
There is a huge range of softeners out there that take block salt so you will definitely be able to find one to suit your needs. The Crown softener is our most recommended softener as an all round great performer!

Check this out for a wide range of block salt eating softeners.


4. Softener Performance
Block salt's anti-caking agents mean that your softener won't get blocked up so there will be no nasty lumps to contend with and will save you calling out a plumber unnecessarily to service your softener.


3. No Mess, No Fuss
As previously said, Block Salt comes in an easy to use form so that no measuring is required and no spillages will occur, when you are filling up your softener, meaning no messing around trying to stop salt from pouring all over your floor!


 2. Quality Standard
Block Salt is made in the UK and is food grade salt promising you great quality salt at all times!


1. Cheap, Cheap, Cheap!
Block salt is much cheaper to buy than any other kind of softener salt so stock up now!

The Next 'Combating Legionella Conference'

H&V News has announced the dates for the second annual Combating Legionella Manchester conference.

In a statement it said: “Building on the success of last year’s event, H&V News is delighted to announce the dates for the second annual Combating Legionella Manchester conference, taking place on the 28-29th March 2012.”
"This event will bring together facilities managers, designers and engineers from across the industry to hear essential updates on guidance and legislation, and share best practise in preventing and dealing with a legionella outbreak.”

Looks like we all need to keep our eyes open for even more changes after March 2012!

Our Hearts Go Out - Baby's Death caused by Pseudomonas in Belfast Hospital

This is why we deem our work of the utmost importance. Water treatment, and monitoring, is one of the least talked about legislation's on the map, but is, for all to see, so very important to keep on top of.


These poor children, unfortunately, have to pay devastating consequences of a poor monitoring system, obviously being performed by a completely incompetent company, who should take their work much more seriously. Either that, or the authority just couldn't be bothered to sign off a few purchase orders to keep on top of their water hygiene. 
Either way, This is an incident that should never have happened; we would like to send our deepest condolences to the families of these young children - our hearts go out to you completely, and honestly.


The  Belfast telegraph reported this:

"The latest results show that none of the 24 babies who were patients at the Belfast’s Royal Jubilee Maternity’s neo-natal unit at the time news of the outbreak broke last week have shown signs of an active infection of Pseudomonas. However five babies are being closely monitored because tests showed they have the bacteria on their skin"

Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/baby-deaths-regulator-has-never-inspected-neonatal-unit-at-belfast-hospital-16107523.html#ixzz1kIVHPj1k

We sincerely hope that these children get the best care and treatment and we wish them a swift recovery.


Article written on behalf of the staff at Spectrum Environmental Solutions Limited - Please contact us for a monitoring regime that wont fail - UK - 0870 729 0199.

Top 5 Ways to Purify Water

There are literally hundreds of opinions on the chemicals we use in water in the UK, but which ones should we believe?

Personally I'm of the opinion (from doing some research) that there are far too many additives put into our mains water, making them harmful over the years, but luckily there are a few ways to fix that, and of course, we're being objective here... so lets look at the facts we have:

There are a few of you out there that wouldn't give it a second thought but, in actual fact, our water isn't just water at all, it harbours almost everything it comes into contact with - just like how homoeopathy works. Water will pick stuff up along its pipe travels, and will carry heavy metals, minerals and bacteria - but that's a natural function of water, what we want to look at is some of the additives to 'combat' the picked up stuff. There are many chemicals added to water to clean it, and there are also chemicals added to 'medicate' us. 


Firstly there's fluoridation. In 2009, the daily mail reported this:

"A health trust has become the first to force through a move to add fluoride to tap water to fight tooth decay in children.
The decision was made using new laws to introduce fluoridation, although three in four members of the public and a county council opposed it.  
Adding fluoride to water has been described by critics as 'mass medication' of the population because, unlike chlorine, it is not added to make supplies safe.
Around 200,000 people in Southampton will be affected in an area where four in ten children have a filling by school age. Dentists said it would reduce the number of decayed teeth.  Just 10 per cent of England's water is fluoridated, covering 5.5million people, mainly in the north-east and west Midlands.
The last fluoridation scheme was introduced in 1985, but the Health Secretary last year called for further schemes after consultation, saying most people were in favour."

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1156783/Fluoride-water--dont-want-it.html#ixzz1j4TTU4yD

So from that we can tell there has been at the very least some debate - It also tells us that fluoride was introduced to 'medicate' us with the hopes of reducing decay in teeth. It looks as though, there have been doubts about the effectiveness and the morality of dosing the nation. There are millions of reports from scientists, herbalists and bloggers alike, of finding information (whether first hand, or second) that suggest Fluoridation will only enhance the creation of cavities in teeth.


Then there is Chlorine. This was published on about.com by Larry West:


“Chlorine has been hailed as the savior against cholera and various other water-borne diseases, and rightfully so,” says Steve Harrison, president of water filter maker Environmental Systems Distributing. “Its disinfectant qualities…have allowed communities and whole cities to grow and prosper by providing disease-free tap water to homes and industry."
Interestingly the article goes on to discredit the chemical:

"Harrison says that ‘all this disinfecting’ has not come without a price: Chlorine introduced into the water supply reacts with other naturally-occurring elements to form toxins called trihalomethanes (THMs), which eventually make their way into our bodies. THMs have been linked to a wide range of human health maladies ranging from asthma and eczema to bladder cancer and heart disease. In addition, Dr. Peter Montague of the Environmental Research Foundation cites several studies linking moderate to heavy consumption of chlorinated tap water by pregnant women with higher miscarriage and birth defect rates."

Weirdly, wherever my research into the subject takes me, there seems to be less of an upside to these chemicals, and a HUGE downside instead.
Most people are savvy to these types of chemical dosings, and find several ways to deal with it, in their own homes. Here's the top 5 things we can do:


________________________________________________________________________


#1 Filtration
Filtered water is one of the best and cheapest options to keep drinking water purer. Many items under this option are around £30-£70 off the bat, and about £10-£40 to replace the cartridge(s) every 6-12 months. They can easily be installed at home yourself too, which is a bonus, and are small enough to fit in very small spaces.

#2 Reverse Osmosis
Filtered water is good. Water that's been through a reverse osmosis treatment is a million times better - this basically means water is filtered up to 5 times, through very fine filter membranes, on the smallest scale possible, taking out all the additives, smell and even fluoride, which is especially hard to remove from water. The reverse osmosis units are particularly hard to find for home use at an affordable price, but we've found a great little one here, that will fit under a sink!


#3 Water Softeners
We never usually consider the effects the scale has on our bodies, it's usually the damage it does to pipework, the taps and the shower head! Having a bath in water that has magnesium and calcium particles floating around in it, can damage skin and hair, making them dry, and sink into our bloodstream whilst we clean ourselves. Water softeners, that use salt and resin, are a great for making the water 'soft' as apposed to hard. You'll also find your cleaning products and shampoo will go a lot further, in essence making this option somewhat pay for itself eventually!

#4 UV light
Ultraviolet water purification lamps produce UV-C or "germicidal UV," radiation of much greater intensity than sunlight. UV treatment is an great choice to get rid of contamination for most homes. For this option, we must be aware, that ultraviolet purification systems are usually combined with various forms of filtration, as UV light is only capable of killing microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and molds etc.


#5 Bottled Water
If in doubt of a good source of drinking water, buy some good bottled water to keep your body healthy for the time being, at least until you can acquire some hardcore purifying kit of course, since this option can be very costly in the log run

__________________________________________________________________________

All these options are great for helping to keep water a little more in control at home, and there are some brilliant technologies up and coming; stay tuned for a sequel article!


<<<<<<<<Check out some great water treatment products available in the UK>>>>>>>>>>