Legionella is one of the most used terms in the plumbing industry. It is a bacterium that grows at a water source, i.e. hot water heater, and can cause sickness, or in some cases death, if water temperature does not remain at or above 140 F. There is an increasing awareness of Legionnaires’ disease, as it can be deadly, and there have been many cases reported throughout the U.S. and beyond. Oftentimes, it is mistakenly identified as pneumonia.

The plumbing industry, through ASHRAE 188, has set standards to control Legionella growth. The standard addresses proper disinfection at the source to ensure safety to the end user by establishing a management and control plan.

Electronic mixing has become the vehicle for these standards to protect hospitals, apartment buildings, hotels and water storage systems where the bacteria could grow in the system. Electronic mixing valves, like the Nucleus, are an industry standard solution because the capabilities are tremendous.

Facility managers and building owners will have peace of mind with the monitoring and disinfection capabilities of these electronic mixing valves. They are able to monitor system data and provide faster, more accurate temperature control for domestic hot water applications. Monitoring allows for safe creation of disinfection cycles, which can be done either locally or remotely allowing for controlled disinfection. During a disinfection cycle, the bacteria is killed at the source before distribution to the end user.

The Nucleus has the ability for cloud-based monitoring and logging, and can be monitored remotely using one of the six standard protocol languages including BACNet, Modbus and Metasys (BMS Interface). Additionally, electronic valves like the Nucleus have outlet temperatures accurate to ±2 F from set point, especially during periods of low or no system demand, and flow is automatically shut down upon cold or hot water failure.

Digital mixing valves leverage technology to achieve tight temperature control and monitoring the entire hot water distribution loop and disinfection cycles. Valves like the Nucleus are unparalleled, as the 19 models and configurations offer capabilities to meet the myriad of unique market needs. Electronic Master Mixers are a frontline solution for addressing Legionella and complying with ASHRAE standards.