Explain Like I'm Five | Don't Panic!

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ELI5 - why doesn't the water in our pipes get bacteria/viruses in it? (lemmit.online)

submitted 2 years ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The original was posted on /r/explainlikeimfive by /u/Choppybitz on 2023-09-18 16:40:18.

It seems like you would get pretty nasty germs happily living in our plumbing (especially untreated well water).

I think about the water that can sit for prolonged periods in hot water tanks, stagnant water in dead end sections of the plumbing system (unused outside faucet etc), and the wet oxygen rich environment inside the faucet ends.

Yet you almost never hear about people getting sick from their water🤷🏽‍♂️

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

You can get stuff like legionella growing in your hot water heater and sections of pipe in unused plumbing. Most people don't get sick from their shower spay because the bacterial counts are probably low compared to the flow of water and their immune systems are strong. You can bump your water heater up to 140°F and use a mixer valve to bring the temperature back down for use. Running water from all faucets in unused rooms at least once a week is good too.