Impact of water heater temperature setting and water use frequency on the building plumbing microbiome.

ABSTRACT: Hot water plumbing is an important conduit of microbes into the indoor environment and can increase risk of opportunistic pathogens (for example, Legionella pneumophila). We examined the combined effects of water heater temperature (39, 42, 48, 51 and 58 °C), pipe orientation (upward/downward), and water use frequency (21, 3 and 1 flush per week) on the microbial composition at the tap using a pilot-scale pipe rig. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing indicated that bulk water and corresponding biofilm typically had distinct taxonomic compositions (R²_Adonis=0.246, P_Adonis=0.001), yet similar predicted functions based on PICRUSt analysis (R²_Adonis=0.087, P_Adonis=0.001). Although a prior study had identified 51 °C under low water

SUBMITTER: Ji P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5437349 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature