Technical hygiene
Ensure the quality of your drinking water with TÜV NORD
The Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV) requires building operators to comply with generally accepted technical standards. This applies to larger domestic hot water systems with a storage capacity of over 400 litres or a pipe volume of over three litres from the outlet of the water heater to the final tap.
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Who is required to carry out drinking water tests?
The Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV) requires building operators to comply with generally accepted technical standards. For larger domestic hot water systems with a storage capacity of over 400 litres or a pipe volume of over 3 litres from the outlet of the water heater to the final tap, tests for Legionella must be carried out either annually or at least every three years, depending on the type of use.
Where the building is for public use, annual sampling is mandatory.
Sampling is mandatory immediately after commissioning and following any modification to the system.
Hygiene means far more than just cleanliness. It is a crucial factor in protecting people, ensuring the smooth running of buildings and complying with legal requirements. Whether in the catering industry, public facilities or the healthcare sector – wherever large numbers of people gather, technical hygiene is becoming increasingly important.
Modern buildings and facilities place high demands on planning, operation and maintenance. This also applies to drinking water systems, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, and hygiene-sensitive areas. Only through holistic approaches and regular inspections can risks be identified at an early stage and minimised in the long term.
With our expertise, we support you in reliably maintaining your hygiene standards – in a practical, standards-compliant manner and tailored to your sector. Make use of our Quick Checks to quickly assess the condition of your systems and identify targeted measures.
Select your sector and start the Quick Check to transparently assess your hygiene situation and optimise it in a targeted manner.
Inspection prior to commissioning and following any modification to the drinking water system
During an on-site visit, a check is carried out to ensure that the drinking water installation complies with generally accepted technical standards. Any defects are summarised in a report. The inspection should take place as early as the planning stage to avoid hygiene problems.
Before the system is filled, a water sample is taken at the property connection and analysed for microbiological and chemical parameters. If changes are made to the system, the sample is taken from a specified tap within the installation.
Get a detailed analysis and minimise health risks in your building. Ensure the quality of your drinking water with TÜV NORD. You can request a quote or further information here.
You are required to have regular inspections carried out if your water heater has a storage capacity of more than 400 litres or if the volume of water flowing through the pipes, including showers, exceeds 3 litres up to the final tap.
Minimise health risks in your building. Have your hot water systems inspected regularly.
If the property is used for commercial purposes, an inspection is mandatory every 3 years.
Where the property is used for public purposes – for example, by nurseries, schools, prisons, care homes for the elderly and doctors’ surgeries – an annual inspection is mandatory.
This inspection requirement stems from the Drinking Water Ordinance and the associated requirement to comply with generally accepted technical standards. As part of the commissioning of the drinking water system, an initial hygiene inspection of the system must be carried out in accordance with VDI 6023 prior to commissioning.
In doing so, compliance with the requirements for planning and installation must be comprehensively checked before the drinking water system is filled. This inspection may only be carried out by competent persons with additional qualifications in hygiene engineering.
Depending on the building’s use, different parameters must be examined. The following parameters are examined
The hygiene laboratory will determine the exact tests to be carried out.
If the technical action level for Legionella is reached or even exceeded during these tests, the operator must also arrange for a risk assessment (formerly known as a ‘hazard analysis’) to be carried out. This involves checking the drinking water installation for compliance with technical regulations, assessing any defects in terms of health risks, and determining remedial measures.
As a specialist consultancy and a testing laboratory accredited to DIN EN ISO 17025, we are experts in both professional drinking water testing and the competent and comprehensive safety assessment of your drinking water system.
The Drinking Water Ordinance of 2023 (Section 5) requires compliance with generally accepted technical standards. These include VDI 6023, which – like VDI 6022 – deals with hygiene in drinking water installations.
In accordance with VDI 6023, Section 5.4.3.2, an initial hygiene inspection is required before a drinking water installation is commissioned. This serves to check for areas of potential hygiene concern and ensures that the installation complies with the technical regulations.
Typical points to be checked are:
Errors in installation are rarely intentional; however, time pressure and complex procedures on site can lead to deviations from hygiene standards. If these go undetected, they often only come to light during microbiological testing, for example through abnormal Legionella findings. The consequences include time-consuming risk assessments, costly refurbishments and potential loss of use.
The initial hygiene inspection helps to identify and prevent such problems at an early stage.
We go one step further than required by VDI 6023:
The initial hygiene inspection offers you:
Our testing laboratory is accredited by the German Accreditation Body (DAkkS) in accordance with DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025. This accreditation confirms our technical expertise and our compliance with internationally recognised standards for testing and measurement.
What does this mean for you?
In our new webinar series, we’ll be exploring the topic of operators’ obligations in the context of building services. We’ve put together some fascinating and topical subjects for you. Find out more about us and the services we offer. We look forward to supporting you as a reliable partner!
After 72 hours, the water in the pipes should be completely drained and replaced. Before taking your first shower after your holiday, you should let the water run for three to five minutes – and make sure it’s hot. The temperature must be at least 60 degrees to reliably kill Legionella bacteria. The same applies to the kitchen sink and the washbasin.
Legionella bacteria can cause infection when fine, respirable aerosols are inhaled. Under the Workplace Regulations, employers are always required to identify and minimise the risks to their employees.
The question of whether it makes sense to filter tap water is not easy to answer and depends on various factors. Generally speaking, German tap water is of high quality and meets the strict requirements of the Drinking Water Ordinance. From a hygiene perspective, therefore, filtering is not necessary in most cases.