How To...

15

Clean the Water System after Depletion

Why clean the water system?

• Biofilmswillforminsidewaterpipesandregulartreatmenttoremovethemisneededtopreventdecreasedwaterflowandmicrobialcontaminationofdrinkingwater.

01 Whycleanthewatersystem?

Procedure for cleaning the water systemItisessentialtoremovebiofilmsinthewatersystemandsubmitwatersamplesforanalysisbeforebirdsarrive.Itisalsogoodpracticetodisinfectwaterlinesonceamonth(forcleaningpurposes)duringthelifeoftheflockandflushthemaminimumofonceaweektomaintaingoodwaterqualityinadditiontodailyroutinewatersanitation.

Equipment1. Approvedsanitizingcompounds

2. Cleaning,disinfectionequipment(protectiveclothing)

3. Aircompressorandhose

4. Watersamplebottlesandsamplesponges

HOW TO...Clean the Water System

after Depletion

Procedureforcleaningthewatersystem

02

15

03 Procedure

Procedure

HOW TO...

Step 1 Drainwaterpipesandheadertanks.

Step 2 Flushwater lineswith cleanwater orforced air. When cleaning the waterlines with forced air, ensure the endof the drinker line is open so that thehigh pressure air can easily force thewaterouttheendofthedrinkerline.Airpressureshouldbecloselyregulatedsothatitisnottoohigh,whichcancausedamagetothedrinkerlines.

Step 3 Scrub header tanks to remove scale andbiofilmdeposit anddraintotheexteriorofthehouse.

Step 4 Refillthetankwithfreshwaterandaddanapprovedsanitizer. The sanitizer must be approved for use with the drinkingsystemandusedatthecorrectdilutionforeffectivebiofilmremoval.

Step 5 Runthesanitizersolutionthroughthedrinkerlinesfromtheheadertank,ensuringthattherearenoairlocks.

Step 6 For disinfection after depletion only, fill the header tank tonormal operating level with additional sanitizer solutionat the appropriate strength.Replace the lid and allow thedisinfectanttoremaininsidethetankfor24-72hours.

Step 7 Drain the tank anddrinker lines thoroughly and rinsewithcleanwater.

Step 8 Refillthetankwithfreshwaterpriortobirdarrival.

Step 9 Ifphysicalcleaningoftheinsideofwaterpipesisnotpossible,biofilmscanbe removedbyusingperoxygencompounds.These lines must be flushed thoroughly before the birdsdrink.

Step 10Sample the water source,storagetanksanddrinkersattheend of the lines and submit forbacterialanalysis.Useaspongetoculture inside thewater line tofindanyremainingbiofilm(i.e.,bacteria).

Step 1

Step 2

15

Clean the Water System after Depletion

Step 10

04

Interpreting results• Visual inspection is a primary tool for determining the

effectivenessofcleaninganddisinfectionoftheexteriorpartsofthedrinkingsystem.

• Regularassessmentsofwaterquality,bothatthesourceandreservoirs, are necessary for monitoring microbial load andmineralcontent.

√ Total viable bacterial count is a good quality assurancetest.ThetablebelowshowsthestandardoperatinglevelsofTVCsandspecificpathogens.

Limits per ml of water in main water supply

Good Acceptable Unacceptable

TVC 0 - 100 100 - 300 > 301

E.Coli 0 0 1

Pseudomonas 0 0 1

Ifthewateranalysisresultsfallwithinthedesiredlimits,noactionis required. However, if the analysis shows TVCs outside theacceptable limits, it will be necessary to clean and sanitize thewatersystemuntilTVCsarewithintheidealrange.

InterpretingResults

HOW TO...

15

Clean the Water System after Depletion