Need to check your hot water supply is Legionella-free? Bewildered by Health and Safety legislation, and concerned about your responsibilities as a business owner or landlord?

Our affordable Legionella Testing Kits make it simple for you to keep your tenants, visitors or residents safe – and keep your business out of hot water.

Ordering a Legionella Testing Kit

When you place your order through our website, we’ll ask you how many hot water outlets there are in your property, such as taps and showerheads, so that we can send you the right number of bottles.

We’ll dispatch your Legionella Testing Kit on the same day, and you’ll receive it within a couple of days.

The key component is the sterile sample bottle or bottles: one for up to eight hot water outlets on your premises. You’ll also receive complete instructions, a sample record form, and a courier collection or freepost bag.

And that’s it!

It’s at the lab that the high-tech stuff happens – but you can leave that to our highly trained scientists.

Easy-to-use Legionella Testing Kit

Once you’ve received your kit, getting your samples ready for testing really is as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Fill the bottle or bottles.

You’ll need to test the water from 50% of your hot water outlets, and each bottle can take water from up to four.

So if you have eight hot water taps, you’ll need to fill just one bottle with water from four of them. Take roughly equal amounts from each tap.

Make sure you use the first water that comes out of the tap, even if it’s not yet running hot.

You must fill each bottle right up to the top, even if you’re filling from only one tap – and do please remember to screw on the lids tightly to avoid any spills in transit.

That’s it – but please take note of a couple of ‘don’ts’.

Don’t rinse out the bottles before use. They’re sterile and contain a preservative powder.

And don’t take your samples on Fridays, the weekend, or bank holidays. We want to keep the quality of samples high, so need to get them into our lab as quickly as possible.

2. Complete the sample record form.

You’ll find this at the bottom of your instructions. Just fill it in, detach it, and keep it in a safe place.

It records where you collected the samples from. If we do find Legionella bacteria, this will help us track down the problem and help you clear it.

Top tip: attach the completed form to your Legionella Certificate once you receive it, and stash them away together.

3. Book a courier collection or use the freepost postal bag to return at a local Post Office.

Place the filled bottles in the bag provided and seal up.

Completed all the steps above? Then you need to arrange a courier collection by emailing us or going to www.smartwatertesting.co.uk/bookacollection. You’ll need your Unique Account Number, contained in your kit. If you opted for our freepost return option, just drop the bag off at a local Post Office.

Remember: Mondays to Thursdays only, and not on bank holidays. Please don’t contact the couriers directly – and don’t put the samples in the post (unless using our freepost option)!

If you’re testing business premises, make sure that reception know where to find the bagged sample bottles. If our couriers turn up but cannot find your samples, we’ll have to pass on their ‘missed collection charge’ at £20 + VAT.

Fast Test Results

It takes 10 days for Legionella samples to be cultured in our laboratory, which is registered with the UK Accreditation Service.

We follow strict guidelines from the Health and Safety Executive, and there’s nothing we can do to speed up the cultivation process.

We do make sure you get your verified results as quickly as possible – approximately 14 days after collection of the samples.

If the tests are clear, you’ll get a certificate to state your premises is officially Legionella-free.

What happens if you find Legionella bacteria?

Don’t panic! Most infections can be dealt with easily by raising the hot water temperature and flushing the hot taps. Although we provide a test and report service, we do work with water treatment specialists who can offer advice/assistance – and full discretion is assured.

With our Legionella Testing Kit, you’ll soon have peace of mind.