LETTERS
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Legionella
Management for
Building Water
Systems
The column concerning Legionella
management in the November 2017
issue of the Journal covered all of the
typical locations in which this dis-
ease can be contracted, but missed
one perhaps more recent location
that has proven fatal within hos-
pitals. This piece of equipment is
called a birthing pool and is located
within the maternity wing.
There are several reliable reports
of this tragic and sometimes fatal
occurrence such as those in a
medical journal that I was read-
ing recently, the Washington Post
and The Guardian [UK]. The cause
appears to be due to either filling
of these pools too far in advance of
their use during the birth, or insuf-
ficient cleaning of the recirculating
heater piping system. This infec-
tion has also been reported when
using domestic versions of this piece
of equipment.
Peter Meridew, Nanaimo, BC, Canada
The Authors Respond
We are in agreement with the let-
ter writer that birthing pools in
maternity wings of hospitals can
be a potential source of Legionella
bacteria, leading to possible adverse
health effects among the hospital
staff and the mothers who use the
birthing pools. As noted, the key to
the prevention of Legionella bacteria
growth in the birthing pools is to
provide proper cleaning of the pip-
ing system, and to ensure that the
water in the pool does not become
stagnant. For hospitals and other
facilities with pools, it is important
6 A S H R A E J O U R N A L   a s h r a e . o r g   F E B R U A R Y 2 0 18
that these water sources be included
in the Legionella management plan,
and that adequate maintenance of
the pools is implemented.
Lan Chi Weekes, P.E., Member ASHRAE, and
Donald Weekes, Associate Member ASHRAE,
Ottawa, Ontario
Blow-Through vs.
Draw-Through
I always enjoy the ASHRAE Journal’s
Engineer’s Notebook column, and
in particular anything written by
Stephen W. Duda, P.E. As usual,
January’s column did not fail to
please.  I would like to add a couple
of additional thoughts with regard
to the “energy-efficiency” aspect
of analyzing blow-through versus
draw-through AHU configura-
tions, particularly in combination
with final filters for health-care
applications.
Mr. Duda points out the addi-
tional latent and total cooling
capacity required in draw-through
fan configurations when required
to reduce the cooling coil’s leaving
air temperature in order to meet
desired room supply air conditions
due to added fan heat. While addi-
tional cooling capacity is definitely
required, this also necessitates a
lower refrigerant temperature,
which increases the lift on the AC
unit compressor and contributes
an additional energy penalty of its
own.
In hospital applications that may
require very low dew-point tem-
peratures, a desiccant dehumidi-
fication component can be added
that will deeply dry the airstream
prior to any cooling coil or final
filter. This can move the airstream’s
condition far enough from the
saturation curve that there is no
concern with condensation across
final filters, or elsewhere. The
AHU’s blow-through cooling coil
may then only be needed to sensi-
bly “post-cool” the dehumidified
airstream a few degrees before it
enters the space. This cooling coil
will run dry and eliminate any con-
cern with condensate removal or
mold growth.
The cooling coil provides only
sensible cooling capacity, which can
be achieved at both higher supply
air and refrigerant temperatures,
reducing compressor lift and saving
energy. It’s also quite possible that
this system combination will elimi-
nate the need for reheat, which is
the largest thermal energy con-
sumer in most traditional hospital
settings. When properly applied
in health-care applications, blow-
through cooling coil configurations
can be a real winner.
David N. Schurk, Member ASHRAE, Houston
The Author Responds
I very much appreciate Mr.
Schurk’s kind remarks, and his
technical additions to the ideas
I presented are most welcome.  I
certainly concur that desiccant
dehumidification is important to
consider when the application calls
for low dew-point temperatures. 
For readers desiring more detailed
information about desiccant dehu-
midification, I recommend Chapter
24 of the 2016 ASHRAE Handbook—
HVAC Systems and Equipment.  Thanks
again for the compliments and sug-
gestions, and I hope you continue
to enjoy the Engineer’s Notebook
series.
Stephen W. Duda, P.E, BEAP, HFDP, HBDP,
Fellow ASHRAE, St. Louis