– why doesn’t the water in our pipes get bacteria/viruses in it?

Question

It seems like you would get pretty nasty germs happily living in our plumbing (especially untreated well water).

I think about the water that can sit for prolonged periods in hot water tanks, stagnant water in dead end sections of the plumbing system (unused outside faucet etc), and the wet oxygen rich environment inside the faucet ends.

Yet you almost never hear about people getting sick from their water🤷🏽‍♂️

In: 1670

Answer 1

Start with purified water, add chlorine or other disinfectant, run under pressure through sealed pipes going one direction only. Interesting fact – the separation of fresh water supplies from sewage systems was the greatest public health advancement in human history in terms of lives saved. It basically ended water borne disease, which had been a leading cause of death throughout human history.