You may not notice it happening—but your instruments do.
A speck of rust, a dull spot on a tray, or early pitting on a hinge often points to something deeper: your facility’s incoming water.
“Municipal or city water is the foundation for every step that follows in the SPD water-treatment process,” explained Wendy Schultz, Water Quality Services Manager at VERDA. “If the source water is poor or inconsistent, the pretreatment and purification systems have to work much harder—and they may not perform as intended.”
Why ‘Safe to Drink’ ≠ ‘Safe for Reprocessing’
EPA standards protect public health, not stainless steel. The EPA allows up to 250 ppm chloride in drinking water; AAMI ST108 caps it below 1 ppm. What’s fine for a faucet can quietly corrode instruments, degrade RO membranes, and shorten sterilizer life.
How to Detect Damage Before It Happens
Schultz advises SPDs to establish a baseline by reviewing their city’s Consumer Confidence Report and testing each parameter in AAMI ST108 Table 2—pH, hardness, conductivity, chloride, alkalinity, and more. Those readings reveal how well your system is really protecting your process.
“Every change to your source water affects your risk in the SPD,” she said. “Seasonal shifts, road-salt runoff, or a utility switch in disinfectants can all show up later as staining or spotting.”
Monitoring these indicators monthly—or through automated sensors—turns ST108 from a rulebook into an early-warning system – like the coal miners’ canary. Facilities that track water trends can adjust treatment before the corrosion, scaling, or film ever reach the tray.
For SPDs, water testing isn’t just compliance—it’s asset protection. Your washers, sterilizers, and surgical sets will tell the story. AAMI ST108 gives you the tools to listen.
For more on this and other related topics, catch the whole webinar (Episode 5 Enhancing Facility Water) from the Belimed Classroom
If you’re looking for help, contact us.