What is the difference between secondary disinfection and supplemental disinfection?

While there is some ambiguity in the usage of the term, secondary disinfection tends to denote a higher level of disinfection than supplemental disinfection.

Secondary disinfection in some applications carries a specific requirement of 99.99% reduction in certain microorganisms, while supplemental disinfection may provide a reduction at a lower or non-specific level.

That said, individuals in some contexts may refer to primary and secondary disinfection as that which occurs at the municipal level while supplemental disinfection occurs in your facility.

Some define supplemental disinfection as additional disinfectant of the same type. For instance, if the municipality adds chlorine, supplemental disinfection would consist of adding more chlorine locally. Secondary disinfection would only be a different modality (method) to disinfect the water such as ultraviolet light or copper silver ionization on top of the existing chlorine.

Given the possible ambiguity, it is important to check your specific requirements to ensure you are providing the proper level of disinfection for your application. Please contact Legionella Control Systems at 317-934-7573 or info@legionellacontrolsystems.com if you would like assistance with keeping your water safe with either secondary or supplemental disinfection.