JoeFelice t1_j8h8sn4 wrote on February 14, 2023 at 7:53 AM

Reply to comment by Onetap1 in What do bacteria living in mechanical ventilation feed on ? by malahchi

Did the bacteria enter the hotel's ventilation system? Aren't they sealed off from each other? I'm picturing my home cooling unit and an invasive element would have to penetrate the metal coil to get into the house, and repeat that to access the air.

oundhakar t1_j8hnw5r wrote on February 14, 2023 at 11:29 AM

+1 to this. The cooling tower ought to be in the secondary circuit - a refrigerant is used in the primary circuit to cool the air in the evaporator - the inside unit of the air conditioner, and condensed back to a liquid in the condenser, with the heat being removed by the secondary circuit water. The water gets warmed up and then cooled down again in the cooling tower.

Was the party out on the terrace near the cooling towers where the legionnaires were exposed to the cooling tower spray carried by the wind?

Onetap1 t1_j8hqv1t wrote on February 14, 2023 at 12:04 PM

They probably inhaled contaminated water droplets outside.

There was an outbreak in Cumbria, UK, 15 years or more back and it was random people passing through the vicinity who were infected.