What happens when disinfection systems installed in waterworks reach their limits? Lutz-Jesco has developed the Safety Mix mobile emergency chlorination system for just these emergencies. The system can be viewed at the Tausendwasser 2025 water management trade fair in Berlin, Germany (stand 7.BP.29), from March 26 to March 27. Lutz-Jesco will also be presenting its new VakuStop safety shut-off valve, which makes handling hazardous chlorine gas safer.

If the bacterial count in drinking water rises — for example due to impurities due to heavy rainfall that has washed soil into a spring catchment chamber — waterworks must react quickly to avert a health hazard for thousands of households. The situation becomes critical if bacteria develop in an intermediate storage tank,

Source: Lutz-Jesco and the permanently installed local disinfection systems are unable to cope.

“We have developed SAFETYCHLORMIX for just such cases," said Cristian Meyer, expert in drinking water technology at Lutz-Jesco. “This mobile dosing system enables waterworks to act quickly and effectively to bring bacterial development under control through the precise dosing of liquid chlorine.”

The emergency chlorination system has already been purchased by several municipal utilities in large cities such as Schwerin (Germany). The solution is not only deployed in waterworks but also in response to other special challenges relating to the safety of drinking water — such as Legionella contamination in the water supply for a high-rise building.

A single person can easily pull the system to its place of use

Lutz-Jesco offers SAFETYCHLORMIX as a plug-and-play system mounted on a robust tubular steel trolley. This means that a single person can easily pull the system to wherever it is needed and start emergency chlorination immediately. At the heart of the system is the Magdos LDp diaphragm dosing pump, which injects a calcium hypochlorite solution into the contaminated water from a container via a ten-meter PVC hose. The chemical releases hypochlorous acid (HOCI), which kills microorganisms through oxidation. “The pump impresses with exceptional durability, reliability and ease of maintenance,” explained Meyer. “Its magnetic drive means that it does not need any wearing parts such as gears or shafts.”

SAFETYCHLORMIX enables chlorine production of up to 650 g/h

SAFETYCHLORMIX is available in different performance levels, which enable chlorine production from 18g/h to 650 g/h. The delivery rate varies between 0.5 l/h and 15 l/h. The chlorine granulate is available in two package sizes: 25 l or 60 l. For added safety, the system is equipped with a back-pressure valve that regulates the line pressure and a pressure-relief valve that prevents positive pressure. A polyethylene collecting pan provides additional protection by collecting any leaking liquids and thus preventing the uncontrolled escape of chemicals into the environment.

Also on show at Tausendwasser 2025: A new safety shut-off valve ensures safer handling of chlorine gas

Lutz-Jesco will also be presenting another innovation at Tausendwasser 2025. The new VakuStop is a safety shut-off valve combined with a vacuum regulator that enables waterworks to handle chlorine gas cylinders more safely. Users can fit the VakuStop to the valve of a gas cylinder in just a few simple steps and connect it to a gas warning device. An electromagnet then holds the valve open in the idle position, so that chlorine gas can flow. The power supply will be interrupted following a chlorine alarm, cable break, positive pressure detection or actuation of the pushbutton on the device, causing the valve to close suddenly and interrupt the gas supply.

Lutz-Jesco also offers a comprehensive safety system to increase the safety of larger chlorine gas systems. The centerpiece is a control unit that connects a gas warning device with up to twelve safety shutoff valves. The control unit can close all valves simultaneously in the event of a chlorine alarm. "VakuStop and our safety system support waterworks in their efforts to continuously optimize the safe handling of chlorine gas and thereby minimize the possible risks,” said Meyer. These types of safety systems are important because handling the chemical poses considerable health risks — ranging from irritation of the eyes to fatal pulmonary oedema.