Cape Breton Regional Hospital won't have hot water tonight

The Cape Breton Regional Hospital will be shutting down its hot water for twelve hours on Friday until Saturday morning to replace old equipment — some as old as the hospital itself.

The hot water shutdown starts at 8 p.m. Friday and lasts until 8 a.m. Saturday. The shutdown will be followed by a hot water boil advisory for staff that lasts until 10 a.m. Sunday, the Nova Scotia Health Authority said in a press release. 

The health authority said access to the hospital won't be impacted. Cold water will also not be affected and precautions have been taken for both the shutdown and boil-water advisory, they added.

The work is being done as part of a bigger plan to replace and repair old and failing parts of the hot water system and to prevent future problems.

"The equipment is original to the build [of the hospital] and the isolation valves do not hold anymore, which means we cannot isolate the water if we had a major leak within a certain department," said Thomas Young, a manager with the Health and Wellness Department.

Young also said the water lines are corroded and the hot water tanks are leaking, along with the steam tunnels within the tanks. He added that work will all be done.

"We do have the two brand new tanks on site presently. So this is part of the planning phase of getting this done first and foremost, where it'll allow us to install one tank at a time and not have any disruption of services for that next phase of the project." 

The health authority asked that people at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital do not turn on hot water taps and follow the proper guidelines posted throughout the hospital during the shutdown.

The health authority said there will be hand sanitizing stations and alcohol rubs available during the shutdown. 

Young said the shutdown is timed so all patients will already be bathed and showered for the night before the hot water is stopped. 

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