What this is
What is a water treatment record?
What is a water treatment record?
It is the log that ties chemical dosing to the test results it is supposed to produce, across boiler feed, cooling, chilled, process and closed heating systems. It is completed at the set interval by whoever holds the treatment contract, and it is the document a contractor's own report cannot replace on its own.
Why does dosing need its own record separate from the results?
A dosing system can run continuously while producing the wrong result, because the chemical is wrong, the rate has drifted, or the stock has run low without anyone noticing the flow stop. Recording dosing status and results as separate fields is what lets a reviewer see the cause behind a failed test rather than just the failure.
Does a water treatment record cover legionella control?
No. It covers the chemistry and mechanical condition of the water systems themselves — scale, corrosion, biological growth and dosing. Legionella risk, temperature regimes and outlet flushing sit in the Legionella Control Record, which this template links to but does not duplicate.
Scope
When is a water treatment record required?
This is the chemistry and condition record for treated water systems. It is not the place to log legionella temperature checks, boiler shift parameters, or refrigeration plant readings — each of those has its own template and its own reviewer.
Use this template when
- A treatment contractor or in-house team has just dosed, tested or inspected a boiler, cooling, chilled, process or closed heating system
- A scheduled water test is due at the interval set for that system, whether or not a fault has been reported
- A contractor's report has come in and needs its recommendations tracked against the same system it was written for
- A corrosion coupon has been pulled and needs its result attached to the cycle it was fitted in
- The workspace is being set up and the systems needing regular treatment need registering for the first time
Do not use it for
- Boiler Operation Record, which records boiler operating parameters, water treatment results and blowdown through a shift — use it for the shift log, not the chemistry programme.
- Refrigeration Plant Log, which records suction and discharge pressures, temperatures, oil levels and run hours across the refrigeration plant.
- Legionella Control Record, which records temperature checks, flushing, sampling and cleaning across water systems that can generate aerosols.
- Steam Trap Survey, which covers trap condition and steam loss rather than water chemistry.
- Anything outside KnowMaintain, which belongs in the workspace that owns that process
Compliance mapping
Which ISO 55001 cl.8.1 requirements does this satisfy?
ISO 55001 cl.8.1 requires operational planning and control — establishing criteria for the processes that keep an asset performing, then implementing and evidencing control against those criteria. For treated water systems, the criteria are the target ranges and the evidence is the result.
| Clause | Requirement | Where it lands |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 55001 cl.8.1 | Establish criteria for the process being controlled | Results |
| ISO 55001 cl.8.1 | Identify who is responsible for the system and how it is treated | Header |
| ISO 55001 cl.8.1 | Control the inputs to the process — the chemicals dosed and their delivery | Dosing |
| ISO 55001 cl.8.1 | Retain documented information to have confidence the process is carried out as planned | Results |
| ISO 55001 cl.8.1 | Evidence the physical condition of the asset the process protects | System condition |
| ISO 55001 cl.8.1 | Manage outsourced processes and verify contractor performance | Compliance |
| ISO 55001 cl.8.1 | Close out non-conformances against the control criteria | Result |
What it does not cover
- A dosing system marked 'Intermittent', which means the chemical delivery has already been unreliable for some portion of the interval, whatever the day's test shows.
- A result marked 'Marginal' with no target range recorded, which means nobody can tell how far out of specification the system actually was.
- Scale or corrosion evidence marked 'Light' with no action taken field completed, which means a known trend has been observed and left unaddressed.
- A contractor report marked 'Late' with recommendations left blank, which means the record cannot show whether anything the contractor found was ever fixed.
- A coupon fitted with no coupon result logged, which means the one piece of evidence that shows what is happening inside the pipework was never read.
Global
Water Treatment Record requirements by country
Water treatment for boiler, cooling and process systems is regulated less directly than legionella control, but chemical dosing and storage bring in workplace chemical-safety law wherever the site sits, and the standard cited on this template sets the operational-control expectation regardless of location.
COSHH 2002 and the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000
Chemical dosing and storage fall under COSHH assessment and safety data sheet control, and the boiler or pressure vessel the water feeds falls under separate written-scheme obligations.
The Chemical Storage Compliant and Safety Data Sheets Current fields on this record are not administrative extras — they are the evidence a COSHH assessment references directly.
OSHA General Duty Clause and ASHRAE Guideline 12
There is no single federal water-chemistry rule, but employers carry a general duty to control recognised hazards from chemical dosing, and ASHRAE 12 sets the industry-accepted minimising-of-risk practice for building water systems.
A site relying on 'we use a contractor' as its whole defence has no record of what that contractor actually achieved — this template is what closes that gap.
ISO 55001 cl.8.1
As an asset-management standard rather than a water-safety regulation, ISO 55001 treats the treatment programme as one of the operational controls protecting plant life and value, not as a health hazard in isolation.
Certification auditors will ask for evidence the criteria in the treatment programme were controlled and recorded — this record is that evidence, independent of which national chemical-safety law also applies.
How to complete it
How to complete a water treatment record, step by step
The fields are simple to fill in. The judgement is in deciding when a result, a trend or a contractor's silence should stop the record from closing as complete.
A single marginal result against a stable history is noise. The same result against three consecutive intervals of drift is the system failing slowly, and the Target Range and Action Taken fields need to say so explicitly rather than being left as a bare Marginal tick.
The option covers Yes, Not needed and No, and a completer who ticks Yes without a fresh in-range result attached has recorded that a retest happened, not that the system is now under control. The two are frequently conflated at sign-off.
A moderate corrosion rate on a system with a known history of moderate rates is stable. The same reading on a system that was previously low is a change worth escalating, and the record as written does not distinguish the two without the completer adding that context.
Partial action on a contractor's findings is common and often reasonable, but the record needs to show which recommendations were deferred and why, not just that some subset was done — otherwise the next review starts from zero on what was deliberately left outstanding.
What auditors find
Most common water treatment record findings
The findings that recur are less about missed tests and more about results that were recorded honestly but never connected to an action.
| Finding | Clause | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Dosing marked Intermittent for two consecutive intervals with no escalation | ISO 55001 cl.8.1 | Treat two consecutive Intermittent entries as an automatic trigger for an action record, not a note to watch. |
| Corrosion coupon fitted but no coupon result field completed at the next review | ISO 55001 cl.8.1 | Make the coupon result mandatory whenever Corrosion Coupons Fitted is Yes, and chase it before the record can close. |
| Contractor report marked Late with no follow-up date set | ISO 55001 cl.8.1 | Pair a Late report status with a firm chase date rather than leaving it as a status with no consequence. |
| Chemical Storage Compliant recorded Marginal across multiple intervals with the same root cause each time | COSHH 2002 | Raise a standing action rather than re-recording the same marginal storage finding interval after interval. |
| Legionella Record ID left blank on sites where the cooling system clearly generates aerosols | Cross-reference to MNT-074 | Enforce the link at setup so a cooling-water system cannot be registered here without a paired legionella record. |
| Score Percent high while Completeness Percent is low | ISO 55001 cl.8.1 | Read the two figures together at every review — a high score on a half-completed record is not evidence of control. |
Case in point
Case in point: a coupon nobody read
A cooling system had corrosion coupons fitted eighteen months earlier, ticked Yes on this record at every subsequent review. The coupon result field, however, carried the same entry each time — Low corrosion rate — because nobody had actually pulled and analysed a fresh coupon since the first one. The dosing and test results either side of it all looked healthy, so nothing flagged.
When the system was eventually opened for unrelated work, the internal pitting was well past what a low corrosion rate would predict. The record had been technically complete at every interval and materially wrong for most of them, because a repeated answer had been accepted as a current one.
The template
The template, field by field
The form exactly as it installs. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it.
6 sections
- Reference
- MNT-073
- Archetype
- Record
- Record ID
- WTR-2026-000
- Scoring
- Results in range
- Direction
- High is good
- Singleton
- Yes
- Basis
- ISO 55001 cl.8.1
- Links
- Links Legionella, Boiler operation
- Tags
- Utilities, Water
- Sections
- 6
- Fields
- 44
- Follow up fields
- 3
- Repeating sections
- 1
- Links out
- 5
Header
10 fieldsRecord ID*
Auto sequence. Format WTR-2026-000.
The record's own ID. Other templates point at this value.
Status*
Drives who this goes to next.
- Planned2 pts
- In progress2 pts
- Complete3 pts
- Deferred0 pts
- Open0 pts
- Closed3 pts
- Overdue0 pts
Date and Time*
Completed By*
Site*
Site ID*
Format SITE-000.
Links to FDN-001 Site ID
Three Systems, Three Failure Modes
Boiler water destroys tubes, cooling water grows legionella, process water contaminates product. One contractor often covers all three, and one log is where it is proved.
System Treated*
Treated By*
- In house2 pts
- Specialist contractor3 pts
Treatment Contractor
Dosing
6 fieldsChemicals Dosed*
Dosing System Working*
- Yes3 pts
- Intermittent1 pt
- No0 pts
Chemical Stock Adequate*
- Yes3 pts
- Low1 pt
- Out0 pts
Dosing Rate Correct*
- Yes3 pts
- Marginal1 pt
- No0 pts
Chemical Storage Compliant*
- Yes3 pts
- Marginal1 pt
- No0 pts
Safety Data Sheets Current*
- Yes3 pts
- Some missing1 pt
- No0 pts
Results
Repeats6 fieldsParameter Tested*
Result*
Within Range*
- Yes3 pts
- Marginal1 pt
- No0 pts
Target Range
Action Taken If Out
Retested
- Yes3 pts
- Not needed3 pts
- No0 pts
System condition
6 fieldsScale Or Deposit Evidence*
- None3 pts
- Light1 pt
- Heavy0 pts
Corrosion Evidence*
- None3 pts
- Light1 pt
- Significant0 pts
Biological Growth Evidence*
- None3 pts
- Light1 pt
- Significant0 pts
Corrosion Coupons Fitted
A coupon pulled yearly tells you what the inside of the system looks like without opening it.
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Coupon Result
- Low corrosion rate3 pts
- Moderate1 pt
- High0 pts
System Cleaned Or Descaled
Compliance
3 fieldsContractor Report Received*
- Yes3 pts
- Late1 pt
- No0 pts
Recommendations Actioned*
- All3 pts
- Some1 pt
- None0 pts
Legionella Record ID
Links to MNT-074 Record ID
Result
13 fieldsItems Assessed*
Excludes anything marked N/A.
Items Failed*
Score Percent*
Calculated on submission. High is good. N/A items leave the denominator.
Result Band*
- Pass3 pts
- Caution1 pt
- Fail0 pts
Completeness Percent*
How much of the template was actually answered. A high score on a half completed form is not a high score.
Action Required*
Raise the action record, then enter its reference here.
- No2 pts
- Yes0 pts
Priority
- High0 pts
- Medium1 pt
- Low3 pts
CAPA ID
Format CAPA-2026-00000.
Links to FDN-014 CAPA ID
Action Owner
Engineering*
Signature*
Site Engineer*
Second Signature*
MNT-073 · record IDs look like WTR-2026-000 · Links Legionella, Boiler operation
Open in KnowellaRun it with agents
From a document you fill in to a programme that runs itself
The form is the easy part. Keeping dosing, results and contractor follow-up connected across every system on site is the work that actually slips.
Holds the water treatment record against every registered system, flags intervals that are due, and keeps dosing, results and contractor recommendations linked rather than scattered across separate files.
Pulls the chemical dosing and storage data into the site's environmental aspects picture, since treatment chemicals are themselves a controlled substance with their own disposal and spill considerations.
Surfaces overdue treatment intervals and stock-out risk on systems where cooling towers or process water carry a biological or chemical exposure risk, feeding the same picture as the Legionella Control Record.
Coordinates the crew across contractor and in-house entries, rolls completion and result trends into one view, and holds every write for your approval before it touches a record.
This template lives in KnowMaintain — asset maintenance. Work orders, planned maintenance, calibration, reliability and shutdowns.
Meet KnowMaintain→Glossary
Water Treatment Record definitions and key terms
- Dosing rate
- The quantity of treatment chemical delivered per unit of water or time, set to hold a system within its target chemistry and checked against actual test results rather than assumed from pump settings.
- Corrosion coupon
- A small metal sample exposed to the system water and pulled periodically to measure metal loss, giving a direct read on internal corrosion that a water test alone cannot show.
- Blowdown
- The controlled discharge of boiler or cooling water to remove concentrated dissolved solids, reducing scale risk; recorded on the operating log rather than this record, but affecting the chemistry this record tests.
- Target range
- The upper and lower limits set for a tested parameter — pH, conductivity, biocide residual and similar — beyond which the system is considered out of specification.
- Closed heating system
- A sealed low-pressure hot water circuit with minimal water loss, which still needs periodic chemistry checks because corrosion and scale can build even without makeup water.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about water treatment record
Does every system on site need its own water treatment record entry?+
Yes in effect, because System Treated is a required field and the record is designed to be read per system. A site running boiler feed, cooling and closed heating in parallel should expect three sets of dosing and result entries, not one blended record.
What happens if the treatment contractor changes mid-cycle?+
The Treatment Contractor field is a pick list against the vendor register, so a change simply selects the new contractor for the next entry. The history under the old contractor stays intact and comparable, which is the point of keeping this record separate from the contractor's own paperwork.
Is Result Band the same as Within Range for a single test?+
No. Within Range is scored per parameter tested; Result Band is the overall judgement for the record as a whole, reflecting dosing, results and system condition together. A record can hold one marginal parameter and still land an overall Pass if everything else is solid.
Why is Action Required scored the way it is?+
Yes on Action Required scores lower than No, which looks counterintuitive until you read it as the system state being flagged, not a reward for raising issues. The scoring is designed to reward a clean system, not paperwork about a dirty one.
Can this record be used where treatment is entirely in-house with no contractor at all?+
Yes. Treated By offers In house as an option precisely for this case, and the Treatment Contractor field is not required, so an in-house team can run the full record without a vendor link.
Does a Legionella Record ID need to exist before this record can be marked complete?+
Not by a hard rule in the field itself, but the scope guidance treats it as expected wherever the system treated can generate aerosols, and its absence is one of the recurring findings reviewers are advised to chase.
Keep going
Related templates and programmes
Industries this is written for
Programmes this belongs to
Used together in Pressure Systems and Refrigeration
Refrigeration Contractor Verification
Verifies refrigeration contractor certification, ammonia competence, emergency capability and out of hours response
Environmental Aspects Register
Lists how your activities interact with the environment and how significant each interaction is
Refrigeration Unit Service Record
Records service and performance testing of a transport refrigeration unit, including temperature pull down and refrigerant
Boiler Operation Record
Records boiler operating parameters, water treatment results and blowdown through a shift
Refrigeration Plant Log
Records suction and discharge pressures, temperatures, oil levels and run hours across the refrigeration plant
Legionella Control Record
Records temperature checks, flushing, sampling and cleaning across water systems that can generate aerosols
More in Utilities
Boiler Operation Record
Records boiler operating parameters, water treatment results and blowdown through a shift
Refrigeration Plant Log
Records suction and discharge pressures, temperatures, oil levels and run hours across the refrigeration plant
Legionella Control Record
Records temperature checks, flushing, sampling and cleaning across water systems that can generate aerosols
Steam Trap Survey
Surveys steam traps for failed open and failed closed condition, with the energy cost of each failure
Emergency Generator Test Record
Records the periodic run and load test of standby generation, with fuel, coolant and transfer performance
Uninterruptible Power Supply Check
Checks battery condition, autonomy and transfer on systems protecting controls, chillers or data
Written and reviewed by
Siddarth Singh
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Knowella
Certified Safety Professional and industrial and systems engineer with more than a decade inside food supply chain, freight and manufacturing operations. This page was written against the current text of the standards it cites, not against secondary summaries of them.
- Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Board of Certified Safety Professionals
- MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- MS and BS, The Ohio State University, Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Six Sigma Black Belt
Sources and last review. Reviewed 16 August 2026 against:
- ISO 55001 cl.8.1 — Operational planning and control
- COSHH 2002 — Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations
- Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000
- OSHA General Duty Clause, Section 5(a)(1)
- ASHRAE Guideline 12 — Minimizing the Risk of Legionellosis Associated with Building Water Systems
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm requirements with your jurisdiction’s regulator.