Challenger 600 series water system requires special care

Effectivity: Challenger 600 series aircraft  

ATA: 38 

By: Sonia Gavrilidis –  Customer Support Engineering

Operators and maintenance teams must pay special attention to the Challenger 600 water system to avoid bacterial contamination. 

Unlike the Global series aircraft which are equipped with active filtration elements (recirculating system, UV filter, membrane filter), the water system in the Challenger 600 (fitted with a Bombardier Completion STC) is simpler. It does not include any component to purify water; therefore, special attention is required. 

Sanitization of the potable water system on the Challenger 600 should be carried out every six (6) months, according to Supplemental Time Limits and Maintenance Checks (STLMC) TASK 12-15-65-601. 

For the same task on the Challenger 650, there are no fixed intervals. The intervals may be part of the operator’s national regulations (ex: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Health Canada).  

Operators may need to adjust task intervals based on experience, operational requirements, and/or environmental conditions to suit their operation.  

If an operator notices a foul smell coming from the water faucet in the galley and/or lavatory, then the sanitization task should be performed. Moreover, if an operator suspects the water introduced into the water tank was of poor quality, a sanitization of the system should be carried out to eliminate traces of potential contaminants.  

As a good practice to avoid bacterial growth, Bombardier recommends the water system be purged, not only the water tank, whenever the aircraft is parked for longer periods. The water supply lines also need to be emptied. To do this for aircraft fitted with a Bombardier Completion STC, follow the instructions on the placard located under galley sink and/or refer to Supplemental Maintenance Manual (SMM) TASK 12-15-00 for the detailed procedure. 

If you have any questions about the water system, please contact your Bombardier Field Service Representative (FSR) or the Customer Response Centre (CRC) team 24/7.