Plumbing Connection Winter 2022

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the dynamic flow pressure through the
shower hose and hand piece. Removing
it creates flow pressures not designed
to be seen and could see premature
failures in new innovative products
with multiple spray patterns. Raising
the water level in a cistern could create
splashing problems on a carefully
designed rimless pan. Or possibly empty
the bowl of a toilet through a siphon
that would not have originally existed at
the originally designed water level.
LABORATORY OBSERVATIONS
The laboratory at PROVE has seen
changes over the years where reputable
companies looking to deliver quality
products are looking for more than
a simple tick in the box with test
results. Having a pass result is no
longer always a desirable outcome for
a product looking to make a presence
in the market. Careful checking of
results for performance and comfort
tests are becoming increasingly more
important to ensure that products do
not just meet minimum performance
requirements, but are also likely to meet
expected consumer demands – because
the two are not always aligned.
Water efficiency under the true
definition of the term doesn’t just
happen by limiting water consumption.
Efficiency is something that must
be designed and engineered through
proper product development to ensure
that the same outcome is achieved
using less input. Correct product
installation from licensed plumbers is a
key component to the result.
Attempting to alter a product
that was engineered for low water
consumption does not necessarily
have the same benefits that existed 15
years ago. Removing a flow controller,
increasing water levels in cisterns,
or other tampering of products that
used to eliminate nuisance calls from
licensed plumbers could prove to be a
double-edged sword. It could result in
returning to an installation to correct a
problem that never actually existed.
Australia’s consumers and licensed
practitioners queried the relevance of
the WELS scheme when it first became
mandatory in 2007. However, our entire
water industry should take a moment
to be proud and reflect on how it has
changed the development of plumbing
products both here and abroad. Whilst
the market in Australia is relatively
small worldwide, the uptake of similar
water conservation initiatives that
have derived around the globe from
Australia’s WELS scheme has without a
doubt changed the way engineers have
designed the products of the future.
Terry Nguyen (BEng) (MIEAust)
is a Plumbing Test Consultant
at PROVE Standards &
Engineering Pty Ltd.
For more information, please
feel free to contact PROVE
Standards & Engineering at
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