Plumbing Connection Spring 2016

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6 8 PLUMBING CONNECTION SPRING 2016
RAISING YOUR STANDARDS
A s the CEO of the International Copper Association
Australia (ICAA), I regularly get asked questions by
plumbers, builders and even DIY consumers about all
sorts of plumbing issues.
We’re able to help on most topics but there are many
resources available to assist plumbers and those associated
with the plumbing industry. Much of this information is
available in the various standards and regulations of course
and they should always be your first port of call.
But there are lots of other helpful sources of technical
information based on the information in the standards
that also provide useful and practical methods of installing
copper plumbing and solving problems.
WORTH KNOWING AND
HAVING
One of the most
important things you’ll
need from the start
is good quality and
appropriate products,
and you can bet you’ve
got both if it comes
with a valid WaterMark
approval.
There have
been issues with
substandard products
or products not
suited to Australian
conditions, that have
caused major issues;
in fact we get calls about this problem all the time. By
purchasing from reputable suppliers and having the product
installed by trained and licensed plumbers you minimise the
risk of problems occurring.
The ICAA, in partnership with MM Kembla, has recently
released the ninth edition of the Plumbers Handbook. It’s
free and available from most major plumbing outlets, but
you can download it from ICAA’s website )
too.
The ICAA has also released an update of the Hydraulic
Service Design Guide (HSDG). It’s available as both a
download at or as a printed version
we can send you if you email and ask for a copy on ica.
.
In due course, we hope this Design Guide will be given to
every plumbing apprentice at all the TAFE colleges.
The Australian Standards are regularly being revised
and updated and there are several revised editions that
Hydraulic Consultants and plumbers need to be aware of.
These include but not limited to:
∫ AS/NZS 3500.1-2015 Plumbing and drainage - Water
services
∫ AS/NZS 3500.4-2015 Plumbing and drainage – Heated
Water services
∫ WORKING BY THE RULES
One important Standard for copper plumbing is AS 4809-
2003 Copper pipe and
fittings - Installation
and commissioning
which is currently being
revised and updated
and the revised edition
will be available early
in 2017. This Standard
is a concise extract
of all the relevant
information pertaining
specifically to copper
plumbing and also
useful installation
requirements.
Standards can be
purchased from the
SAI-Global Bookshop at
The other important document that governs plumbing
regulations is the Plumbing Code of Australia which is
Volume 3 of the Building Code of Australia. This is available
free electronically from
Obviously there’s a ton of official information out there
and it’s easy to get confused, but being familiar with some
of the simple guides can in many cases save you time and
money and more importantly, protect you when things go
wrong.
IF YOU WANT A LITTLE SIMPLE HELP ON ALL THE RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR COPPER PLUMBING, YOU’VE COME
TO THE RIGHT PLACE, SAYS JOHN FENNELL.
COPPER CONNECTION
JOHN FENNELL
John Fennell. CEO, International Copper Association
Australia.
The Plumbers Handbook
NinthEdition -
March2016