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PLUMBING CONNECTION
SUMMER 2015
NUDGE NUDGE, WINKWINK…
C
hat to most plumbers around
Australia and they’ll have a
story or two about cheap/
non-conforming – generally imported
– products that don’t comply with
regulations; however, it’s generally
anecdotal, without any technical
backup.
So, we thought it would be
interesting to conduct a real world test.
Some say you can walk into any retail
store around Australia and buy non-
conforming plumbing product that is
dressed up as the real thing (even with
WaterMark identification).
As
Plumbing Connection
magazine
has done on a couple of occasions
over the years, we bought product
and had it laboratory tested to see
if it held up against the WaterMark
approval, indicated on the product’s
identification.
In this case we wanted to know if
the push-fit ball valve and socket we
bought were actually made from de-
zincified brass (DR brass) which was
stamped on the product and forms
parts of the approval requirement. Due
to the harsh water conditions around
Australia, DR brass is a specified
requirement – no if’s or buts – and
it is a more expensive product to
manufacture than non-DR brass
fittings.
Such products can be hidden
sleepers on projects; they can leak
over time and cause significant and
costly damage to buildings internally.
So, we purchased these two products
from a large well-known big-box
retailer and had them run through the
de-zincification testing at a laboratory.
We’re not sure any regulators ever do
this as part of their ‘policing’?
For legal reasons we’re not identifying
the brand or retailer (and we changed
the colour on the product to protect
the innocent). It’s not about this one
supplier; it’s more about the difficulty in
the policing of current requirements.
The lab reports (next page) reveal
the sad fact that both these products
failed to meet the DR requirements
and could more than likely fail before
their expected usable life is over.
Do these retailers knowingly
circumvent the law or are they misled
by manufacturers who go back to their
old habits once the product certifier
leaves their building?
Our guess is they take things at face
value and don’t have the qualified staff
in place to ask enough questions, or
they prefer to tick the boxes and take
the easy way out.
It’s a big challenge for this industry
to deliver a ‘level playing field’, a term
that seems to have disappeared from
Government-speak.
Of course the reality with this non-
conforming product cheating is that
it’s not illegal for the poor innocent
plumber (or his customer) to buy such
product – but (unknown to most) it is
illegal to install – a strange anomaly.
The sad news Mr Plumber is that you
are the one who will cop the full force
of the law/insurance company, in the
event of a failure.
NON-CONFORMING PRODUCT AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF PURCHASING AND INSTALLING THEM ARE A HOT-TOPIC
IN THE INDUSTRY AT THE MOMENT AND FOR GOOD REASON TOO. AS PLUMBING CONNECTION DISCOVERED, IT’S
EASY TO WALK INTO A STORE AND PURCHASE ONE, EVEN IF IT’S SPORTING WATERMARK IDENTIFICATION.
JEFF
PATCHELL
EXPLAINS.
IMAGE 1:
Both products failed to meet DR requirements and could more than
likely fail before their expected usable life is over.
IMAGE 2 & 3:
Dezinfication test
results indicate both products do not comply with product standards.
PRODUCT REGULATION
If you have had any bad experiences in
this area of discussion we’d be happy
to hear from you.
Contact Plumbing Connection’s editor:
justinfelix@build.com.au1