72 Industry matters
Pertinent SANS for built environment and plumbers
By
Andrew Camphausen
South Africans enjoy an annual rainfall of only 450mm over the entire country; it stands to reason that the plumber and the skills of that person are more important than ever.
The definition of SANS 10252 and 10254 states:“ Every consumer installation shall comply with SANS 10252,‘ Water supply and drainage for buildings’, and SANS 10254,‘ The installation, maintenance, replacement and repair of fixed electrical storage water heating systems’, or any other similar substituting re-enactment or amendment thereof if the consumer installation is of a type regulated by either standard.”
The regulation above states that, among other things, a plumber needs to be qualified to actually practice in this essential fraternity. It is not good enough anymore to simply disregard the directives as written by the Department of Water Affairs.
So, here are a few regulations within SANS 10252 that are vital to take note of in the built environment. I am sure there are more, but these examples are what I experience while on site.
Terminal water fittings Terminal water fittings installed outside any building other than a residential dwelling shall:
○○ Incorporate a self-closing device;
○○ Have a removable handle for operating purposes;
○○ Be capable of being locked to prevent unauthorised use; or
○○
Be of demand type that limits the quantity of water discharged in each operation.
This is especially prevalent in the public building space like municipalities, libraries, and stadiums, to name a few examples. The taps that are found on the outside of these buildings are( usually) fitted with a normal screw-down tap that can be left open, or water can easily be stolen after hours. Adherence to this law by plumbers is paramount.
Strainers
○○
A suitable strainer shall be provided to prevent the entry of solid particles of size exceeding 710um into any fittings controlling water pressure or controlling the flow direction of water, unless such fittings incorporate their own strainers. Strainers for sizes 15mm to 25mm shall comply with SANS 1808-58.
○○
A strainer shall be located in such a position that it is readily accessible for inspection and maintenance, without having to be disconnected from the supply pipe.
When sorting out a problem on site, the most common challenge I find is an immense amount of dirt in the terminal fitting, thus deeming that fitting barely functional and even non-functional. Now how is that the tap / mixer / valve manufacturer or plumbing merchant’ s problem? If the plumber has not adhered to this simple regulation, the blame cannot and must not be shifted to the manufacturer or merchant. This is not fair at all.
Cleaning, inspection, testing, and disinfection Unless otherwise required:
○○
Subject any water installation other than a fire installation or a combined installation to a test of 1 500kPa( 15 bar), but not less than 1.5 times the maximum working pressure of the installation, and maintain test pressure for at least 1 hour. In the case of pipework under pressure, apply the following procedure:
○○
Leave the chlorinated water in the system for at least 24 hours, after which flush the installation with clean water until the free residual chlorine in the water, measured at the furthest point from the injection point, does not exceed that present in the clean water of the mains.
A little plumbing rate request is written on most BOQs for the above regulation( especially in the public sector), located near the end of the bill. Is this adhered to? I will not comment on this, but when snagging for the plumber and architect for various projects, it becomes apparent that this rate request on the BOQ was put there for love and charity.
I could quote many other regulations, but more on this next time. Some will say that these regulations have been based on antiquated principles, but these are the regulations that we have right now. Until another law is promulgated, we need to adhere to what we have.
Are you doing what is required? PA
July 2017 Volume 23 I Number 5 www. plumbingafrica. co. za