SA Affordable Housing September - October 2019 // ISSUE: 78 | Page 40

PLUMBING JUNCTION
Why developers should use
a reputable plumber
This is the first of a two-part series on affordable
housing by IOPSA on standards that relate to the
construction of a building and the installation of
plumbing therein.
By IOPSA
‘A
ffordable’, according to Cambridge Dictionary, is an
adjective – used about houses – meaning ‘able to be
bought or rented by people that do not earn a lot of
money’. When it comes to housing, lack of housing combined
with a shortage of money makes this topic not only current,
but also a highly emotional one.
The problem is that when an affordable housing project
is contemplated, very often, the wrong approach is taken.
Instead of using different materials, different construction
methods, less labour-intensive approaches, the general
tendency is to rather make the house smaller. The smaller
house, coupled with cheaper (sometimes even non-
compliant) material, is then seen as a way to reduce the cost
of the final product.
It must be noted that when we look at the National
Regulations and Standards (NBR, SANS 10400 SANS10252-
1 & 2, SANS 10254, SANS 10106, SANS 1352) relating to
the construction of a building and the installation of the
plumbing therein, there is no mention of affordable housing.
In other words, the quality of the end product must be the
same as a big, upmarket project and must still comply. The
pressure on the plumber at construction stage sometimes
originates at design stage. Standards for installation of
plumbing are often overlooked with regards to access to
pipes and fittings, as are workspaces for maintenance, pipe
sizing for water reticulation and safety distances for pipes on
discharges from hot water cylinders. The fact that architects
and owners do not want to see plumbing pipes, further
complicates the issue.
This results in pipes being cast in or under concrete slabs
and surface beds. Pipes get chased into walls with limited
and sometimes no access provided to the soil and waste
system, contrary to SANS 10252-2 and SANS10400-P. This
causes complications with maintenance, whereby a simple
blockage clearance becomes a major expense, requiring
construction work.
Replacement of hot water cylinders in restricted spaces
(contrary to the requirements of SANS 10254) such as
flat roof spaces, normally installed prior to the ceiling
being closed up or built-in cupboards, means that a quick
insurance-geyser replacement becomes a load of additional
paper work and possible extra costs to the owner.
The under-sizing of supply pipes to affordable housing
units, not only places strain on the current terminal fittings
/ simultaneous use ratio, but when any alteration is being
done, an assessment is required of the whole installation as
per SANS 10252-1 and changes done to accommodate the
increase of the demand. This is also then for the owner’s
account. Non-compliant material sometimes being used
not only contributes to the water losses in the country, the
subsequent replacement of these taps / mixers is again for
the owner's account.
A current shortage of qualified plumbers is another
concern. Experienced artisans were previously able to alter
some of these tight awkward layouts for the better. It must
be noted that the absence of a qualified plumber on site is
not always a sign that there is not one available. One of the
current money-saving practices is to employ either a newly-
qualified plumber or even a semi-skilled sub-contractor at
rates far below what the bigger, more established companies
would have charged. Not all municipalities have active
Building Control Officers that can inspect the work done by
these less experienced guys.
"Standards for installation of plumbing are often overlooked with regards to
access to pipes and fittings, as are workspaces for maintenance, pipe sizing
for water reticulation and safety distances for pipes on discharges from hot
water cylinders."
38
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2019
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