2022 NCC Seminars: Volume Three - Water services

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foreign [Music]

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Okay let's get into the changes in section  B Water Services. We will look at all parts  

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of the water services: Parts B1 cold water, B2  heated water, part B3 non-drinking Water Services,  

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part B4 fire fighting Water Services,  part B5 cross connection control,  

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Parts B6 and B7 rainwater services and rainwater  storage, and I will also go into some detail on  

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the new specification 41 the new deemed to satisfy  for backflow prevention hazard identification.  

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As you all know plumbing codes evolve and they  need to be kept updated so they maintain pace  

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with industry trends and product innovation.  When we started to review PCA 2019 we were hit  

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with a number of areas that required work. In  part B1 cold water services we look at things  

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like plumbing in a bushfire area, how the PCA  interacts with the FPAA101d requirements around  

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residential fire sprinklers, water efficiency  provisions, rainwater top-up lines etc, plus the  

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other items that keep the code relevant to the  requirements for the modern world. Three areas  

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of change in 2022 require specific attention here  today. These are water efficiency Clause B1D2,  

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plumbing in bushfire prone areas, Clause B1D4  and FPAA101d for the sprinklers Clause B1D5.

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Water efficiency B1D2. I know there is a  lot on this slide but is important to go  

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over this with you. Here you will again see  the provision numbering: B in the section,  

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1 in the section number, D the type of provision  being a Deemed to Satisfy provision, and 2 being  

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a provision and clause number. Okay but let's  talk about that provision. The water efficiency  

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requirements that have have now been aligned  with the WELS star ratings. WELS is the water  

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efficiency labelling and standard scheme that I am  sure you'll know about. This will make it easier  

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for practitioners to identify products compliant  to the water efficiency requirements of the PCA.  

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There is no longer any need to test the flows  or look for the flow rate data on the product.  

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If it has a WELS rating and falls in line with  the DTS you're good to go. This is important to  

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note that there has not been any efficiency  increases in water efficiency in this code.  

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This is a new DTS for 2022. A reference to AS  3959 for plumbing in bushfire prone areas has  

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been added to highlight that there are specific  differences for building and plumbing in these  

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areas. The requirements for compliance with AS  3959 are determined by the Bushfire Attack Level  

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or BAL. This is a method for rating the intensity  of a location's potential exposure to bushfire.  

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This standard will now be referenced in both  the BCA and the PCA to ensure consistency in the  

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solutions and regulations in bushfire prone areas.  In respect to plumbing in a cold water service,  

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the standard encompasses areas for consideration  that include materials and installation criteria.

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This is another new DTS provision for 2022.  B1D5 sees that relocation of the reference  

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to FPAA101d from the fire fighting water  services part B4 to the cold water services.  

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This is to better align with the requirements of  the system due to the fact that it is connected  

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to the drinking water supply. We are starting to  see an increase in this method of construction and  

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installing sprinklers in class two and three  buildings and as most of you know this fire  

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sprinkler system uses a separate drinking water  line to feed the sprinkler heads and the toilets.  

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This aspect meant it was more  suited to be covered in the  

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cold water surface part of the PCA and  not the fire fighting services section,  

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which are not regulated by plumbing  regulators in each state or territory.

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Now onto part B2 - heated water surfaces. I will  touch on four areas of change in part B2 heated  

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water services in this section. One, you'll  see that the water efficiency requirements  

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have been aligned with the WELS ratings here  too. This will make it easier for practitioners  

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to identify products compliant to the water  efficiency requirements of the PCA. Again,  

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it is important to note that there has not been  an increase in stringency for water efficiency.  

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Number two is minor changes to the heated  water energy efficiency requirements; however,  

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the state and territory variations need to be  consulted to ensure that the local requirements  

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are taken into consideration. Number three,  expanded information has been included as  

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guidance material for heated water services.  This information is based on a research study  

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in the scalding events and are prompted  by the states and territory regulators.  

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The simple suggestions provided in the PCA are  expected to go a long way to reducing the  

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likelihood of scalding incidents occurring  from heated tap water. And number four is  

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the additional clarity provided on the application  of heated water temperature control requirements  

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as different jurisdictions have different  triggers. The national content of the PCA has  

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been clarified and any variation to this approach  is now clearly outlined in the state appendix.

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I apologise for the wordiness of this slide and  there are just too many words here to follow,  

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but it is all about the reducing or preventing  scalding in the bath or shower.  

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I've copied across the clause directly from the  PCA so you can see how explanatory information  

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boxes like this look in the code. This explanatory  information provides guidance on types of taps,  

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mixer levers, the positioning, the height, the  location positioning and the use of recesses.  

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This work was prompted by a report  by the Burns Registry of Australia  

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and New Zealand that identified 80 per cent of  all scalds were in the bath or shower.  

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This slide shows that 80 per cent of scald injuries happen  when bathing; that is, from the bath or shower.  

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Nothing comes close, and this is why it was so  important to protect the consumer through the PCA.  

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When we saw this data it was  like a sledgehammer hitting us.  

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We state in the PCA that the objective  of the part is to safeguard people from  

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illness, injury or loss, including loss of  amenity, due to a failure of a heated water  

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installation, and ensure that the heated water  installation is suitable. The amount of illness,  

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injury and loss that heated water scalding  inflicts meant changes were needed.

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This slide tells a story as well.  When bath and shower hot water scalds it  

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is all about the age of the person. This  slide from the report shows that people  

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between the ages of 6 and 50 generally  can get out of the way but either side  

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of that they cannot quickly enough, so  this is what the provision is all about.  

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We know people don't like to be micromanaged or  nanny stated, but we have to acknowledge that  

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there are some members of society that  are not aware of the dangers present.  

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This then leads me into the next slide -  B2D5 maximum delivery temperature. Along  

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with the guidance information around tap  locations etc, changes have been made to  

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the temperature of delivered heated water  at the outlet of each sanitary fixture.  

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The big thing to note in this provision is, being  a DTS, it stipulates specific temperatures for  

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specific installations not more than 45 degrees  C in A, and not more than 50 degrees C elsewhere.  

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You'll also note that this provision is for  heated water installations for personal hygiene  

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so if hotter water is wanted in the laundry  or kitchen it's still available. Again though,  

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check with any state and territory  variation that may apply in your region.  

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We have also added some supporting additional  explanatory information for clarity on this slide  

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and this explanatory information in the provisions  gives some clarity and guidance around scenarios  

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covered in B2D5 on the last slide and may  include installation shown in this slide.  

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Another area for thought is that consideration  should be given to the intended occupants of  

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the building, when commissioning the  heated water delivery temperature.  

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For example, if the occupants of a Class 1  building are older adults or young children,  

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a lower temperature than specified in B2D5 could  or should be considered. I would like to let the  

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audience know that the work on scald prevention  done by the ABCB office and the Plumbing Codes  

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Committee has attained international recognition  and many hospitals and burns agencies around the  

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world have cited the work done by the ABCB as  integral steps in reducing tap water scalding.  

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It sort of makes you feel good that you really  make an impact to keep Australians safe in the  

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bathroom. Leaving heated water now, we move on  to part B3 - non-drinking water. A non-drinking  

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water service must not be connected to any outlet  that supplies water for: A) human consumption  

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B) food preparation; C) food utensil washing; or  D) personal hygiene. It still must comply with the  

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water efficiency requirements similar to a cold  water service, as it may service toilet systems.  

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The performance requirements in this part  has been expanded for 2022 to include more  

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performance requirements aspects, and these include  water velocity identification of pipes access and  

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location pressure delivery, and how the system  must be designed to limit uncontrolled discharge,

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Moving on to part B4, firefighting water services.

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There have been a few changes to the  firefighting water services part of this section;  

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however, they aren't expected to change the  way practitioners are currently working.  

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These are more clarification  amendments as the solutions,  

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and reference documents used for firefighting  water services were always available  

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but now it is clear what systems can be used  by directly referencing them in Volume 3.  

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At this point is probably a good time to stop and  use firefighting water services as an example of  

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the relationship between the Building Code of  Australia and the Plumbing Code of Australia. A  

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key thing to remember is that NCC Volumes One and  Two will outline when a firefighting water service  

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is required, but NCC Volume Three provides solutions  how these in systems are to be installed.

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And in this example you can see how the  DTS references the applicable standards.  

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It was important to expand on the provisions  around fire sprinkler systems as it provides  

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greater access for the practitioner to the  requirements. By elevating the specific standards  

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into the DTS, greater direction is provided.  This is the same with fire hydrants, hose reels  

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and firefighting water services in bushfire prone  areas all new for 2022. Although the service work  

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is usually not regulated by plumbing regulators, plumbers generally do a lot of this work.

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Well enough of the fun stuff. Let's keep  moving on to Part B six rainwater services.  

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The rainwater harvesting and use part of NCC  2019 has been split into two parts in NCC 2022.  

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One part pertaining to rainwater  services and one to rainwater storage.  

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There hasn't been any technical changes to the  provisions of these parts from NCC 2019; however,  

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this has been a significant formatting change by  splitting it into two parts. Generally the code  

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considers that whether drinking water is provided  by a network utility operator, a rainwater  

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service is a service provided for non-drinking  purposes such as toilet flushing and garden taps.  

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In rural areas where rainwater is the only source  of water and is used for drinking, this is a cold  

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water service. Additional clarity has also been  provided through the introductions to each part  

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and another important section here is that  the backflow provisions for rainwater tanks  

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remain as per 2019 but we're expecting  to do a full review of this for NCC 2025.  

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Another point is that this part does not apply  to rainwater used for irrigation purposes  

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and it is important to note that where water  provided by a network utility operator is not  

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available or not utilized as a primary water  source for drinking and personal hygiene,  

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roof collected rainwater is considered  to be a cold water service supplied by  

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an alternative source and must comply to  the provisions of the cold water service.

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Part B7 rainwater storage. This part applies from  the point of entry rate of the rainwater to the  

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rainwater storage to the point of connection  to the cold or rainwater services applicable  

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as outlined on the previous slide. Where  a network utility operator supply is not  

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available it applies to the storage of water  intended for drinking and personal hygiene  

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used as an alternative water source a  plot supplying a cold water service.