Australian Standards: See What Happened When Not Followed

Does your plumbing and gas follow the Australian standards?

It’s very important. In the video below, we show you a case we encountered where they don’t really follow the Australian standards.

The Issue

About 4-5 months ago, we got a call from a doctor’s surgery. They said there was a hot water system that was leaking inside a cupboard. Now the cupboard was built around the hot water system, so it was very difficult to get it out. We had to dismantle part of the cupboard. So we suggested to them to put the system outside instead of back in the cupboard. So the owner of the actual building came down to meet us. We explained that with the age of that hot water system it would be best is to put it outside so that they can have their cupboard space back. And also, if there’s any issues later on, it’s not going to flood the office. There was a car park outside but we can put it up on brackets. So we gave him a price. After 3-4 days, we hadn’t heard back from him, so we called him to ask how things were going. He said they’ve got it sorted with his friend becauseĀ  he’s a bit cheaper than us.

 

The Result

Recently we were looking at the property next door, fixing a tap over there. So we dropped by to have a look and see how it all got sorted out. As you can see in the video, they put the hot water system up on brackets nicely, just like we’d suggested. The plumber’s done a really neat job – how the clips are all in line. That’s a nice thing to do if you can.

 

The Standards

But there are a few things. You can see where the pressure relief valve is, that needs to be pulled every six months. When you pull it, water comes out down at the bottom. Now, that water is meant to spill into a grate. Australian standard says that you can’t have it on concrete because it gets slippery. While for this case, it went straight down to concrete, not the drain. What we would have done is bring the copper pipes all along and down to the drain nearby. Also, the Australian standards says there has to have insulation around the whole thing. All the pipes and the temp valve, etc.. What they’ve used here is not self sealing. They’ve just cut the normal one and put duct tape around it, which is not going to last forever.

So, we were a bit disappointed we didn’t get a job. But now you can see, why we’re a bit more expensive. We really try whenever we can to follow the Australian standards, especially the gas end. Because it’s very important for your safety.

If you need any help from us, give us a call.