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Contents
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Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 |
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What do the regulations do? |
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Materials and standards |
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Advanced notification |
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New non-domestic supplies |
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How to ensure that you comply with the regulations |
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Approved contractor |
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Enforcement |
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Getting further
advice |
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Internet links |
Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999
In England and Wales there has been a long history in regulating plumbing systems. The Water Supply Byelaws existed for many years. Recently the Government has carried out a radical revision and issued the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999.
What are they?
The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999
(the Regulations) are national requirements for the design,
installation and maintenance of plumbing systems, water fittings
and water-using appliances. Their purpose is to safeguard
drinking water by preventing contamination and prevent inefficient
use of water, waste, undue consumption or erroneous measurement
of it.
Where do they apply?
Since 1 July 1999, in England and Wales all plumbing systems,
water fittings and equipment supplied, or to be supplied,
with water from the public water supply come under these Regulations.
This applies to systems in all types of premises. A plumbing
system includes the premises’ underground service pipe
from the point connecting it to the water main, to where the
water is drawn off for use.
They also apply to plumbing systems
that use a private water supply and have a mains backup provided
by Cambridge Water.
Where do they not apply?
They do not apply where a property uses a private
water supply and does not have a supply of
water from Cambridge Water. However, it is good plumbing practice
to follow the requirements of the Regulations.
Who has to comply?
Owners and occupiers of premises and anyone who installs plumbing
systems or water fittings have the legal duty to ensure that
the systems satisfy the Regulations. In most cases, advanced
notice must be given for proposed installations, so architects,
building developers and plumbers have to follow the Regulations
on behalf of future owners or occupiers.
What do the
regulations do?
They provide an important layer of
protection to safeguard the quality of drinking water within
premises and to other water customers. They apply in England
and Wales and introduced measures to ensure water is used
in the most efficient way.
Plumbing system design and
installation
Plumbing systems must be properly designed, installed and
maintained to meet the requirements of the Regulations. This
is to protect water quality, to ensure safety, ease of access
for maintenance, detection of leakage, protection against
damage from freezing and other causes and the prevention of
contamination by pipes fitting and by backflow.
Where water or water-using equipment
is used with fluids or materials which could contaminate it,
there must be adequate protection to stop backflow of potential
contaminated water into other parts of the system, especially
the drinking water. The Regulations define Fluid Categories
according to the type of risk that contaminants may pose.
The Regulations specify the appropriate type of backflow prevention
device that must be fitted to guard against backflow where
these substances may be present. The Fluid Risk Categories
are detailed in Schedule 1 of the Regulations. If you are
employing someone else to install the plumbing, consider using
an Approved Plumber who will guarantee compliance of the new
installation.
See our section on Approved
Contractors for more details.
Materials
and standards
Choice of materials
Plumbing materials and fittings must meet the standards given
in the Regulations. They must:
- Bear an appropriate CE mark in accordance with EU Council
Directive 89/106/EEC or
- Conform to an appropriate harmonised standard or European
technical approval or
- Conform to an appropriate British Standard or some
other European Economic Agreement state specification
which provides an equivalent level of protection and performance
or
- Conform to a specification approved by the Regulator.
What is a CE Mark?
 In
1985, the European Community (EC) began to develop a uniform
marking requirement known as the CE Marking System. CE is
a French abbreviation for Conformity Europeene. This marking
system was designed to make it easy for government officials
to determine if incoming equipment/machinery and other products
met applicable codes, standards and directives.
Who is the Regulator
The regulator is the Minister of State for the Environment
and Agri-Environment. View the DEFRA
website for more details.
The Water Fittings and Materials Directory,
published by the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS),
gives up-to-date details of a wide range of items which have
been tested and proved to comply.
Unfortunately, it is not illegal to
sell unsuitable fittings and appliances, but to install one
would be illegal, so check suitability before purchase.
What is the standard that work
is carried out to?
Every water fitting must be installed, connected, altered,
repaired or disconnected in a workmanlike manner. This means
that all work must be carried out in a professional manner
and to one of the standards required by the Regulations, they
should either:
- Conform to an appropriate British Standard or some
other European Economic Agreement state specification
which provides an equivalent level of protection and performance;
or
- Conform to a specification approved by the Regulator;
or
- Conform to a method of installation approved by Cambridge
Water within its area of supply.
Anyone who proposes to install any
water fittings must ensure that they follow and comply with
the requirements of Schedule 2 of the Regulations, Government
and Water Industry published guidance.
Advanced notification
In most cases, a person intending to
install plumbing systems or water fittings must provide details
of what is proposed to Cambridge Water and obtain its consent
for the proposals before work starts.
This applies to water system installations
or alterations in connection with any of the items in the
following table:
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Regulation
5 Table |
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1. |
The erection of a building
or other structure, not being a pond or swimming pool. |
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2. |
The extension or alteration
of a water system on any premises other than a house.
( note 1) |
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3. |
A material change of
use of any premises. |
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4. |
The installation of:
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(a) a bath having a capacity, as measured to the centre
line of overflow, of more than 230 litres; ( note
2)
(b) a bidet with an ascending spray or flexible hose
( note 1);
(c) a single shower unit (which may consist of one or
more shower heads within a single unit), not being a
drench shower installed for reasons of safety or health,
connected directly or indirectly to a supply pipe which
is of a type specified by the regulator; ( note
2)
(d) a pump or booster drawing more than 12 litres per
minute, connected directly or indirectly to a supply
pipe;
(e) a unit which incorporates reverse osmosis; ( note
2)
(f) a water treatment unit which produces a waste water
discharge or which requires the use of water for regeneration
or cleaning; ( note 2)
(g) a reduced pressure zone valve assembly or other
mechanical device for protection against a fluid which
is in fluid category 4 or 5;
(h) a garden watering system unless designed to be operated
by hand; or ( note 2)
(i) any water system laid outside a building and either
less than 750mm or more than 1350mm below ground level. |
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5. |
The construction of a pond or swimming
pool with a capacity greater than 10,000 litres which
is designed to be replenished by automatic means and is
to be filled with water supplied by a water undertaker. |
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Note
1: An Approved Contractor (Approved Plumber) will not
have to notify in advance of the work but certify upon
completion.
See our Approved
Contractor section. |
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When you send us a Notice you must
include the following:
- The name and address of the person giving notice and,
if different, the name of the person to whom our comments
should be sent.
- A description of the proposed work or material change
of use.
- The location of the premises and their use or intended
use.
- A plan of that part of
the premises which relates to the proposed work and a
diagram showing the pipework and fittings to be installed,
except for items marked "note 2" in the table
above.
- Where the work is to be carried out by an Approved
Contractors, the name and address of the contractor.
A notification form is available to
enter
the details online, print and return to us with the required
documentation, or you can download
a pdf copy to print and complete. Remember to send all
relevant plans and drawings.
To view PDF files, download the Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Granting consent
There is no charge by Cambridge Water for notification or
granting consent. Work on installations may not start until
consent has been given. Consent will not be withheld unreasonably,
and may be granted subject to conditions which must be followed.
Under the Regulations, if consent is not given within 10 working
days, it is deemed to have been granted. This does not alter
the obligation upon the installer and owner or occupier to
see that the Regulations are fully met.
New non-domestic supplies
In line with the recommendations of the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme guidance note 9-04-05 Cambridge Water Company requires all new non-domestic supplies to have whole-site backflow protection to fluid category 3. This should be installed at the boundary of the premises or at the first available aboveground location. The backflow protection should be a Double Check Valve or other no less effective device. Cambridge Water Company will inspect the work prior to any connection being made to the mains network.
How to
ensure that you comply with the regulations
If you are a contractor who
is going to carry out the work:
You should obtain a set of the Regulations, amendments and
the guidance documents from HMSO or a Water Regulations Guide
from WRAS and ensure that you carry out work according to
the Regulations. Alternatively you could apply to join the
Water
Industry Approved Plumber Scheme (WIAPS) to become an
Approved Contractor.
If you are having the work
carried out on your behalf:
You should ensure that the person or company you employ is
aware of the Regulations and will carry out works, which comply
with them.
One way of achieving this is to employ
an Approved Contractor who will be familiar with the Regulations.
See our Approved Contractor
details below for more details.
Approved contractor
The Regulations introduced the concept
of an Approved Contractor to identify plumbers who are competent
in the requirements of the Regulations. Approved Contractor
status carries certain statutory responsibilities which benefit
plumbers and their customers. Water companies are entitled
to run Approved Contractor schemes, as well as any organisation
appointed by the Secretary of State or the National Assembly
for Wales.
Cambridge Water, along with the majority
of water companies, subscribe to the Water Industry Approved
Plumber Scheme (WIAPS) operated on their behalf by WRAS. The
remaining companies run their own schemes along with three
national schemes that have been approved by the Regulator.
Approved plumber
Approved Contractors are more commonly known as Approved Plumbers.
An Approved Plumber will certify that his or her installation
or maintenance work satisfies the Regulations. If breaches
of Regulations are then found in the certified work, the legal
responsibility falls upon the Approved Plumber and not on
the owner or occupier. If you are using an Approved Plumber
be sure that you receive a certificate for the work carried
out.
To find an approved plumber, go to
our section Approved Plumbers.
Enforcement
Who will enforce the regulations?
The Government requires water suppliers to enforce the Regulations
within their area of supply. As with the previous Water Supply
Byelaws, Cambridge Water will undertake inspections of new
and existing installations to check that the Regulations are
being met. Where breaches of the Regulations are found, Cambridge
Water will require them to be remedied as soon as practicable.
Where breaches pose a risk to health, the water supply to
the premises may be disconnected immediately to protect the
health of occupants or others fed from the same public supply.
It is a criminal offence to breach the Regulations and offenders
may face prosecution. If we are not your water supplier you
can find who is your local regulation contact from the WRAS
website.
Getting
further advice
Where can I get the Regulations
and further advice?
The Regulations (SI
1999 No. 1148 and No.
1506) and their schedules are available from HMSO and
online. Also online is the Government’s
guidance document relating to the Schedules. The text
of all these documents is included with detailed Water Industry
guidance and interpretation in the Water Regulations Guide,
available from the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme.
See below for direct links to available
documents and organisations.
Further Reading and References
Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS)
- Water Regulations Guide
- Water Fittings and Materials Directory
- Specific Industry guides
DEFRA-Water Supply and Regulations
- Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 SI 1148
& SI 1506(Amendments)
- Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 Guidance
Document relating to Schedule 1: Fluid Categories and
Schedule 2: Requirements For Water Fittings
- Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 - Secretary
of State's specification for the prevention of backflow
- Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 - WC
Suite Performance Specifications
British Standards Institution (BSI)
- BS 6700 1997 Specification for the design, installation,
testing and maintenance of services supplying water for
domestic use within buildings and their curtilages.
HMSO
Cambridge Water cannot provide a design
service for installations but we will try to answer individual
queries from customers, designers, builders and installers
about the interpretation of the Regulations. You can contact
our regulations team by emailing regulations@cambridge-water.co.uk.
We can also provide copies of the regulations upon request.
Internet
links
WRAS
website
WRAS
Publications
HMSO
Water Fittings Regulations - SI 1148
HMSO
Water Fittings Regulations (amendment) - SI 1506
DEFRA
website
DEFRA
Guidance Document
Alternatively you can contact WRAS
at:
The Water Regulations Advisory Scheme
(WRAS):
Fern Close
Pen-y-Fan Industrial Estate
Oakdale
Gwent
NP11 3EH
Tel: 01495 248454
E-mail: info@wras.co.uk
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