NCC 2022 Volume Three - Plumbing Code of Australia
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B1

Part B1 Cold water services

Part B1 Cold water services

Introduction to this Part

This Part sets out the requirements for any part of a cold water service of a property that is connected to a drinking water supply. It covers from the point of connection to the points of discharge.

This part also applies to a cold water service connected to an alternative water source and residential fire sprinklers installed in accordance with FPAA101D Automatic Fire Sprinkler System Design and Installation - Drinking Water Supply.

Objectives

2019: BO1
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Functional Statements

2019: BF1.1
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2019: BF1.2
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Performance Requirements

2019: BP1.1
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2019: BP1.2
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2019: BP1.2
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2019: BP1.2
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2019: BP1.2

State variations

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2019: BP1.2
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Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions

2019: B1.1
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2019: B1.2

State variations

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2019: B1.4

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2019:B4.2
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2019: B6.3
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NCC Blurbs

(1) B1D7 applies to tanks — including rainwater tanks — connected to the roof plumbing system, or a tank supplied from a nearby stream, bore or well used in drinking water services, or a drinking water supply in reticulated or non-reticulated areas.

Installation of cold-water storage tanks used to supply water to a drinking water service must comply with B1D7.

For connection of cold water tanks where reticulated supply is available refer to Sections 8 and 15 of AS/NZS 3500.1.

(2) Cold water storage tanks and their installation must comply with the relevant requirements of the following documents—

  1. AS 2070 Plastics materials for food contact use
  2. AS 3600 Concrete structures
  3. AS 3735 Concrete structures retaining liquids
  4. AS/NZS 2179.1 Specifications for rainwater goods, accessories and fasteners – Metal shape or sheet rainwater goods, and metal accessories and fasteners
  5. AS/NZS 3500.0 Plumbing and drainage
  6. AS/NZS 3500.1 Water services
  7. AS/NZ 3500.3 Stormwater drainage
  8. AS/NZS 4020 Testing of products in contact with drinking water
  9. AS/NZS 4130 Polyethylene (PE) pipes for pressure applications
  10. AS/NZS 4766 Polyethylene storage tanks for water and chemicals
  11. ABCB Procedures for the Certification of Plumbing and Drainage Products Section B Water services Tasmania
  12. NCC 2019 Volume Three - Plumbing Code of Australia Page 134
    1. The followings references are for information only— HB 230 Rainwater Tank Design and Installation Handbook and the enHealth Guidance on the use of rainwater tanks

(3) Materials and products in contact with water in a drinking water supply must comply with AS/NZS 4020. Linings and coatings must comply with AS/NZS 4020 at a surface area to volume ratio not greater than that specified in the conditions of use. Materials and products used in manufacture of tanks must be selected to ensure fitness for their intended purpose. Tanks must be selected from the relevant Standards listed in this Part. Factors to be taken into account include — but are not limited to—

  1. the nature and source of the water;
  2. the risk of corrosion and tank contamination;
  3. the nature of the environment;
  4. the physical and chemical characteristics of the materials and products;
  5. compatibility of materials and products; and
  6. accessibility for monitoring and maintenance.

(4) Plastic tanks must comply with AS/NZS 4766

(5) Waterstops, joint fillers and sealants used in the manufacture of tanks must be certified under the WaterMark Certification Scheme to AS/NZS 4020.

(6) Solders used in the manufacture of tanks must be certified under the WaterMark Certification Scheme to AS/NZS 4020. Soft solder must comply with AS 1834.1 and be lead-free for roof drainage components used for the conveyance of drinking water.

(7) Stainless steel sheet must be manufactured from alloy 304 or 316 complying with ASTM A240/A240M.

(8) Dezincification resistant (DR) copper alloys Where dezincification resistant copper alloys are specified, they must comply with AS 2345.

(9) Steel sheet Hot-dipped zinc-coated or aluminium/zinc-coated sheet steel must comply with AS 1397 and have an internal lining or coating certified to AS/NZS 4020.

(10) Concrete tanks must comply with AS 3735 or AS 3600.

(11) Tank linings must comply with AS/NZS 4020.

(12) In addition to the marking requirements set out in clause 8.9 of AS/NZS 3500.1 all tanks must be permanently marked with the following—

  1. Manufacturer’s name, brand or trademark, and
  2. The Standard which the tank is manufactured to, and
  3. The date of manufacture.

(13) A sludge valve must be fitted when the capacity of the tank exceeds 500 Litres. The minimum size of the valve must be not less than half the outlet pipe size and not less than DN 40.

(14) All openings to tanks must be sealed so that insects, small animals, birds and sunlight cannot enter tanks, in order to minimise the growth of algae and to prevent unauthorised access.

(15) Before using the water from a tank for the first time the tank must be cleaned and disinfected (See Appendix I of AS/NZS 3500.1).

(16) The manufacturer’s warranty must contain the following statement: “This tank has been manufactured for the storage of drinking water and all materials used are suitable for contact with drinking water.”

Explanatory information

Information on some of the above items listed in the materials above may be obtainable from the manufacturer or supplier of the product or materials.

Rainwater for drinking purposes should not be collected from recently painted roofs (until after the first few rainfalls), timber roofs preserved with chemicals, roofs coated with lead flashings, lead-based paints or tar-based coatings, or parts of roofs near flues from solid fuel heaters. Rainwater for drinking water purposes may be collected from roof types other than those identified above provided the roof and associated gutters are kept clean of leaves, animal remains, dust and other debris. Gutters must be kept clean by installing screens or leaf diverters between the roof and the water tank. The system should incorporate a ‘first flush system’ or other diversion system that will prevent the first flush of water from entering the tank.

Tanks should be regularly maintained by cleaning out accumulated sludge from the base every 2 - 3 years. For detailed advice on desludging and maintaining tanks refer to the enHealth Guide – Guidance on the use of rainwater tanks; or HB 230 Rainwater tank design and installation handbook

For ongoing maintenance of water quality one or more of the following water quality treatment methods should be adopted: Chlorinating: To commission the tank sufficient chlorine should be added to provide a free chlorine residual of 0.5 mg/L after 30 minutes. To satisfy chlorinating requirements an initial dose of 5 mg/L of chlorine may be necessary. For every kL of water in the tank, add either: 40 mL of liquid pol chlorine (sodium hypochlorite - 12.5% available chlorine); or 8 grams of granular pool chlorine (calcium hypochlorite - 65% available chlorine). To calculate the tank volume in kL for a cylindrical tank the volume in of water in kL = D x D x H x 0.785. Where D = diameter of the tank, and H = depth of water in the tank in metres. To verify this calculation, compare this volume with the maximum capacity of the tank. The chlorine residual may be tested with a swimming pool test kit or dip strips. Water after chlorinating should not be used for 24 hours to enable any harmful microorganisms to be killed off. Filtration: If filters are used in drinking water installations they are to be certified to the relevant Australian Standard under the WaterMark Certification Scheme and should be maintained by following the manufacturer’s maintenance instructions. Ultraviolet Disinfection: Filtration may be required to address water turbidity to enable adequate UV disinfection. Ultraviolet treatment is affected by the levels of turbidity, organic content from suspended solids, pH, hardness and UV transmissivity of the water. The intensity of the UV light and the build-up of suspended solids on the quartz tube affect the disinfection performance. Regular monitoring of the quartz tubes is critical. Lamps also need to be replaced regularly in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

NCC Title

Cold water storage tanks

NCC State
TAS
NCC Variation Type
Insertion
NCC SPTC Current
Cold water storage tanks

Explanatory information: Cross-volume considerations

NCC Volumes One and Two deal with a number of areas of on-site construction which are relevant to cold water services. These include, but may not be limited to, those listed in Table B1.

Table B1 Cross-volume considerations
Item NCC Volume One Class 2 to 9 buildings NCC Volume Two Class 1 and 10 buildings
Excavations for pipework adjacent to a building and footings B1 Structural provisions H1 Structure
Termite management for attachments to buildings and penetrations through a slab B1 Structural provisions H1 Structure
Penetrations for pipework through a vapour barrier B1 Structural provisions H1 Structure
Pipework in timber bearers and joists of solid timber or engineered wood products B1 Structural provisions H1 Structure
Fittings, fixtures and pipework installations in steel framed construction B1 Structural provisions H1 Structure
Penetrations through a fire-resisting wall or floor C1 Fire resistance Performance Requirements and C4 Protection of openings H3 Fire safety
Fixtures and fittings in a wet area F2 Wet areas and overflow protection H4 Health and amenity
Service pipework external to the building and penetrations through roof cladding in a bushfire prone area G5 Construction in bushfire prone areas H7 Ancillary provisions and additional construction requirements
Pipework sound insulation F7 Sound transmission and insulation H4 Health and amenity
Flues, chimneys, pipes, gas storage, domestic fuel tanks, cooling or heating appliances or other services C4 Protection of openings H3 Fire safety
Power supply to boiling and/or chilled water storage units J7 Artificial lighting and power Not applicable