Bathroom Water Regs

[max5445]

Hi, just had a bathroom fitted by a plumber, i paid him cash and he went on his merry way. However someone has recently informed me that i need to have a certificate from the plumber that states everything was fitted in accordance with regulations, is this true. I have tried several times to call the plumber in question but he is not returning calls or responding to emails. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[madderose]

certificate for plumbing??? hehe
Unless he changed the boiler that was in the bathroom and fitted an electric shower you dont need a certificate.

Oki if you have a new boiler fitted you get a certificate of compliance building regs.

Electrics=== possibly if they fit a new ring circuit you may get a small works certificate. An electric shower would be certificated.

Are you happy with the bathroom? decent price?

Ill do you a certificate on a piece of bog paper £50

 

[sonray ltd]

his probably on about the corgi plumbing scheme.

Plumbing Membership Scheme

that was another load of c**p money making scheme brought out by corgi.
if your plumber had his water regs cert (which i doubt) he can notify his own work.
as for building regs we do all that straight to the council. without going through corgi money making scheme.

 

[wigz]

hi all water industry approved plumbers scheme (wiaps) is free to register and doesnt cost a penny.

as for signing off work you dont necessarily need the regs cert to sign to sign work off, you just need to show competence, that ol word again.so basically if everything is to the water regs when you complete a job there is no reason why you cant sign iit off. if the water inspector comes round and everything is correct he cant complain.

and as far as signing off a job if the plumber doesnt sign off a job after completion then the plumber and the customer are liable if anything shall go wrong. if the customer gets a regs cert he then excludes himself and everything is down to the plumber if theres problems.but as far as a bathroom suite goes i wouldnt worry at all.its water tanks and water mains you need a cert for really . sorry for the long message

 

[jdh plumbing]

Hi,

I thought any new or updated bathroom had to be notified to building control, just like electrical work, if you have your water regs and are a member of a competent person scheme(APHC,CORGI etc) you can self certify. This is has to be done for HIPS when you sell your property. More info at Planning Portal
Justin

 

[ifielding]

If all the bathroom replacement work has been completed in a residential property then you do not need to inform the your local water undertaker or building control. I am a Severn Trent approved plumber on the Watermark Scheme and I do not certificate any private residential work. If you do any plumbing work in rented accomadation or with any commercial ties then certification is required. If you are not in the watermark scheme and you undertake works in anything except residential premises this has to be notified to your local water undertaker. This is where you win as a registered plumber as you can self certify all this work. The certificat you produce goes to the customer and the WU. Things will change in the future when the WRAS cards are introduced. If you have not got your Water Regs. accreditation you aint working with water. We are the last bastion of the trades not carded, it is coming!!!
Hope this helps.

 

[jdh plumbing]

I also have my water regs and just had a meeting with the APHC according to them any work in a bathroom that involves moving or renewing waste pipe, supply pipe, any pump installed that delivers more than 12liters a etc in a private or rental accomadation will require building notification if you follow the letter of the LAW. As always with these schemes they are nether enforced.

 

[ifielding]

I also have my water regs and just had a meeting with the APHC according to them any work in a bathroom that involves moving or renewing waste pipe, supply pipe, any pump installed that delivers more than 12liters a etc in a private or rental accomadation will require building notification if you follow the letter of the LAW. As always with these schemes they are nether enforced.

I am afraid the APHC have led you up the garden path or you have mis interpreted the statement. THE ONLY TIME you inform building control of any works in the bathroom environment is if it is a complete new bathroom where you are installing brand new soil pipes and brand new supplies. ie. a new build or you are changing say a bedroom into a bathroom. This HAS NOT CHANGED. The reason you are informing BC of new soil and supply to a new bathroom is to ensure that the supply is potable as per regs and that the category 5 water is being disposed of, as to regs. It is common sense they are only interested in ensuring the public are not being poisened by any contaminated water. They only want to protect the infrastructure. If they were to come and look at every replacement sink where you put a new bit of 32mm waste on etc. they would be inundated. Likewise if they had to come and check every replacement pan connector??
So the statement moving or re-newing is 100% wrong. JDH I reckon the APHC are trying to scare people into joining them. Save your money each month, join your local water undertakers approved scheme, it's free. I can promise you when customers see the WaterMark and approved plumber on your van it does far more than APHC for customer confidence.

 

[stevetheplumber]

If all the bathroom replacement work has been completed in a residential property then you do not need to inform the your local water undertaker or building control. I am a Severn Trent approved plumber on the Watermark Scheme and I do not certificate any private residential work. If you do any plumbing work in rented accomadation or with any commercial ties then certification is required. If you are not in the watermark scheme and you undertake works in anything except residential premises this has to be notified to your local water undertaker. This is where you win as a registered plumber as you can self certify all this work. The certificat you produce goes to the customer and the WU. Things will change in the future when the WRAS cards are introduced. If you have not got your Water Regs. accreditation you aint working with water. We are the last bastion of the trades not carded, it is coming!!!
Hope this helps.

dont get me started on the number of licences and scheemes we now have to have mine to date are
cscs card to go on site
hoist drivers licence
abrasive wheel cert
corgi or what ever its about to become
waste licence or you cant remove your rubish from site
when they tell me i need a licence to do what ive done for 40 years im going to go straight to the job center and sign on

 

[JulianH09]

Confusion Regarding Notification Requirements for Plumbing Work

Dear forum members

The following is a response to comments on the UK Plumbers Forum.

The commentary provided on the website typifies the confusion that exists surrounding items of totally separate legislation which have differing objectives and are operated under the auspices of different Government Departments. Here APHC totally sympathises with the complexity of legislation that the plumbing contractor is required to deal with. Comments refer to two specific items of legislation that could potentially impact on work at the same property (address) -

1 Building Regulations

The Government Department, Communities & Local Government is responsible for building regulations which are enforced primarily by local authorities. The regulations define certain works on building services as ‘controlled services or fittings’ which to be lawfully installed require either notification to building control or self certification via membership of a competent persons scheme. The requirements for notification of a sizeable proportion of plumbing work have been in place for quite a period of time now, enforcement has however been largely ignored until recently. In terms of the installation of sanitary appliances and connecting sanitary pipework systems, the requirements for notification are –
· The installation of all new sanitary appliances in a new location
· The new installation or complete replacement of a sanitary pipework system (the SVP)
· The replacement of a sanitary appliance with a new one where work on the soil/waste pipework system has the potential to materially affect the operation of the above ground sanitary pipework system

The like for like replacement of a sanitary appliance (with minimal modification to the existing sanitary pipework system) is classified as a maintenance activity and exempt from notification requirements. APHC does not therefore concur with your view that only new location appliance installation is notifiable given that a sizeable proportion of work on replacement bathrooms/kitchens includes sizeable work on revised connections to the SVP and extensions and major modifications to branch pipework runs requiring notification of the work.

Sanitary pipework is only one such aspect of plumbing/heating work which has to be notified, there are many others which are probably more well known such as combustion appliances and electrical work. The full requirements can be checked by visiting the planning portal website at www.planningportal.gov.uk.

It is the responsibility of the installer to ensure that they are up to date with current legislation so that they comply at all times.

Customers are gradually becoming more aware of the need to have genuine certificates for completed works on file, these will have a unique reference number which can be checked with records held at building control, failure to comply can result in a fine of up to £5000.

2 Water Regulations

The government department DEFRA are responsible for Water Regulations which require consent to be sought from the local water company prior to carrying out certain works on plumbing systems, these works primarily dealing with the water supplies to plumbing components and fittings. A number of work areas requiring permission to install may be self-certified by an installer who has achieved accreditation with an organisation under the Water Regulations who is recognised to provide an ‘Approved Contractor’ Scheme.

Consent is required for work in all new-build properties, extensions/modification work to systems in existing non-domestic properties and with certain individual water fitting installations e.g. large capacity baths. Full detail of work requiring consent is available on the WRAS website www.wras.co.uk.

Work on extensions/modifications in existing dwellings is largely exempt from the consent requirements unless individual appliances being installed fall within scope of the listed water fittings requiring consent.

An Approved Contractor under the Water Regulations is required to issue a completion certificate to confirm compliance with the regulations on completion of the work and provide evidence of qualification, insurance etc.

So in conclusion there are in fact two separate sets of legislation that could impact on the installation of pure plumbing appliances – water regulations dealing with the supply to the appliance and building regulations dealing with conveying the waste water from the appliance to drain – of which notification/ consent could be required for both sets of regulations.

APHC is currently the only scheme provider in England & Wales that can offer Building Regulations self certification and Water Regulations Approved Contractor status as part of a single streamlined package which is aimed at simplifying the requirements for contractors.

Given the details that have been placed on the website we would respectfully request that you re-visit the comments made in light of this correspondence.

Posted by on behalf of APHC

 

[n.d.b.pluming]

hope this will help i have not long sat my water regulations you will need to look this up but here goes , notice to the water undertaker is required where water fittings is to be installed in connection with one of the following module two regulation 5.1 paragraph 2 the extension or alteration of water fittings on any premises other than a HOUSE regulation 5.1 paragraph 4 list items that you have to give notice for like a bath having a capacity of more than 230 litres which is big ,a pump or booster drawing more than 12 litres per min if it was just a new suite to up date the old one you will not need a certificate of compliance if you still not sure take a look at the regulations at module two 5.1