TECHNICAL
PLUMBING IN BUSHFIRE-PRONE AREAS Plumbing practitioners look to the Plumbing Code of Australia (PCA) and AS/NZS 3500 for technical requirements for plumbing and drainage installations, but what additional requirements are there for the design, construction, and installation of plumbing and drainage systems in bushfire-prone areas? In this article, the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) looks at requirements for bushfire-prone areas that are relevant to plumbing.
The National Construction Code (NCC)
NCC Volumes One and Two (the Building Code of Australia, or BCA) require certain buildings in a designated bushfire-prone area to be (to the degree necessary) designed and constructed to reduce the risk of ignition from a bushfire. This is generally achieved through compliance with AS 3959. AS 3959 contains requirements for plumbing and drainage systems (water services, sanitary plumbing and drainage systems, and stormwater drainage systems) that are additional to those found in AS/NZS 3500. It is primarily concerned with improving the ability of buildings in designated bushfire-prone areas to better withstand bushfire attack, thereby better-protecting residents.
31 July
10
| MASTER PLUMBER MAGAZINE Spring 2020
The PCA
The PCA highlights, in explanatory information for crossvolume considerations, where the BCA requirements affect the design, construction, or installation of a plumbing or drainage system. For bushfire-prone areas, this relates to pipework external to the building and penetrations through the roof cladding. Relevant cross-volume considerations in the PCA are provided for cold water services (B1.4), heated water services (B2.9), non-drinking water services (B3.3), fire-fighting water services (B4.2), and sanitary plumbing systems (C1.3). Plumbing practitioners must also be aware of the Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) classification for a project’s location and ensure that their work meets the bushfire requirements for that classification. It is also recommended to check with the local authority or building certifier in case additional requirements apply.
Want to know more?
Access the PCA free online from the ABCB website, ncc.abcb.gov.au, or AS 3959 from the Standards Australia website, infostore.saiglobal. com/en-au/standards/as-3959-2018-122340_saig_ as_as_2685241/ (open access until June 2021).
