Beware of the illegal bum washers!
September 21, 2009 by yoursydneyplumber
Filed under Toilet Plumbing
OK, I have your attention. No, there isn’t a rogue group walking the streets and washing bottoms without a permit. There is a large amount of imported products on the market designed to retro fit to an existing toilet and give you the ability to have the function of a bidet, without installing a bidet.
Bidet Toilet Seats
We have seen many of these spray hoses over the last month. None of them comply with Australian Standards; therefore, none of them carry the Watermark approval rating mark. For a licensed Plumber in Australia, this means we are not allowed to install them.
Why make a big deal you ask? Why not fit them you ask?
“We bought them on a trip overseas – everyone has them there!”
Well let’s start with the Watermark issue. If a product fails to meet our tough Australian Standards it’s for a good reason. Generally, if the product is of poor build quality, uses inferior materials in construction, maybe it’s not rated to take the pressure that our cold water supply is delivered. What ever the reason, the Australian Standard is there to protect the Australian public. If one of these hoses bursts under the pressure and floods your house, then an insurance company would be within its rights to reject a claim for damage.
The next issue is the serious health issue of cross connection. I will be brief on describing what cross connection is. Cross connection is the risk of contaminants entering the fresh water supply. The level of risk is graded. The fitting of one of these flexible bum washing sprays is high. Why is it high you ask? Well, imagine if you did your business (a number 2), pulled out your spray and gave the downstairs a good old rinse and accidentally dropped the nozzle into the bowl and into your fresh work – we would have a major cross connection on our hands.
There are 3 levels of cross connection prevention devices that can remove the risk of a cross connection. They are a group of valves that strain the water and allow the water to only flow in one direction. If a bum washer was installed, then you would need to protect your house from cross connection, the risk is high, so a large RPZ valve would be needed between the bum washer and everything else. These valves are large and very expensive, so who knows where it will go in your bathroom. The water supply may also need to be protected from the house now too, so another valve may have to be fitted to your water meter – just so you don’t make any of your neighbors sick.
Starting to sound ludicrous and not worth the hassle? Good, that’s the idea.
Bidets are approved, always have been, so why not install one if you really want that fresh feeling!
How come the bidet isn’t a cross connection risk you ask? Simple… a bidet has a fixed spout with an air gap between the spout and the drain below – no worries!
Anyway, the moral of the story is – while on holidays, think before you buy that bum sprayer – no one will install it.
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