Code Classroom
Ron George, CPD President, Plumb-Tech Design & Consulting Services, LLC
UPC Code update and ASSE scald awareness committee update
T
he International Association of Plumbing & Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) held their 2012 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) and Uniform
Mechanical Code (UMC) technical committee meeting May 2 – 4, 2011, in St. Louis. The committee listened to public comments and held discussions on code changes proposed in the monograph for the 2012 UPC and UMC. June 8 is the final closing date for all technical com-
mittee ballots, including receipt of vote changes based on re-circulated comments. August 22 is the due date for distribution of the Report on Comments (ROC). Final changes should be ready at IAPMO’s annual Education and Business conference, technical meeting convention in San Antonio September 25 – 29, 2011. The 2012 edi- tions of the codes are nearing completion of the three- year revision cycle and should be available near the end of the year. Highlights of the public comments in St. Louis includ-
ed many changes to conform to IAPMO’s new manual of style, which should help establish a consistent style and format throughout all of the uniform codes. The manual of style addresses the structure of uniform codes that includes the physical layout of the documents, a new numbering system and chapter sequences. Changes submitted by a code correlation task group
included many editorial changes to the manual of style changes as well as many technical changes. Proposed plumbing code changes dealt with issues such as air admittance valves, manifold systems sizing, vacuum waste drainage systems and product standards. The mechanical code hearing addressed concealed gas pip- ing, gas purging during piping installation and HVAC unit refrigerant gas port security caps to prevent vandal- ism and abuse. During the plumbing code discussions, there was also
debate about referencing plumbing product standards in the body of the plumbing code versus listing the stan- dards in the back of the code. There were two sides to the debate. A few inspectors and contractors said that they do not want to be bothered with keeping track of stan- dards, purchasing standards books and looking up the “alphabet soup of standard letters and numbers.” They just want to see an IAPMO mark on the product, which indicates IAPMO approval. They seemed to prefer that all of the standards be listed in Chapter 14, “Referenced Standards,” which is located in the back of the code. There was some discussion about whether everything listed in chapter 14 was mandatory in the code. Someone commented that there would be inherent problems with relying on an IAPMO mark, because everything that has an IAPMO mark is not necessarily accepted in the code.
Page 20/Plumbing Engineer Those taking the opposite view included manufactur-
ers, design professionals, contractors and some inspec- tors. They want to see each standard number and title ref- erenced in the body of the code, in the section where the standard applies. The standards require that products be marked with
the standard that the product conforms to so that an inspector can look at a product and verify that it is installed in accordance with the proper code section. For example: There are numerous mixing valve standards; each one has a unique application that is described in the title and scope of the standard. The standard for shower valves for bathtub/shower combinations requires that they conform to ASSE 1016, Performance Requirements for Automatic Compensating Valves for Individual Showers and Tub/Shower Combinations. Because the standard addresses valve usage for individual showers or tub/shower combinations, ASSE 1016 mixing valves cannot be used as master mixing valves at a water heater. Some styles are pressure-balance type only; they have no thermostatic element and would be inappropriate for a master mixing valve application. Other standards include the following: Shower valves
for gang showers should comply with ASSE 1069, Automatic Temperature Control Mixing Valves. Master mixing valves located near a water heater or source of hot water should conform to ASSE 1017, Temperature Actuated Mixing Valves for Hot Water Distribution Systems. Local mixing valves near the point of use should meet the requirements of ASSE 1070, Performance Requirements for Water Temperature Limiting Devices. Just listing the standards in the table at the back of the
code with the standard language that states that “the product shall comply with the nationally recognized standard listed in chapter 14" could mean that a mixing valve could be misapplied but still have a standard num- ber that is listed in the applicable section of the code. All mixing valves have the IAPMO mark on them. Unless the inspector is knowledgeable about the scope of each standard, it is not possible to determine which standard should apply, because there is no direction in the code. The debate was lively and included several attempts to
revise Chapter 14 by making the entire chapter mandato- ry, in lieu of listing the standards in the appropriate code sections. It was pointed out that there are numerous stan- dards and guidelines in chapter 14 that are not consensus standards, so that would create a problem. The debate ended with a recommendation for an ad-hoc committee on product standards to review where the standards Continued on page 22
June 2011
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