Shahin Moinian
Senior Director, IAPMO Research and Testing

Two new ways to serve you

In this Senior Director's Message, I will talk about a couple of our new certification programs.

First is the certification of products to the requirements of California Assembly Bill 1953. 

This controversial bill would, commencing Jan. 1, 2010, revise the term “lead free” for the purposes of manufacturing, industrial processing and conveying or disposing of water for human consumption, to refer not to the lead content of pipes and pipe fittings, plumbing fittings, and fixtures, but to a weighted average lead content of the wetted surface to be not more than 0.25 percent.

The formula that the bill outlines is: The percentage of lead content within each component that comes into contact with water shall be multiplied by the percent of the total wetted surface of the entire pipe and pipe fitting, plumbing fitting or fixture represented in each component containing lead. These percentages shall be added and the sum shall constitute the weighted average lead content of the pipe and pipefitting, plumbing fitting or fixture. The formula for calculating the bill 1953 number is shown below:

Bill 1953 Number = ∑ (%Wetted Surface x Pb% of Material)

We are well aware of the fact that the bill may not be very friendly to products currently manufactured. However, we hereby offer our services to the manufacturers to show compliance to this bill.

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Another category of certification that we have gotten into is the “Green” product listing program.

The current certification procedure states: To meet the criteria for being awarded a Green Certification from IAPMO, the product bearing the Green Certification Mark must demonstrate one of the following attributes:

1. The product must meet water efficiency specifications set forth by the U.S. Government, such as the Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program. If specifications for a product are not available, the product must reduce water consumption by a minimum of 20 percent when compared to the minimum requirements set forth in the applicable product standard.

2. The product, by its very nature, provides a level of sustainability in the built environment that is not normally included in typical installations.

3. The product is manufactured in a facility that has been officially recognized by the federal, state, or local government for its environmental stewardship.

IAPMO R&T currently has a list of products that may be certified as Green. Although the list is finite, it may be amended as the need becomes apparent. At the moment the following product categories maybe certified as Green:

1. Solar Energy Collectors, Solar Heat Exchangers and Solar Energy Systems
2. EPA WaterSense Lavatory Faucets, Lavatory Faucet Components and Water Closets
3. Dual Flush for Electrohydraulic and Gravity 1.6 Gallon Water Closet
4. Water closets with self contained hand washing systems
5. Dual Flush Devices for Water Closet Tanks
6. Early Closure Flapper for Water Closet Tanks
7. Hot Water Recirculating Systems
8. Hot Water Circulating Devices Which Do Not Use a Pump
9. Flow Shutoff Device With or Without Shower Head
10. Waterless and High Efficiency Urinals (0.5 gpf max)
11. Gray water systems
12. Rain water harvesting systems
13. Siphonic roof drainage systems containing storage / harvesting components

For more information about the above categories of product certification, please contact 1-877-4 UPC MARK.