ABOUT WATERMARK

IAPMO Oceania

IAPMO Oceania Pty Ltd is part of The IAPMO Group, an international plumbing industry based association that tests and certifies products and develops codes and standards that protect more than half the world’s population. IAPMO Oceania certifies plumbing and drainage products to use the WaterMark™ symbol.

About WaterMark Certification Scheme

WaterMark™ is a certification trademark and used in relation to water supply, sewerage, plumbing and drainage goods. The plumbing industry in Australia supports the use of the WaterMark™ which, when used properly, is an excellent way of helping Australian consumers be confident about the quality of the plumbing product to which it is applied. The WaterMark™ is applicable to products manufactured both locally and overseas.

IAPMO Oceania is accredited by JAS-ANZ to conduct assessments leading to product certification and has also been approved to grant WaterMark licences.

The aim of the WaterMark Certification Scheme is to:

ensure products meet specific specifications and standards; and
assist Australian consumers to identify quality products produced both in Australia and overseas.

IAPMO Oceania has a strong reputation within the global plumbing industry and has a thorough knowledge of the Australian regulatory environment for water and gas sectors. IAPMO R&T’s decades of certification experience and staff commitment ensure that manufacturers and importers have access to a professional certification process in the shortest possible time frame.

Certification Standards

Products certified by IAPMO Oceania are required to meet the minimum certification standards, which are set out in detail within the ABCB's Procedures for Certification of Plumbing and Drainage Products. Certified products are required to be manufactured under a quality plan which has been assessed as meeting the IAPMO Oceania WaterMark - “Governance Rules”. In summary, the WaterMark™ can only be used on plumbing and draining products that comply with relevant specifications including:

MP52 - Manual of Authorisation Procedures for Plumbing and Drainage Products;
AS 5200 - Technical specification for plumbing and drainage products; Part 000: Procedures for certification of plumbing and drainage products.
The Plumbing Code of Australia.

To apply for a WaterMark™ certification and trademark license you can download IAPMO R&T Oceania’s application from our Website: www.ia�pmooceania.org

The Requirements for WaterMark

Plumbing and Drainage products used in Australia and supplied under the WaterMark Certification Scheme (WMCS) shall bear the WaterMark logo once they have been certified by IAPMO Oceania. Applying the WaterMark logo to the product provides evidence that the product is –
• Manufactured under a nationally recognized certification scheme and certified by a WaterMark Conformity Assessment Body (WMCAB).
• Supplied and warranted by the supplier as complying with the appropriate specification or standard; and
• Easily recognized by the designers, specifiers, regulators, installers, distributors, retailers, and purchasers as being certified.

The WaterMark Scheme ensures the plumbing and drainage materials and products are fit for purpose and that their use in a plumbing or drainage installation is sustainable and does not create significant risks or any likely outcome of:

personal illness, loss, injury or death;
environmental degradation;
contamination of the water resource;
adverse impact on infrastructure (Private and Public);
contamination of the water supply

To apply for a WaterMark™ certification and trademark license, please download IAPMO Oceania’s WaterMark application.

Marking

Once products are certified by IAPMO Oceania, they can be marked with a WaterMark™ certification logo. The Standard Marking applies to the following Australian certification trade mark registrations.

Plumbing and drainage products used in Australia and supplied under the WMCS should bear the WaterMark once they have been certified by IAPMO Oceania. Applying the WaterMark to the product provides evidence that the product is:

manufactured under a nationally recognised scheme and certified by IAPMO Oceana.
supplied and warranted by the manufacturer as complying with the appropriate Specification; and
easily recognised by the regulator, tradesmen, distributors and retailers as being certified.

All applicants must submit a marking proposal to IAPMO Oceania showing the form and manner in which the certification mark is to be used. Licencing / certifiation cannot take place until the marking proposal has been accepted.

WELS & WaterMark: How They Interact

The WELS and WaterMark Certification Schemes both require that registered products meet specific requirements and standards. In many cases, products that meet the WaterMark Certification criteria will also meet the requirements of the WELS Scheme. Although IAMPO Oceania can certify users for WaterMark, registration for the WELS scheme is done separately at the Australian Government’s WELS scheme Website: www.waterrating.gov.au

The following table provides an overview of how the two schemes interact.

Product type	WELS Scheme applies to:	Standard outlining the relevant products	Star Allocation	Water Saving Information
Showers	Showers intended solely for personal bathing Does not apply to emergency deluge or safety showers. A rating is given to the showerhead and any additional components (e.g. pivoting arm, flexible hose or flow controller) supplied with the showerhead.	AS/NZS 3662:2005 - Performance of showers for bathing	Shower heads must meet performance criteria, such as the mean spray spread angle and temperature drop, while operating at lower flow rates. The rating is based on the ‘average flow rate’ as follows: more than 16L/min. or failing the performance requirement are nominated 0 star more than 12L/min. but not more than 16L/min. are nominated 1 star more than 9L/min. but not more than 12L/min. are nominated 2 star more than 7.5L/min. but not more than 9L/min. are nominated 3 star 4,5 and 6 star ratings are not yet available.	Installing a water-efficient showerhead may save up to 14,500 litres per household each year.
Tap equipment	Any tap or tap outlet for use over a basin, ablution trough, kitchen sink or laundry tub It does not apply to a tap that is used solely over a bath.	AS/NZS 3718:2005, Water supply-Tap ware.	Taps are rated based on the ‘average flow rate’ as follows: more than 16L/min. or failing the performance requirement are nominated 0 star more than 12L/min. but not more than 16L/min. are nominated 1 star more than 9L/min. but not more than 12L/min. are nominated 2 star more than 7.5L/min. but not more than 9L/min. are nominated 3 star more than 6L/min. but not more than 7.5L/min. are nominated 4 star more than 4.5L/min. but not more than 6L/min. are nominated 5 star not more than 4.5L/min. are nominated 6 star	Low-flow and aerating model taps use as little as 2 litres per minute. Taps with an aerator or flow restrictor may reduce flow to less than a third of standard taps.
Flow controllers	Flow controllers that are installed either end of line or in line. They generally support single fixtures or appliances. Flow controllers cannot be rated if used directly with a shower.	ATS 5200.037.2-2005-Technical Specification for plumbing and drainage products, Part 037.2: Flow controllers-For use in heated or cold water plumbing systems.	Flow controllers are rated based on the nominal flow rate and must satisfy basic material and design requirements: more than 16L/min. or failing the performance requirement are nominated 0 star more than 12L/min. but not more than 16L/min. are nominated 1 star more than 9L/min. but not more than 12L/min. are nominated 2 star more than 7.5L/min. but not more than 9L/min. are nominated 3 star more than 6L/min. but not more than 7.5L/min. are nominated 4 star more than 4.5L/min. but not more than 6L/min. are nominated 5 star not more than 4.5L/min. are nominated 6 star
Toilet (lavatory equipment)	Toilet suites, pans, cisterns, flushing devices and combinations of these products.	AS 1172.1-2005, Water closets (WC), Part 1: Pans AS 1172.2-1999, Water closet (WC) pans of 6/3 L capacity or proven equivalent, Part 2: Cistern ATS 5200.021-2004, Technical Specification for plumbing and drainage products, Part 021: Flushing valves for water closets and urinals-For use with break tank supply ATS 5200.020-2004, Technical Specification for plumbing and drainage products, Part 020: Flushing valves for water closets and urinals-For use with mains supply and ATS 5200.030-2004, Technical Specification for plumbing and drainage products, Part 030: Solenoid valves.	Toilets are rated based on discharge flush volume, and a minimum water efficiency standard applies. The average water consumption must not exceed 5.5 litres per flush. The average water consumption of a dual flush cistern is taken to be the average of one full flush and four half flushes. This means dual flush cisterns of 9 litre full flush/4.5 litre half flush are the least efficient products that can be sold. The star ratings are nominated as follows: Not more than 9/4.5L with an average flush of no more than 5.5L are nominated 1 star Not more than 9/4.5L with a 4.5L average flush volume are nominated 2 star Not more than 6.5/3.5L with an average flush of not more than 4L are nominated 3 star Not more than 4.7/3.2L with an average flush of not more than 3.5L are nominated 4 star Not more than 4.7 full flush with an average flush of no more than 3.0L are nominated 5 star not more than 4.7 litres full flush with an average of no more than 2.5L are nominated 6 star	Replacing a traditional single flush toilet with a water efficient dual flush toilet can save up to 51 litres per person per day. Using a water efficient dual flush toilet can reduce household water use by up to 30,000 to 40,000 litres per household per year.
Urinal equipment	Urinal suites, urinals, urinal flushing control mechanisms and combinations of these products. The WELS Standard does not include waterless urinals.	AS/NZS 3982:1996, Urinals ATS 5200.004-2005, Technical Specification for plumbing and drainage products - Urinal flushing cisterns.	Products are rated based on the flush volume and the type and complexity of the operating mechanism. Products can be rated as follows: more than 2.5L/single stall or 4L two stalls or equivalent width of continuous wall are nominated 0 star not more than 4L two stalls or equivalent width of continuous wall and conscious demand driven or smart demand operation are nominated 1 star not more than 2.5L single stall or equivalent width of continuous wall and conscious demand driven or smart demand operation are nominated 2 star not more than 2L single stall or equivalent width of continuous wall and conscious demand driven or smart driven operation are nominated 3 star not more than 1.5L single stall or equivalent width of continuous wall and smart demand operation are nominated 4 star not more than 1L single stall or equivalent width of continuous wall and smart demand operation are nominated 5 star not more than 1L single stall or equivalent width of continuous wall and smart demand operation with urine sensing device are nominated 6 star.	The most efficient urinals combined with smart controls can reduce water use by up to 40-50 per cent.
Clothes washers	Electric washing machines intended for household or similar use e.g. Top loading non drum (impeller or agitator); Front and top loading drum type; or Washer function of combination washer/dryer.	AS/NZS 2040.2:2005 - Performance of household electrical appliances-Clothes washing machines, Part 2: Energy labelling requirements.	Washing machines are rated based on their water consumption. Calculations are based on testing to AS 2040.2 using the higher claimed total water consumption for warm or cold washes.	A water efficient clothes washer may use one-third the water of an older, less efficient model.
Dishwashers	Dishwashers	AS/NZS 2007.2:2005 - Performance of household electrical appliances-Dishwashers, Part 2: Energy labelling requirements.	Water efficiency is evaluated under the same testing requirements that are required to establish the energy efficiency. Dishwashers are differentiated based on water consumption per equivalent types (utilising place settings).	The most efficient dishwashers may use half the water of average models.