Australian Standards for Water Tanks and Tank Installations Several important standards apply to rainwater tanks for manufacturing specifications, storing potable water, and plumbing in your tank. This article seeks to explain Australian Standards, who sets them, what they are and which ones you should look for when buying and plumbing in your rainwater tank.

What Are Australian Standards? It might surprise some to learn that “Australian Standards” are not legislative requirements set by the Federal Government. They are actually set by Standards Australia, an independent, not-for-profit organisation, recognised as the peak non-government standards body.

Standards are documents which specify guidelines and procedures to help ensure products, services and systems are safe, reliable and consistently perform the way they were intended to. They establish a common language which defines quality and safety criteria. Standards Australia state:

Standards can be:

• International standards

Developed by ISO and IEC (and others) and are used directly or adopted by other standardising bodies.

• Regional standards

Prepared for use in a specific geopolitical region, the best known is the European Union (EU) where EN standards are used. Joint Australian/New Zealand standards can also be considered regional standards since they apply equally in both countries.

• National standards

Prepared, adopted or approved by a national standards body or other body accredited to produce national standards.

For example, Australian Standard® brand Standards are either developed in Australia or are adoptions of international standards.

Australian Standards cover everything from consumer products and services, construction, engineering, business, information technology, human services to energy and water utilities and the environment. They are often very specific, for example standards for durable rainwater and chemical storage tanks make from polyethylene, or a product being safe for coming into contact with food.

Knowledge BaseArticle

Australian Standards Relevant for Rainwater Tanks • AS/NZS 4020 Testing of products for use in contact with drinking water – this is the

main standard any rainwater tank product should comply with and be certified for. It ensures the requirements have been met for the suitability of rainwater tanks for use with potable water. This standard also applies to items such as pipes and fittings that will come into contact with your drinking water.

• AS/NZS 4766 Polyethylene storage tanks for water and chemicals – this standard specifies requirements for the design and manufacture of polyethylene storage tanks to reliably store water and chemical solutions under normal atmospheric conditions. You should only purchase polyethylene tanks from manufacturers independently certified to this standard.

• AS/NZS ISO 9001 Quality management systems – this international standard specifies requirements for quality management systems applicable to an organisation. It focuses on the quality management system’s effectiveness in meeting requirements and standards, and gives assurance to customers that quality control processes are in place to continually achieve such.

• AS 2070 Plastics materials for food contact use – this standard is relevant, but really secondary to AS/NSZ 4020 since it doesn’t apply to the final tank product, but only any plastic materials (resins, granules and powders) used for manufacturing. It describes procedures to be followed during the various stages of processing by manufacturers of plastics items for food contact.

Australian Standards Relevant for Plumbing in Water Tanks

• AS/NZS 3500 Plumbing and drainage – this standard specifies the performance requirements for drainage systems including from your roof and rainwater tanks. It forms the basis of the National Construction Code for plumbing in Australia.

• AS 3688 Water supply – Metallic fittings and end connectors – this standard specifies requirements for tank fittings, adaptors and connectors for use with pipes and tubes in water supply.

• AS/NZS 4130 Polyethylene (PE) pipes for pressure applications – this standard specifies requirements of polyethylene pipes for the delivery of your water under pressure.

Team Poly Water Tanks are Independently Certified to Australian Standards

Team Poly tanks are certified to AS/NZS 4020 Testing of products for use in contact with drinking water and AS/NZS 2070 Plastic materials for food contact use. Team Poly are certified by SAI Globel for AS/NZS 4766:2006 Polyethylene Storage Tanks for Water & Chemicals (Lic 21597) and AS/NZS ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System (Lic 22114).

Team Poly has manufactured and distributed over 1 million water and industrial tanks throughout Australia since 1990. We use modern production machinery coupled with safe and efficient working practices. You are buying from an ISO 9001 accredited company, assuring you of the highest quality manufacturing standards from start to finish.

1300 658 961ww.teampoly.com.au

TeamTT Polyl Tanks PTT tytt LtdLL27 Heath Street

Lonsdale, SA 5160ABN 79 162 065 778

Team Poly is an Australian owned companywhich has been manufacturing water tanks andassociated polyethylene products since 1991and is part of the National Poly IndustriesGroup, Australia’s largest supplier of water tanks.

If you have found this article helpful, why not contact us today to discuss your needs? Phone: 1300 658 961 Website: www.teampoly.com.au

Web version (current): www.teampoly.com.au/knowledge-base/australian-standards-for-water-tanks-and-tank-installations

Visit our Knowledge Base for more articles: www.teampoly.com.au/knowledge-base

Disclaimer: The information in this document is general and provided solely on the basis that users will take responsibility for verifying the accuracy, currency and completeness of all relevant representations, statements and information. No user should act on the basis of any matter contained in this publication without considering and, if necessary, taking appropriate professional advice upon his or her own particular circumstances.

While Team Poly tries to ensure that the content and information is accurate, adequate or complete, it does not represent or warrant its accuracy, adequacy or completeness. Team Poly and any associates are not responsible for any loss suffered as a result of or in relation to the use of this information. To the extent permitted by law, Team Poly excludes any liability, including any liability for negligence, for any loss, including indirect or consequential damages arising from or in relation to the use of this information.

This article by Team Poly is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia license.

You are free to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format under the following conditions:

1. Attribution – You must give credit to Team Poly, provide a link to the Web version of this article or to http://www.teampoly.com.au/, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.

2. No Derivative Works – If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.