Publication Date: Friday Aug 22, 1997

Make sure materials are approved

QWe are close to completing a kitchen remodeling project and have encountered a problem. Our contractor had installed a sink faucet we had purchased, and the building inspector said to take it out because it had not been approved by some organization or other. The faucet is one with a hose attached so that it can be pulled out and used to clean vegetables or the sink. How could this happen? What is the problem? AYou have raised two different issues. Thank you for mentioning them. I don't understand how this can happen either. But I can provide a little bit of an explanation. Most electrical, plumbing and some other miscellaneous products have to be approved by various agencies (both public and private) before they can be installed according to the building code.

However, manufacturers continue to build and retailers continue to sell products that are not approved for installation. The unapproved products generally cost less because the approval process tends to be quite expensive.

I suppose so much work is done by do-it-yourselfers and some unethical contractors without a permit that there is a ready market for these products. Another reason is that some building inspection departments are more rigorous than others about checking for approved products.

Early on in my career, I had to remove a light fixture I had purchased from Sears that was not UL approved. A few years ago I had to remove a faucet similar to yours that had not been approved by IAPMO (International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials). More recently, we had to provide an ICBO (International Congress of Building Officials--no, I am not trying to fill space) approval number for a skylight when we applied for a permit to install it.

Regarding the specific problem with your faucet, I imagine that either there was no antisiphon device in the hose/faucet or that it was not approved. The air gap on your dishwasher (the little chrome cap you see protruding from the kitchen sink) is required to perform the same function.

There is a good reason for these antisiphon devices. If the hose is left in the sink with dirty dishwater and the valve is slightly open, a negative pressure will cause this dirty water to siphon back into the water system. The same phenomenon could occur with your hose or sprinkler system outdoors.

One of the most likely problem scenarios is when there is a fire in the neighborhood. A fire truck pumper is hooked up to a hydrant and pumps water out of the system. This could create the negative pressure referred to earlier. Under the wrong circumstances, a faucet hose in a sink full of dirty dishwater could be contaminating our water supply.

HOMEOWNER ALERT! When you contract to have some work done, make certain that a permit is obtained and the inspections are completed. When you go to sell your house, the Realtor will ask if all work done was done with a permit and will check to see that all permitted work was signed off.

I have been asked a number of times to get a permit and have the work signed off after the work had already been completed (by some other individual). It is doable, but it takes time, it's a nuisance and results in costing more than if the work had been done by a legitimate, ethical contractor in the first place.



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