Standards Council of Canada announces first joint Canada-U.S. standard for plumbing and heating sector

OTTAWA, March 30, 2015 /CNW/ - The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) and ULC Standards are pleased to announce the development of a Joint National Standard for balloon-type ball backwater valves. The development of this joint Canada-U.S. standard is the first of its kind in the plumbing and heating sector.

SCC and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) support cooperation between SDOs in Canada and the U.S. to develop and maintain joint standards. ULC Standards, an SCC-accredited Standards Development Organization (SDO), has been selected to develop this standard. They will work with UL Standards, an SDO accredited by both SCC and ANSI.

Balloon-type ball backwater valves operate as an automated device. When the sensor detects a sewer backup, the control panel inflates the balloon bladder to effectively and quickly seal off the sanitary waste pipe. This prevents sewage from potentially causing extensive flood damage to basements, thereby saving homeowners thousands of dollars in damage.

The standard will also allow for a retrofit device to be installed in the existing sanitary waste piping without the extensive and costly excavation of a home's concrete floor that is currently required. With the increased incidence of flood risk and the cost of installing backwater valves, especially in residential retrofits, this product will have a valuable impact in both the Canadian and U.S. marketplace.

In 2014, a selection panel of Canada-U.S. industry representatives, including members of the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH), concluded that a Joint National Standard for balloon-type ball backwater valves would benefit the most Canadian and American customers.

Quick facts

• ULC Standards was selected by SCC in February 2015 to develop the voluntary standard for balloon-type ball backwater valves.
• In 2011, bilateral trade between Canada and the U.S. in the plumbing and heating sector exceeded $17-billion with more than 70 per cent of goods sold in Canada being produced in the U.S.
• A balloon-type ball backwater valve is considered a fault resistant product that combines three elements:

1. a micro-electric water sensor,
2. a pneumatic bladder device to seal a sanitary line, and
3. a control panel.

Quotes

"SCC is pleased to work alongside ANSI, UL, and ULC Standards on this Joint National Standard that will benefit the plumbing and heating industry in both Canada and the United States. After hearing from industry representatives, we are certain this standard will enhance industry competitiveness and reduce impediments to cross-border trade within this sector," said John Walter, CEO of the Standards Council of Canada.

"In our role as coordinator of the U.S. standardization system and accreditor of U.S.-based standards developing organizations, ANSI is pleased to partner with SCC on this ongoing initiative, which will make it easier for products to cross our shared border," said S. Joe Bhatia, president and CEO of ANSI. "We congratulate UL and ULC and commend both organizations for their commitment to collaboration."

"ULC Standards is pleased to take part in this process in support of industry, the Regulatory Cooperation Council (Canada and USA) and the standards system," said Rae Dulmage, Director of ULC Standards.

"UL welcomes the opportunity to participate in the joint initiative sponsored by the SCC and ANSI. These initiatives are consistent with the goals of both the Canadian and US governments and UL is proud to be a participant," said Robert Williams, Vice President of Standards at UL.

"We are delighted to work with ULC Standards in our efforts to develop processes that will reduce trade barriers between jurisdictions through the alignment of North American standards, while maintaining the health and safety of homeowners. Our ultimate goal is to improve speed toward harmonization, especially in new technology areas with the end result being one standard, one mark, one test accepted in both Canada and the USA," said Ralph Suppa, President and General Manager, Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating.

About the Standards Council of Canada
SCC is a Crown corporation and part of the Industry Canada portfolio that leads and facilitates the development and use of national and international standards and accreditation services in order to enhance Canada's competitiveness and well-being.For more information, visit www.scc.ca.

About the American National Standards Institute
ANSI is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is made up of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide. The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). For more information, visit www.ansi.org. 

About ULC Standards
ULC Standards has been publishing standards for Canadians for over 60 years. As one of SCC's accredited Standards Development Organizations (SDO), ULC operates under the consensus based principles as required by the SCC. ULC Standards is also a signatory to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Technical Barrier to Trade Agreement, which outlines in Annex 3 the Code of Good Practice for the Preparation, Adoption and Application of Standards. There are 22 main standards committees at ULC responsible for over 200 standards with a membership of over 500. Each committee operates under a ULC secretariat, from the ULC standards department. ULC Standards utilizes electronic publishing and communication systems to create an effective standards development environment. For more information, visit http://canada.ul.com/ulcstandards/.

SOURCE Standards Council of Canada

Image with caption: "Balloon-type ball backwater valves operate as an automated device. When the sensor detects a sewer backup, the control panel inflates the balloon bladder to effectively and quickly seal off the sanitary waste pipe. This prevents sewage from potentially causing extensive flood damage to basements, thereby saving homeowners thousands of dollars in damage. (CNW Group/Standards Council of Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150330_C4692_PHOTO_EN_13698.jpg

Media contacts: Christine LaRocque, Manager, Communications, Standards Council of Canada. [phone] ext. 462, [email protected]; Michelle Press, Global Marketing Communications Manager, ULC, [email protected]