Standards Development

Scope

“The standard has been developed to ensure that test methods, conditions and apparatus simulate as closely as practical normal service conditions to determine that the products will deliver a minimum 50-year service life. The standard determines requirements for structural strength/integrity, joint capabilities, sealing properties, corrosion resistance, and end load restraint (where appropriate) plus materials.

It applies to fittings with flexible, flexible restrained and restrained joints for connection to existing water supply transmission and distribution pipes. These pipes are for the purposes of localized repair, new branch connections or pipeline rehabilitation. The standard also specifies requirements for materials and dimensions. It also gives performance requirements for joints.

The standard also specifies requirements for repair/renovation and connection fittings intended for use on existing water mains pipes such as repair couplings, flange adaptors, repair clamps/collars, encapsulation units and under pressure tees.”

Purpose

BS 8561 is called up by BS 8588. Together they offer a complete, leak-tight pipeline which provides a barrier to permeation of organic contaminants to the water supply. BS 8588 has been published in 2017, but without an update of BS 8561 to make it possible to be used for product certification, there is a loop hole which allows mechanical fittings which may not compatible with the pipe and without the necessary performance characteristics to be used, risking the quality of drinking water in the pipeline.

Moreover, while the scope won’t change, the terms use may be corrected to align with European Standards for pipes connected by fittings covered by this standard. Some products previously covered by BS 8561 may not need to be included once BS EN 14525 has been updated.

Key drivers, i.e. safety, new legislation and/or standards (will it provide support for the implementation of existing standards)

Safety is the main reason to revise the standard, to make sure there is not risk in the quality of drinking water in the pipeline. Moreover, the standard is already called up in most water utility framework tenders. Water UK member companies have confirmed that they need this standard but that the current difficulty in understanding the content is limiting its usefulness.

With no products to the standard, UK manufacturers will have to submit non-compliant bids for framework tenders. Some products (from non-UK sources) are being offered to the market to the standard and it is likely that these would be purchased to meet tender requirements but not be fit for purpose.