Standards Development

Scope

This standard will specify the procedure to characterize water supply installations in laboratory according to EN 15657, like any other structure-borne sound sources in building. The standard will (i) define the installation standard configuration and the excitation source (and operating conditions), (ii) allow testing not only different taps, but also different piping configurations and mounting elements, (iii) specify the measuring methods for determining data required for comparing products and materials and determining input data for predicting sound levels in building according to EN 12354-5; (iv) specify the method for measuring the equipment airborne sound power; (v) define the expression of results.

Purpose

So far, taps are measured in laboratory according to ISO 3822, where the tap is connected to a pipe system mounted to a wall and the structure-borne sound radiated by the wall measured and compared to the sound produced by a reference tap. Results from ISO 3822 can be used for comparing products (taps) but can’t be used as input data for predicting acoustic performance in buildings. However, a similar mounting could be defined according to EN 15657 (recent standard on laboratory measurement of structure-borne sound sources) and the method described in this standard, which leads to results expressed in terms of input data for prediction, could be applied to water supply installations. Even a similar reference tap could possibly be used as excitation source.

EN 15657 is also being applied to laboratory characterization of waste water pipes (revision of EN 14366); this makes two application standards, which could have the same numbering (prEN 14366-1 for waste water installations and prEN 14366-2 for water supply installations). Moreover, the standard could, like for waste water, include installations with different components, not only different taps, but also different piping configurations and mounting elements.