Any water fitting, which when installed, will carry or receive water from the public mains water supply in the UK, must comply with the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations or Scottish Byelaws specifically Regulation 4.  These require that a water fitting should not cause waste, misuse, undue consumption or contamination of the water supply and must be ‘of an appropriate quality and standard’. 

WRAS approval, is not the only means of demonstrating compliance for a material or water fitting, but it is the most recognisable of the three approval/certification currently schemes available in the UK that certify compliance with Reg4.

A WRAS Product Approval for complete products (valves, washing machines etc.) ensures that, provided the product is installed or used in accordance with any conditions placed on the approval, your customers (or their customers) are installing a fitting that complies with the requirements of the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations and Byelaws and they have therefore met their legal requirements.

A WRAS Material Approval for non-metallic materials and components, such as plastic parts, rubber seals and ‘O’ rings, involves testing only for their effects on water quality. This type of approval demonstrates that the non-metallic material does not itself contaminate the water and therefore satisfies this particular requirement of Regulations and Byelaws.

To find out more visit the WRAS website.