Installations and rules for Canberra and NSW for Bidets, bidettes, douche sprays / handheld bum washers, and bidet toilet seats
Do not buy a Bidet, bidette, douche spray / handheld bum washer, or bidet toilet seat until you read this
Bidets, bidettes, douche sprays / handheld bum washers, and bidet toilet seats are hygienic ways to clean up after ablutions.
These devices can be purchased from most hardware stores, online, or from plumbing supplies.
However, under Australian plumbing regulations and standards such as AS3500.1, most cannot be connected directly to your water supply without cross-connection and backflow prevention measures.
This is because of the risk of sewerage backflowing into the drinking water supply. According to AS3500.1 the risks range from the potential to cause death to the potential to be a nuisance.
Not complying with the rules means the person responsible for the installation will have to deal with the health and legal consequences when something goes wrong.
The following pictures and explanations will help you to understand how this might happen. Handheld Bidet Sprayer – Douche Sprayer – Bum Washer –
No handheld bidet – douche – bum sprayers can be connected directly to the water piping system even if they are approved for installation in Australia.
This is because the spray gun can be left dangling inside a toilet bowl, creating a very high risk of sewer contamination of the drinking water supply. A testable backflow prevention device is required.
Bidet – above-the-rim water spray (Old-fashioned terminology – Bidet for above-the-rim)
1. This type of bidet can be connected directly to the water piping system.
2. The outlet of the tap is clearly more than 25mm above the rim of the bowl.
The rim of the bowl is the bidet’s overflow level. Because there is a visible minimum 25mm air gap, the risk of sewer backflowing into the drinking water pipes is low.
No backflow prevention device is needed.
Bidette – Below the rim water spray (Old-fashioned terminology – Bidette for below the rim)
3. This style of Bidette cannot be connected directly to the water piping system.
The outlet of the waterspout is Lower than the rim of the bowl.
4. The rim of the bowl is the overflow level of the Bidette. Because there is no air gap, there is a high risk of sewerage backflowing into the drinking water pipework.
In this case, a separate hot and cold water supply using a registerable air gap or other high-hazard backflow prevention device is required.
Attachable Bidet Toilet Seats
5. Many bidet toilet seats cannot be connected directly to the water piping system even if they are approved for installation in Australia.
Bidet seats are available in numerous models and styles. If the water spray comes from below the overflow rim of the bowl and there is no inbuilt air gap in the water vessel at the back of the seat, then the seat is a high-risk backflow installation.
This type of bidet seat cannot be connected directly to the water piping system.
A testable backflow prevention device is required.
6. Some brands and models of bidet toilet seats, like the Caroma Livewell Electronic Toilet Seat, are approved for installation with additional backflow prevention.
Bidet toilet seats are available in numerous models and styles.
If there is an inbuilt air gap of at least 25mm above the overflow rim of the bowl, the seat is a low-risk backflow installation.
This bidet toilet seat can be connected directly to the water piping system.
Please don’t install any of the above devices until you have spoken to a licensed expert. The risks to yourself and the public are too high.
The AI image is not completely accurate, but it accurately depicts how contaminants can be easily siphoned into the drinking water supply network.
For more advice or for the compliant installation of a Bidet, Bidette, douche spray / handheld bum washer, or bidet toilet seat in Canberra or Queanbeyan, call 6 Star Hot Water and Plumbing on 0448844911