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Prior to the 2008, there were many different and competing Standards systems a manufacturer or Australian importer / retailer must have on their products before they are sold; CE, ISO-9001, AAA rating, Australian Standards, Certified System products etc.
 The Watermark is the new Australian Standards which have been introduced to replace all previous standards before it. All tapware and plumbing products imported after 2009 to Australia must have the Watermark logo or parts of it to be installed by licensed plumbers in Australia. The Watermark have absolute the highest quality standards and most stringent requirements in the world. The Victorian plumbing code is also being the highest in the world.
To obtain the Watermark compliance license; products are assessed on an individual basis (model number or style) rather than audit of the manufacturers' manufacturing system procedures and materials. As a result, products with the watermark are considerably higher than their CE non-WM products even if they are exactly the same product from the same factory.
The Watermark is also designed to restrict new technological designs and advances in plumbing and mixer products being sold in Australia from the rest of the world unless the WM tax is paid. Because the WM certification is so expensive to get (up to $4000 AUD per product model which makes it the most expensive Government tax in the world), a direct result have left Australia several years behind most other countries and with very limited choices. Many Australian retailers have only stocked 20-30 different variations of the same models years on end whereas there are 1000's of many new unique styles and ultra modern products created everyday from leading manufacturing countries as China, Germany, Korea, USA and Spain. Some of our products sold here since 2006 have only just began selling in some Australian retailers in 2011.
We recognize the importance of quality and an equally important
factor in having the Latest and Newest in ultra modern design taps and
mixers. All our tapware products comes complete with 5 year warranties.
All our products listed are Australian stock and ready to ship
within Australia. Prices listed online include Free Australia-wide
delivery. Please click on tab under products to view our products.
When building new homes or using licensed plumbers, please consider the products with the Watermark logo.
To claim for warranty on all watermark products, a licensed or registered plumber must be used according to code. A copy of the Compliance report on installation must be shown.
Non watermark products are to be installed by non licensed plumbers or the end user only.
What is the WELS rating?
The WELS (Water Efficiency Labelling Standards) scheme is another scheme by the Government to tax products (upto $1800 per model) on their water rating regardless of manufacturers own water rating specs. The WELS rating is a simple guide for dummies to compare a product on their water rating. The higher the stars the more water efficient and longer the products it takes to fill say a kettle.
For example, A '6 stars 6 L/min' rating on a kitchen mixer would mean the maximum flow of water is 6 litres maximum within the one minute therefore it would be a good one minute and half to fill a 9 litre kettle. A 6 L/min shower head would require one to dance around in the shower for much longer compared to one with a 9 L/min larger rain shower head.
All of our products are WELS approved. When choosing WELS products, please consider the maximum flow on the products to the use you want from it. A 6 stars 6 L/min kitchen mixer will not be recommended for commercial use or for larger rain showers will just trickle. Choose according, it is easier to restrict the water flow output on a higher flow product but it is impossible to do the opposite.
What is the Carbon Tax?
To be continued...
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