The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) has released IAPMO/ANSI Z601-2018, Scale Reduction Devices. IAPMO/ANSI Z601 covers scale reduction devices intended for residential and similar water‐heating applications and specifies general, material safety, structural integrity, and minimum performance testing requirements. The standard can be purchased and downloaded via the IAPMO Online Bookstore.
IAPMO/ANSI Z601 is the product of more than 10 years of development. Although several alternatives to ion-exchange
water treatment devices have the potential to offer solutions to consumers’ need for scale reduction, lack of an appropriate test protocol that can be used to certify their effectiveness has slowed their adoption. IAPMO/ANSI Z601 creates a protocol for the testing of devices that have the potential to reduce encrusted scale in water in residential and similar applications and associated plumbing. The definition of a “device” has been intentionally left open in this standard so that any appropriate means or method with the effect of reducing scale can be tested for its effectiveness. This approach makes it possible to test a wide variety of devices.
Conformity with IAPMO/ANSI Z601 is determined through performance testing and the established minimum requirements for the reduction of scale. The scale produced in two treated test stations is compared to the scale produced in two control (untreated) stations. The test stations must reduce the amount of scale produced by at least 70 percent when compared to the control (untreated) stations for acceptance.
For more than 30 years, IAPMO has developed plumbing product standards as American National Standards, initially as the Secretariat for the ANSI Z124 Technical Committee in 1984, and since 2005 independently under its own American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited standards development procedures.
Founded in 1926, IAPMO seeks to be a worldwide leader in the plumbing and mechanical industry through protecting health and safety. IAPMO develops industry standards with a focus on plumbing products, solar heating systems and components, mechanical products (including heating, ventilation, cooling and refrigeration system products) and products used in the recreational vehicle and the manufactured housing industry.
For more information, contact Kyle Thompson, P.E. by phone (909) 230-5534 or by email at kyle.thompson@iapmo.org.
Last modified: August 17, 2018