REHAU RAUTITAN PE-Xa plumbing System is now suitable for use as a Fire Sprinkler piping system in Australia

Australia’s residential construction environment has changed dramatically in the last decade. The catalyst is the country’s growing population over the years, boosted largely by migration, breaking the record of 25 million in 2018. Additionally, the resulted growth in economic demand, coupled with the boom in housing construction activity and a housing affordability crisis eventually forced the construction sector and housing techniques to evolve.

One of the significant changes to our housing landscape is the trend towards higher-density living, closer to urban centres; the derived convenience and affordability wins out over the freedom of the open space. According to HIA housing data, with these changes in demands and preferences comes more challenges for builders, architects and services consultants to readjust their techniques to strike a healthy balance between affordability, function and safety.

As a result, the National Construction Code (NCC) has amended many sections of its content to better guide the construction process. One fundamental change is the requirement for fire sprinkler systems in medium density apartment blocks, known as Class 2 & 3 buildings. Previously, the NCC stated mandatory automatic fire sprinkler systems were required to be installed in buildings of 25m in height or more, posing a potential fire risk for the residents of apartment buildings less than 25m in height.

The new amendment to the NCC in 2019 (effective as of May 2019) seeks to improve safety in this rising subset 8 of residential buildings. Now, it requires all new Class 2 and 3 residential buildings with a rise in storeys of four or more (and an effective height of 25 metres or less), to have automatic fire sprinklers installed under the Deemed-to-Satisfy (DTS) provisions. Furthermore, the NCC references a new type of sprinkler system as defined by the standard FPAA101D. This type of system reduces the cost and draws water from the drinking water supply of the residential building and must be WaterMarked. This enables the use of traditional PE-X plumbing piping systems that are WaterMarked to AS/NZS 2492 and AS/NZS 2537, to be used to service the fire sprinkler network.

As a leading plumbing piping system provider in Australia, REHAU once again has the perfect solution – the RAUTITAN PE-Xa pipe and fittings system. REHAU’s RAUTITAN plumbing system has set the benchmark for plastic piping technology in the Australian/New Zealand plumbing industries for over 25 years. It’s supreme reliability, simplicity and performance makes it the ideal solution for use as a fire sprinkler piping system for the aforementioned building types.  

REHAU’s own compression sleeve technology provides unparalleled security due to its o-ring-free seal and the ability to easily inspect completed joints prior to pressure test. REHAU’s tools require no calibration and minimal maintenance for convenient and fast installation. Our unique PX compression sleeve is reversible and made of a low friction material allowing fast, low energy compression with minimal chance of installation errors.

The RAUTITAN system is the only PE-X system in Australia with pipe sizes up to 63mm.

REHAU’s team of technical representative and engineering staff provide superior design and support services to ensure a project runs smoothly to specification.

For your fire sprinkler piping system, choose safety, convenience and peace of mind. Choose REHAU.