| |
|
Domestic Cast Iron vs. Imported Products
You can’t beat the system . ®
In September 2007, the Michigan Construction Code Commission unanimously approved the recommendation of the Michigan Plumbing Board to deny approval of imported cast iron soil pipe and fittings from MWI Import Products for use on state construction projects in the State of Michigan. MWI's request for official approval was denied after MWI was unable to provide proof that their products conformed to applicable standards referenced in the Michigan Plumbing Code and failed to comply with an earlier resolution of the Plumbing Board, according to a written report submitted by Michigan Chief Plumbing Inspector Bob Konyndyk.
Some engineers and contractors may wonder why the Michigan Plumbing Board would feel compelled to take such action. If a piece of pipe is marked ASTM A74 or A888, people may automatically assume that someone other than the manufacturer had inspected the material and verified compliance with the standard. That is simply not true. Contrary to popular belief, cast iron soil pipe products are not inspected by ASTM and printing the ASTM numbers on the products is not even required by the standards . Some importers of foreign-made cast iron pipe and fittings claim that third party auditors such as IAPMO are required to inspect their operations on a regular basis. That is also not the case. In fact, not only does the standard not require third party inspections, it clearly states that certification is the manufacturer's responsibility - the entity that poured the iron - and cannot be delegated to a seller or a third party after the fact.
The problem is that most U.S. importers purchase cast iron soil pipe and fittings from multiple foundries in China. The name of the producing foundry frequently is not stenciled or cannot be readily identified on the pipe being sold (which is required by the standard). This makes it difficult, if not impossible, to identify which foundry produced the material. Also, the pipe sometimes is only marked with the month and the year it was manufactured, not the date of manufacture (which is also a requirement of the standard). These lapses make it impossible for consumers to tie back pipe or fittings to chemical, physical and dimensional testing reports at a given foundry, as required by the standard. If there was a quality problem, how would the purchaser know what day the material was made, or which foundry made it, so they could ask for test reports that would verify the quality?
The Cast Iron Soil Pipe Institute (CISPI) is dedicated to aiding the plumbing industry and addressing important technical aspects relating to the manufacture and installation of cast iron soil pipe and fittings and their use in the marketplace. As a member of CISPI, Charlotte Pipe and Foundry participates in the Institute's Quality Control Program. Created in the early 1960's, CISPI technicians make three unannounced inspections of member company inventories per year to check dimensional accuracy, metallurgical data and record keeping requirements. NSF International recently approved CISPI's quality control program to validate the compliance of member products with the CISPI 301 and ASTM A 74 Standards. NSF also certified that CISPI's member-company cast iron soil pipe and fitting products, inspected by the institute and NSF, are compliant with these standards. The addition of NSF's certification adds an oversight to this on-going quality control program and provides an added assurance that products made by CISPI member companies are compliant with the product standards.
We appreciate your interest in this important matter. If you would like more information, please review the links along the left-hand side of this page or please call us at 1-800-438-6091 .
Sincerely,
Bradford Muller
Vice President, Marketing
|
|
|
| | |
|