Not all but MOST stainless steel sinks are given away as free promotions to sell countertops DOES NOT COMPLY WITH LOCAL BUILDING CODE. If you received a “free sink” with your countertop, it is possible, even likely, that it is not certified to meet the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC)®, the International Plumbing Code (IPC)®, or the U.S. National Plumbing Code. Canada (NPC) ®.
The codes listed above require that all plumbing system components be certified by an accredited third party agency to meet the standards listed in the codes. For example, if you go to your local building supply store, you will notice that there is a label on each pipe that lists the standards that the pipe meets. This is the certification information. In the case of stainless steel sinks, the standard is ASME A112.19.3.
In the days before the Internet, your plumbing system components were sold primarily through plumbing supply houses. Being in the plumbing industry, these organizations understood and self-monitored these requirements. Then the internet came and anyone could buy anything certified or not.
Many counter manufacturers when the market slowed down were looking for a promotion to boost sales. They started giving away a stainless steel sink with their countertops. The promotion was so successful that in some markets the free sink became the standard. Manufacturers looking to stay competitive began looking for the cheapest sink they could find to use as these promotional sinks. Many were not aware of the code requirements or if they did they didn’t care because it was a “free sink” after all. When you give away a sink for free, the problem is not the quality, but the price.
Certification is expensive. Not only must the product be tested, but the accredited agency must visit the factory every six months to verify that all the processes that are part of the standards are followed.
How to know if a sink is certified? That is a difficult question to answer. One of the code requirements is that the sink be marked in an accessible location at final installation with the manufacturer’s name and model number so that the sink can be investigated. Most accredited agencies also require that the product be marked with the agency’s certification seal. If the sink is not marked, it is not code compliant. Marking by itself does not mean certification. At least one major supplier to the manufacturing industry listed for several years as being certified when it was not. The best way to find out if your sink is certified is to look for the brand and visit the accredited agencies’ website, not the sink company’s website, to find out if the manufacturer is listed. You can also request copies of certification from the accredited agency, not just a statement from the sink company.
So why do you care if your sink is not certified? It means that the sink has not been tested to meet the standards. It may have impurities that will shorten the life of the sink or even make it unhealthy to use. If it can be made of milder steel. It may not have the ingredients that give a stainless steel sink the lustrous finish that is the signature of a high-quality stainless steel sink. Or it may not have the finish-hardening ingredients that make the finish last a lifetime. If it’s not tested and certified, who knows what’s in your stainless steel sink.
copyright 2011 Thomas Robinson