SA rules that land on Adelaide businesses
Trade waste needs SA Water's say-so
Wastewater from any commercial, industrial, business, trade or manufacturing activity that goes into the sewer is trade waste. SA Water administers the authorisation, and SA's plumbing code says discharging unauthorised liquid trade waste is illegal.
Pre-treatment joins through a disconnector gully
SA's code requires all trade waste pre-treatment equipment, such as a grease arrestor, to connect to the sanitary drain through a disconnector gully. Changes to that set-up are a job for a plumber who knows the trade waste rules.
Legionella duties
SA's Legionella Regulations cover owners of warm water systems and cooling water systems, apart from private homes and single units. Owners must inspect monthly, the council inspects at least once a year, and a detection must be reported to the council within 24 hours.
45°C where it matters most
SA's code caps hot water at 45°C in the residential part of an aged care building, patient care areas, areas of childcare centres and schools used by children, and some accessible facilities. Elsewhere the limit is 50°C.
Hot water in a commercial building
South Australia's water heater standard under section 66 of the Water Industry Act 2012 is aimed at houses and Class 10 buildings; heaters serving other building classes are exempt from it. Other SA rules still apply. Any new or replacement unvented storage heater needs new temperature/pressure relief and expansion control valves, with separate, visible drain lines.
If your building has a central warm water system, ask the plumber whether it's captured by the Legionella Regulations before changing it. Our national commercial plumbing page covers care and education settings in more detail.
Backflow, stormwater and paperwork
Installing or testing a backflow prevention device is licensed work in SA, and backflow device work is on the eCOC list. Keep test records where staff can find them; see backflow testing.
The car park drain is stormwater, not sewer. The EPA says stormwater generally flows untreated to creeks and the sea, and its Water Quality Policy prohibits polluting the stormwater system. Wash-down water, oil and kitchen waste must stay out of it.
After plumbing work, the eCOC is due within 7 days; gas fitting, such as a commercial kitchen appliance, has its own certificate within 30 days. Consumer and Business Services licenses the contractors, and the workers must be registered.
Have these ready for a commercial plumber
- Your trade waste authorisation, if you have one.
- Any drainage plan of the site, and where the grease arrestor or pre-treatment sits.
- Maintenance and inspection records for warm water or cooling water systems.
- Backflow device locations and their last test reports.
- Trading hours, so work can be planned around customers.
Questions to ask a commercial plumber in Adelaide
- Have you worked with SA Water on trade waste authorisations before?
- Does this change affect our pre-treatment equipment or disconnector gully?
- Is our warm water system captured by the Legionella Regulations?
- Are you licensed to install and test backflow devices?
- Which certificates will this job produce, and when?
What we would do
Before a fit-out or a change of use, talk to SA Water about trade waste, because getting the authorisation and the pre-treatment right is cheaper than fixing them later. Keep your Legionella and backflow records in one place, and know which of your systems the rules capture. Then use a commercial plumber who can show a contractor licence and explain which certificates the job will produce.