Recently, the ASTM A04 Main Committee passed proposed revisions to ASTM A888 and ASTM A74 – the ASTM standards for the manufacture of no-hub and hub and spigot cast iron soil pipe and fittings, respectively. The changes involved the addition of new language requiring third party certifiers to meet certain criteria for inspection and certification of these products.
The new requirements add specific tasks a third party certifier must perform during their inspections if the manufacturer or seller chooses to use a third party as part of their certification requirements. These include inspection of at least 10 different sizes of pipe; measuring every dimension of at least 10 different fittings; review of test reports that substantiate that physical, chemical, and radiation tests are being performed; and a new requirement that sellers or manufacturers who rely on the third party certification provide this information to the design professional and inspector when requested.
These important changes come on the heels of other significant changes by the committee to existing standards to more explicitly ensure the quality of industry products, including:
*Pipe and fittings shall not be patched, filled or welded by the manufacturer to repair cosmetic or material defects that occur during the course of manufacturing.
*Pipe and fittings shall not be coated with paint containing lead that exceeds levels above 0.06% (600 ppm).
“In this age of globalization, it is increasingly important that manufacturing standards meet industry best practices and are uniformly enforced by the code community,” said Bill LeVan, executive vice president of the Cast Iron Soil Pipe Institute and vice chairman of the ASTM A04 Main Committee. “Changes such as these are necessary to assure cast iron customers that regardless of who made the material, the pipe and fittings they purchase meet the threshold of quality they have every right to expect.”
