ANN ARBOR, Mich. - NSF International, a public health and safety organization, announced that it has certified the first geothermal pipes to Canadian Standards Association (CSA) standard C448: Design and Installation of Earth Energy Systems for Commercial and Institutional Buildings. NSF said it is the only organization that certifies polyethylene (PE) piping for geothermal end use.

CSA C448 is North America’s only government-recognized design and installation standard for geothermal systems.

NSF’s certification program was developed to incorporate all of the critical aspects of geothermal piping, including performance, physical, health effects, and quality control requirements. In order to achieve NSF certification, both Trinus Pipes & Tubes Ltd. and Vanguard Pipe & Fittings Ltd. had to fulfill the requirements of NSF/ANSI Standard 14: Plastic Piping System Components and Related Materials and CSA B137.1: Polyethylene (PE) Pipe, Tubing, and Fittings for Cold Water Pressure Services in addition to the requirements of CSA C448. Both companies also underwent a rigorous facility audit.

By meeting the requirements, Trinus and Vanguard will bear the CSA-C448, CSA-B137.1 mark and the cNSF-geothermal mark on its pipes.

Third-party certification for geothermal piping systems provides regulators and users assurance that products are independently certified to meet requirements for geothermal end use. To maintain NSF certification and demonstrate ongoing compliance, Trinus and Vanguard will be required to pass three unannounced audits annually.

According to Jeremy Brown, NSF code and regulatory manager, “Third-party certification is essential because it helps increase confidence and product acceptance, while helping to ensure product compliance with applicable requirements. Going forward, we will continue to play an active role in building on the quality requirements of earth energy technologies.”

Publication date: 03/02/2009