Can I Install a Bidet Myself?
What are bidets and hand sprayers?
Bidets and hand sprayers are becoming increasingly popular in Victoria, particularly in municipalities high in residents from diverse cultures and backgrounds such as ours in Wyndham. Bidets are a French invention, dating back to the 1700’s and throughout history have been popular in Catholic and Islamic cultures.
They are also becoming increasingly popular with the elderly and people with disabilities, affording greater independence in self-care toileting.
Being Plumbers in Point Cook, Werribee and the surrounding areas, our enquiries about bidets are ever-increasing.
Bidets gained notoriety during the pandemic in the great toilet paper shortage, and the attractiveness of a bidet will only continue to increase in our environmentally conscious future as bidets use remarkably less water to use than toilet paper does to manufacture.
How much do bidets and hand sprayers cost to install?
Bidets and hand sprayers come in all different shapes and sizes now, from LED lit toilet seats to freestanding bidets to handsprayers. They are priced from $60 to $6,000 (some even deodorise!).
We’ve had people tell us ‘They are attached to a toilet seat, so I can install it myself… it’s easy to install a bidet without a plumber, right?’ Wrong… So. Very. Wrong.
You see, bidets and hand sprayers can be extremely hygienic when installed correctly. But if installed incorrectly, by a handyman or anyone other than a non-licensed plumber, things can get dangerous. In fact, it’s illegal to install a bidet without a plumbing license.
Do you need to be a licensed plumber to install a bidet?
You must use a licensed plumber to install a bidet or hand sprayer in Australia, or will be placing yourself, and your neighbours, at risk from contaminated drinking water. Sewage can travel through to your drinking water supply through backflow, or back-siphonage, causing infections and diarrhoea. If a plumber finds an illegally installed bidet or hand-sprayer, it is their responsibility to decommission it as per their plumbing license obligations.
Here are some of the things you need to know before installing a bidet/hand sprayer/douche spray legally in Victoria.
- You must use a licensed plumber. If something goes wrong, you will not be insured without a plumbing compliance certificate.
- All bidets or hand sprayers must be watermark certified and installed as per the Australian Plumbing Standards 3500.1.
- All installations must include a high hazard backflow prevention (such as a reduced pressure zone device (RPZ)). This device ensures that any drop in mains pressure or increase in property pressure doesn’t result in contaminated water back-siphoning through to drinking water.
- Reduced Pressure Zone Devices must be tested annually to ensure they continue to operate effectively
- The installation costs vary greatly between plumbing companies due to their adherence to VBA regulations and guidelines; if something sounds too good to be true, it often is.
At McCarthy Plumbing Group, we value the health and safety of our clients and our community. It is for that reason we have strict protocol when it comes to installing bidets and sanitary water points. We firmly adhere to VBA guidelines and the Australian Plumbing standards and will only install them with an RPZ attached to a water meter (even if products include built in backflow prevention devices). We value our license and will not risk it on a faulty product.
How much does it cost to install a bidet in Point Cook and the surrounding areas? A legal install, by a licensed plumber including backflow prevention devices on water meters will cost between $1000-$1200 (for RPZ and labour) and can cost up to $4,000 for a retrofit system (if a water meter is below ground etc and additional works are required for compliancy/accessibility) but this would be a rare occurrence.
McCarthy Plumbing Group are your local plumbers in Point Cook and Laverton North, and are happy to chat with you about any queries or concerns you may have regarding installing a bidet or hand sprayer in your home on 03 9931 0905. We encourage you to read the VBA fact sheet on bidets here which details the requirements licensed plumbers must adhere to for compliance and the safety of our clients.
