Full-Service Plumbing Fixture Testing & Certification Services

With a plumbing product testing and certification program that's been around more than 40 years, we have developed the capacity to test and certify the full range of plumbing products and fixtures against a comprehensive list of standards and model codes. Whether your goal is to comply with the building code, increase or maintain your quality control, or imbue your products with the consumer confidence and marketing benefits that come from certification by an independent third-party with a well-respected and recognizable mark, we’ve got you covered. As with all our testing and certification programs, you can expect rigorous, reliable testing protocols conducted by expert staff in our state-of-the art facility. 

Home Innovation Research Labs is recognized by IAPMO, a third-party certification body for plumbing and mechanical products, as an approved independent testing laboratory. As a result of this recognition, IAPMO accepts test reports completed by Home Innovation for plumbing fixture manufacturer’s seeking certification.

Home Innovation Research Labs is approved for listing and testing of plumbing products to meet the standards found in the City of Los Angeles Plumbing Code, 2020 Edition. As a result of this recognition, the City of Los Angeles Department of Building Safety (LADBS) accepts testing and certification provided by Home Innovation for plumbing fixture manufacturer’s seeking to obtain approval in the city of Los Angeles.

With our accreditations, Home Innovation is ready to perform a broad range of services, from testing and inspection to certification and labeling. Contact us today to discuss how we can help with your specific testing and certification needs.

Thermal Shock

To ensure a unit can withstand the typical changes in water temperature seen during everyday use, we test the fixtures by cycling hot and cold water for timed intervals at varying temperatures in our thermal shock machines.  

Wear & Cleanability

We use a Gardco WA-515001 scrub machine to pull a brush back and forth over a sample thousands of times and check it for wear and residual dirt build-up. This simulates years of cleaning and tests the product’s durability and cleanability under those real-world conditions.

Stain Resistance

We test samples to find out if common household items will stain by placing them on the product’s surface for extended periods of time within an environmental chamber and then attempting to remove them with a series of prescribed typical consumer cleaning methods.  

Ball Impact

To simulate common household accidents, such as dropping a can of shaving cream in the shower, our ball Impact test uses a steel ball dropped from varying heights to strike different parts of the unit. We then check for chips or cracks in the fixture. 

Colorfastness

Because plumbing products may be exposed to sunlight throughout the construction process and/or through windows or skylights in a completed home, we test and certify the colorfastness of those products. Before a product can carry our certification mark, we expose it to 200 hours of irradiance using an Atlas Ci3000W Xenon-Arc Weatherometer and check for color change with a Colorimeter.  

Hair Entanglement

This testing and certification protocol ensures the suction fitting of a hydromassage bathtub does not present a drowning hazard, especially to children or the physically limited or impaired.