Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I buy Dam Buster products?

Dam Buster products are truly revolutionary, high performance devices; they have totally rewritten the book on box gutter roof drainage in Australia. They are the only informed, sensible choice for a building project of any size that requires box gutters.

Off-the-shelf, fully engineered Dam Buster products have been extensively tested by recognised industry experts and are all simply selected based on box gutter flow rates (in litres per second). Specific technical information can be found HERE.

Depending on the location of installation, Dam Buster products may be either Deemed to Satisfy or require a Performance Solution, but if the latter is required, all documentation you need under the National Construction Code is available free HERE.

I'm a roof plumber or builder. What's so good about Dam Buster for me?

Precision made Dam Buster products make the whole job a dream. They are very simple to select, extremely cost effective to buy, really fast and easy to install. With their highly innovative labour saving and high performance features, all our products quickly achieve full compliance anywhere in Australia (see NCC Compliance link here) including for side outlets and direction changes for box gutters. No more audit grief! No more call backs! No more insurance claims! No more dramas! Simple and Easy. Your customers will also love you because Dam Buster products not only look great but are fully engineered to perform and will reliably protect their property even in extreme rainfall events of at least 1:100 years intensity.

Are Dam Buster Products Compliant?

Absolutely Yes. We've done the hard yards and all Dam Buster products achieve full conformance and compliance with the relevant NCC Performance Requirements via two methods, more details of which you can find here under Compliance.

Don't forget that "Performance Solution is also Compliance", so if a proposed installation is not (or may not be) considered Deemed to Satisfy, an appropriately prepared full Performance Solution is another fully permitted alternative pathway.

Remember: fake copies of Dam Buster products don't meet any standards, are Non-Conforming Building Products under the NCC and an automatic compliance fail for any plumbing audit. Fakes are complete junk, and if you buy them you have been ripped off, so just don't do it.

Have your products been independently tested?

Yes! All Dam Buster products have been tested for extreme performance by leading industry hydraulic engineering experts such as Associate Professor Terry Lucke of the AHSCA Research Foundation (in the case of our rainheads) and Associate Professor Robert Keller of Monash University (for all other products). Dam Buster products are the only off the shelf box gutter drainage products on the entire Australian market which actually have been tested and certified by anybody, so they can be 100% relied on for compliance and also to work when it matters. Test Certificates and other technical downloads can be found here.

Do I need a Performance Solution?

It depends where you are. In Victoria, the VBA requires a Performance Solution for all Dam Buster product installations. In other states and territories the situation varies, but Dam Buster products may potentially be considered Deemed to Satisfy via Expert Judgement as allowed in the NCC. If there is any doubt, Performance Solution under the NCC is the easiest way to go for all our products across Australia. You can find all of the necessary documentation for all jurisdictions in Australia on our website HERE - and it's free. There is also more information about Compliance and Conformance here.

Aren't Performance Solutions really complex and expensive?

Not any more! Because Dam Buster has a totally unique system of fully tested and certified, standardized products, we have been able to hugely simplify the entire process for the installing plumber and everyone else involved. It's basically 'plug and play' or like using Lego. But of course you can only use our system and technical information for genuine Dam Buster products. You can access the Performance Solution templates, including a Performance Based Design Brief and all of the required supporting technical information for our products including the Evidence of Suitability, Product Technical Statement and Installation Manual, all for free, at our Technical Downloads Page.

I am building a house. Should I insist on Dam Buster products?

Definitely! Dam Buster currently makes the ONLY fully tested, conforming, high performance and integrated range of off the shelf box gutter drainage products in Australia. Our products comply with all required codes including the National Construction Code. Unlike vastly inferior, usually cheaper and non-compliant alternatives (such as all the non-compliant rainheads on the right) which often used by uninformed builders and roof plumbers, our products actually work and will protect your house from flooding even in very severe storm events; all Dam Buster products have been tested to perform in rainfall events which are at least 1 in 100 years intensity.

Someone told me Dam Buster products aren't compliant. Is that true?

That's 100% FALSE. All Dam Buster products fully meet all of the roof plumbing standards and codes right across Australia. The method of compliance may however vary from state to state. For Victoria, the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) has specifically advised (Fact Sheet March 2023) in relation to Dam Buster products that: "The VBA does not endorse any specific plumbing products and is satisfied as long as the products are fit for the intended purpose & meet the relevant Performance Requirements of the NCC Volume Three." All Dam Buster products 100% meet these requirements, PLUS they also meet all of the requirements for NCC in all other states and territories. You can easily get more details about compliance with the National Construction Code here.

I'm a building designer. What should I put on my plans?

When calling up Dam Buster products, you should specify "NO SUBSTITIONS PERMITTED" on your drawings and specifications. You should also follow up on site to make absolutely sure what you have spent your valuable time and professional skill designing is actually constructed. Far too many builders and plumbers take short cuts and either change the design without consultation, or else substitute inferior fake products which might be a few dollars cheaper. Always check and don't let someone else burn your very hard earned reputation.

My builder has put ugly rain heads on my new house and refused to use Dam Buster products. What do I do?

Virtually all common and cheap rain heads aren't just ugly - they also don't comply with the mandatory codes and are a very serious flood risk to your house along with to your Home and Contents insurance cover. But some builders and plumbers unfortunately don't care.

From a compliance perspective, AS3500.3 is mandatory in all states and territories, as is the National Construction Code (NCC). These require your roof not to leak in a storm with a rainfall intensity of at least 1 in 100 years. What does that mean? Well in Melbourne that is 187mm of rain in 1 hour and in Brisbane its 306mm in 1 hour - so it's absolutely torrential rain of the sort only expected once in 100 years and very few of us will ever see it. All roof drainage products MUST BY LAW be able to cope with such a storm as an absolute minimum level of performance.

If you are in dispute with your builder, check with an independent expert such as Metropolis Solutions or Site Inspections and seek their advice about whether your roof plumbing is compliant. You should not pay any final instalment to the builder until you are 100% happy your entire home is up to all legal standards.

What are these patents that Dam Buster has?

Dam Buster products are completely revolutionary and have rewritten the book on box gutter roof drainage world wide. Nobody had ever designed products like these, so we have protected our innovative ideas using Patents and other forms of Intellectual Property in Australia and various other countries overseas. That means nobody can copy our design features without permission. Anybody who does, deliberately or by accident, is in potentially very serious trouble. Breach of Intellectual Property is theft so all breaches, including for poor imitations or partial copies will be fully pursued.

If you are a reputable manufacturer and want to make or sell Dam Buster products under licence, please reach out to us at enquiries@dambuster.com.au

How can I tell a genuine Dam Buster product?

Really easily! For rainheads, there is a security marked metal identification plate riveted onto the base (inside the overflow chute) - see the example photo on the right. Very cleverly, this also acts as a drip plate to stop any overflow water running under the rainhead and down the wall. All Dam Buster products made by our authorised licensee network also have a unique long life adhesive sticker inside each product; this security marked sticker also carries a range of other details including serial number information for the product. All of our products are also marked with a range of discreet security features which cannot be easily identified. Fakes have none of these features; if in doubt as your supplier to provide the documents to prove they are supplying genuine Dam Buster products or else please Contact Us.

Can I have someone make copies of Dam Buster products?

Unless the maker has a formal manufacturing licence to do so from Dam Buster, it is illegal to make copies which have any of the patent protected features of our products. Changes in size, materials, methods of assembly, number of parts etc do not avoid the patents in any way, and anybody who tells you so is trying to fool you. It is also illegal to sell, purchase, install or use an infringing copy of any patent protected product, Intellectual Property laws in Australia are very strong and it also doesn't matter if you know about the situation or not. The rainheads on the right are illegal (fake) copies with the patented Dam Buster front chute and tub design, but were installed by a supposedly reputable builder on a site in Blackburn South (Vic). We wish we could name them, but sadly we can't. If you are, or know someone who wants to make our products under a simple licence arrangement, please contact us here.

My supplier has managed to sell me a Dam Buster lookalike (fake) product. What do I do?

Take it back and get a full refund today. Fakes (like the one on the right) cannot legally be certified as compliant in any state or territory as Deemed to Satisfy because they carry no Evidence of Suitability to satisfy the National Construction Code. They also do not meet the requirements of the mandatory standards including AS3500.3, HB39 and HB114 and because of that they are a significant risk to the building and occupants. As a result they will automatically fail any audit by your regulator. Fakes are a very serious risk to you, your business and your reputation and sadly, you have been ripped off. We welcome all reports about unauthorised manufacturers and others selling potentially infringing products - please contact us here.

Someone told me if I change the design somehow that doesn't breach your patents. Is this true?

This is also 100% FALSE. Patents anticipate such things and strictly prohibit it. This includes all sorts of variations such as dimensions, materials, number of components, method of assembly, who assembles it, how it is sold and so on. If you don't believe us, speak to a suitable lawyer or patent attorney. And don't forget that any fake copy of a Dam Buster product is 100% non-compliant and will also fail any audit by a regulator. It's just crazy to try and copy a patented design, plus it's THEFT. Also please ask yourself what you would do if YOU had invented and patented something and others were just copying it.

Can't I just use Dam Buster's technical information to certify fake copies?

Absolutely Not. Our technical information is only able to be used for genuine Dam Buster products. It's copyright to us and using it for other purposes is simply not legal. Fakes are fakes; it's no different to buying a scam Rolex on the beach in Bali. The simplest solution is just to buy genuine Dam Buster products because that way you get the very best products money can buy, plus you also get our full factory and technical support for absolutely free. If you still don't believe us, it's worth considering that no matter what documents they might have purporting to validate them, all fake products are automatically deemed Non-Conforming under the National Construction Code, and will not pass any audit by a regulator anywhere in Australia and should also not be accepted by any Building Surveyor or Certifier. They also won't pass any check by a plumbing expert in the event of an insurance claim against you, and your reputation could be in shreds, along with your trade licence. Just don't do it.