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Is a shower head or an inline shower filter part of the drinking water installation?

3 November 2026ComplyMatrix Research
Yes. The installation comprises all pipes, storage, apparatus and fittings between the point of extraction and the transfer point, so a filter fitted upstream of the shower head is inside it — and the material duties of §§ 13(2), 14, 15 and 16 apply.

Is a shower head or an inline shower filter part of the drinking water installation?

Short answer

Yes. A shower head, and any filter fitted between the mixer and the head, sits inside the drinking water installation. That makes the material requirements of the TrinkwV applicable to it.

Basis

The installation includes apparatus and fittings between the extraction point and the transfer point TrinkwV § 2(4)

„… sämtliche Trinkwasserleitungen, Trinkwasserspeicher, Apparate und Armaturen einer Wasserversorgungsanlage, die sich befinden zwischen den Entnahmestellen für Trinkwasser und …“

English: all pipes, storage, apparatus and fittings between the extraction points and the supply transfer point.

Materials in contact with drinking water face four prohibitions TrinkwV § 14

„… dürfen nicht 1. den … Schutz der menschlichen Gesundheit … mindern, 2. die Färbung, den Geruch oder den Geschmack des Wassers beeinträchtigen, 3. die Vermehrung von Mikroorganismen fördern oder 4. Stoffe in größeren Mengen in das Wasser abgeben, als dies … unvermeidbar ist.“

English: no harm to health, no effect on colour, odour or taste, no promotion of microbial growth, no release beyond what the technical rules make unavoidable.

Operators may only install materials that comply with § 14 and § 15 TrinkwV § 13(2)

„… nur Werkstoffe und Materialien verwendet werden, die 1. den allgemeinen Anforderungen nach § 14 entsprechen und 2. den Bewertungsgrundlagen nach § 15 … entsprechen.“

What to verify

The classification is technical, not a labelling choice: it follows DIN 1988-100, DIN EN 1717 and DVGW rules. A product manual cannot move a fitting out of the installation.

Official source

Photo: Clay Banks / Unsplash

Informational content, not legal advice. The official text prevails. German provisions are quoted verbatim; English glosses are for orientation only.

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