Experts in Valve Technology and Solutions
- Quality and Value
Quality and Value
- World Class Service
World Class Service
- Highest Industry Standards
Highest Industry Standards
What Are Lead-Free Valves?
Despite their small size, valves play an integral role in ensuring safe and efficient equipment operation. Valves themselves can prove harmful, however, if you’re using one with improper lead content. It’s common knowledge that lead is unsafe for human consumption. Lead tends to get trapped in piping, leading to lead exposure, or the occurrence of individuals breathing in or otherwise ingesting inorganic particulates of this metal. Utilizing lead-free valves can eliminate the risk of these harmful possibilities, offering an optimal solution for enhanced safety in a broad range of applications.
Why Do I Need to Use Lead-Free Valves?
While lead-free valves are not required in all applications, one situation in which they are a necessity is in water systems supplying drinking water. California passed Assembly Bill 1953 in 2006, which prohibits the existence of lead in the following potable water system components:
- Pipes
- Plumbing or pipe fittings
- Plumbing or pipe fixtures
- Solder
- Flux
What Are the Regulations on Lead Valves
(U.S.A. Public Law 111-380)?
Since that bill, others laws and regulations have gone into effect to govern the safety of potable water and the systems that transport it. One of the more recent laws is U.S.A. Public Law 111-380, enacted in 2014. The federal government passed the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act to redefine what constitutes “lead-free” based on the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Essentially, the new act provided additional restrictions on acceptable lead levels in potable water systems, which, from 1974 on, allowed piping and its fittings to contain as much as 8% lead.
Also known as the “Lead-Free Law,” this new regulation significantly cut back on permissible amounts of lead, stating that, for wetted pipes and plumbing fixtures and fittings, no more than 0.25% lead content, as a weighted average, would be acceptable. So while “lead-free” products may technically contain some amounts of lead, such amounts are quite minimal. This law introduced a new set of design challenges for OEMs producing pipe and plumbing systems, fixtures, and fittings as these items now needed a significantly lower percentage of lead.
Common Types of Lead-Free Valves
Once you’ve determined that a lead-free valve will best serve your application, it’s essential to select the valve that will meet the demands of your project and the piping system’s surrounding environment. There are many types of lead-free valves available, each with different specifications and advantages for a broad range of applications.
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Lead-Free Balancing Valves
Lead-Free Balancing Valves
Learn MoreThe purpose of balancing valves is to achieve hydraulic balance within hydronic systems, or those HVAC systems that use water for heating and cooling a space. Lead-free balancing valves effectively manage the flow within a fluid system. Choosing the correct valve and ensuring its proper installation allows a lead-free balancing valve to improve energy consumption and associated operational costs to create a comfortable temperature inside your facility.
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Lead-Free Ball Valves
Lead-Free Ball Valves
Learn MoreThese lead-free shut-off valves manage the gas or liquid flow through a port using a spherical disc that rotates to open or shut off the fluid passageway. A range of port sizes is available to allow for variable rates of flow, including both standard and full port ball valves. Providing a tight shut-off, lead-free ball valves benefit a broad range of applications, especially those involving high pressures or temperatures.
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Lead-Free Butterfly Valves
Lead-Free Butterfly Valves
Learn MoreA lead-free butterfly valve requires a quarter-turn for operation. Compared to the design of gate or ball valves, the design of the butterfly valve is better suited for flow regulation in larger piping systems.
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Lead-Free Gate Valves
Lead-Free Gate Valves
Learn MoreLead-free gate valves use a disc or wedge attached to a rotating stem to control or stop flow. They provide a secure seal to halt liquid or gas flow and are suited for applications where other media is present in the stream.
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Lead-Free Tankless Isolation Kits
Lead-Free Tankless Isolation Kits
Learn MoreIsolation valves—also known as service valves, maintenance valves, or flush kits—are mechanical devices designed to isolate tankless water heaters from the surrounding plumbing system for cleaning and maintenance.
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Lead-Free PEX Valves
Lead-Free PEX Valves
Learn MoreA lead-free PEX valve efficiently connects piping and tubing consisting of cross-linked polyethylene, or PEX, material. The main distinction between standard valves and the lead-free PEX variety lies in their connections and how they’re made. Transition adapters are unnecessary when connecting PEX valves to PEX piping and tubing.
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Additional Lead-Free Valves
Additional Lead-Free Valves
Learn MoreOther lead-free valve types include, but are not limited to:
- Lead-Free Check Valves
- Lead-Free Boiler Drain Valves
- Lead-Free Pump Flange Valves
- Lead-Free Press Valves
Contact RED-WHITE VALVE CORP.
Learn More About Our Quality Lead-Free Valves
With vast industry experience and extensive product knowledge, RED-WHITE VALVE CORP. offers the best products for all your lead-free valve needs. All of our products are ISO 9000-certified, fully tested, and third-party certified for all relevant health and quality standards. To best serve distributors and wholesalers, we also utilize only the best lead-free alloys and maintain industry-leading fill rates.
We keep our design and manufacturing services in-house to ensure total customer satisfaction. We use fully automated machinery, allowing us to increase efficiency, safety, and throughput and reduce costs and production time, all while maintaining high quality-control standards. Our state-of-the-art detection processes and 100% air testing capabilities allow us to provide products that maintain high industry standard ratings. Additionally, our precision machining processes help us to offer faster assembly along with reduced material waste for added cost benefits.
Our professional and courteous staff are committed to offering quality customer service and have a thorough understanding of our product line to answer any questions you may have. Contact us via our online form or call our offices at 1-800-222-7982 to learn more about the lead-free valves that we offer at RED-WHITE VALVE CORP. You can also request a quote to receive detailed information regarding the needs of your specific application.