Pre-Rinse Spray Valves
![picture of a faucet](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130221101813im_/http://epa.gov/watersense/images/pre-rinsesprayvalve2_colorcxed.jpg)
Pre-rinse spray valves—often used in commercial and institutional kitchens—are designed to remove food waste from dishes prior to dishwashing. These devices can account for nearly one-third of the water used in the typical commercial kitchen. Nationwide that adds up to approximately 32 billion gallons of water per year. To capitalize on the potential water and energy savings, WaterSense has developed a draft specification for commercial pre-rinse spray valves.
EPA is proposing that to earn the WaterSense label commercial pre-rinse spray valves must use no more than 1.28 gallons per minute (gpm), or 20 percent less water than the federal standard. In addition, EPA is proposing requirements for spray force, which a field study indicated is a key criterion for effective and efficient cleaning.
Once the specification has been finalized, products will be independently tested and certified by a licensed certifying body to ensure that they meet the efficiency and performance criteria. EPA estimates that replacing one commercial pre-rinse spray valve with a WaterSense labeled model can help commercial kitchens save more than 7,000 gallons of water per year—equal to the amount of water it takes to wash nearly 5,000 racks of dishes in a commercial dishwasher. In addition, by installing a WaterSense labeled pre-rinse spray valve, commercial kitchens may be able to save nearly 6,200 cubic feet of natural gas that would have been used to heat the water annually. Read the Pre-Rinse Spray Valves Fact Sheet (1 pp, 197K, About PDF) for more information on EPA's draft specification.
With the release of the draft specification for pre-rinse spray valves, manufacturers, retailers, and distributors that produce or sell pre-rinse spray valves are now able to become WaterSense partners.
Technical Information
Are you a manufacturer or retailer or distributor interested in learning more? Please visit the Pre-Rinse Spray Valve Specification page for more detailed information.