Lead-Free
The Safe Drinking Water Act now requires that all wetted parts of a drinking water system must be “lead-free” according to the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administers the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), the comprehensive federal statute designed to ensure that all Americans have access to safe, potable water in their homes and at commercial establishments. The SDWA, originally put into effect in 1974, has been amended numerous times to reflect the latest scientific and medical research. The Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act, an amendment to the SWDA passed back in 2011 that came into force this year, mandates that all plumbing fittings used for drinking water applications must have a weighted average lead content of no more than 0.25%.
This means that all pipes, fittings and fixtures must now meet this 0.25%-or-less standard in order to be designated "lead-free" and suitable for use in potable water applications.However, because there is no prescribed method for marking a product as lead-free, plumbing installers have difficulty proving compliance. Installers must rely on manufacturers' claims that a particular product is lead-free. Customers and inspectors are often unhappy about the lack of a third-party certification.
WIKA to the Rescue
WIKA Instrument's new lead-free pressure gauge drinking water series is the ideal solution to this problem. The NSF International has approved the lead-free pressure gauges in WIKA's drinking water series as compliant to the SDWA. You will have no more worries explaining to a customer or inspector that you "believe" you are in compliance with SDWA, you can prove it by pointing to the NSF label on your WIKA gauge. WIKA also created a Technical Brief to better serve for explanation of the recent updates to the standards of drinking water system instrumentation.
WIKA drinking water series gauges comply with the following NSF standards:
- NSF/ANSI Standard 61: Product has been certified as meeting leachate requirements for all contaminants including metals and non-metals
- NSF/ANSI Standard 372: Product has been certified as meeting a weighted average lead content of ≤0.25%
- NSF/ANSI Standard 61 Annex G: Product has been certified as meeting leachate requirements for all contaminants and certified as meeting a weighted average lead content of ≤0.25%
Furthermore, all WIKA drinking water gauges are assembled in the US under a strict quality control process to ensure that all gauges are manufactured with “lead free” components as defined in the SDWA. Moreover, NSF audits the company’s Lawrenceville, GA manufacturing facility on an annual basis as part of WIKA’s product certification.
WIKA's drinking water series are fully compliant with the requirements for use in potable water applications in California, Vermont, Maryland, and Louisiana.
Make sure you tell your contractor or plumbing installer to use NSF-approved WIKA lead-free gauges for all drinking water applications in new construction or renovation.
WIKA Drinking Water Series Pressure Gauges
For more information about the different types of gauges that WIKA offers which meet the safety standards for all drinking water, please see the below list with specific information about the application and features.
Model 111.10 DW – Economy Version - Lower Mount Connection
Model 111.12 DW - Economy Version - Back Mount Connection
Model 111.25 DW - Contractor Version - Lower Mount Connection
Model 213.53 DW - Industrial Version - Lower and Back Mount