That bulletin seems to prove my statement and that Fleck voluntarily went to "Lead Free" brass in 2000, as defined as far back as 1986.
From the EPA epa815p13001.pdf.
Please direct comments or questions regarding the FAQs to:
LeadFreeAct@epa.gov by June 21, 2013.
SDWA Section 1417 Since 1986, the Safe Drinking Water Act has prohibited the use of certain items that are not lead free and since 1996 the Act has made it unlawful for anyone to introduce into commerce items that are not lead free.
Use Prohibition Section 1417(a)(1) prohibits the “use of any pipe, any pipe or plumbing fitting or fixture, any solder, or any flux, after June 1986, in the installation or repair of (i) any public water system; or (ii) any plumbing in a residential or non-residential facility providing water for human consumption, that is not lead free†as defined in Section 1417(d). Prior to the 2011 Amendments, the only exception to this prohibition is for “leaded joints necessary for the repair of cast iron pipes.â€
"Lead Free" does not mean no (0) lead content. The new revised EPA LCR reduces the volume of acceptable lead content (by weight) in brass used on potable water from (previously) "lead free" 8% to 0.25% (by averaged weight). All your "porous" brass valves previously complied for "lead free" at =< 8% by weight before the new rule which finally reduces it to .25% by averaged weight in 2014.
May 2000, the lead free brass valve bodies were changed to less porous brass. There was an obvious difference to those of us who actually stocked, serviced, and maintained these systems. The older brass bodies has certain difficulties under certain water conditions that was nearly eliminated with this new brass formulation.
Back then, from 1989 to 2006, I too stocked, sold, installed and serviced brass Fleck valves.
Do you know the new standards for January 2014? They basically emulate California AB1953 and Vermonts S152 laws.
http://www.pentairaqua.com/pro/en-US/news/release/15/
Fleck does not sell Plastic valves because of lead free compliance issues, they sell them because plastics make an excellent quality alternative to brass in many applications. Smaller valves, and many larger valves have been made with plastics for decades.
See above. Actually it is being done by the EPA.
And lastly, what is the difference between a commercial and residential valve from Fleck? I would suggest going to the source. I see the 4650 and the 9000 in the "residential" section. Hmmm.. lol.
http://www.pentairwatertreatment.com/en-us/Products/ResidentialControlValves/
From that link where Pentair/Fleck also differentiates their valves into residential and commercial... For one thing I see the NSF Certification is different but the question should be why 'they' differentiate between them because as we see, they do. I would think someone like you should know that.
The date of the Fleck letter was sometime in 2009.
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The following products have been certified to Annex G, NSF/ANSI 61 as of the date of this letter:
Fleck Residential (also NSF 44 certified)
2510, ProFloSXT (5000), 5600, 5600SXT, 6700XTR, 7000SXT, 9000, 9100
Fleck Commercial (also NSF 61 certified)
2750, 2850, 2850S, 2900S, 3150, 3900, 9500
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