Water Efficiency
Install a Low-flow Pre-rinse Spray Valve
What Is It?
Performance-verified, low-flow pre-rinse spray valves use less water to rinse dishes than normal restaurant spray valves. Low flow valves restrict the amount of water and, depending on design, exhibit comparable performance. The federal government currently uses a standard of 1.6 gallons per minute (gpm), while the EPA’s WaterSense program requires a flow rate of no more than 1.28 gpm, and products with even lower rates now exist.
Benefits
Restaurants in the U.S. use about 51 billion gallons of water each year just for rinsing dishses with pre-rinse spray valves (EPA). Replacing a pre-rinse spray valve with a WaterSense-labeled valve can save a typical commercial kitchen more than 7000 gallons of water per year in—plus the electricity or natural gas used to heat the water (EPA).That results in water savings, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and hundreds of dollars saved per year.
Resources
- EPA: Pre-rinse Spray Valves
- EPA: WaterSense-labeled Pre-rinse Spray Valves
- California Energy Wise: Pre-Rinse Spray Valve and Water Cost Calculator
- Massachusetts Water Resources Authority: Water Efficiency and Management for Restaurants
News
- "5 Ways Businesses Can Conserve Water: Going Blue to Go Green," TheHuffington Post, August 2016
A Sample of Providers
- Food Service Technology Center: Tested Pre-rinse Spray Valves
- EPA: WaterSense-labeled Pre-rinse Spray Valves
