Forum discussion
NC-2009 WEp1: Water Use Reduction—20% Reduction
Is there any standard for how many uses/day a commercial prerinse spray valve should have? The owner expects to be serving about 5,000 meals per day in this university dining hall. thanks.
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Brent Ehrlich
Products and materials specialistBuildingGreen
LEEDuser Moderator
33 thumbs up
October 8, 2010 - 6:03 pm
Good question. Pre-rinse spray valves are the low-hanging fruit of water and energy savings in commercial kitchens. Performance and maintenance of these over time will depend on local water quality and mineral buildup, but any quality pre-rinse spray valve can be taken apart for routine maintenance…which is necessary as these things see a lot of hard use. T&S Brass, for example, claims its low-flow units will last for 1,000,000 cycles. GreenSpec lists several units (including T&S, Niagara, and Bricor) that consume 1.28 gallons per minute max while still being able to clean a test plate in about 21 seconds, a significant savings over the federal standard of 1.6 gpm and 26 seconds. Pre-rinse spray valves are a bargain considering the energy and water savings; just buy a reputable brand and you should be set.
Brent Ehrlich
Products and materials specialistBuildingGreen
LEEDuser Moderator
33 thumbs up
October 8, 2010 - 6:15 pm
Hi Erica. That was a long-winded way of saying there is no use/day standard, but pre-rinse spray valves are inexpensive considering their benefits, they are built tough, and they can be maintained, so focus on water savings and performance (buy a unit with at least 1.6 gpm and 26 second cleanability, 1.28 and 21 is better), and buy from a quality manufacturer. It'll probably pay for itself in less than a year.
Erica Downs
LEED ConsultantThe Green Engineer
254 thumbs up
March 16, 2011 - 3:28 pm
Thanks Brent -
As mentioned in my comment to Sara above, I did find this document from DOE EERE that discusses minimum standards for pre-rinse nozzles, which confirms what you said. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/technologies/eep_low-flow_valves.html#t...
Erica Downs
LEED ConsultantThe Green Engineer
254 thumbs up
November 13, 2012 - 12:59 pm
Follow-up: We were asked to submit clarification regarding our assumptions.
- We assumed 5,000 uses per day for the pre-rinse nozzle (one use per meal served).
- In theory, the high-efficiency spray valve has a shorter duration as well as a lower flow rate. The product documentation indicated 0.65 gpm in 21 seconds, vs. an EPAct/ASTM standard of 1.6 gpm in 30 seconds.
- There is no LEED guidance for a baseline spray-nozzle's standard duration, only flow rate. We found the EERE document above, which specifies 1.25 gpm at 26 seconds per plate.
We submitted an excel spreadsheet showing three different scenarios, with varying durations and flow to show that we were taking the most conservative approach, along with the documentation mentioned above. The points were awarded.