ball valve specification of drinking water

[yushanh]

Hi all, I wonder for drinking water, can I select CF8M as body material? If FDA certificate is required, does that mean FDA certificate is required for the seat only? Does the valve port need to be polished as well? I am new to the industry and hope any professional could advise. Thank you!

 

[gerhardl]

I believe that you by 'FDA' certificate means 'Food and Drug administration certificate' and most likely for US. (Please remember you are adressing a world-wide forum, with members spread out all over the globe)

Iam familiar with rules for drinking water in Europe, but not FDA. In Europe it might be necessary to prove that the valve materials (body/trim) lies within limits for not contaminating the water over time with poisonous/undesireable amounts of metal in the water, for instance lead or others. This in addition to requiring acknowledged (certified) type of wetted sealings.

In adddition to this special rules and restrictions might be required locally, or if the water is used for special purposes (loboratories, food and drug production etc.) For water purification plants where UV light or chemical components are added restrictions on materials is also likely.

The only way to be sure is to check with the local authorities and the end-user. (Generally high-quality CF8M should be OK for normal drinking water)

 

[btrueblood]

You will want to familiarize yourself with the NSF 61 standard (if the valve is intended for the US market). NSF 61 is supposed to be harmonized with European standards for potable water valves/piping. The standard is freely viewable at the nsf.org website (see link below); getting 3rd party testing done to the spec. is the bigger trick.

http://www.nsf.org/newsroom_pdf/NSF_61-13_-_watermarked.pdf

 

[ytse]

The simplest solution is to select a valve that is NSF 61 certified.
Check the following NSF website for the product.

http://info.nsf.org/Certified/PwsComponents/index.asp?standard=061

 

[Ahdebus]

For FDA approved valves, we usually ship them in air-tight seal for the whole valve. The general practice is to sanitize the area and packaging prior to opening the seal. So, it applies to the whole valve and not the seat/trim/wetted parts only.