FWIW, the CSV is in a class of several new and very old systems. Heres one:
http://www.flomatic.com/index.asp?lg=1&w=pages&pid=223
And Jaquizzi had their own system on the market for many years, I do not think it still is marketed.
Yeah the idea is not new. Not only where several different brands on the market years ago but, many pump installers were making their own by drilling a hole in a pressure reducing valve. It was always the drilled hole that caused the failure. The drilled hole will clog up the same way holes in a showerhead clog up, and the pump would be destroyed.
The Cycle Stop Valve doesn’t have a drilled hole. It has half moon notches that come together when the valve closes, to form a bypass hole. This way each time the valve opens the hole is split in half, allowing any debris or buildup to flush through. The patented half moon design of the CSV solved the clogging problem and also eliminated water hammer when the valve closes. Solving these problems is what makes the CSV the most reliable pump control available, and gives new life to an old idea.
Other valves on the market use the drilled hole design and still claim to be just like a Cycle Stop Valve. I know I should be flattered but, the drilled hole design is flawed and the failures of these brand X valves gives the real Cycle Stop Valve a bad reputation.
Most valve companies do not understand pumps. They didn’t know the minimum flow possible for different types of pumps. They didn’t know the correct pressure settings to make the valves work with different size tanks, and many other things. Copying my minimum flow requirements and installation instructions has made brand X valves function very similar to a CSV, until the hole clogs and destroys the pump.
The Jacuzzi Aqua Genie 200 was very similar in design to the CSV. Some installers figured out how to work within the narrow parameters where the AG200 functioned well. Some of these are still working 30 years later, as we replace one with a CSV occasionally.
When Franklin bought out Jacuzzi they were using the AG400. Franklin quickly stopped making the Aqua Genie, as they did not want a pump control that would make a pump last 30+ years. Instead they opted to go with the variable speed type pumps that are more profitable. Variable speed pumps also fall right in line with their “planned obsolescence” guidelines, requiring that pumps last an average of less than seven years. I am sure the variable speed pumps are not even lasting an average of seven years. Isn’t marketing great? It tries to steer you away from the most cost effective solution.