Please pay attention to whether a faucet is legal for installation in a drinking water system.

[JMEDGAR]

A survey conducted by StarCraft Reviews over the past 14 months found that over 30% of the faucets installed in existing housing in the U.S. are illegal, uncertified, black-market products.

Unfortunately, contraband faucets are becoming all too common.

Over 90% of the faucet brands sold on Amazon alone are illegal. We also found illegal faucets for sale at (Home Depot, Lowes, Menards), and other websites that host third-party sellers (Wayfair, Overstock, Walmart).

We found a few at plumbing supply houses, but as a rule these sources check certifications and avoid illegal faucets.

Uncertified faucets are problematic not just because they are illegal, but because they may contain lead, arsenic, cadmium, or mercury, all of which are hazardous to health, especially the health of young children.

What is Required:

A faucet is legal for sale in the U.S. if and only if it:

1. Is registered with the Department of Energy (10 CFR §430),
2. Bears "a permanent legible marking to identify the manufacturer," located where it can be viewed after installation. (16 CFR § 305.24,
3. Has a certified flow rate of 2.2 gallons per minute or less (10 CFR § 430.32),
4. Does not contain lead in the waterway of the faucet in a weighted average greater than 0.25%.(SDWA 1417(a)(1)(A))

It is legal for installation in a drinking water system, public or private, if and only if it has been certified compliant with

1. ASME A112.18.1/CSA B125.1, the basic standards for plumbing fittings in a drinking water system, including faucets, and
2. ANSI/NSF 61/9 the lead-free standards (which also tests for dozens of other toxic and harmful substances.)

All plumbing codes in the U.S. require compliance with these standards.

1. International Plumbing Code (IPC) Section 424.1: Faucets and Fixtures, Approval: Faucets and fixture fittings shall conform to ASME A112.18.1. "Faucets and fixture fittings that supply drinking water for human ingestion shall conform to the requirements of NSF 61, Section 9."
2. National Standard Plumbing Code (NSPC) Section 3.4.6: Limits on Lead Content: "Materials used in the potable water supply system, including faucets and valves, shall not contain more than an average of 0.25 percent lead" . . . "drinking water system components shall comply with the lead leachate requirements . . . of NSF 61/9".
3. Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) Section 403.3.2.1: "Faucets, aerators, and shower heads shall meet either the ASME standard or the CSA standard: ASME A112.18.1, CSA B125-1. Fixture fittings covered under the scope of ANSI / NSF 61 shall be in accordance with the requirements of ANSI / NSF 61."

Even Kentucky’s plumbing code which is not based on any of the model codes requires compliance with “applicable standards.”

Problem Faucets:

Faucets selected and supplied by plumbers are rarely the problem. Faucets provided by homeowners, interior designers, and contractors frequently are. Be especially wary of faucets bought online.

Consider a Faucet Problematic If

You don’t recognize the brand, especially if it is made in China,

1. The brand name is an unpronounceable string of characters like “APLWY” or “SHXSYN.”
2. Arrives in a plain box with no indication of the brand, or the brand name is attached with a sticker.
3. Is not permanently marked UPC, ICC-ES, NSF, CSA or other certification mark. If the mark is a stick-on or decal, it is probably counterfeit. Even permanent marks, however, are regularly counterfeited.

How to Check if a Faucet is Legal:

1. If a brand is in our list of illegal faucets sold on Amazon, it is contraband.
2. If the faucet seller cannot or will not produce a listing certificate showing that the faucet model is certified, it probably is not.

If in doubt, email the brand name and faucet model name or number to starcraftreviews@yahoo.com with the subject “Cert Check.” We will investigate and get back to you in one business day.

 

[Robert Gift]

A survey conducted by StarCraft Reviews over the past 14 months found that over 30% of the faucets installed in existing housing in the U.S. are illegal, uncertified, black-market products.
We found a few at plumbing supply houses, but as a rule these sources check certifications and avoid illegal faucets.
Uncertified faucets are problematic not just because they are illegal, but because they may contain lead, arsenic, cadmium, or mercury, all of which are hazardous to health, especially the health of young children.

Myvife, from China, say: "China company fake (certification)." "Make (certification) look leal." (real)
"China not understand maybe bad health." or "China not care."
Most plumbing items I have seen are made in China.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Tuttles Revenge]

I've read some of these reviews before while researching certain brands.

We are just working on a house boat now that the homeowner went to a high end specialty designer outlet and I KNEW they would come back with something weird. Gessi brand shower valve made in italy, and according to this review site, stopped warrantying their product last year.

 

[Robert Gift]

Reply from StarCraft regarding the thrift-store-purchased T&S Brass, B-0665-BSTR Service Sink Faucet:

Greetings:

T & S Brass and Bronze Works, Inc.
Base model B-0665 Service Sink faucet:

Is certified by CSA Group to ASME A112.18.1/CSA B125.
Is certified by CSA Group to ANSI.NSF 61/9.

Is registered wit the Dept. of Energy.
Complies with the lead limits of the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Is approved by CEC for installation in California
Is approved by the Board of Registration of Plumbers and Gas Fitters for installation in Massachusetts.

Base model B-0665 is legal to sell and install in the U.S. and Canada.

In general, all T & S faucets are legal to sell and install in the U.S. and Canada.




Regards,

J. M. Edgar, J.D. C.M.C.
Managing Editor,

About StarCraft Reviews​

Faucet reviews and ratings are produced by StarCraft Media, LLC and hosted by StarCraft Companies, LLC as permitted by 47 U.S.C. § 23.

We started collecting information about faucet companies nearly 20 years ago, for our own information about which faucets to buy and which to avoid. When we realized that the information was of interest to other people, we began publishing our reviews on the web.

The enterprise has now grown to involve more than three dozen volunteers who contribute their time to evaluating faucet companies and writing and editing reports.

We are the oldest, largest, and most frequently read faucet company reviews. To date our in-depth reviews have been read by over 12 million potential faucet buyers. Over 80% of our readers intend to buy a faucet within 60 days.

 

[Tuttles Revenge]

T&S is a well known brand known for making restaurant equipment.