Collapse to view only § 431.261 - Purpose and scope.

Test Procedures

§ 431.264 - Uniform test method to measure flow rate and spray force of commercial prerinse spray valves.

(a) Scope. This section provides the test procedure to measure the flow rate and spray force of a commercial prerinse spray valve.

(b) Testing and calculations for a unit with a single spray setting—(1) Flow rate. (i) Test each unit in accordance with the requirements of Sections 6.1 through 6.9 (Apparatus) (except 6.4 and 6.7), 9.1 through 9.4 (Preparation of Apparatus), and 10.1 through 10.2.5 (Procedure) of ASTM F2324, (incorporated by reference, see § 431.263). Precatory language in ASTM F2324 is to be treated as mandatory for the purpose of testing. In Section 9.1 of ASTM F2324, the second instance of “prerinse spray valve” refers to the spring-style deck-mounted prerinse unit defined in Section 6.8. In lieu of using manufacturer installation instructions or packaging, always connect the commercial prerinse spray valve to the flex tubing for testing. Normalize the weight of the water to calculate flow rate using Equation 1 to this paragraph, where Wwater is the weight normalized to a 1 minute time period, W1 is the weight of the water in the carboy at the conclusion of the flow rate test, and t1 is the total recorded time of the flow rate test.

(ii) Perform calculations in accordance with Section 11.3.1 (Calculation and Report) of ASTM F2324. Record the water temperature ( °F) and dynamic water pressure (psi) once at the start for each run of the test. Record the time (min), the normalized weight of water in the carboy (lb) and the resulting flow rate (gpm) once at the end of each run of the test. Record flow rate measurements of time (min) and weight (lb) at the resolutions of the test instrumentation. Perform three runs on each unit, as specified in Section 10.2.5 of ASTM F2324, but disregard any references to Annex A1. Then, for each unit, calculate the mean of the three flow rate values determined from each run. Round the final value for flow rate to two decimal places and record that value.

(2) Spray force. Test each unit in accordance with the test requirements specified in Sections 6.2 and 6.4 through 6.9 (Apparatus), 9.1 through 9.5.3.2 (Preparation of Apparatus), and 10.3.1 through 10.3.8 (Procedure) of ASTM F2324. In Section 9.1 of ASTM F2324, the second instance of “prerinse spray valve” refers to the spring-style deck-mounted prerinse unit defined in Section 6.8. In lieu of using manufacturer installation instructions or packaging, always connect the commercial prerinse spray valve to the flex tubing for testing. Record the water temperature ( °F) and dynamic water pressure (psi) once at the start for each run of the test. In order to calculate the mean spray force value for the unit under test, there are two measurements per run and there are three runs per test. For each run of the test, record a minimum of two spray force measurements and calculate the mean of the measurements over the 15-second time period of stabilized flow during spray force testing. Record the time (min) once at the end of each run of the test. Record spray force measurements at the resolution of the test instrumentation. Conduct three runs on each unit, as specified in Section 10.3.8 of ASTM F2324, but disregard any references to Annex A1. Ensure the unit has been stabilized separately during each run. Then for each unit, calculate and record the mean of the spray force values determined from each run. Round the final value for spray force to one decimal place.

(c) Testing and calculations for a unit with multiple spray settings. If a unit has multiple user-selectable spray settings, or includes multiple spray faces that can be installed, for each possible spray setting or spray face:

(1) Measure both the flow rate and spray force according to paragraphs (b)(1) and (2) of this section (including calculating the mean flow rate and mean spray force) for each spray setting; and

(2) Record the mean flow rate for each spray setting, rounded to two decimal places. Record the mean spray force for each spray setting, rounded to one decimal place.

(d) Test procedure for voluntary representations. Follow paragraph (b)(1) or (2) or (c) of this section, as applicable, using test water pressure(s) of interest for voluntary representations of flow rate. Representations made at a water pressure other than the required test water pressure cannot replace a representation at the required test water pressure specified in Section 9.1 of ASTM F2324. Any voluntary representation of flow rate made pursuant to this paragraph shall specify the water pressure associated with the represented flow rate.

[80 FR 81453, Dec. 30, 2015, as amended at 87 FR 13910, Mar. 11, 2022]

§ 431.261 - Purpose and scope.

This subpart contains energy conservation requirements for commercial prerinse spray valves, pursuant to section 135 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Pub. L. 109-58.

§ 431.262 - Definitions.

As used in this subpart:

Basic model means all spray settings of a given class manufactured by one manufacturer, which have essentially identical physical and functional (or hydraulic) characteristics that affect water consumption or water efficiency.

Commercial prerinse spray valve means a handheld device that has a release-to-close valve and is suitable for removing food residue from food service items before cleaning them in commercial dishwashing or ware washing equipment. DOE may determine that a device is suitable for removing food residue from food service items before cleaning them in commercial dishwashing or ware washing equipment based on any or all of the following:

(1) Equipment design and representations (for example, whether equipment is represented as being capable of rinsing dishes as compared to equipment that is represented exclusively for washing walls and floors or animal washing);

(2) Channels of marketing and sales (for example, whether equipment is marketed or sold through outlets that market or sell to food service entities);

(3) Actual sales (including whether the end-users are restaurants or commercial or institutional kitchens, even if those sales are indirectly through an entity such as a distributor).

Spray force means the amount of force exerted onto the spray disc, measured in ounce-force (ozf).

[80 FR 81453, Dec. 30, 2015, as amended at 87 FR 13909, Mar. 11, 2022]

§ 431.263 - Materials incorporated by reference.

(a) Certain material is incorporated by reference into this subpart with the approval of the Director of the Federal Register in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. To enforce any edition other than that specified in this section, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) must publish a document in the Federal Register and the material must be available to the public. All approved material is available for inspection at the DOE and at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Contact DOE at: The U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building Technologies Program, 6th Floor, 950 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC 20024, (202) 586-9127, or [email protected], https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/building-technologies-office. For information on the availability of this material at NARA, email: [email protected], or go to: www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html. The material may be obtained from the source(s) in the following paragraph(s) of this section.

(b) ASTM. ASTM, International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, P.O. Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, (610) 832-9585, or go to www.astm.org.

(1) ASTM F2324-13 (R2019) (“ASTM F2324”),”Standard Test Method for Prerinse Spray Valves”, Approved May 1, 2019; IBR approved for § 431.264.

(2) [Reserved]

[87 FR 13910, Mar. 11, 2022]

Energy Conservation Standards

§ 431.266 - Energy conservation standards and their effective dates.

(a) Commercial prerinse spray valves manufactured on or after January 1, 2006 and before January 28, 2019, shall have a flow rate of not more than 1.6 gallons per minute. For the purposes of this standard, a commercial prerinse spray valve is a handheld device designed and marketed for use with commercial dishwashing and ware washing equipment that sprays water on dishes, flatware, and other food service items for the purpose of removing food residue before cleaning the items.

(b) Commercial prerinse spray valves manufactured on or after January 28, 2019 shall have a flow rate that does not exceed the following:

Product class
(spray force in
ounce-force, ozf)
Flow rate
(gallons per minute, gpm)
Product Class 1 (≤5.0 ozf)1.00 Product Class 2 (>5.0 ozf and ≤8.0 ozf)1.20 Product Class 3 (>8.0 ozf)1.28

(1) For the purposes of this standard, the definition of commercial prerinse spray valve in § 431.262 applies.

(2) [Reserved]

[81 FR 4801, Jan. 27, 2016]