Faucet Flow Rate Standards

Bathroom faucets have a more restrictive flow of 1 5 or even 5 gallons per minute.

Faucet flow rate standards.

If you rinse a lot of dishes with the faucet on full blast it might make sense to reduce your kitchen faucet s flow rate to save water. The average home uses about 20 gallons of water a day per person from faucets. The flow rate of a faucet manufactured and distributed in commerce as defined by 42 u s c. 6291 10 and 16 respectively must not be greater than the maximum water use standards under 10 cfr 430 32 o.

Studies show that on average people open the faucet to a flow rate between 1 0 gpm and 1 5 gpm. You should also ensure that the water flow rate from the supply source is compatible with your faucet flow rate for optimum usage. It might make sense to lower this to 1 5 gpm by using a low flow aerator but the tradeoff is that it will take longer to fill pots of water. Most new kitchen faucets have an aerator the screw on tip of the nozzle on the faucet.

The average flow rate of faucets are between 1 0 gpm gallons per minute and 1 5 gpm. Since the federal limit stands at 2 2gpm most modern faucets come with an aerator that limits the flow to 2 2gpm while also infusing the water stream with air to reduce splashing. Watersense labeled bathroom sink faucets and accessories that use a maximum of 1 5 gallons per minute can reduce a sink s water flow by 30 percent or more from the standard flow of 2 2 gallons per minute without sacrificing performance. Kitchen faucets typically have a maximum flow rate of 2 2 gpm.

What affects the kitchen faucet flow rate. This is a vital feature to check before you settle on any kitchen faucet. According to federal standards all faucets are subject to a maximum flow rate of 2 2 gpm at 60 psi pounds per inch.