On January 4, 2014 the “Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act” goes into effect. In response to this new Lead Free* law Watts Water is building a foundry to manufacture Lead Free* products exclusively. Building a separate facility eliminates the chance of cross contamination and lets Watts Water focus on producing the highest-quality Lead Free* products. The new foundry will also create jobs and help booster the U.S. manufacturing sector. Check back here for the latest foundry news and developments.
We’ve come a long way since breaking ground on the Lead Free* expansion of our Franklin, NH foundry—the steel framework is now in place, and the roof will follow shortly. Construction is moving full steam ahead and we expect the new Lead Free* foundry to open in early 2013.
About the Foundry
The new foundry will house equipment to melt Lead Free* ingot into liquid form to manufacture castings that are machined and assembled into valve products.The new facility, which is being built behind the existing foundry, brings Watts Water’s total manufacturing/foundry space in Franklin, NH to more than 75,000 sq. feet.
Materials Update
There are several copper-based material mixtures that can be used to cast and forge Lead Free* products. This includes mixtures of silicon bronze and brass, bismuth bronze and brass, and 60/40 specialty brasses. All of these mixtures—as well as other options—have pros and cons. The Watts Water R&D department has done the research and selected the best performing materials for producing Lead Free* products at the new foundry.