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Plumbers Warn Lead Free Will Cost You
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
It's been less than a week and California plumbers and wholesalers are feeling the impact of the state's new lead free potable water laws: higher fitting costs. Take ball valves for example. Early returns show a 50 - 100% increase in the cost plumbers are paying for this plumbing staple. A $10 valve now costs $20! Say what?
Well let's start with basic raw material cost. Higher priced alloys are required to meet the lead free requirement. And these alloys are typically harder, making machining more difficult and time consuming. Translation...more cost. And to complete the cost-of-compliance Trifecta, add low volume to the mix. Only two states, California and Vermont, currently have lead laws this stringent on the books. Of course when more states follow, volumes will increase and pricing should begin to move in the opposite direction.
Communication from the state does not appear to be flowing freely as well. Plumbers claim they're getting their information from wholesalers (who are afraid of hefty fines for selling non-compliant product) and not the state. And just wait until consumers catch on, which probably won't be until they're writing a check to their local plumber or shopping at the local hardware store. Talk about trickle-down economics.
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Posted in: Mainstream