Acorn Controls® valves were brought to the market in order to provide a product superior to what is currently available.
To meet our goals, Acorn Controls products were designed to achieve:
- Unequaled performance
- Product quality and reliability by design
- A lower cost of ownership
- Easy repair and maintenance with fewer parts
- Customer satisfaction that exceeds their expectations
Above all, we were determined to deliver the highest level of bather safety and comfort. When you recommend Acorn Controls, you know you are recommending the highest quality product on the market today.
Acorn trusts that everyone involved in bringing our valves to market will share in the benefits of achieving these goals, but most importantly our valued customers who use them every day.
What’s Missing from This Emergency Valve?
Here’s a hint: Look at the arrows in the image to the left. Where are the check-stops, you ask? Well, you should know by now that Acorn’s Emergency Tempering valves (ET71 series) have no check stops, unlike every other emergency valve on the market.
It’s the “stop” part of a check-stop that’s a problem. Both the ASSE 1071 and ANSI Z358 emergency fixture standards say that “…provisions shall be made to prevent unauthorized access…” to any service stops installed in the supply lines. Since we have no service stops integral to our valve, no provision (no extra cost) is necessary to prevent access.
With competing valves, anyone with a screwdriver or Allen wrench has access to the stop function, in violation of the standards and any code that refers to them.
But what if the engineer still wants a shut-off? Should you specify service stops, our ball valve shut-off option (-BVS) provides full compliance after a padlock is added—and we’re still at a competitive sell price. More importantly, the lockable feature signals the need to lock them open, a benefit the installer would be hard-pressed to omit. Therefore, the chances they’ll be exposed to unauthorized access or left closed is greatly reduced.
Another advantage Acorn offers is that a ball valve inadvertently closed is easy to spot and address because the handle is perpendicular, not parallel to the flow. No one can easily spot if a check-stop has been left closed, so it stays closed.
The bottom line: While competitive emergency tempering valves are required to be installed in cabinets with a lock or placed where no unauthorized person could access them, Acorn’s ET71s are in full compliance with both standards right out of the box. Whether or not you include the inlet ball valves and outlet temperature gauge, Acorn offers the safest line of emergency valves on the market with the simplest, most reliable (patented) design.
What Does “Advertised Minimum Flow” Really Mean?
With Acorn Controls, the flow rate IAPMO uses to certify the valve to its applicable ASSE standard has no exceptions! No other manufacturer makes that claim, and when it comes to master mixing valves, the difference can be huge.
For example, if the MV17-5 were just any other master mixing valve, IAPMO would have certified it from 106 GPM to 53 GPM according to ASSE 1017. Instead, it was certified to have accurate control from 106 GPM to 4 GPM, our advertised minimum flow.
Assume that a competitor claims a 4 GPM minimum flow for their master mixer with a similar capacity. Should an engineer wonder why they didn’t, like Acorn, have the valve certified at 4 GPM instead of 53 GPM?
The answer is obvious—Acorn outperforms the competition, and IAPMO certification testing confirms it!
RSV16 & RSV16-LVR Kits Now Available!
The upgrade kits used to convert certain Powers valves to, in effect, an SV16 are now available. Keep in mind that these kits include all internal parts, including check-stops. The installation instructions are specifically for the conversion, and I would advise that anyone considering a conversion read them completely before ordering these kits.
The Powers valves you can potentially convert are the P900 series, the e700 series, and the PB410 series. Submittals are available for this conversion in case pre-approval is required.
In Case You Didn’t Notice…
We understand that making sense of part numbers can sometimes be difficult. The Acorn Controls model numbers were developed so you can easily identify the application and the ASSE standard that applies to each.
The first two digits represent the application: SV = Shower Valve, ST = Single Temp., MV = Master (Mixing) Valve and ET = Emergency Tempering.
The last two digits are the number portion of the ASSE Standard. 16 = ASSE 1016, etc.
So, the SV16 is our Shower Valve that meets ASSE 1016. When two standards apply, the Single Temperature (typ. 105° F) valve that meets both ASSE 1070 (lav. tempering) and ASSE 1069 (group showering) is aptly named the ST7069. If only we could keep it this simple for the SV16 accessories!
What’s in Store for Acorn Controls?
We’re doing our best to deliver all the products we’ll need for our long-term success. That means a long-term commitment to you and an investment in your success, as well.
Here’s a short list of things to come:
- Electronic high-temp alarm and shut-off
- Plastic body ET70
- Higher capacity MV17-1 and ST7069
- Lower cost alternative to a PRV (for multi-valve high-low assemblies)
- Thermostatic balancing valve option for command station
Spending Acorn R&D dollars on new products for Controls (vs. other options) is a business decision that’s easy to justify since our current Controls success bodes well for our future potential.
Acorn Controls Offers These Tools to Make Your Life Easier
- The Acorn Controls section of the Acorn website is your first stop for information and educational tools for you and your client.
- Our online Master Mixing Valve Calculator is the best way to select the correct valve for your applications and site conditions.
- The most detailed submittal sheets in the industry
- A core team of people with over 40 years’ experience in thermostatic mixing valves
- Sales samples, and more…
To make it even easier for you to access the tools when you need them, our website has been redesigned to be accessible from all mobile devices. Please take just 5 to 10 minutes today to familiarize yourself with our website from your preferred mobile device.
Contact Acorn Customer Service if you need help learning to use any of these tools!