What NSF/ANSI 61 and 372 Certification Actually Means for Your Water Supply

Every Jobe Valve carries certification from the CSA Group against two separate NSF/ANSI standards — 372 and 61 — and it's worth understanding what each one actually verifies, because they're testing different things.

NSF/ANSI 372: Lead-Free Content

NSF/ANSI 372 verifies that the valve's wetted surfaces — everything that touches the water — meets the federal "lead free" definition under the Safe Drinking Water Act: a weighted average lead content no higher than 0.25%. This is the specific standard behind the "lead-free" claim you see on plumbing components, and it's a required certification for nearly all plumbing sold in the U.S.

NSF/ANSI 61: Full Material Safety

NSF/ANSI 61 goes further. It tests the valve for a broad range of substances to confirm nothing leaches into the water at levels that matter for human health — and it doesn't stop at the finished product. Every material that makes up the valve is reviewed individually to confirm there's no known drinking-water or human-consumption concern when that material is submerged and used regularly over time. This is the standard that actually qualifies a component as safe for potable water applications, not just free of one specific contaminant.

Why the Distinction Matters

Lead-free and safe-for-drinking-water aren't automatically the same claim. A component could technically meet a lead threshold without being fully evaluated for everything else it might introduce into the water over years of service. Jobe Valves' NSF/ANSI 61 certification means the valves have been evaluated for that broader picture — not just lead, but the full material composition of the valve — and confirmed safe for potable water use.

What This Means If You're Filling a Water Tank Animals or People Actually Drink From

For livestock troughs, drinking water cisterns, and any application where the water coming through the valve is meant for consumption, this certification isn't a marketing footnote — it's confirmation that the valve itself isn't a source of contamination. Every valve in the Jobe lineup — Rojo, Topaz, Megaflow, and Vortex, across every configuration — carries both certifications. If you're specifying valves for a potable water system and need documentation of this certification, contact us and we can help.