Because a tap in our kitchen (used for drinking water) is dripping and the gasket* is old, I want to replace it. I find numerous gaskets on the market that would fit, but it always says on the packing "for household, but not for drinking water", or nothing at all. Not only in the internet, but even asking in several specialized stores, the reaction after asking for "drinking water approved gaskets" is astonishment.
*) Since there seem different translations and this was asked in the comments: by "gasket" I mean the "seal", the (usually black, sometimes reddish) rubber-like ring that prevents leaking, see image. Please correct my wording for this if necessary (just looked it up in the dictionary).
Questions:
- Is there (as I believed) something like drinking-water approved gaskets (Germany: "KTW-Zulassung für Trinkwasser", "DVGW", "DIN")? Otherwise at least drinking-water appropriate, and how would I recognize that? (sth. like the Canadian http://www.canadarubbergroup.com/safe-materials-for-drinking-water-gaskets/)
- Probably I am not allowed to ask for companies/distribution partners, but maybe someone has a hint on an appropriate search terms (German market). So far, my searches find products that are NOT driking water compatible (but contain all search terms plus a "not").
Best Answer
This puzzled me. After some looking, I think this is referring to the NSF 61 standards, or a similar European/German standard. If that's the case, the phrase "for household, but not for drinking water" would mean that the product has not been approved for use in an industrial system that processes drinking water, but should be acceptable for household use.
In that case, I'd recommend just looking up the possible materials, and buying a gasket that uses a material you like the look of.