Water-conservation company develops its second product

Tony Termini, co-owner of ConservCo Water Conservation Products LLC, finds it highly ironic that his small office on West Plumb Lane houses the state's leading maker of water-conservation supplies.

"There is no No. 2. There aren't any others; we are it," Termini says.

The company looks to widen its lead with the introduction of a new conservation product, a valve that reduces water waste.

ConservCo entered the conservation market in 2005 with a no-drip washer engineered to outlast the life of most faucets. The success of the "Drip-Stop" washer both in the United States and abroad led to the development of its newest product, the "Waste-Stop" valve.

The company claims the device reduces water waste through a patented static-rate flow-control valve that delivers a constant flow rate regardless of the pressure in the water line.

"We are always trying to figure out innovative ways to retro-fit products that will do a particular task, that are relatively economical, and are easy for the end-user to install," Termini says. "That was the genesis for this valve."

During a recent hotel stay Termini measured the amount of water gushing from the hotel's faucet four gallons per minute, well above the Environmental Protection Agency standard of 1.5 gallons per minute for commercial faucets. The salesman in him soon was pitching the benefits of his products to the hotel's general manager.

"He said these are brand new 1-1/2 gallon faucets, but if they are installed in new building, and that building pumps water to higher-elevation floors, they pump at such a high pressure that it forces more water through those high-efficiency faucets," Termini recalls.

ConservCo completed research and development of the valve in October and expects to have the Waste-Stop valve ready for mass distribution in February. The company initially will distribute the product on its own and through plumbing-supply houses.

In addition to releasing several more products in 2008, ConservCo will spend this year marketing the Waste-Stop valve. ConservCo believes the Waste-Stop valve will have much greater market impact than the Drip-Stop washer because it doesn't need to be re-engineered for European markets.

Termini's biggest concern is that the small operation he runs with business partner Lauren Sellyei won't be able to meet eventual demand.

"We've had initial meetings with a number of hotels and hospitals, and every one of them wants to do an initial test with the product. Absolutely no one has said no to us at this point," he says.