In 2014, WaterSaver Faucet Co. celebrates over sixty years of service to the laboratory industry. From modest beginnings, WaterSaver has grown to become the largest worldwide manufacturer of faucets, valves, safety equipment and related products for use in science laboratories. Quality, innovation and service have been our hallmarks.
We are always mindful that we owe our success to the efforts of a dedicated and skilled workforce and the loyalty of our customers. For over half a century, we have ndeavored to fulfill the confidence placed in us by those who specify, purchase and use our products. We are dedicated to continuing that commitment for generations to come.
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From Modest BeginningsWaterSaver’s history goes back to the early 1900’s, when Samuel Kersten Sr. founded a small plumbing contracting business in Chicago. Although an orphan with little formal education, Kersten was a streetwise, shrewd businessman with an exceptional mechanical aptitude. By the late 1920s, he had built his plumbing company into one of the largest contracting firms in Chicago. While successful in the contracting field, Kersten Sr. was an inveterate “tinkerer” and drawn to the world of inventing and manufacturing. He spent years working on a variety of plumbing-related products, obtaining twelve patents on his inventions. -
From Modest BeginningsWaterSaver’s history goes back to the early 1900’s, when Samuel Kersten Sr. founded a small plumbing contracting business in Chicago. Although an orphan with little formal education, Kersten was a streetwise, shrewd businessman with an exceptional mechanical aptitude. By the late 1920s, he had built his plumbing company into one of the largest contracting firms in Chicago. While successful in the contracting field, Kersten Sr. was an inveterate “tinkerer” and drawn to the world of inventing and manufacturing. He spent years working on a variety of plumbing-related products, obtaining twelve patents on his inventions.
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His major interest was in developing a new, higher quality faucet. Dissatisfied with the quality of available faucets, his would incorporate two unique features. First, all of the working components of the faucet would be incorporated into a self-contained cartridge. The faucet body itself would thus have unlimited life. Second, the cartridge would have an adjustable orifice to control the flow of water through the valve. This volume control device—the “Water Saver”—would eventually become our namesake.
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His major interest was in developing a new, higher quality faucet. Dissatisfied with the quality of available faucets, his would incorporate two unique features. First, all of the working components of the faucet would be incorporated into a self-contained cartridge. The faucet body itself would thus have unlimited life. Second, the cartridge would have an adjustable orifice to control the flow of water through the valve. This volume control device—the “Water Saver”—would eventually become our namesake.
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While Samuel Kersten Sr. was working on “water saving” faucets, his son Samuel Kersten Jr. was called to serve his country in World War II. Samuel Jr. served with distinction in the U.S. Army, rising to the rank of captain and leading his unit on D-Day in the landing at Omaha Beach. Returning home from war, Sam Jr. was typical of his generation. Shaped by his experiences, and fiercely proud of his accomplishments, he was eager to resume his career and personal life after a four-year hiatus. The two Kerstens made the decision to close the contracting company and form a new company to concentrate exclusively on manufacturing the new faucet line. At first, they offered a line of commercial and institutional faucets. However, they met with little success, for they were trying to sell a high-quality, premium priced product in a commodity-oriented market. Through a series of coincidences, Sam Kersten Jr. got an exposure to the laboratory field. He immediately perceived that there was an opportunity to sell his products based on their higher quality. He therefore introduced the “WaterSaver” line of laboratory faucets and valves. -
While Samuel Kersten Sr. was working on “water saving” faucets, his son Samuel Kersten Jr. was called to serve his country in World War II. Samuel Jr. served with distinction in the U.S. Army, rising to the rank of captain and leading his unit on D-Day in the landing at Omaha Beach. Returning home from war, Sam Jr. was typical of his generation. Shaped by his experiences, and fiercely proud of his accomplishments, he was eager to resume his career and personal life after a four-year hiatus. The two Kerstens made the decision to close the contracting company and form a new company to concentrate exclusively on manufacturing the new faucet line. At first, they offered a line of commercial and institutional faucets. However, they met with little success, for they were trying to sell a high-quality, premium priced product in a commodity-oriented market. Through a series of coincidences, Sam Kersten Jr. got an exposure to the laboratory field. He immediately perceived that there was an opportunity to sell his products based on their higher quality. He therefore introduced the “WaterSaver” line of laboratory faucets and valves.