Sture Ericson developed the air admittance valve (AAV) in Sweden in the early 1970s. He introduced the valve to the United States in 1986 and was instrumental in the development of the ASSE Performance Standards 1050 and 1051, as well as gaining code approvals in state and model codes. In 1988, Studor, Inc. was established as the distributor for North America. Studor, Inc. was acquired by IPS Corporation in 1998.
Studor has pioneered AAV technology since its introduction in the USA, and accordingly the industry refers to AAVs as ‘Studor vents’, the brand name in the industry. The development of AAVs has led to new and different ways to vent a plumbing drainage system. AAVs are an innovative way to replace the vent piping for a sanitary drainage system that extends through the roof to the outdoors.
Millions of valves have been installed worldwide. In the future, when fully implemented , the use of Studor AAVs in building plumbing systems will create significant cost savings and contribute to a cleaner environment by keeping sewer gases in the sewer system.