what type of valve to use

[limige]

going to be plumbing a rack soon for my breeding. the standard pvc ball valves suck, just broke the handle off the one I bought from menards, they always seem to stick and are tough to open.

anyone find a better option?

[rickztahone]

Gate valves for sure. Ain't cheap but work as they should. Check out pvcfittings.com

[Solid]

Look for Spears brand ball joints or gate valves. Spears is (imo) the best quality brand for PVC fittings. For full disclosure I am a Spears wholesaler, but I have also sold and used many other brands for personal use and Spears are just much higher quality. Big box stores sell the cheapest fittings possible.

Look for true union ball valves (in any brand). They are usually much higher quality than the standard "utility" ball valves as they are made to be rebuilt when the seal or ball are worn/damaged.
http://www.spearsmfg.com/prod_brochu...5_1110_web.pdf

Or for more flow control you can go with a gate valve, as Rick recommended.
http://www.spearsmfg.com/prod_brochu...9_0311_web.pdf

[DC Discus]

+1 for Spears valves;

I have about 300 of these blue handled valves in service at work in size from 1/2" to 2";
http://www.spearsmfg.com/prod_brochu...6_0212_web.pdf

We get the spears valves for much cheaper at a local irrigation supply place, then 'online' prices I've seen (seems crazy but true). Might be worth calling around at your local industrial supply places.

The true union valves from the above post are also very good and I have several in use too. These are a must in tight areas or on external water pumps.
Cheers,
DC

[nc0gnet0]

NO offense to all that have posted above me but........

screw pvc valves..........

Install an Apollo 69BV series brass ball valve and never have to worry about it again. Menards has them, as well as the pvc adapter.

http://www.menards.com/main/store/20...MASTERSPEC.pdf

you get the valve, you unscrew the adapter retaining nut and insert the pvc adapter, then put retaining nut back on, glue pvc pipe as you would to a pvc valve to the adapter.

Adapter looks like this:

http://www.plumbersurplus.com/Prod/A...134352/Cat/107

(they are much cheaper at menards).

I got so tire of those dam pvc valves ceasing up on me, these things are a dream.......

[limige]

thank you, I use those a lot at work, they are fantastic, didn't know you could covert them for pvc

[rickztahone]

NO offense to all that have posted above me but........

screw pvc valves..........

Install an Apollo 69BV series brass ball valve and never have to worry about it again. Menards has them, as well as the pvc adapter.

http://www.menards.com/main/store/20...MASTERSPEC.pdf

you get the valve, you unscrew the adapter retaining nut and insert the pvc adapter, then put retaining nut back on, glue pvc pipe as you would to a pvc valve to the adapter.

Adapter looks like this:

http://www.plumbersurplus.com/Prod/A...134352/Cat/107

(they are much cheaper at menards).

I got so tire of those dam pvc valves ceasing up on me, these things are a dream.......

Pretty cool. Never knew that. You run these in your plumbed tanks Rick?

[Len]

That's a great tip and good timing. I'm about to expand and plumb a few more tanks in and there's nothing I hate worse on my current tanks than those ball valves that are hard as hell to turn and adjust.

NO offense to all that have posted above me but........

screw pvc valves..........

Install an Apollo 69BV series brass ball valve and never have to worry about it again. Menards has them, as well as the pvc adapter.

http://www.menards.com/main/store/20...MASTERSPEC.pdf

you get the valve, you unscrew the adapter retaining nut and insert the pvc adapter, then put retaining nut back on, glue pvc pipe as you would to a pvc valve to the adapter.

Adapter looks like this:

http://www.plumbersurplus.com/Prod/A...134352/Cat/107

(they are much cheaper at menards).

I got so tire of those dam pvc valves ceasing up on me, these things are a dream.......

[limige]

menards has them without any kit needed. cost me $17, fits pex, cpvc, or copper pipe. currently I'm setting up a well water line that bypasses the softener and its cpvc so this valve was perfect! found it with the solid copper plumbing stuff.

[limige]

heres what I bought
http://www.menards.com/main/plumbing...491-c-9425.htm

[DC Discus]

Just an FYI to think about: Brass is made of copper and zinc. Both of which can be poisonous to fish. With Discus the rate of water changes probably prevents this and the rate of leeching of the valve is probably nearly negotiable. But for inverts, maybe plants, and reef tank this is a bad idea in general in my opinion.

Cheers,
DC

[DonMD]

Just an FYI to think about: Brass is made of copper and zinc. Both of which can be poisonous to fish.

I suppose all metals can be poisonous, if the dose is high enough. You mention copper. I have copper plumbing in my home, and perhaps you also have it. If that is true, and if you have inverts, do you find that it is a problem? I'm thinking that the brass valve won't add anything more that the copper already does. Perhaps I'm mistaken?

[nc0gnet0]

Just an FYI to think about: Brass is made of copper and zinc. Both of which can be poisonous to fish. With Discus the rate of water changes probably prevents this and the rate of leeching of the valve is probably nearly negotiable. But for inverts, maybe plants, and reef tank this is a bad idea in general in my opinion.

Cheers,
DC

Bah, so I suppose we should re plump our entire house? Anything that is suitable for potable water should be suitable for Discus IMO. I can see it being an issue with Reef tanks with the corrosive nature of salt on the metals. A ball valve typically will have a stainless steel ball, the actual contact surface of brass pails in comparison to the miles of pipe the water travels through lead, copper, and brass pipes and fittings just to get to your house.

[Len]

While I'm certainly no chemist, I'll add that I've used brass fittings in several situations in my tanks and have never had a problem.

[Twistofer]

From my understanding the "ball" is stainless steel, so corrosion or leaching from a FW system is minimal to non-existent. If this were SW/Reef, that's a whole different kettle of fish.

On the other hand, I like Gate Valves for anything that needs "fine tuning," and Ball Valves for "on-off" applications. Regardless of the valve type or material, you need a bit of food grade silicone grease. A little goes a long way and, IMHO, should be used initially when installing the valve. Work it in well before using the valve.