Has anyninee ever...

[The Natural Philosopher]

..installed a ball valve that when used for its intended purpose - isolating pipework - didn't immediately leak thereafter?

[John Rumm]

Don't think I have ever had a decent ball valve leak... gate valves a plenty.

[The Natural Philosopher]

3 out of 3 so far..

[Artic]

The Natural Philosopher scribbled...

Best attempted when sober.

[The Natural Philosopher]

always am

[Cash]

Yes lots of 'em - and I've also stepped on the bloody feed pipe to one which caused a leak on a No1 compression fitting. The water ended up through the bedroom ceiling. [1]

[1] It went unnoticed for a around a week because it was under the loft insulation and made its presence known when the water came through the bedroom ceiling on Christmas eve - sods law in fine fettle.

Cash

[Graham.]

From the compression fitting (your fault), or from the valve stem (also your fault for not buying a better one). ;-)

[Nightjar]

I have them on every tap and water cistern in my house, as well as having had the same in all my factories. However, I buy tee handle full bore ball valves sold by industrial suppliers.

Colin Bignell

[Dave Liquorice]

Nope.

Your three out of three would indicate some systemic failure in installation method (if leaks from compression joints) or a duff batch of valves (if leak from valve stem and all bought from the same place at more or less the same time).

[harryagain]

They are nasty cheap things. Most of them are completely unneccesary anyway. (What's wrong with the stop tap?) I've never had one leak immediately but after a year or two, they often leak when operated due to corrosion. They often pass too. No means of repair either.

[newshound]

I prefer the lever to the Tee, but have full bore ones to provide quick and convenient isolation "just inside the door" on incoming gas and water, and on the boiler circuits. Screwfix stock "Peglers", I have also used ones from BES. Never had a problem.

[Nightjar]

Most of my tap isolation valves don't have room for a lever, but levers were standard on all my factory airline valves, for visibility at a distance. I have a feeling that mine are Pegler too.

Colin Bignell

[Tim Watts]

On Monday 02 December 2013 13:01 newshound wrote in uk.d-i-y:

+1 Peglars (Tee and Lever) are *very* reliable.

The only thing I learnt that if deploying outside, needs a bit of grease between the tee handle and the shaft or they can be a bugger to get apart (if needed).

[PeterC]

Yup - I use MTB grease in the faint hope that it might be intended for wet conditions. I also use a smear of it on internal tap shrouds and tops, just in case.

[Onetap]

The cheapo Screwfix/Toolstation, no-name, 10 for £5, screwdriver operated ones do.

They're 'service valves' and made to a (very low) price. Installed by plumbers who probably will never have to use them for their in tended purpose. Never mind the quality, just don't look beyond the price ta g.

Decent ones ( full-bore, lever or butterfly preferably), from the same shop s, are OK, far better than the equivalent gate valves.

[Onetap]

Cheap, nasty ones are. the trick is to recognise decent ones.

Required by the Water Regulations, ISTR. You may choose not to fit them, a tradesman-type plumber has no option.

[dennis]

Gate valves aren't for isolating a circuit for service AIUI, they are to stop the flow on circuits you don't want flow on. I have never come across a gate valve where you could remove the pressure from one side without them leaking in a domestic installation.

[Nightjar]

The actual requirement (Paragraph 11 of Schedule 2 to The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999) if for 'an adequate number of servicing valves and drain taps so as to minimize the discharge of water when water fittings are maintained or replaced'. Adequate is not defined but the only places where service valves are mandated are:

1) at the inlet to any storage cistern, combined feed and expansion cistern, WC flushing cistern or urinal flushing cistern; 2) the outlet from any water storage cistern, except one supplying water to the primary circuit of a heating system and; 3) if not fitted with a stop valve, to a pipe supplying drinking water for animals or poultry.

Colin Bignell

[John Rumm]

If you buy nasty cheap ones...

Depends on how much you like wasting time draining down etc, just to change a tap washer.