Hi All,
I thought the installation of shut off valves (for sinks, toilets etc) was part of the current building regs for refurb or new build? But I can't get my local office to confirm this.
Any thoughts on shut offs?
Tom
Very sensible thought.
No idea about the regs but over the past 15 years I have installed ball type shut off valves all over the place in my home on both heating and water circuits.
My current favourites are quarter turn full bore "butterfly" valves from BES (who seem to have disappeared from the web at the minute)
Don't know if they are a requirement but I have always fitted them because of the convenience.
On the subject of isolating valves though, do most people also fit them to washing machine supply valves?
Andrew
Beware these things are "polarised" but don't necessarily have an arrow marking. Flow direction is left to right as drawn.
Thanks for the replies - it certainly makes sense to fit them on very tap, toilet etc and for the washings machines that would be good too.
I had some work done recently and the full bore ones were fitted (I wasn't aware of these before) they come with a quite large blue or red lever, quarter turn for on or off - are these the same as the ones referred to Vortes4?
These shutoffs also help with controlling water pressure at taps and toilets etc to prevent too much pressure on ball valves (I have a direct supply system with a combi boiler) - it also helps prevent pressure drops when the shower is in use.
Tom
If you look on the BES page they also do valves with big handles (operable for example by wife)!
These valves won't reduce static pressure, only flow rate.
I have a particular problem with rising main water of over 10 bar. At that pressure washing machine hoses visibly bulge and the "hammer" of solenoid valves turning on and off is loud.
I have installed a pressure reducing valve like this
IIRC the water regulations (not building regs) make isolators mandatory adjacent to cisterns, but not to taps - in domestic properties.
In commercial premises, I think it's taps as well.
In practice, professional domestic installations seem to put them in next to taps too.
As another poster has said, useful for controlling splashing at taps.
I bought basin and bath flexies with integrated isolators for all new plumbing - also useful to pressurise the system before all the bathroom fittings are in place, and to flush through the pipes to remove any debris.
As has been pointed out in previous posts using partially closed shut off valves will restrict flow rate and dynamic pressure. It will not reduce static pressure.
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Tom saying something like:
Use them anyway - daft not to.
I have installed lots over the last 20 years or so, but when needed I often find they leak.
Recently I've started using that type (or full bore lever type) in preference to the screwdriver operated ones in the hope they are more reliable.
Oh dear! i've fitted lots of these around the house but because they had no arrow on them I assumed it didn't matter whic hway round I put them.
What is it that makes them "polarised"? Is there a spring inside hodling the ball against its seat or something?
Robert
It's the BES "butterfly" valves I am specifically referring to. The problem may not occur with others.
I purchased a bunch of these from a few months ago. The 28mm ones had a flow arrow and the 22mm ones I purchased did not. I've also seen polarisation on 15mm "heavy duty" screwdriver type valves.
These valves have a positive detente or click when closed.
I put a 22mm valve backwards and it only closed 99.5%, with an annoying dribble, with only 5 metres head.. Turned it round the other way and the dribble stopped...so my evidence is entirely empirical!
DWe were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Vortex4" saying something like:
If only it was so easy to stop a Dribble... perhaps if he's turned around.
Problem with directional valves is which way to put them in the return path in a CH system to isolate the flow? Backwards to hold the pressure, or forwards with the flow.
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