The Plumbing Valve

The valves is a very important fiting in the world of plumbing. It is used in many different versions for different jobs, but always to regulate the flow of water through it. NW4 Plumbers are familiar with all valves used in plumbing.
The Gate Valve.
The gate valve is used to control the water flow by lifting or lowering a gate inside, which is normally made from a piece of metal. It is fitted with a wheel or knob on the top of a gate valve to control the height of the gate, this, in turn, affects the flow of water. However, the wheel doesn’t give any indication whether the valve is open or closed, or how far. The gate valve has a reasonable sealing effect, but they are not made for adjusting flow, they are either open or closed. They may not be very durable and corrode, this causes the valve to get stick in the open or closed position.

The Butterfly Valve.
The butterfly valve has a disc with the same size diameter as the inside diameter of the pipework that it is fitted. The disc is connected to a lever handle which turns the disc, to adjust the water flow. The main issue for the butterfly valve is that the control disc is constantly in the flow of water even when it is fully opened, so there is always be a pressure drop as they are used. These valves give quite a precise flow control. They normally need a gasket to fully seal, and creates a maintenance issue.
An NW4 Plumber is trained to install all valves.
The Ball Valve.
The Ball valve is made using a rotating sphere with a hole in it. When it is in the open position, the hole in the sphere lines up with the pipework. When it is in the closed positon, the hole in the sphere runs perpendicular to the pipework. A lever handle operates the valve, but also acts as an indicator to show if the valve is open or closed. When the lever is set parallel to the pipework, the valve is open. These ball valves are not made for precise water flow control as they nor,ally have positive stops at 0, 45, and 90 degrees, but they do give a system a very good seal in the closed position.”