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02-18-2021, 11:03 AM
(This post was last modified: 02-21-2021, 03:35 PM by EricU.)
CORRECTION, got the bad valve out and it's a Keeney brand.
I bought a brasscraft shutoff valve when we replaced our counters a couple of years ago. Before that the setup was a bit embarrassing because I had added a sharkbite in line with the non-functioning shutoff that came with the house. So I dutifully sweated in the new valve and everything was fine for a while. Then there was a mysterious leak that I finally traced to the dishwasher line. It has its own shutoff valve. I thought it was the hose, but yesterday I finally got around to replacing the hose and realized the shutoff body is cracked. Fortunately after the ball valve body.
I noticed the valve I got was considerably lighter than ones I had previously bought. I don't want to repeat this process. Anyone have a recommended brand? I really don't care what it costs at this point, I'm not putting another POS Brasscraft in our house. It doesn't have to be chrome, it's under the sink.
I was thinking of just putting in a sharkbite, but I still prefer sweated plumbing and it might be easier to unsweat the bad valve at this point.
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I've bought the Watts brand for the last several years whenever I needed any fittings. I don't think I've ever had one fail.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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(02-18-2021, 01:05 PM)fredhargis Wrote: I've bought the Watts brand for the last several years whenever I needed any fittings. I don't think I've ever had one fail.
Unless something has changed, Watts is one of the go-to brands for water handling, including valves, regulators, etc.
Tom
“This place smells like that odd combination of flop sweat, hopelessness, aaaand feet"
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I never had problems with Brasscraft although I was disappointed when they started putting chromed plastic handles on them. Maybe that's why it seems lighter?
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02-19-2021, 06:49 AM
(This post was last modified: 02-19-2021, 06:50 AM by EricU.)
The feeling of lightness could be just the handle. Maybe this is just a bad casting, that sort of thing does happen. The failure is behind everything on the back of the valve, so it's hard to see right now. When I get it out I'll see what happened. Still not going to buy any more.
I don't really need anything that looks good, and had a ball valve in my plumbing collection that will work.
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(02-19-2021, 06:49 AM)EricU Wrote: The feeling of lightness could be just the handle. Maybe this is just a bad casting, that sort of thing does happen. The failure is behind everything on the back of the valve, so it's hard to see right now. When I get it out I'll see what happened. Still not going to buy any more.
I don't really need anything that looks good, and had a ball valve in my plumbing collection that will work.
Watts and Nibco were brand names. Now they manufacturer some of their valves in Asia and the quality difference is very noticeable. As for the plastic handles, I would avoid that. True the part that fails is internal, but as the valve ages and corrodes, shutting off the water may take more force. Do you really want to have an emergency requiring the water be shut off and that cheap handle break?
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The last case I bought were Brasscraft no plastic handles. 1/4 turn ball valve, if it were me I would pull that sweat valve out of the equation. I have brass fittings in the wall in some places that allow for brass nipples and in others compression fittings. I find that if a valve fails it is way easier to take soldering out of the repair because I may not be the person doing it and even then I don't like sweating pipe in tight spaces
Phydeaux said "Loving your enemy and doing good for those that hurt you does not preclude killing them if they make that necessary."
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02-21-2021, 12:05 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-21-2021, 12:06 PM by TDKPE.)
(02-21-2021, 01:30 AM)Bob10 Wrote: I find that if a valve fails it is way easier to take soldering out of the repair because I may not be the person doing it and even then I don't like sweating pipe in tight spaces
I’ve never had much luck soldering on a previously soldered bit of tube. I always cut the pipe back to clean pipe. Which means I cut it back while there’s still enough to cut back and solder, then solder on a threaded fitting that can stay there forever, with valve (or whatever) changes down the road.
It may be possible to resolder over an old connection, but I gave up trying long ago, and that was on low pressure baseboard heating copper; even that leaked.
Tom
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02-21-2021, 03:39 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-21-2021, 03:48 PM by EricU.)
Okay, I was wrong about the brand, it is a Keeney. It has a swaged fitting on the end which is leaking. I am putting in a threaded fitting to thread a ball valve onto.
I'm not sure why you would have trouble sweating onto an already sweated tube, it's pre-tinned.
On edit: it has a metal handle, ouch!
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(02-21-2021, 03:39 PM)EricU Wrote: Okay, I was wrong about the brand, it is a Keeney. It has a swaged fitting on the end which is leaking. I am putting in a threaded fitting to thread a ball valve onto.
I'm not sure why you would have trouble sweating onto an already sweated tube, it's pre-tinned.
On edit: it has a metal handle, ouch!
I don't like sweating over old connections myself way to much time wasted trying to get it clean enough to get a good solder
Phydeaux said "Loving your enemy and doing good for those that hurt you does not preclude killing them if they make that necessary."
Phil Thien
women have trouble understanding Trump's MAGA theme because they had so little involvement in making America great the first time around.
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