4 Types of Plumbing Valves

Plumbing is all about controlling water – and without valves, this isn’t easy. Water Valves are great for stopping and regulating the flow of water from the water utility or a private well and are available in a range of types and materials. We have a huge variety at our disposal, here at Total Pipes, including:

Gate Valves

Gate valves are among the most commonly used valves in plumbing and control the flow of water by raising or lowering an internal gate. When lowered, the gate seals off the flow and when raised, it’s retracted into the body of the valve – which means no loss of flow.

These water valves are reliable for closing off the water supply and are commonly used as shutoff valves on main and branch water supplies.

We supply the resilient seat gate valve which is BS5163 compliant and great for use with potable water and foul water when it needs to be shut off infrequently.

Ball valves

One of the more reliable water valves on the market is the ball valve. Commonly used for main water or branch line shutoff, a ball valve should be fully open for full flow or fully closed to stop all water from flowing.

On the inside, these water valves have a ball with a hole in the middle and are connected to a lever-type handle which indicates whether water is on or off. When the handle is parallel to the water pipe, the valve is open, but when perpendicular, it’s closed.

The Plasson double spigot electrofusion ball valve is a special water valve – available in 9 diameters, ranging from 25mm to 125mm – and can be purchased for £76.45.

Stop Valves

Although any water valve can block the flow of water from the supply, stop valves are designed especially for this purpose. Stop valves offer a convenient shutoff mechanism and come with small twist handles or knobs.

Water valves like these allow you to work without shutting off the water to the whole house at the main shutoff valve.

At Total Pipes, we supply the Plasson compression universal stop tap which is suitable for above and below ground applications and. It’s also ideal for isolating water supply at toilets and sinks until problems are resolved.

Check Valves

A check valve is a special type of water valve – used to keep water flowing in one direction, preventing backflow.

These water valves don’t have control handles and don’t need someone to activate them – they operate automatically.

We stock a selection of check valves, including the DZR single check valve which is WRAS approved and priced competitively at £51.66.

Contact Total Pipes

If you’d like to know more about our water valves, or for more information about our range of hydrants, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on 01254 382 000 or email sales@totalpipes.co.uk. On hand from 8.30am till 5.00pm, Monday to Friday, we will happily assist you.

- {rsform 1}