PVC Ball Valve Wrench

[manwithtools]

For a guy with a bunch of tools, I didn't have the right one for these ball valves in my pool plumbing. They have become increasingly hard to turn over the years and I did not want to break them with alligator pliers or such.



So, 20 minutes or so on the CNC mill with some scrap aluminum tube and a piece of 3/8" shaft that was laying around, we have a "Ball valve wrench".



Handle slides in case you need extra leverage.

 

[shop guy]

Cool. I'm not sure how well it works since I've never touched it but ball valves can be a "pita" sometimes.

 

[Provincial]

I did the same thing out of PVC pipe, a tee, and a coupling. I glued pipe into the coupling and cut it off flush before cutting the slots. I glued a piece of pipe into the other end of the coupling for an extension (these valves are buried underground) so I don't have to get down on the ground. I put short stubs in the branches of the tee for leverage.

On one I made for my son-in-law, I left off the stubs in the tee because he is so strong I was afraid he would break the handles off the valves!

 

[manwithtools]

^excellent idea. I have son who is equal to that. Sometimes he does not know his own strength.

 

[L5wolvesf]

I did the same thing out of PVC pipe, a tee, and a coupling. I glued pipe into the coupling and cut it off flush before cutting the slots. I glued a piece of pipe into the other end of the coupling for an extension (these valves are buried underground) so I don't have to get down on the ground. I put short stubs in the branches of the tee for leverage.

On one I made for my son-in-law, I left off the stubs in the tee because he is so strong I was afraid he would break the handles off the valves!

Picture please

 

[cherrybomb]

As a homeowner, I appreciate you putting on your thinking cap and coming up with a solution.It was a neat idea.I'm glad you showed all of us.For me anyway,it's always fun to think,plan and produce.Good Job.

 

[Provincial]

Here are some photos of my PVC wrenches. The first one is a tool I made to operate my manual locking hubs on my Ford F-250. I cut the slots with a circular saw and filed the radius with a chain saw file. This was a quick and dirty to see if it would work, and it worked so well that I haven't built a prettier one.

The next three photos are of a water shutoff wrench I made for underground valves. The gray is PVC Schedule 40 conduit, which is really the same as PVC water pipe. All the parts are 1-1/4 inch size. I used the coupling and filler pipe to make the working end stronger, and give it a larger contact area on the valve handle.

I made one by using a 3/8" end mill to make a nice slot. I have also made these by drilling a 3/8" cross hole and cutting the slots down to the hole with a hacksaw, leaving a slot with a radiused end. The drill/hacksaw method is nice because it only requires simple tools.

 

[L5wolvesf]

Good job on both guy's versions - thank you

 

[BigT69]

Good job on both guy's versions - thank you

Those do look handy. Thanks for the ideas.

 

[rick53]

Here are some photos of my PVC wrenches. The first one is a tool I made to operate my manual locking hubs on my Ford F-250. I cut the slots with a circular saw and filed the radius with a chain saw file. This was a quick and dirty to see if it would work, and it worked so well that I haven't built a prettier one.

The next three photos are of a water shutoff wrench I made for underground valves. The gray is PVC Schedule 40 conduit, which is really the same as PVC water pipe. All the parts are 1-1/4 inch size. I used the coupling and filler pipe to make the working end stronger, and give it a larger contact area on the valve handle.

I made one by using a 3/8" end mill to make a nice slot. I have also made these by drilling a 3/8" cross hole and cutting the slots down to the hole with a hacksaw, leaving a slot with a radiused end. The drill/hacksaw method is nice because it only requires simple tools.

Thanks for coming up with a great idea.Being on a irrigation ditch in Southern Oregon i have many 1 1/2" ball valves in the ground around my property for wherever i pump water.As you know they get pretty hard over time to turn and i have broken a few over the years using channel locks.Plan on making one today.Thank you

 

[southalabama]

Saved a pic for future build.

Hammers and pliers aren't the answer.

 

[slip knot]

The chlorine has swelled the valves. they will eventually break. I changed mine out for chemtrol threaded collar valves. they stick too but at least they can be replaced without tearing everything out and starting over.