Choosing the right ball valve

[FunkyfullWidth]

I always see ball valves with different designations.

1/2 psig
600 wog

So far as I can tell PSIG stands for pounds for square inch gage which is the correlation between pressure and atmospheric pressure.

600 wog is water oil gas, and 600 I've heard as two different things. One being a reference to a model number or a code somewhere. The other being 600 psi(g).


I guess some questions most of us would benefit from answering are.
What do these numbers actually mean?
What are the actual pressure ratings?
What other kinds of valves are out there we should know about?

I'm looking at this from an air line point of view. Hopefully someone can inform me and everyone else. Google searching came up with only a small few references that were vague at best.

 

[akdiesel]

1/2 is the size not psig. 1/2"
600 is the pressure rating and you are correct that wog means suitable for Water, Oil, and Gas service.
This is a classic 1/2" brass ball valve.

 

[LifeLongWNYer]

I was just was checking on valves this morning. I'm getting ready to pipe natural gas from the outdoor meter block to my, soon to be installed, water heater.

If you are using a valve on a flamable gas, it must have either the UL label of one of the ASTM numbers. The UL is better because if it has that, you know that it is okay for gas. With the ASTM numbers, some are okay for gas and some aren't. Once to see what the ASTM number is, type it into Google to see if it is good for gas.



JBP


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[rlitman]

600 WOG is about the best in brass valves you'll see at the hardware stores. Be aware that many cheaper ball valves are not rated that high (those I avoid).

I have some stainless body ball valves that are 2000 WOG on some equipment. Totally overkill for air lines, but the right choice for a fill station on my CO2 cylinder for example.

 

[pcmeiners]

Another important factor, if you not getting "full flow" valves, your getting restriction. Seen 1 1/2" ball valves with a 3/4" hole through the ball, ridiculous.

 

[FunkyfullWidth]

1/2 is the size not psig. 1/2"
600 is the pressure rating and you are correct that wog means suitable for Water, Oil, and Gas service.
This is a classic 1/2" brass ball valve.

I always wondered about that. 1/2 psi seemed pretty ridiculous.

 

[72Anthony]

Another important factor, if you not getting "full flow" valves, your getting restriction. Seen 1 1/2" ball valves with a 3/4" hole through the ball, ridiculous.

They are also referred to as full port valves.

 

[matt_i]

I don't like using sweat-solder ball valves and will install a set of male threads into a copper line. I feel like despite the fact they were built for this purpose, the seat is ultimately compromised by the heat. I also don't buy the cheapest ones that I can find, either. Nibco is worth the extra dollars to me.

In an airline, I backup every female quick connect with a ball valve. The QCs will ultimately eat the cost of the extra valve, measured in air compressed to fight leakage, so its worthwhile to me to put them in.

 

[CNGsaves]

They are also referred to as full port valves.

^ ^ ^ This is critical for water flow. Don't buy any cheap ones with restrictions.

 

[rlitman]

I don't like using sweat-solder ball valves and will install a set of male threads into a copper line. I feel like despite the fact they were built for this purpose, the seat is ultimately compromised by the heat. I also don't buy the cheapest ones that I can find, either. Nibco is worth the extra dollars to me.

In an airline, I backup every female quick connect with a ball valve. The QCs will ultimately eat the cost of the extra valve, measured in air compressed to fight leakage, so its worthwhile to me to put them in.

I'm ok with sweating ball valves up to 3/4". The trick is to use a big torch. More heat quickly applied to the point you're sweating means less time for heat to soak into the parts you don't want to heat.

Also, make sure that the valve is all the way open or closed while hot. Otherwise, I've seen the seats take an impression of the edge of the ball's hole and leak after cooling.

Yes, a ball valve behind a quick connect is helpful. I don't have a valve behind EVERY QD, but I can still cut off small enough sections of my air system to be able to work on it easily.