4 ms·

I had a stop valve that went bad and I wanted to replace it with a ball-valve because I prefer quarter-turn valves for shutoff valves. No ball-valves at the ha

I had a stop valve that went bad and I wanted to replace it with a ball-valve because I prefer quarter-turn valves for shutoff valves. No ball-valves at the hardware store were lead free.

weaksauce 3y ago
just a fair warning that you should close that quarter-turn valve very gradually when there is running water if you ever find a non-leaded version... water hammer can and will burst the weakest of your pipes.
- ilyt 3y ago
  For those that do not know, Practical Engineering has video on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoLmVFAFjn4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoLmVFAFjn4
- aidenn0 3y ago
  Less of an issue for area shutoff valves (e.g. under-sink) , since most of the time they are used before doing maintenance and there is little flow at the time. We did have a plumber (!!) damage our pressure regulator by turning the whole-house shutoff valve (inches away from the regulator) too quickly; that was a bit annoying.
- pixl97 3y ago
  And/or stick a hammer preventer in your piping in multiple places.
- jhoechtl 3y ago
  Is this actually a thing? I know there are videos of watwr hammer on youtube (US centric) There are no regulations afaik in Europe in domestic = no-industrial plumbing and sure we have quarter valves which you can quickly turn off. I never ever heard of a bursting pipe because of water hammmer.
  - rdevsrex 3y ago
    When I lived in South Africa and the power went off frequently, the water went off because it couldn't be pumped. It absolutely was a thing in the water came back on. I could totally hear it in the roof.
  - p3rls 3y ago
    I am a plumber and sprinkler tech (nyc) and literally have never seen a broken pipe that could reliably be traced to water hammer damage. Really would only be concerned if you are building fire safety systems. Now those sudden GPMs need some support.
    - ComputerGuru 3y ago
      I had a problem just this past summer hooking up a pressure washer to a hose outlet. After two hours of constant on-off cycling, had the pipe leading to the hose bib burst. You could hear the water hammer quite clearly (and violently!) after I repaired it, so I went back and added a hammer arrestor.
      - p3rls 3y ago
        To me what I hear: your pipes weren't supported and your pressure is too high if it can be described as violent. I can hear my old office's script telling me to sell you a PRV or two.
        ComputerGuru 3y ago
        I hear what you’re saying but isn’t it a bit of six of one and half a dozen of the other? The high(er) pressure relative to what the pipes could withstand exacerbates the effects of water hammer induced by the pressure washer’s solenoid constantly slamming open and shut in the matter of milliseconds, no? Lower pressure (via a PRV or otherwise), higher-rated pipes, slowly opening and closing valves, or strategically installed hammer arresters are all (theoretically and to various extents) viable solutions, no?
- toast0 3y ago
  If we're warning about valves, be sure that your gate valves are fully open (or fully closed), otherwise the gate will erode and may erode to the point where it can no longer close.
- thehappypm 3y ago
  A timer sprinkler system kept water hammering, and I bought a little device that completely stopped it.
- nate_meurer 3y ago
  It would be extremely difficult to cause water hammer with a ball valve. They're just too difficult to close quickly. Water hammer is a huge issue with faucets, which can be closed quickly, and with electrically actuated valves such as in washing machines, which close very quickly.
nate_meurer 3y ago
If you're in the U.S., Home Depot sells Giancomini ball valves (branded "Everbilt") that are lead free. They're rated for water and gas. If you're looking for stops for faucet and toilet supply risers, then they're pretty much all lead free now. SharkBite and BrassCraft, for example, only make lead-free stops.

I had a stop valve that went bad and I wanted to replace it with a ball-valve because I prefer quarter-turn valves for shutoff valves. No ball-valves at the hardware store were lead free.

weaksauce 3y ago

just a fair warning that you should close that quarter-turn valve very gradually when there is running water if you ever find a non-leaded version... water hammer can and will burst the weakest of your pipes.

ilyt 3y ago
For those that do not know, Practical Engineering has video on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoLmVFAFjn4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoLmVFAFjn4
aidenn0 3y ago
Less of an issue for area shutoff valves (e.g. under-sink) , since most of the time they are used before doing maintenance and there is little flow at the time. We did have a plumber (!!) damage our pressure regulator by turning the whole-house shutoff valve (inches away from the regulator) too quickly; that was a bit annoying.
pixl97 3y ago
And/or stick a hammer preventer in your piping in multiple places.
jhoechtl 3y ago
Is this actually a thing? I know there are videos of watwr hammer on youtube (US centric) There are no regulations afaik in Europe in domestic = no-industrial plumbing and sure we have quarter valves which you can quickly turn off. I never ever heard of a bursting pipe because of water hammmer.
- rdevsrex 3y ago
  When I lived in South Africa and the power went off frequently, the water went off because it couldn't be pumped. It absolutely was a thing in the water came back on. I could totally hear it in the roof.
- p3rls 3y ago
  I am a plumber and sprinkler tech (nyc) and literally have never seen a broken pipe that could reliably be traced to water hammer damage. Really would only be concerned if you are building fire safety systems. Now those sudden GPMs need some support.
  - ComputerGuru 3y ago
    I had a problem just this past summer hooking up a pressure washer to a hose outlet. After two hours of constant on-off cycling, had the pipe leading to the hose bib burst. You could hear the water hammer quite clearly (and violently!) after I repaired it, so I went back and added a hammer arrestor.
    - p3rls 3y ago
      To me what I hear: your pipes weren't supported and your pressure is too high if it can be described as violent. I can hear my old office's script telling me to sell you a PRV or two.
      - ComputerGuru 3y ago
        I hear what you’re saying but isn’t it a bit of six of one and half a dozen of the other? The high(er) pressure relative to what the pipes could withstand exacerbates the effects of water hammer induced by the pressure washer’s solenoid constantly slamming open and shut in the matter of milliseconds, no? Lower pressure (via a PRV or otherwise), higher-rated pipes, slowly opening and closing valves, or strategically installed hammer arresters are all (theoretically and to various extents) viable solutions, no?
toast0 3y ago
If we're warning about valves, be sure that your gate valves are fully open (or fully closed), otherwise the gate will erode and may erode to the point where it can no longer close.
thehappypm 3y ago
A timer sprinkler system kept water hammering, and I bought a little device that completely stopped it.
nate_meurer 3y ago
It would be extremely difficult to cause water hammer with a ball valve. They're just too difficult to close quickly. Water hammer is a huge issue with faucets, which can be closed quickly, and with electrically actuated valves such as in washing machines, which close very quickly.

nate_meurer 3y ago

If you're in the U.S., Home Depot sells Giancomini ball valves (branded "Everbilt") that are lead free. They're rated for water and gas. If you're looking for stops for faucet and toilet supply risers, then they're pretty much all lead free now. SharkBite and BrassCraft, for example, only make lead-free stops.