ball valves...

[*rab*]

Dead simple one this (i hope) - I replaced our pump and valves because the pump was dead and the valves were peeing out water. Replaced the valves with pegler ball valves.

How do you open a ball valve? They have a little tap-like thing on them, but i can't turn them...? The tap is perpendicular to the pipe direction at the moment.

Is this mebe a stupid question? do ball valves actually stop flow, or do they do something else entirely?

 

[Softus]

The valves do indeed stop the flow.

What do you mean by a tap-like thing? Is it a round shaft with a square on the last 1/4 of its length? If so, get a correctly fitting spanner or a correctly adjusted adjustable wrench, and carefully attempt to turn the shaft ANTI-clockwise.

 

[*rab*]

Cheers for the reply softus.

Ok so I'm not being so stupid then. Yes it sounds similar to what you described, it's a little piece of metal about 1cm high - it's not got a square on the end, though. I tried turning it anti-clockwise to open, but it didn't go. I thought there might be some trick to it, and was scared of breaking it off.

I'll try again when i get home - ta.

 

[*rab*]

Cheers for the reply softus.

Ok so I'm not being so stupid then. Yes it sounds similar to what you described, it's a little piece of metal about 1cm high - it's not got a square on the end, though. I tried turning it anti-clockwise to open, but it didn't go. I thought there might be some trick to it, and was scared of breaking it off.

I'll try again when i get home - ta.

 

[Softus]

No offence meant, but I'm completely lost by your description:

"tap-like thing" / "little piece of metal about 1cm high"

Any chance of posting a photo on this topic?

 

[chrishutt]

Ball valves are operated by a quarter turn (90 degrees), sometimes in both directions, sometimes in one direction only.

The key of the ball valve may be a recessed slot (to turn with screwdriver) or a raised bar (to turn with a spanner) or a recessed hexagon (to turn with Allen key). The key will indicate whether the valve is open or shut according to whether the slot/bar is across or in line with the line of the pipe/valve.

 

[ChrisR]

That's easy!
http://www.screwfix.com/sfd/i/cat/87/p1809387_l.jpg

I keep a 4" adjustable on my swiss-knife/torch/rad vent key ring, ideal for those!

 

[Softus]

That's easy!

Oh b*gger - I'd forgotten about the raised bar type. If only I'd bothered to look in my pv box...

 

[JohnD]

apologies for the stupid idea... but could you have fitted the valves so the open/close spindle end is facing down and not readily visible? They'll rotate if you slacked them off at both ends.

 

[*rab*]

Oooh.. I missed all these posts - looks like the forum forgot to send me email alerts.

Aye that photo is spot on what I've got. Ok my description was a bit vague not knowing the terminology and all, but I went back after all the advice and turned the spindles a quarter turn - and the system works fine.

The reason why I posted was because they were so stiff that it felt like I was going to break the spindle off when I tried to turn it. Having never used ball valves before I thought it better to ask...

Cheers guys