The Difference Between A Ball Valve and A Gate Valve

Have you ever experienced an untimely leak in your home, but you did not know how to turn off your water? Or even what to look for so you can turn your water off? Either a ball valve or a gate valve is located in every single home, and it controls the flow of your homes’ water. These valves are extremely important! Whether you are suffering from a leaking water heater or a leak in your home these valves can help you prevent an unfortunate mishap from becoming a massive and costly problem. Knowing where these valves are and how they function can prevent you from further damage, and more costly repairs.

WHAT IS A GATE VALVE

A gate valve is a control valve that opens by lifting a barrier out of the path of the fluid and lets it flow through unobstructed. Gate valves are pretty common. A lot of homes in the Phoenix metropolitan area have them. But even though it is not unusual to find a gate valve in most homes, it is not the best option. Gate valves are known to fail! As a homeowner how many of us actually remember to exercise our gate valve on a consistent basis? I’m guilty of this as well… Gate valves need exercise on  a regular basis or else they will begin to tighten and corrosion sets in. Another common malfunction for the gate valve, is when the gate drops in the valve, allowing you to shut your water off, but preventing you from turning your water back on.

WHAT IS A BALL VALVE

A ball valve is a flow control device that uses a hollow, perforated and pivoting ball to control the flow of liquid through it. The pivoting ball turns 90 degrees allowing water to flow through. The mechanism has no threads, which eliminates possible corrosion and tightening. Ball valves are also far more reliable and do not require exercise as consistently as a gate valve. As a homeowner, investing in a ball valve is comparable to an insurance plan because you could save yourself thousands in potential flood damages by replacing the gate valves in your home with ball valves.

Services in Phoenix & Beyond

When you’ve found yourself in need of plumbing services in the Phoenix, Glendale, Scottsdale, or Chandler area, you can trust Robins Plumbing to provide you with prompt and expert care, contact our team today! In addition to our toilet services, we also offer a variety of residential and commercial plumbing services, including: drain cleaning, water heater repair and replacement, sewer camera inspection and locating, backflow prevention, commercial and residential jetting, water treatments, trenchless sewer repair and more. Visit our reviews online to see what others have to say about our local plumbing company!