Gate valve or Ball

[John_d_Smith]

Got a dripping Toilet inlet valve which i'll be changing when the boat comes out of the water next month, at present all the valves are Gate valves but should i considere changing these for Ball Valves?

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[sailorman]

yes

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[boatmike]

Agreed. Gate valves have no place on a boat.

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[sailorman]

its always the spindle that goes first even if serviced annually

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[boatmike]

Not only that. How do you know they are truly shut and not jammed on a lump of crap?

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[sailorman]

hadnt thought of that.
i had one on the engine inlel, that was always carefully closed UNTILL THE STRONG ARMED MARINE ENGINEER, turned it off. i coudnt shift it at all got the softwood bung to hand & managed to change it "live" for the ball valve type
brave / stupid or wot.

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[david42]

definately go for ball valves.

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[brianhumber]

Re: To Balls or Not to Balls?

It would appear most people on this forum prefer balls.
However if you look after your gates, service them annually I say they will last just as long if not longer than your adverage balls.
Mine are 16 years old and just as good as others balls. I admit I do not let others touch them as it is easy to over tighten shut or open and then the square thread can become weakened and nasty dribbles appear.
In sandy waters I have seen balls get scratched and then your balls dribble which is not nice.

Guess at the end of the day its your choice to go for some balls or not.

Sorry if this tale of balls has offended



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[longjohnsilver]

Re: To Balls or Not to Balls?

Well I've got both, balls and a gate valve. Balls arre useful if inaccessible but prefer the gate valve cos being an idiot I would soon forget which way is open/shut on a ball. Needless to say my gate is for the engine raw water intake, now 20+ years old and still going strong.

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[jerryat]

Re: To Balls or Not to Balls?

Yep! Agree completely. I don't particularly like the idea of gate valves, but strip and thoroughly grease them every 12 months at a minimum, so I get to check every component. I do have a ball valve on the engine inlet and, of course, Blakes on the heads, but the two gates are still in perfect condition - after 20 years, with no sign of corrosion or de-zincification.

Cheers

Jerry

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[sailorman]

Re: To Balls or Not to Balls?

i have only one "ball" on the engine the others r some fancy things that r rather like a seal in bronze that fits flush to the hull externally & is withdrawn upwards & is fixed open by a simple thread.
very easy to service & check + any gribbled parts can be mamufactured by an engineers shop

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[samwise]

The Gospel according to Nigel Calder is that gate valves have no place on a boat. The Sadler we bought three years ago had gate valves fitted to the raw water inlet and the galley sink, chiefly for reasons of space. As far as I am aware, both valvcs had been left open for saeason after season and were showing bad signs of corrosion. I had them out immediately and replaced by ball valves. Had they been regularly used and serviced they could have been retained, but I would still not have trusted them entirely. That said, I guess the same could be said for the Blakes seacocks if they are neglected. I guess the bottom line is that whatever you have, look after them!

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[Piere]

Re: To Balls or Not to Balls?

its easy really . i got ball type on my boat , if the lever is in line with the flow its open, if perpendicular ( at 90 degrees) its shut . not a difficult thing to adjust in your shed or workshop at home before fitted . It works for me!!

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[Graham_Wright]

If you go to your local pipeline suppliers, you might be surprised at the price of stainless ball valves. The are certainly within reach

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[dickh]

ake sure you get BRONZE ball valves - not the sort from your local plumber - they will be BRASS and WILL dezinctify. try ASAP Supplies who can supply both bronze & stainless if you can afford them or if really rich use Blakes!
Actually, rethinking what I've just written, why not use cheap ball brass valves and replace say every 3/4 years? I suspect you wont get any problems.

<hr width=100% size=1>dickh
I'd rather be sailing... /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

 

[Graham_Wright]

Brass - yeah - right!

Then you get the added fun of unexpected fountains to plug as well!

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