Quick Plumbing Question - Gate Valve

LakeShow · 04/30/2014, 08:24 PM

I purchased a 3/4" Economy Gate Valve slip x slip from BRS and was wondering if these are suppose to be tapered or not? Seems like my Schedule 80 3/4" pipe will only slip in about 1/4" before becoming impossible to push further.

I cant find any info online on glueing these in.

Does anyone know if this is normal? Wanted to glue it today so need to see if this is ok to use or not.

Thank you so much for a quick response!

JackandJill · 04/30/2014, 08:28 PM

Any PVC fitting is slightly tapered and a pipe will only fit in a portion of the way. The "glue" actually melts the pvc pipe slightly which allows it to fit all the way in.

LakeShow · 04/30/2014, 08:36 PM

Thank you that was really fast!

Every other fitting i have used so far (about 30 lol, keep changing things) has been able to slip in all of the way with little force.

Im putting like 225 lbs down on this gave valve and it only goes in 1/4" , think it is safe to use this way? Almost feels like it wants to pop back out.

Just worried im going to waste about 25$ in Schedule 80 fittings if i start glueing and something happens to this valve.

tufkab · 04/30/2014, 09:21 PM

It's been said over and over, Schedule 80 is a waste of money for our purposes; not only is it a waste of money, but schedule 80 having a thicker wall but equal OD will flow less water than schedule 40.

That being said, I would not even bother trying to glue that together if you can only get it in 1/4", something is clearly wrong. PVC pipe has dimensional tolerances of .25mm; your "economy" gate valve manufacturer may well have more "generous" tolerance guidelines. I'ts quite possible that you may have a valve at one extreme of tolerance and a piece of pipe at the other end of the tolerance scale. By the time you put solvent on the pipe it should go in further and it should hold - want to try it ?

ca1ore · 04/30/2014, 09:25 PM

Assuming it's a drain, no pressure so I think it'd be fine.

LakeShow · 04/30/2014, 10:25 PM

Thanks for all the responses guys, i ended up holding off on gluing anything till tomarrow, ill give them a call and see what they say.

I know schedule 80 is overboard but was going to be able to see the drain line from the sides of the tank, since its coming out the back instead of the bottom, so wanted it just for the looks.

Might just end up sanding the pipe down a bit to get a snug fit, wont be under any pressure but it just looks off the way it sits now.

SGT_York · 05/01/2014, 05:34 AM

The comment about equal OD outside diameter does not apply to valves just pipes, the valves inside diameter is equal to the pipe OD. So they don't restrict flow any more than schedule 40 valves. Same applies to elbows, T's, etc.

My recommendation would be to glue it and use unions, so it's easy to clean out. I wouldn't sand it, no way you could sand it evenly which will increase the likelyhood of leaks, 1/4" is plenty of space for a no pressure pipe.

In the future buy the threaded fittings much easier and you don't have to buy new ones everytime you replumb your tank.

JoelA7 · 05/02/2014, 02:59 AM

Re your comment it feels like it wants to pop out: when you glue follow the procedure: first chamfer the pipe edges and clean pipe and slip. Use the purple primer on both pieces then PVC cement on both pieces. Insert as far as it reasonably goes while twisting about 1/4 revolution. HOLD joint together for 30 seconds.

julie180 · 05/02/2014, 06:25 AM

Also, hold the gate valve up so no glue drip in and glues it shut or so it won't close completely.

LakeShow · 05/02/2014, 09:51 AM

I ended up just sanding the pipe down to fit all the way in and went heavy on the glue, made a nice seal.

Unfortunately this gate valve was just a super lemon and ended up leaking from the top of the gate so i had to rip it all out anyway.

BRS was really good about it and offered to send another one but i don't want to wait another week to get this running so ill have to find one locally. They ended up giving me a full refund though so very happy with their service.

Wish i just grabbed the nicer spears valve from the get go, would have been cheaper considering i now have to replace several fittings that were glued to this one.

Lesson learned- More unions!

04/30/2014, 08:24 PM	#1
LakeShow Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Temecula, CA Posts: 82	Quick Plumbing Question - Gate Valve I purchased a 3/4" Economy Gate Valve slip x slip from BRS and was wondering if these are suppose to be tapered or not? Seems like my Schedule 80 3/4" pipe will only slip in about 1/4" before becoming impossible to push further. I cant find any info online on glueing these in. Does anyone know if this is normal? Wanted to glue it today so need to see if this is ok to use or not. Thank you so much for a quick response!

04/30/2014, 09:25 PM	#5
ca1ore Grizzled & Cynical Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Stamford, CT Posts: 17,319	Assuming it's a drain, no pressure so I think it'd be fine. __________________ Simon Got back into the hobby ..... planned to keep it simple ..... yeah, right ..... clearly I need a new plan! Pet peeve: anemones host clowns; clowns do not host anemones! Current Tank Info: 450 Reef; 120 refugium; 60 Frag Tank, 30 Introduction tank; multiple QTs

04/30/2014, 08:28 PM	#2
JackandJill Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 249	Any PVC fitting is slightly tapered and a pipe will only fit in a portion of the way. The "glue" actually melts the pvc pipe slightly which allows it to fit all the way in.

04/30/2014, 08:36 PM	#3
LakeShow Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Temecula, CA Posts: 82	Thank you that was really fast! Every other fitting i have used so far (about 30 lol, keep changing things) has been able to slip in all of the way with little force. Im putting like 225 lbs down on this gave valve and it only goes in 1/4" , think it is safe to use this way? Almost feels like it wants to pop back out. Just worried im going to waste about 25$ in Schedule 80 fittings if i start glueing and something happens to this valve.

04/30/2014, 09:21 PM	#4
tufkab Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 178	It's been said over and over, Schedule 80 is a waste of money for our purposes; not only is it a waste of money, but schedule 80 having a thicker wall but equal OD will flow less water than schedule 40. That being said, I would not even bother trying to glue that together if you can only get it in 1/4", something is clearly wrong. PVC pipe has dimensional tolerances of .25mm; your "economy" gate valve manufacturer may well have more "generous" tolerance guidelines. I'ts quite possible that you may have a valve at one extreme of tolerance and a piece of pipe at the other end of the tolerance scale. By the time you put solvent on the pipe it should go in further and it should hold - want to try it ?

04/30/2014, 10:25 PM	#6
LakeShow Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Temecula, CA Posts: 82	Thanks for all the responses guys, i ended up holding off on gluing anything till tomarrow, ill give them a call and see what they say. I know schedule 80 is overboard but was going to be able to see the drain line from the sides of the tank, since its coming out the back instead of the bottom, so wanted it just for the looks. Might just end up sanding the pipe down a bit to get a snug fit, wont be under any pressure but it just looks off the way it sits now.

05/01/2014, 05:34 AM	#7
SGT_York Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Washington State Posts: 1,746	The comment about equal OD outside diameter does not apply to valves just pipes, the valves inside diameter is equal to the pipe OD. So they don't restrict flow any more than schedule 40 valves. Same applies to elbows, T's, etc. My recommendation would be to glue it and use unions, so it's easy to clean out. I wouldn't sand it, no way you could sand it evenly which will increase the likelyhood of leaks, 1/4" is plenty of space for a no pressure pipe. In the future buy the threaded fittings much easier and you don't have to buy new ones everytime you replumb your tank.

05/02/2014, 02:59 AM	#8
JoelA7 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Brookline, MA Posts: 1,056	Re your comment it feels like it wants to pop out: when you glue follow the procedure: first chamfer the pipe edges and clean pipe and slip. Use the purple primer on both pieces then PVC cement on both pieces. Insert as far as it reasonably goes while twisting about 1/4 revolution. HOLD joint together for 30 seconds.

05/02/2014, 06:25 AM	#9
julie180 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Raymore, MO Posts: 2,556	Also, hold the gate valve up so no glue drip in and glues it shut or so it won't close completely.

05/02/2014, 09:51 AM	#10
LakeShow Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Temecula, CA Posts: 82	I ended up just sanding the pipe down to fit all the way in and went heavy on the glue, made a nice seal. Unfortunately this gate valve was just a super lemon and ended up leaking from the top of the gate so i had to rip it all out anyway. BRS was really good about it and offered to send another one but i don't want to wait another week to get this running so ill have to find one locally. They ended up giving me a full refund though so very happy with their service. Wish i just grabbed the nicer spears valve from the get go, would have been cheaper considering i now have to replace several fittings that were glued to this one. Lesson learned- More unions!