Union Ball Valves!

[Mako Shark II]

I'm just sayin'! :thumbsup:

They're the best d@mn thing invented for reef system plumbing, next to "pipe dope".

I'm moving all my pumps around, trying to up my flow. I just got back from Home Depot. (I left the house at 6:50 pm - sever pucker factor!!!! They closed at 7PM.)

Right now, I could not have opened up my entire system, were it not for Union Ball Valves! I closed all the Union Ball valves, 100% isolated all the main components, and then tore everything apart.

Here's a shot of the Closed Loop system when it was new, with a Coralife Turbo-Sea 1090 pump. Now, I'm switching my main pump (a Gen-X PCX-30) to the CL, and upping the main pump to a PCX-40.

So this post is dedicated to the greatness of the Union Ball Valve!!!!!!!

If You are planning a new set-up, I strongly urge the use of them. They will incrementally increase your cost, but they are well worth the PRICE!

 

[ducklabdad]

+1 for that.

Let us know how the new pump works out marty!!!

 

[MrRyanT]

Ball valves are cool, but gate valves IMO are even better. If ball valves are not used pretty regularly they tend to get stuck, so far this hasn't happened to me with gate valves.

 

[Mako Shark II]

Stuck?? Dude! You slam the valve 90-degrees shut and crush anything in its path! They Work! AND you can un-couple whatever you've connected them too. Ball valves, unless they've got the "union" part of it, can't even compete.

I hear what your saying, but if there was an Aeroquip, quick-disconnect fitting for reef tanks, Id be all over that.

Ball-valves, despite their 100% shut-off capability, can not be disconnected from the remainder of the system with a quick-turn.