Getting ball valves to close completely

[Stephen Tashiro]

Do ball valves require some sort of breaking-in or adjustment to get them to close completely?

In examining and using brand new ball valves for 1" PEX, I've encountered a lot of examples ( 4 out of 10) that seem to be defective. They don't shut off the water completely. When I inspect them visually I see that closing the valve still leaves a small gap open between the hole in the ball and the edge of the valve. On non-defective examples, closing the handle moves the ball until it encounters some stiff resistance just before the valve closes completely. Then applying more force makes ball turn more. It clicks and then the hole in the ball is obscured On the defective valves, I can't get them to do this final click.

(I'm not talking about angle stop valves for fixtures. I'm talking about the larger valves like those used for the shut-off of a main water line.)

[Jerry Bruette]

Are these valves plastic or metal?
I deal with brass and stainless ball valves all day at work and they operate smoothly.
The plastic, probably PVC, ones at my cabin behave as you're describing. You have to give them a little extra and you can feel them seat.

[Lee Schierer]

The plastic ball valves I've used, I lubricate the ball with silicone and they work much more smoothly.

[Stephen Tashiro]

Are these valves plastic or metal?

They are metal.

The plastic ball valves I've used, I lubricate the ball with silicone and they work much more smoothly.

On a sprinkler line, I'd do that, but I'm working on water lines in a house.

[roger wiegand]

I haven't had such a problem, but I buy valves and such at the plumbing supply house rather than the big box stores. More expensive, but generally much better quality than what the borgs carry. Real plumbers don't like callbacks.

[Stephen Tashiro]

After examining many ball valves yesterday, my conclusion is that the valves I thought were defective will work if sufficient force is used to close them. It is surprising to me that there is such variation in the same brand and model of ball valve. Some examples close smoothly. Some close most of the way and only require a nudge to finish closing. A few close most of the way and then require a lot of force to complete the closing. So you can't judge whether a ball valve is closed by how it feels when you close it. You must look to see if the handle has turned all he way so it meets the stop.

I'm dealing with all new ball valves. I worry about having to deal with them when they get old. If I'm exerting a lot of force to close a valve, how do I know whether it's stubborn by nature or whether something is broken? I don't like to exert a lot force on valves in PEX plumbing since the pipes don't give them as much support as copper.

[John K Jordan]

...You must look to see if the handle has turned all he way so it meets the stop.
...

I've trimmed a tiny bit off the stop to make an errant valve close completely and easily. Might be easier to remove the handle first and adjust the stop on the handle instead of the valve body.

JKJ