Main Water Valve in House

Good Morning, and Happy 4th, I have a leaky main shut off water valve in the house that I would like to replace with a 1/4 turn ball valve and would like to install it in a way that if it would have to be replaced I could unsrew it and remove without any soldering so should I use a union on one end or both ends or compression fittings or Sharkbites?Also when soldering a brass fitting onto copper pipe is there a method to doing it such as alot more heat maybe? What kind of gas do you pros use? Acetylene, Mapp Gas ,or Propane and where could I get the long hose with the regulator and smaller tip for tight spaces? Thanks ! Enjoy the Holiday.

Hi Fudog,

IF you use a sharkbite shutoff then it can be removed very easily by using a sharkbite disconnect tool...see image below. Here, you simply push the disconnect tool against the "release collar" of the sharkbite fitting and then pull the pipe out of the shutoff.

You can check out a fast video on this at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RiqhtvgrH8&feature=related

No need for soldering in this case, but for future readers that need to solder, use MAPPGAS (or acetylene), and the regulator, BTANK and tips can usually be purchased at a home depot or the local plumbing supply store.

Good luck and enjoy the holiday!

Mass. code let you guys use those abortions? Go with a straight compression ball valve or swett one in, it will live longer than you do.

Tom Sawyer said:

Go with a straight compression ball valve or swett one in, it will live longer than you do.

Click to expand...

If the space is so tight that a regular propane torch doesn't fit and you would need to buy a torch with a long hose, just go with compression fittings. Last thing you need is to burn down the house with a torch in a tight space. The old sniff test of "if you have to ask" then you probably lack the experience to safely use a torch in such a tight space, probably smells about right.

Mass. code will allow them, but I never install them...strictly for homeowners in my book. However, I gotta figure you never used one 'cause sharkbite fittings are built like a tank and work very well without any issues that I have heard about??

Best do some research on that.......lol

plumber2011 said:

Mass. code will allow them, but I never install them...strictly for homeowners in my book. However, I gotta figure you never used one 'cause sharkbite fittings are built like a tank and work very well without any issues that I have heard about??

Click to expand...

That's yet to be seen as they haven't been around long enough to prove the test of time. My opion is any thing that depends on a O ring for a seal will at some point fail.

John

There is nothing really special about soldering brass to copper. In fact the male adapter you need will probably be wrot copper, not brass. But in either case...no proplems. The fitting is heavier than the copper pipe, so apply most of the heat around the fitting. The pipe will automatically become hot enough. Secrets are that the work area must be completely dry..no drips or dribbles. Clean of course.

I did research these...no issues beyond mistakes in installing them like not deburring the ends of pipes or not pushing the fittings on correctly. Can you provide any real information showing these are "abortions" as you called them... ? Not that I doubt you can find a few posts frowning on these, but I'm sure I can provide just as many showing that people love them....*SHRUGS*....I dunno?

Also, have to agree that these have not exactly stood the test of time, but I'll tell ya, I use the 1/2" caps to temporarily cap off copper lines and I've been using the same caps for quite awhile. I've also got to say that so far, what, 10 years or so, and I still haven't heard of any recalls or issues, so looking pretty good so far, for sure.

Finally, and again, I'm not pushing for these things, but I do think they are homeowner friendly and can be useful in certain circumstances.

Thanks guys!

Unless you can "move" the pipe, there is no way to install the valve for easy removal, unless you use two unions. Any other way would require that you "pull or lift" the pipe out of the fittings.