Top quality Kitz brand Valves at very low prices

Q. "I wish to purchase the solder type valves. Can they be soldered in place, or should they be disassembled before heating them?"
A. As long as you have some experience with soldering; you shouldn't have any problems. Most beginners tend to overheat their fittings and joints, and so, if you are brand new to soldering, you might want to consider purchasing threaded valves instead of solder types. The valve should be left in place when soldering and not taken apart. According to Kitz, you should leave the valve fully open before heating. First you preheat the valve evenly to about 212 degrees. Also preheat the tubing close to the valve before soldering the valve. Then heat the valve (where you want the solder to flow to). Don't heat the valve body more than one minute and remember, most people tend to over heat. As soon as the solder has become solid, wet the body with a wet cloth to cool it down. Don't open the valve or move anything until the valve body has totally cooled down. Flush the valve and the tube interior with water as soon as the piping work has been completed.

Q. "I am confused about the difference between NPT threads and IPS threads. I need to add a ball valve on old galvanized pipe, and I assumed it was IPS threads, so I thought that I would get an IPS ball valve, but IPS means iron pipe straight thread and galvanized and black iron pipe are tapered. I got myself confused, so could you clarify this?"
A. Just to make it clear, National Pipe Tapered Thread (NPT) is a US standard for tapered threads used on threaded pipes and fittings. NPT compatibility examples are Male NPT also known as Male Pipe Thread (MPT) and Female NPT also known as Female Pipe Thread (FPT). And an IPS is an abbreviation of Iron Pipe Straight Thread which is the Generic Name for Straight Pipe Thread (NPSH). NPT and NPS/IPS are the pipe thread standards. IPS, nowadays, is known simply as Iron Pipe Size and is tapered thread.

Q. "Do you carry valves with drains to prevent freezing?"
A. Sorry, but we don't stock self-draining valves.

Q. "Spring vs Swing?"
A. Spring loaded means it has a spring. It tends to seal better (best for potable water pumps), but the spring will wear out easier and does take more pressure to open it. A swing check works on the gravity principle (more reliable in the long run), and it take less pressure to open it (best for sump, pond, fountain, sewage pumps). A swing check should only be mounted vertically (a spring check may be installed horizontally or vertically with the water flow going up).

Q. "Will these valves hold up to freezing (not break)?"
A. Any water in ANY brand of valve (even if the walls are many times as thick as what we offer) will break if subjected to freezing conditions. The strength of water expanding during freezing is much greater than any valve costing less than many thousands of dollars.

Q. "What is an L-port style of valve?"
A. The Kitz 3 Way Ball valves offered on this page are considered L-Port valves and are designed to be used as a diverter valve. By moving the handle the center port can connect a full flow of water to either one side port or to the other side port. It is not capable of providing a full flow to both side ports at the same time.
A T-Port valve is designed to connect a full flow of water from the center port to either one side port or the other side port or both side ports at the same time, depending on how the handle is moved.

Q. "Why do you prefer to sell Kitz brand valves?"
A. Because of our customer satisfaction level with these great quality valves. We receive many repeat customers with Kitz and it is extremely rare that we ever get one back.

Q. "Can globe valves be used in place of a gate valve?"
A. All globe valves aren't "full flow" as the design of a globe valve won't allow that. Globe valves are good for throttling water flow to a certain speed or volume.

Q. "What does W.O.G. stand for?"
A. Water Oil Gas.

Q. "I've been told that when shopping for ball valves it's most important to make sure the valves are 'full port'. Do you agree?"
A. In most cases/applications we believe that the quality of a valve is more critical because a slightly throttled flow will not impede much flow as the velocity will simply increase - causing some friction loss through the valve but very little as it's for such a very short distance.

Q. "What does it mean to have ANSI Certification for lead free plumbing products?"
A. Laws requiring plumbing products that come in to contact with drinking water to be essentially lead-free (0.25% weighted average) have been passed in California and Vermont. In order for companies to ship these plumbing products to locations in CA and VT, they must be ANSI certified lead free.

Q. "What is CA AB 1953 and VT S.152?"
A. CA AB 1953 is a California Assembly Bill that defines "lead free" to mean not more than a weighted average of 0.25% lead content in pipe and fittings. VT S.152 is a Vermont Senate Bill that mimics the California AB 1953 and regulates the amount of lead to a weighted average of 0.25% or less.

Q. "What is Keepalloy®?"
A. Keepalloy® is a globally patented lead-free copper alloy that uses bismuth and selenium instead of lead. Developed by Kitz and NSF certified, this lead-free brass meets the most rigorous criteria for lead-free systems worldwide, including California's AB1953 and Vermont's Act 193 (S.152).