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Side Entry Ball Valves (2 of 2)

View the thread, titled "Side Entry Ball Valves (2 of 2)" which is posted in UK Plumbers Forums on UK Plumbers Forums.

I am so happy we do not have such issues in Germany we hardly have tanks in the loft ... Gravity dies out there ... Most of the time we have geberit frames for toilets ...
Yes and surface mounted issolators for almost everything and the little magnetic tile panels in the side of the bath to hide the floor gulley, loads of bathrooms I have been to in germany have the washing machine in them too. You do lots of things differently many of them better by design.
 
Yes and surface mounted issolators for almost everything and the little magnetic tile panels in the side of the bath to hide the floor gulley, loads of bathrooms I have been to in germany have the washing machine in them too. You do lots of things differently many of them better by design.

Yeah that's true ... That's why I struggle sometimes with British standards. Yes washing machine is most of the time in the bathroom too ... Also we have got 220v in bathrooms not 16v for shaving 😉
 
Alright, talked enough ...

For me is clear now I will use part 2 including a double check valve instead isolation valve and I am on the safe side. That's all I wanted to know cheers all for the massive help

I'm not sure if you missed out or worded this wrong but you should always use a service valve \ isolation valve
Before any appliance\tap\cwsc... then any check valves or other valves required

As every outlet should have the ability to be independently isolated although not always possible or practical
 
Another reason for having to use part 2 is often you have to bend the brass arm in order to set the water level correctly and this, as far as regs go, is not acceptable as it weakens the arm which could become brittle and break...

That's one reason I heard, - yet when you think about it, to replace a nice solid all brass part 1 valve with a part 2 brass valve will mean you have a diaphragm washer in it that will fail in a fairly short time, plus a plastic pin that can jam, plus an awful silly water outlet made of plastic
that can crack or snap off and shoot high pressure water straight up when valve opens. Bad job in a toilet cistern or worse in any tank with no lid.
Not an improvement IMO. An overflow on a cwt can & should be fitted at same level or just a tad below ballvalve to prevent water passing the ballvalve through threads or rising above it.
These modern ideas are just stupid & probably often invented from Europe.
 
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I'm not sure if you missed out or worded this wrong but you should always use a service valve \ isolation valve
Before any appliance\tap\cwsc... then any check valves or other valves required

As every outlet should have the ability to be independently isolated although not always possible or practical
If only this was the case.. But worse still when people use the all plastic pushfit valves and the plastic slotted bit you turn sheers and renders it unusable.. *grunt* I hate them!
 
A tank is a receptacle for storing water and an air gap is what it says.
Neither know if their purpose is to flush a WC , feed a DHW cylinder or act as F&E.
Can anyone explain why a ball valve deemed safe for the latter two is unsafe on a WC cistern.
As for bending the arm, I have yet to break one but often ripple a copper tube. If this logic continues the commercial interests that sell us fittings will persuade the regulators that bending tube should be banned.
 
"You shouldn't put ideas into my head".
And the sad thing is Ray if you suggested it some committee would approve it.
 
If only this was the case.. But worse still when people use the all plastic pushfit valves and the plastic slotted bit you turn sheers and renders it unusable.. *grunt* I hate them!

Theres literally nothing worse at all that the plastic ISO valves
 
When it comes to replacing a part 1 washer then, should we be replacing the whole valve for a part 2 now then
 
I'm not sure if you missed out or worded this wrong but you should always use a service valve \ isolation valve
Before any appliance\tap\cwsc... then any check valves or other valves required

As every outlet should have the ability to be independently isolated although not always possible or practical


Any yeah that's clear to me to have a valve to isolate for repair or changing it. But thanks for letting me know .

I struggled a lot of time when I went after other plumbers couldn't find anything to isolate. Worse case scenario shut the whole house ... But some ppl can't be bothered to install a simple ISO
 
Simple ISOs tend to leak on the spindle. Just done one this morning. Shutting whole house down is not usually a problem for the minutes it takes to do the ball valve. Different on commercial buildings. I always use lever valves in lofts.
 
Part 2 has a washer too..

What I mean is, if where saying that you shouldn't use a part 1 in a cwsc or wc fed from the mains, if you come to a old installation that needs a new washer with a part one with a dcv should we be swapping it for a part 2 valve instead of just replacing the washer
 
Any yeah that's clear to me to have a valve to isolate for repair or changing it. But thanks for letting me know .

I struggled a lot of time when I went after other plumbers couldn't find anything to isolate. Worse case scenario shut the whole house ... But some ppl can't be bothered to install a simple ISO

Or if your like me have to do it live 🙁
 
What I mean is, if where saying that you shouldn't use a part 1 in a cwsc or wc fed from the mains, if you come to a old installation that needs a new washer with a part one with a dcv should we be swapping it for a part 2 valve instead of just replacing the washer

What I mean is, if where saying that you shouldn't use a part 1 in a cwsc or wc fed from the mains, if you come to a old installation that needs a new washer with a part one with a dcv should we be swapping it for a part 2 valve instead of just replacing the washer

As far as I believe, you don't have to retro fit and can just simply change the washer - but if you ever have to change the entire valve then I think you are meant to change it to a part 2. The more I read the page in the regs book, the more I'm convinced they contradict themselves!!!!

Reading it today, as long as there is a dcv immediately upstream of the part one, then a part one can be fitted anywhere, even in a wc. Page 7.4, R16.2 (recommended action by water industry).

But DETR Law states (same page) requirements for wc's is a part 2,3, or 4. Anywhere else part 1,2,3 or 4.

I give up!
 
As far as I believe, you don't have to retro fit and can just simply change the washer - but if you ever have to change the entire valve then I think you are meant to change it to a part 2. The more I read the page in the regs book, the more I'm convinced they contradict themselves!!!!

Reading it today, as long as there is a dcv immediately upstream of the part one, then a part one can be fitted anywhere, even in a wc. Page 7.4, R16.2 (recommended action by water industry).

But DETR Law states (same page) requirements for wc's is a part 2,3, or 4. Anywhere else part 1,2,3 or 4.

I give up!


The thing I don't get Is I think the valves we're supplied with the cisterns can't see them spending more money on different valves when they come with one
 
The thing I don't get Is I think the valves we're supplied with the cisterns can't see them spending more money on different valves when they come with one

So backflow was the only reason this guy gave to say they were illegal? I think, by law, he is correct BUT if a dcv is fitted someone who isn't so anal can pass it without it breaking the law.
 
So backflow was the only reason this guy gave to say they were illegal? I think, by law, he is correct BUT if a dcv is fitted someone who isn't so anal can pass it without it breaking the law.

Yes and no he said they didn't have a bs no so they shouldn't be used and also back flow could happen but tbh I think it's one of them 10000000000000/1 situations don't see how it could back flow on mains with 3 bar behind it fair enough on tank but mains lol
 
The only problem with the regs. Is its all on interpretation you might read it one way and say its correct where as I might say that it's wrong although we could both be right

I think ill stick to buying part 2 valves from now just to be on the safe side,

Ray might see a drop in sales of part 1 valves after this thread
 
Yes and no he said they didn't have a bs no so they shouldn't be used and also back flow could happen but tbh I think it's one of them 10000000000000/1 situations don't see how it could back flow on mains with 3 bar behind it fair enough on tank but mains lol
Ohhh ok, so basically they've used cheapo valves that aren't BS approved.. If theyd been BS approved I bet he'd have passed them
 
Ohhh ok, so basically they've used cheapo valves that aren't BS approved.. If theyd been BS approved I bet he'd have passed them

But I would think they would be bs approved as everything sold is might not have the bs stamp don't know will pull one out and inspect it will thro some pics up when I do,

And yes plumb nothing is ever down in black it's all down to the installer to interprete the rules
 
A tank is a receptacle for storing water and an air gap is what it says.
Neither know if their purpose is to flush a WC , feed a DHW cylinder or act as F&E.
Can anyone explain why a ball valve deemed safe for the latter two is unsafe on a WC cistern.
As for bending the arm, I have yet to break one but often ripple a copper tube. If this logic continues the commercial interests that sell us fittings will persuade the regulators that bending tube should be banned.

I admit I once snapped a part 1 ball valve arm when giving it a bend.
But it was the standard cheap valve and the "brass" arm was hard & brittle rubbish.
I was very lucky to not get ripped open with it, as the broken ends were long jagged shards.
 
I admit I once snapped a part 1 ball valve arm when giving it a bend.
But it was the standard cheap valve and the "brass" arm was hard & brittle rubbish.
I was very lucky to not get ripped open with it, as the broken ends were long jagged shards.


Give it a lick with the blow lamp before bending always helps I find
 

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