Ball valves for plumbing isolation

A ball valve gives a quarter-turn shut-off. Turn the handle 90 degrees and the flow stops. That speed and simplicity makes it the preferred isolation valve in most modern plumbing and compressed air installations — faster and less prone to wear than a gate valve, and easier to confirm visually (the handle position tells you whether the valve is open or shut).

Full-bore ball valves — where the ball port matches the pipe bore — give the lowest pressure drop across the valve and suit applications where unrestricted flow matters. The range here covers standard BSP threaded sizes in brass, which suits water, compressed air, and gas where the valve is rated for it.

For gas applications, always check the product specification. A valve must be explicitly rated for gas before being installed on a gas line. The pressure rating should also be confirmed against the system working pressure, particularly for compressed air applications where supply pressures can exceed typical domestic water supply.