that stuff may work and maybe they will last forever. I just put in my 2 cents that I wouldn't use them due to bad experiences in the past at work. after our equipment ran for 6 months the gates started to weap after a year we ended up cutting them all out and replacing them all with ball valves I don't work there anymore but a friend of mine does and he said they havent had to touch them since (except one that was accidentally frozen because the door was left open beside it and it froze and cracked)
18' x 9' x 3.5' catfish tank build in progress.....
- Thread starter necrocanis
- Start date
These will have to work for now as I'm not spending $100 on ball valves, and that's pretty cheap for a ball valve this size. I'd need two which equals another two months of saving up. At that rate this project will never get finished lol.
The way you are patient, you might just find better valves down the road if you actually need them...It's not like you'll be opening and closing them 100 times a day...necrocanis;2438166; said:
BTW how big are those valves 2.5"?
they are 3" on the inside. I will probably use a union though I just wanted to make them permanent. Wouldn't want to have to do a repair that might cost me in the long run. Wish I had known everyone's concern a lil earlier, but hey I'm gonna give these a try and if they fail I'll get something else, but for now I'll have to make due. The site said they are made specifically for koi ponds.
They should be fine...Same ones they use on hot tubs as well and that is way heated water (100+f) compared to our tanks ...
seem pretty durable. I'll keep an eye on them, and if nothing else I will union the end on the outside and if they ever fail I'll just use it as a fitting for a ball valve. Hopefully it won't come to that. I guess the main issue is probably the water rushing against the blade when it's only partially open. That might cause it to warp over time.
...that and any abrasives that may be in the water over time will deteriorate the seating surface where they won't seal properly...takes a long wile though...the "gate" itself is slightly wedge shaped to seat at full close position.. and the water should go straight through in the full open...For that matter I have had the "Ball" in stainless ball valves get pitted from grit in the Crab tank as well, and then opening and closing would wear the seals. Ball valves for all that money should be rebuildable...
I think the gate valves will probably be fine. You're talking low velocity flow, so it shouldn't etch away at the valve or seal, and you won't be opening and closing them frequently, so they shouldn't wear. And even if they do leak a little bit when closed, it shouldn't be the end of the world - it's not like you'll be closing the valve, removing a filter and leaving it like that.
depends on how much his fish piss him offcvermeulen;2439046; said:
Seriously those Gates should be the cats backside
I wouldn't worry about them much as I'm sure when and if they ever wear out it will give you the excuse you need to build a bigger tank.. "Honey... I just can't Pull them out... I need to take half the tank apart to get to them... I will need somewhere for the fish to go while I do it " WHAMO Instant 2nd tank LMAO
