VALVES

In pond and wetland construction valves are required for volume control, distribution, draining, and winterization. for shutoff. We stock a variety of speciaized valves to accomplish each of these functions. All valves are made from industrial quality black or dark gray PVC.

2" knife valve 4" knife valve

knife valves

GRAY KNIFE VALVES: Knife valves control water flow with a thin flat plate called a "knife" that is opened and closed by pulling or pushing a T-shaped handle. Since they can be rapidly operated, they are ideal for filter drain lines that must only be opened for a few seconds to clear waste. Knife valves are also commonly used to seal 4" bottom-drain lines feeding vortex filters because gate valves this size are very expensive. Our knife valves are made of gray PVC in 1-1/2", 2", 3", and 4" sizes, all with socket fittings on both sides. The 1-1/2" and 2" sizes have a twist-lock mechanism to reduce the likelihood of accidental opening; the 3" and 4" sizes accept a security lock. The large valves are also supplied with a safety clip to keep the valve in the open position if desired (safety clips are optional on the small sizes).

ball valve

GRAY BALL VALVES: Ball valves control water flow with a plastic ball that rotates as the handle is turned. In the open position, a large hole through the ball is aligned in the direction of water flow, allowing the water to flow unobstructed; in the closed position the hole is aligned perpendicular to the direction of water flow, blocking the flow. Ball valves are more reliable and controllable than gate valves which makes them ideal for most shut-off applications in pond construction. Our gray PVC ball valves are superior-quality valves that feature "full-port" balls for low friction loss (the hole in each ball is the same diameter as the pipe size of the valve), built-in unions for ease of maintenance, and independent gasket retainers for adjustable operating pressure. We stock 1/2", 3/4", 1", 1-1/4", 1-1/2", 2", and 3" sizes with either female threads or pipe sockets.

gate valve

GRAY GATE VALVES: Gate valves control water flow with a wedge-shaped internal plastic barrier, called a "gate", that rises and falls as the handle is turned. Unlike ball valves which go from fully open to fully closed with only a quarter turn of the handle, gate valves require many full turns of the handle to go from fully open to fully closed, making them ideal for precise flow regulation of pumps, filtration systems, and fountain manifolds. Gate valves are also frequently used to add back pressure to larger pond pumps operating at low head pressure to prevent pump overloading. Our gray PVC gate valves are superior-quality valves designed for years of reliable operation. We stock 1/2", 3/4", 1", 1-1/4", 1-1/2", and 2" sizes with either female threads or pipe sockets.

3 port valve

BLACK AND GRAY THREE-PORT ROTATING VALVES: Unlike knife, ball, and gate valves which have one inlet and one outlet, three-port valves can be configured to have one inlet and two outlets or two inlets and one outlet. Turning a large handle rotates an internal barrier that proportions the flow between the inlets and outlets, and a thumb screw locks the handle in the desired position. This feature allows three-port valves to combine water from two sources (for example, to connect both a skimmer and a bottom drain to an external pump), or to divert water to two destinations (for example, to connect a pump to two waterfalls at different elevations). We offer a heavy-duty black three-port valve with built-in 2" socket unions on all three ports, but 1.5" socket or female adapters are also available. We also offer a larger three-port gray valve with 3" spigot ends (order three socket unions to create a fully removeable valve).

black check valve clear check valve

check valves

BLACK AND CLEAR CHECK VALVES: Check valves allow water to flow in only one direction through a hose or pipe. They are normally installed between a submersible pump and a waterfall filter installed higher than the pond so that the filter will not siphon dry when the pump is disconnected for maintenance, or in the event of a power failure. Check valves are also essential in the suction line feeding an external pump to facilitate priming when the pump is positioned higher than the pond water surface. For aquatic gardening it is important to use only full-flow swing check valves– named for their internal flaps that swing completely out of the way in operation– instead of spring check valves which can clog easily and are only suitable for clear water. For typical low pressure pond applications, we offer 2" black swing check valves with spigot ends that can be connected to pipe or hose with flexible couplings and appropriate adapters. Where other sizes are required, or for higher pressure applications, we offer see-through clear swing-check valves in 1/2", 3/4", 1", 1-1/4", 1-1/2", 2", 3", and 4" pipe sizes with built-in socket or female-threaded unions.

PRICING: Call or email for current pricing.

return to top of page