sanity check - are ball valves directional?

[JetSmooth]

I'm 98% sure they aren't, but are ball valves directional or do they need to be installed pointing in a particular orientation related to liquid flow?

I got a keggle from Kegglebrewing.com and it's awesome! Terry did a great job on it. I had him put a coupler on the side just under the handle for a whirlpool or recirculation inlet. When I calibrated the sight gauge, the coupler is right at the 13 gallon level. I figure for longer boils or bigger batches, I may want to start with a 14 gallon volume. I figure I can just put a ball valve on the port to shut it until the volume drops below 13 gallons.

However, since the flow when I recirc is going to be INTO the keggle, rather than out like a normal drain valve, I wonder if I need to mount the valve backward. That would be a little awkward to control, since the pivot would be on the outer end.

Or should I get a butterfly ball valve?

Am I over thinking here?

 

[motobrewer]

lol! yes, you're overthinking

ball valves are not directional.

 

[LakewoodBrew]

Unless they have an integral check valve...

 

[motobrewer]

well yes, but that is a pretty specialty part

you wouldn't find that at any hbs or kegglewhateverbrewing.com. heck i donno if mcmaster would stock that

 

[Chemkrafty]

Ball valves are not directional, but plumbing and engineering convention leads one to set up the valve handle to point in the direction of flow whenever possible.

 

[JetSmooth]

Awesome. That's what I was hoping y'all would say. :rockin:

Ball valves are not directional, but plumbing and engineering convention leads one to set up the valve handle to point in the direction of flow whenever possible.

Yeah. It would be a little bass-ackwards to anyone who didn't know the setup. So maybe a butterfly ball valve, just to be a little more "proper"?

 

[motobrewer]

if the handle is pointed up, the geometry is the same!

take your valve, open it halfway - then flip it around, keeping the handle on top. it's the same geometry.

if you invert the valve, the geometry flips 180 degrees. but, it doesn't matter.

 

[bruin_ale]

They aren't directional, but in most of my vessels if I put them the "wrong" way the handle would hit the vessel before the valve was completely open.

 

[Catt22]

They are not directional as far as I know and in our application it usually comes down to which way you prefer the handle to move. I do prefer the engineering convention where the handle points in the direction of flow when it is convenient to position the valves that way.

 

[emjay]

They aren't directional, but in most of my vessels if I put them the "wrong" way the handle would hit the vessel before the valve was completely open.

This. Unless it's connected to an overly long nipple or something, you're really only going to be able to install it the "proper" way.

The only times I ever really see an actual choice available in terms of which way to orient the valve are when it's installed in the middle of a section of pipe where the handle won't be banging into anything.

 

[Chemkrafty]

A little drunk last night and didn't complete my thought! While engineering convention is indeed to put the valve handle open in the direction of flow, on tanks it never really mattered since they would run into the same issue. All tank valves point out anyway, which is what you have so don't worry about it. If you are putting them in line,make sure to orient them the right way. It really hwlps if you are ever tracing lines and need to know which way its traveling.