Cracking stopcocks

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cgarai

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Hi

I'm on my 4th cracked Brass Craft 1/4 turn stop cock. They have been in service for anywhere from 1-4 years before they cracked and started leaking. All have failed with a hairline crack in the threads that may So far the damage has been minor, but I've been lucky. Is this a case of installed with too much torque or a faulty brand of valves? Has anyone else had a similar experience? I feel that I'm sitting on 20 time bombs.

The 3 that I replaced with the same valve (I like the 1/4 turn) have not failed, but I used more tape and less torque.

Thanks,

Chris
 

Jadnashua

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Are these threaded on, or compression fittings? With a tapered pipe thread, if the nipple's threads are not within spec (or the valve), you may need to tighten it further than design. You can generate a lot of stress with tapered pipe threads...a wedge is a very effective simple tool.
 

cgarai

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Hi
Sorry, forgot to say this is a 1/2"npt connection to the house plumbing, 3/8 compression to the faucet. It's cracking in the npt threads.

Are these threaded on, or compression fittings? With a tapered pipe thread, if the nipple's threads are not within spec (or the valve), you may need to tighten it further than design. You can generate a lot of stress with tapered pipe threads...a wedge is a very effective simple tool.
 

cgarai

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Well that's exactly what I'm looking for, the name of a quality valve. Do they come in 1/4 turn angle valves? Or is 1/4 turn a bad idea for some reason?

Thanks
 

cgarai

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So are Dahl the best valves? My local supplier CalSteam sells ProFlo valves. I have to replace 20 valves, so if I can spend around $10 vs $20 its significant. Of course another failure could cost way more, so I'm happy not to cheap out if Dahl is only acceptable product. Seems there has to be other reputable valves.
 

Jadziedzic

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Will the $200 you save by buying a cheaper alternative fully compensate you for the potential damage if the alternative fails? When I replace all the shutoffs in my house the only brand I'm going to consider is Dahl.
 

Asktom

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Use pipe dope rather than teflon tape (with apologies to HJ) and don't crank it too hard and you will be fine with Brasscraft. It is easier to over tighten with tape if you don't do it all the time.
 

Terry

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Dahl is nice. I've been using BrassCraft and doing fine with it. I did talk to a contractor a few months back that was having troubles with Brasscraft though. It may be over tightening though.
 
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