Pro Handyman Blog

There are going to be times when you have to replace a water valve, be it a ball valve or gate valve. Plumbing hint: use a ball valve. The design is far superior to that of the gate valve meaning it will work when you need it to. All this for only a few dollars more.

When soldering a valve onto a copper pipe, care needs to be taken so that you don’t damage the valve with the torch, specifically the heat of the torch.

When soldering the valve, (aka sweating copper), you certainly want a good connection, but you don’t want to damage any of the internal mechanisms. The heat of the torch is intense and so you must prepare the valve to avoid this heat buildup. The easiest way to do this is to open the valve to allow air flow.

To allow air flow for the ball valve, turn the handle so that it is in line with the valve, in other words, not perpendicular. For the gate valve, you want to turn the handle counterclockwise to lift the gate out and allow air flow. Here is an article on how to solder copper pipe. Always have a bucket of water nearby. It’s also good practice to dunk a rag in the water to cool the valve and piping down after you remove the torch.