This Asahi America Labcock PVC ball valve is made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) for less weight than metals, and has a lever handle for on/off manual control and a calibrated flow indicator to monitor flow. This inline valve has 1/4" male National Pipe Taper (NPT) threads to connect to a female threaded pipe and a 3/8" hose connection to connect to a hose going in the same direction. The valve is a single-piece valve construction for reduced possibility of leakage, and is pressure rated to 150 pounds per square inch (psi) at 120 degrees F (water), and has a full vacuum rating of 29.9" Hg. This valve has an EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) seal for increased water resistance and meets NSF International/American National Standards Institute (NSF/ANSI) 61 standards for potable water use. This inline ball valve is suitable for chemical processing and water and wastewater applications.

Ball valves use a spherical disc to control the flow between pipes, tubes, or hoses. Flow is allowed when the hole that pierces the ball-shaped disc is in line with the inlet and outlet of the valve and is blocked when the ball is horizontally swiveled 90 degrees, so that the hole of the ball is perpendicular to the opening of the valve. Ball valves can be referred to as full port or reduced port (also known as regular or standard port) depending on the inner diameter or the valve. A ball valve is full port if the hole of the ball is the same size as the inner diameter of the connecting pipeline (resulting in lower friction) and termed reduced port if the hole of the valve is one pipe size smaller than the pipe, resulting in less flow through the valve than through the shaft of the pipe. Ball valves may have a handle or lever that aligns with the ball’s position (open or closed) for manual operation. They are primarily used in air, gas, liquid, and steam applications.

Asahi/America, Inc. manufactures corrosion-resistant fluid flow products, including thermoplastic valves, actuators, flow meters, tubing systems, and single and double containment piping systems. The company, founded in 1977 and headquartered in Malden, MA, meets International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2008 and National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) 61 standards.