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On Thu, 08 Jan 2004 05:44:34 GMT,
John Smith wrote:
Should sea cocks (under the water line) be ball valves or gate valves?



Never gate valves, above or below the water line. Gate valves break,
they can easily jam in the open position, they give little or no
indication of if they are open, closed or some point inbetween. They are
rarely made of suitable material for salt water environments, and they
cost no less than a decent quality ball valve. If it's for a through
hull, gate valves lack the support for bolting through.

You can sort of get away with them for internal stuff, but you are
better off with ball valves for that too. The 1/4" bronze ones at
Ballard Hardware are about $6 each, and the SS ones, are ~$18 iirc.

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--
Jim Richardson http://www.eskimo.com/~warlock