What is a Ball Valve?
A ball valve, one type of quarter turn valve, is quite literally a ball placed in a passageway through which fluid flows. The ball has a hole through it, by which the valve opens and closes. When the ball is positioned so that the hole runs the same direction as the passageway, the fluid simply flows through the hole, and the valve is open. However, when the ball is positioned so that the hole is perpendicular to the passageway, the fluid cannot pass through, and the valve is closed. The ball is controlled from outside the valve, often with a handle that is turned 90 degrees, or a quarter turn, back and forth to open and close the valve. The basic ball valve, described above, is a two-way valve. This ball valve has a single, straight passageway bored through the ball, making two openings: one on each side, an inlet and an outlet. A ball valve can also be a three-way valve if a third hole is bored partially through the ball, until it meets the main hole, forming a T. A three-way ball va
A ball valve is a valve that opens by turning a handle attached to a ball inside the valve. The ball has a hole, or port, through the middle so that when the port is in line with both ends of the valve, flow will occur. When the valve is closed, the hole is perpendicular to the ends of the valve, and flow is blocked. The handle or lever will be in line with the port position letting you “see” the valve’s position.
