# Ball Valve Handles Name Print



## czplumbing (Nov 24, 2014)

Hello seeing if any one here has used a company to put you company's name on ball valve handles, and a number or site to contact. Also are they using good valves like Watts or a no name brand? Thanks


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## KoleckeINC (Oct 22, 2011)

You could call wolverine brass.


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## czplumbing (Nov 24, 2014)

I will thanks, I didn't know you could call the manufacture directly and they would provide this. Thanks


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

look to see if there is a company to make the rubber sleeve to slide over any ball valve handle.....I forgot the name of the company, but they keep sending big catalogs for all kinds of labeling, ill take alook around for an old catalog for company name...or tags with your company name to label what valves in the house are for...I had flat magnets made with my company info and would put on any installation they would stick to..lol..and one for the refrigerator..people seemed to like the ability to take or move them around over a sticker..


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

I can't tell you anything about them but I just got this on a quick Google's search. http://www.dipmoulding.net/PVC-Sleeves.html


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## Flyout95 (Apr 13, 2012)

Why not just make a vinyl sticker to apply to any valve you come across? Probably be cheaper and just as effective to have some custom made to the size of 1/2" and 3/4" bv handles?


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

We did that through wolverine brass a long time ago...

you have to get the correct colors or it is a waste...... 

Doing a white handle with BOLD black lettering works best and most others cannot be read at all.... found that out the hard way......

it was a free thing to do at that time but I wont pay money for it

Why buy them when
you can just plaster your sticker on everything in sight.....


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## czplumbing (Nov 24, 2014)

will look into stickers


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## wyplumber (Feb 14, 2013)

We ordered a couple hundred through Hodes something around 2006 worst ball valves we have ever seen. It is pretty sad when you go to a customers house you have to tell them we need to replace the main line valve with our company name on it because it is a total pos


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## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

wyplumber said:


> We ordered a couple hundred through Hodes something around 2006 worst ball valves we have ever seen. It is pretty sad when you go to a customers house you have to tell them we need to replace the main line valve with our company name on it because it is a total pos


Holey $%it, that would suck.


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## plumberkc (Jun 23, 2011)

Nibco is the only brand that I will use. Every time my supplier tries to switch to a different brand seems I'll end up having to tighten the packing nut.


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## Flyout95 (Apr 13, 2012)

plumberkc said:


> Nibco is the only brand that I will use. Every time my supplier tries to switch to a different brand seems I'll end up having to tighten the packing nut.


I've even had issues with nibco recently, but at least I have my handy nibco wrench. Ever have a valve leak thru the body seam? I had a watts do that, cut it out, replaced it and the second one did it too. Went and got a nibco, and the packing leaked.


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## rwh (Dec 17, 2014)

plumberkc said:


> Nibco is the only brand that I will use. Every time my supplier tries to switch to a different brand seems I'll end up having to tighten the packing nut.



I have been conditioned to check the packing nut on every ball valve. Trying to hold an air test on a new system with dozens of leaking packing nuts sucks.


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## plumberkc (Jun 23, 2011)

Flyout95 said:


> I've even had issues with nibco recently, but at least I have my handy nibco wrench. Ever have a valve leak thru the body seam? I had a watts do that, cut it out, replaced it and the second one did it too. Went and got a nibco, and the packing leaked.


 I've actually had that happen twice in the last month with 3/4" copper fittings. Until recently that had never happened, I'm thinking it had something to do with my new torch running too hot.


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## Nathan901 (Feb 11, 2012)

In my experience, I've come to prefer nibco over everything for ball valves. We did the custom wolverine brass valves and I'd say they are a very close rival. 

The only time I've seen valves leak from the body was when they were over heated, which is easy to do if your fighting water or using a tip that's a little too big. 

I've had to start tightening all packing nuts though because they seem to come finger tight now for whatever reason.


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

I quit using nibco after seeing many I had installed rusted at the packing nut or became very hard to open or close after just a couple years. I think watts or Hunter are better ball valves but different qualities of water make a difference on the valve. 

For hose bibs, Nibco brand is crap. They get stiff, leak on the packing and just plain suck. For hose bibs Arrowhead is the only way to travel. You don't have to tighten the packing and they remain easy to turn on and off for many years. They're better than the mini ball for washer valves or red top ball valve hose bibs.


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## Alan (Jun 18, 2008)

Reviving an old thread here because I was curious about the quality of the valves in the hodes catalog that you can get name printed on the handles. 

Glad I didn't pull that trigger.

In regards to brand of valves : 

My supplier carries "Matco-Norca" valves. These things are even chintzier looking than the hodes valves. I had a 3/4 matco norca sweat valve that separated at it's epoxied seam or whatever you want to call it, after soldering it in the vertical position for a water heater replacement.

Take me back to my previous employer and having issues with these pieces of crap for years, complaining to him left and right, his only response ever was "That's all they have"

Now that I'm the boss, I make a point to tell them when their products are complete sh=t. They informed me that they do not have any plans to change product lines, but they would be happy to price for me some watts valves and bring in a box at a time for me.

It's really interesting what happens when you communicate with people.

That said, even the sample of the watts valves they sent me were a little thin and cheap feeling compared to some other valves i've installed in the past. And I know we dont' post pricing so if anyone is curious they can PM me, but what they charge for these matco norca valves, i'm more than happy to go pick up 2 or 3 pro line valves at the hardware store that are better quality for nearly the same price.


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

I go out of my way to buy the Nibco brand in sweat ball valves...

the absolute worst I have tangled with were called Legends, which leaked after being soldered at the mechanical threaded section....


many brands are junk, but on average they never get used more than once or twice over their whole lifetimes........ The Legends could not make it past the first water test........


.


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

Master Mark said:


> I go out of my way to buy the Nibco brand in sweat ball valves...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Around here the supply houses stick Nibco/ RWW (I think it is) and legend. As far as we have seen they are all more or less the same and I have never had any issues with any of those brands and not head any one else talk bad about them. I wonder if maybe you had one of those cases where one of the first few you used was bad and with that first impression simply desired that it's garbage? I know I have done that with things where other people like it.

It's funny how different areas consider different brands to be of different quality.

Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

there ALL made in china...........


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

The Dane said:


> Around here the supply houses stick Nibco/ RWW (I think it is) and legend. As far as we have seen they are all more or less the same and I have never had any issues with any of those brands and not head any one else talk bad about them. I wonder if maybe you had one of those cases where one of the first few you used was bad and with that first impression simply desired that it's garbage? I know I have done that with things where other people like it.
> 
> It's funny how different areas consider different brands to be of different quality.
> 
> Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk



I was having troubles when we used the acetyline torch to solder the ball valves..... the threaded seam could not take the heat and the sealant on the threads would burn out and then leak.... they claimed it was my fault for getting the valve too hot..... 


also I noticed with the legends if you fooled with an older one a lot of times they would decide to leak at the handle...

I am at peace with it all but on occasion my salesman tries to sneak some back in my door and then all hell breaks loose.....

..


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

czplumbing said:


> I will thanks, I didn't know you could call the manufacture directly and they would provide this. Thanks





LOLLOLLOLOLOL!!! You really think wolverine brass manufactures anything anymore?


They outsource darn near everything as best I can tell. Don't get me wrong, most of it is good quality but they aren't making stuff in house anymore from what I see.


I also suggest ordering from wolverine brass, there is an ad right in there catalog for custom ball valves and a company in town orders them, they look pretty good and seem to hold their lettering for years.







.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

We use red-white valves except for this one place we work at which requires apollo brand valves for anything and if we don't use them they freak. The red-white valves seem fine.



For boiler drains we use campbell-hausfeld chrome plated ball valve boiler drains. We used to use red-white ball valve boiler drains but they had a recall for a long time so we switched. I think we had to change out like 200 drains free of charge because of the recall and how many we had fail at the pressure side of the assembly seam.


If you guys are burning flux try tinning flux, it is amazing. I started using tinning flux like 4 months ago and it's the best thing I have tried in a long time. Our guys use acetylene all the time and don't have issues burning up valves. I will say the red-white valves seem to have really close tolerances on the assembly threads and even after unscrewing them and rescrewing them they don't leak.


There has to be a company that prints on heat shrink. Then you could slip a piece over a handle and heat it with the torch. Would be good for on pipes too.






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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Found a place that does custom heat shrink


https://www.heatshrink.com/content/custom-printing.asp






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## czplumbing (Nov 24, 2014)

I use webstone with bleaders for hose bibs, but everything else Watts, good valves solid handle and I always check the packing on any valve. Last thing I need is to get a call to go back and tighten a packing nut


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