I just bought some gate valves on sale. What does WOG stand for?

I thought it was pressure...most plumbers use 200 WOG i noticed. Working pressure is usually 60-80 psi, so why spend the extra to get 200 WOG when 125 WOG is more than enough?



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WOG is Water,Oil,Gas.
It can be used for all three.

I hope you got a good deal on those gate valves..

I just checked the ones in my own house and they are 200WOG

thanks for the WOG info....

Now what does the 200 stand for?



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Gate valves fail frequently. The 200 is most likely the psi

The ball valves that I use are rated 600 P.S.I.G. (WOG) and/or CSA/AGA (for gas).
I can't imagine buying that many gate valves unless maybe if they're Jenkins, Hammond, etc. or they were absolutely dirt cheap, but then again a good quality full port ball valve would be preferred over a gate valve.

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This slow drip will waste 7+ gallons of water per day.

I am going to GUESS it stands for the pressure they can handle .

I think that 2nd Year is refering to the fact that gate valves are pretty much obsolete. They have been replaced by ball valves for many reasons.

waukeshaplumbing,If those 1" gate valves weight over a pound you can scrap them and make a profit.As far as using them in the field I can't see why you would.

Yes that's what I meant.. If i ever installed a gate valve.( and there are a few on the shelf at the shop..) id be looking for a new job the next day.

Of course we have really bad water up in theese parts so...

The 200 WOG is a class rating that corresponds to the pressure specifications of ANSI 16.34. The valve is capable of many different pressures with different materials and temperatures. To fully comprehend its meaning you probably have to get a copy of the ANSI Spec. Perhaps Wheelchair can get one of his manufacturer rep buddies to get a definition of the standard for us... I'm not going to spring for ANSI membership to find out!

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The shop i used to work for always used gate valves because they were cheaper. Yes ball valves are better. In the city of milwaukee you can only use a gate valve(a specific model/brand also)...

its alittle silly to say you'd be fired for using a gate valve...



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almost no difference until you try to shut the system down or bypass in 5-10 years. hard water is even worse on gate valves so if you have hard water then that 5-10 years becomes 1-2 years usually

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Basically the guy I work for stresses the motto of looking out for the next plumber.. Keep service of any valve, pump, etc. first and foremost in mind, at all times.. Installing a valve that is suspect coming off the shelf and has a death sentence in this water up here would be assinine.. and yes he would fire me if I did..

Hes teaching me to look out for the next guy because it could be me.. And also isnt it nice to go on a service call and see the previous plumber installed a shutoff or union in just the right spots? It saves everybody money.. not just 28 bucks once..

Just my 2 cents.

But won't you miss turning the water main back on at 4:30 on a friday only to heard that "clunk" sound....broken in the closed possision!!!



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Generically speaking:

Gate valves versus full port ball valves?

No question in my mind that full port ball valves are far superior.

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Once frozen, no gate valve (even if 2,000 psi rated) can take a freeze without breaking.

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Installing unknown quality valves, gate or ball is short-sighted in my mind.

Installing an unknown gate valve that might even have a lot of lead content in it might even be illlegal.

WOG is water/oil/gas as already mentioned, and the number is the PSI rating per ANSI. Another rating you might see on a valve is WSP which is working steam pressure.

Even a WOG valve I believe cannot be used on fuel gas unless is carries the AGA/CGA cert.

i dont think the # is PSI because i looked at a catalog and it says 400 wog 125 psi....so i think its an ansi #.



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Ice freezing in a pipe can generate an expansion force of about 40,000 PSI. trust me when I say it will break whatever it wants to wherever it wants to! The only thing safe is the materials that can expand.

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400 is the PSI WOG, and good chance if you look close the 125 will WSP, also a PSI number.

waukeshaplumbing...Theres a very good reason you got a deal on these vavles...there is no market for them.Know Plumber worth there salt uses gate valves anymore.

The city of milwaukee requires gate valves only(i dont believe they have a approved ball valve at all)...



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waukeshaplumbing..take it easy.Ball valves have been on the market for 30 years and I"ll say this.In the past 50 years if one thinks of the best inventions when it comes to Plumbing the ball valve is one of them and I can't in my right mind figure why there not allowed in milwaukee?.Enjoy your 19th century stop's.

Waukeshaplumbing wrote regarding lead in brass:

".....i think its really reaching."



I'm glad you're visiting this information/education site.

Sand cast brass plumbing valves have traditionally been made from leaded red or semi-red brasses. That's a fact.

Lead in the past has been in most brass valves in the plumbing industry.

In many cases way too much lead.

Lead that leached out into the drinking water.

There are now laws in place regarding that.

The most common plumbing brass (I believe) contained at least 7% lead.

Brass isn't like copper pipe and fittings (which is something like 99.9% pure copper).

"Brass" is a vague term as there are many grades and compositions of brass.

If you are interested in learning more about today's standards regarding the content of lead, I suggest that you maybe Google "lead content in brass" or whatever.

You might find that the reason that you got such a good deal on those valves is that they are now illegal to sell and install in the U.S.

"Buyer beware."

I suggest that it's best to know your valves before you buy them, and only install and sell what you believe in.


Vic

The new construction plumber's in my area always use gate valves for the main shutoff and the cold water inlet shutoff valve.

It's done solely on maintaining profit margins. Why on earth would they want to put in something that lasts?

It's ridiculous....I understand the profit margins but sometimes as soon as 3 years I'm the guy who goes in to shut off the water and the gate sticks or snaps the stem.

Of course, I upsell a ball valve to give them (and me) the ability to shut the water off down the road instead of going to the meter pit.

California Prop. 65 is the reason so many lav and kitchen valves are not made of cast brass any more, but rather use copper waterways;.

I will not use a gate valve. I have fought engineers tooth and nail when they are spec'd for a job. I have replaced over 100 for friends and neighbors. I don't do service work. Does that say something?
We don't have the best quality of water where I live. This may explain having to replace a gate valve 3-20 years old due to the gate breaking off at the stem.

PSI pressure rating. But I think when you check those valves in a few years they will probably encrusted with calcium deposits caused by a poor quality brass. There is a reason those valves were inexpensive.

You might want to look at this link regarding lead in brass alloys. It actually makes the brass easier to machine leeding to higher speeds and feeds which is essential to high speed production that is the reason for lead in brass. Since the problem with lead leaching into water was recognised they have substituted Bismuth and Selenium into the brass to aid in the machinability.[www.copper.org]

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I think you are "rationalizing" and trying to justify the use of a gate valve. When a valve freezes, it makes no difference what kind it is, it will still break. I have replaced a couple of "seized" ball valves, but MANY seized or broken stem gate valves. As far as performance is concerned, long term, a ball valve will outlast a gate valve 99.9999+% of the time.

When I turn a gate valve off around here, I only turn it to the point where I can handle any bypassing. Otherwise, if I crank it to the max, I may not hear a "clunk" but the handle may also not stop turning around even though there is no water in the house. I am guessing that 50% of the gate valves installed are either broken with the gate removed, inoperative because they are completely seized, or ready to break the first time they are turned off.

I might question whether a 2,000psi valve would break from freezing before something else in the system failed, but otherwise I agree.

The 125 is usually "steam pressure" while the other number is for liquids. The G stands for liquid "petroleum" gas, not vapor. Not all ball valves are AGA approved for natural/propane gases.

Hey I see old old gate valves all the time that are working great... Just don't touch them and they'll keep working great!

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No, the question is not whether you will install a gate valve, the question is whether you will install an "inferior" quality gate valve just to save some money. That is what 99% of the "new construction plumbers" used to do here, and that is why few people have functional gate valves. When Nibco gate valves were used, they are usually still operational.

As you have discovered WOG, stood for water oil and gas. Most American manufactures have dropped this designation for a more modern CWP or cold working pressure and then the pounds number like #125.

All brass valves whether gate or ball still contain tracable amounts of lead. In the modern plumbing society the ball valve has replaced the wheelhandle gate valve.

Apparently in Milwaukee, this is not the case... at this time.

This information was provided to me by NIBCO Valve, in Elkhart, IN
Tech Service Dept. Some of this information may vary among manufactures.

It's done solely on maintaining profit margins. Why on earth would they want to put in something that lasts?

In this area very few construction plumbers do service work, so they never have to worry about going back to a job and having a problem with a valve they installed. As far as they are concerned EVERY valve they install will last forever, because THEY have never had one fail on them.

jimmy o,i'll bet you put a ton of gate valves in in the navy...want to bet they still work just fine? i'm opening and closing 30 year old gate valves that are underground in valve box's all the time...i'm just say as with anything in this world you buy a good any kind of valve and they last....just my oppion "

You do not buy "good kinds" of 1" valves for $1.75 each. Navy valves and residential valves are MILES apart in quality.

On submarines, it's all ball valves. Air, water, hydraulics...all ball valves. Well, there are also a lot of pilot-actuated spool valves.

Some small valves I remember were I belive needle valves. On example was the shallow depth gauge isolation stop. The shallow gauge was 0 to 200 feet, and when proceding to normal operating depths, you had to remember to reach up and close it. The old man got really pissed if you wrapped the pointer around the stop!



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Navy valves cost $18,843.23 each not $1.75!

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I believe they also use a lot of lever operated "wafer" or "slide" valves which operate quickly and easily, and do not require space to turn the handles.

Is there a discount if you buy two or more? Or does the unit price go up for quantities?

vic would have sold them for 18,000

Hey Red, don't knock the navy, I spent eight years repairing piping systems and drainage on subs and surface ships; they didn't call us "turd-chasers" for nothing.

I worked for the outfit that had $800 hammers and $1200 coffee makers. We also wore blue suits and had airplanes, but no boats! I'm not knocking the navy I was just talking about U.S. Gov. Procurement!

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