FAQs of Butterfly Ball Valve
1. Are steel ball valves suitable for HVAC systems?
Plumberstar steel ball valves are made of carbon steel. They are made for high-pressure, large-diameter, and long-distance use in HVAC systems. The product works stably with many HVAC media, including cold water, hot water, chilled water, and heat exchange circulating water.
Compared with ordinary cast iron or copper alloy valves, steel ball valves are better for large HVAC pipe networks and centralized energy supply systems. They also have a longer service life.
This valve can be full-bore or reduced-bore. It has low flow resistance and strong flow capacity. It can effectively lower system energy use. It uses a 90° quick open and close design. It operates smoothly, making system adjustment, maintenance, and zonal control easier. It meets the needs of HVAC systems for fast shutdown and simple maintenance.
It can be installed in tight HVAC spaces, such as machine rooms, pipe shafts, and equipment compartments.
2. How about the sealing performance of the steel ball valve?
Plumberstar steel ball valves use a dual-sealing design. The valve seat seal fits the ball perfectly. This ensures reliable sealing for a long time, even in tough working conditions.
The sealing valve seat can be made of different materials—like PTFE, RPTFE, NBR, FKM. We pick the right one based on your specific operating environment. It works well with all kinds of media, including cold and hot cycles, long-term pressure, acid-alkali corrosion, and oil/gas/water.
The steel ball core goes through grinding and polishing. It has a smooth surface and precise roundness. It fits the valve seat evenly, with no gaps for a tight seal. When you open or close the valve, the ball and valve seat clean themselves. They won’t get stuck easily, and the sealing surface won’t wear out. Even with long-term, frequent use, the sealing performance stays stable.
3. Are steel ball valves tested before shipment?
Yes. Plumberstar inspects every valve 100% fully. All tests follow international standards, such as API 598. Each valve must pass two key tests before it can leave the factory.
Seat tightness test: Professional testers with at least 10 years of experience run this test. We close the valve, then inject water or air at a set pressure from one side. We check for leaks on the other side. We repeat the same test in the opposite direction.
Valve body tightness test: We open the valve, then apply 1.5 times the rated working pressure to the entire valve cavity. We fully check the valve body, stem seals, and all connections. We make sure there is no leakage or structural damage.
Only valves that pass both tests can be packed and shipped.
If you or your project has special needs, Plumberstar can provide these for key orders:
4. Does the steel ball valve support third-party inspection?
Absolutely, we support third-party inspections.
Plumberstar accepts and actively works with any world-famous third-party inspection agency you choose. This includes SGS, Bureau Veritas (BV), TÜV, Intertek, and more. Just give us the inspection agency’s contact info and your specific requirements.
When products ship, we’ll include these with the goods: product certificate, factory inspection report, and material certificate. If your project or you need it, we can also help the third party with sampling, submission for inspection, and certification. We’ll provide the official third-party inspection report to meet your project acceptance or audit needs.
We also have our own laboratory. Our internal quality control standards are higher than industry standards, and our testing methods match those of third parties. If the third-party inspection finds any non-compliant items, our factory will rectify, rework, or replace them unconditionally. We won’t stop until they meet the requirements.
5. Can the steel ball valve connection mode be customized?
Plumberstar steel ball valves fully support connection method customization. We can design and make non-standard connection structures, sizes, and types for you. Just tell us your pipeline system structure, installation environment, and actual working needs. This ensures it matches your whole system perfectly.
You only need to provide drawings, samples, parameters, or usage requirements. Our professional technical team will make design plans and 3D drawings for you to confirm. Once you approve, we’ll produce samples. We’ll test their pressure, sealing, and size. After the samples pass, we’ll start mass production in our own factory. Every finished product goes through 100% pressure testing. It has the same quality as our standard products.
For threaded connection customization, we offer many standard threads. These include NPT, PT, G, BSP, BSPT, and metric threads. We can make internal threads, external threads, and reduce threads. This meets pipeline connection needs for different countries and regions.
For special connection customization, we can make non-standard structures. These include quick-insert ports, clamp connections, union connections, double union connections, and combined connections. They fit special equipment and installation scenarios.
6. Can you provide the steel ball valve pressure and leakage test report?
Of course. Plumberstar steel ball valves come with pressure test and leakage test reports. These include shell strength pressure test, two-way sealing leakage test, and air tightness test data. The report lists product model, specifications, pressure class, test pressure, holding time, and test results.
Plumberstar can help arrange independent inspections by trusted organizations like SGS, BV, TÜV, and Intertek. We provide official third-party test reports that are recognized internationally. They meet the needs of export customs clearance and engineering projects.
We will send a PDF electronic report before shipment. This lets you check and file it early. A paper copy of the original factory test report will also be included in the shipment.
7. Why choose Plumberstar steel ball valve over other brands?
Plumberstar steel ball valves are made completely in our own factory. The whole process includes billet forging, CNC precision machining, sphere grinding, seal assembly, and finished product inspection. Every step is under control. This avoids size errors, process changes, and unstable quality that can happen with outside OEM production.
Our production line has high-precision CNC lathes, professional forging equipment, and automated assembly systems. Key processes follow strict standards. This makes sure products in the same batch and different batches are consistent. Quality stays stable during long-term mass production. We also have an independent R&D team. They can improve structural strength and sealing design for different working conditions.
Each Plumberstar steel ball valve must pass three tests before leaving the factory: shell strength test, two-way seal leakage test, and air tightness test. Test pressure and holding time follow international standards strictly. We can provide factory inspection reports, material reports, and certificates of conformity. We also support full inspection, customer sampling, and third-party on-site inspection.
We support many types of non-standard processing: same-diameter, reduced-diameter, extended interfaces, special flanges, and non-standard threads. Our valves can directly replace imported ones. They fit special installation situations in engineering projects. Product appearance, LOGO, labels, and packaging can all be customized to your brand’s needs. This works for brand customers, foreign trade exports, and project supply.
With our own factory system, you save on middle costs. You get better prices while keeping high quality and performance. We also provide professional pre-sales advice, technical support, and after-sales service. We follow the whole process from design to on-site use. We help you solve problems in product selection, installation, and operation.
