The Merit Brass one-piece unibody ball valve is made of stainless steel 316 and has a lever handle and female National Pipe Taper (NPT) threaded connections on both ends. This stainless steel 316 valve, which is higher strength and more corrosion resistant than stainless steel 304, has a lever handle with a vinyl sleeve for manual on/off control. The unibody construction and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) reinforced seats and seals reduce the risk of valve leakage. The maximum pressure is 800 pounds per square inch (gauge) (psig) for use with water, oil, and gas (WOG) and the working temperature range is 0 - 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The valve is inline for connecting two pipes going in the same direction and has NPT threads on both ends for creating tighter seals than straight threads. This ball valve is standard (or reduced or regular) port for reduced valve size and cost and is for use with water lines, processing plants, and agricultural applications. Ball valves use a spherical disc to control the flow between pipes, tubes, or hoses. Flow is allowed when the hole that pierces the ball-shaped disc is in line with the inlet and outlet of the valve. Flow is blocked when the ball is horizontally swiveled 90 degrees, so that the hole of the ball is perpendicular to the opening of the valve. Ball valves can be referred to as full port or reduced port (also known as regular or standard port) depending on the inner diameter of the valve. A ball valve is full port if the hole of the ball is the same size as the inner diameter of the connecting pipeline (resulting in lower friction) and is reduced port if the hole of the valve is one pipe size smaller than the pipe, resulting in less flow through the valve than through the shaft of the pipe. Ball valves may have a handle or lever that aligns with the balls position (open or closed) for manual operation. They are primarily used in air, gas, liquid, and steam applications. Merit Brass manufactures pipe nipples following ISO 9001 standards for quality assurance. The company, family-owned since 1937 and headquartered in Cleveland, OH, distributes pipe fittings in the United States and Canada.
