SLV
Manual Socket-Welded Ball Valve
The SLV Manual Socket-Welded Ball Valve is a three-piece ball valve with socket-weld ends for small-bore piping. The pipe slips into the valve socket and is fillet-welded in place, giving a permanent, leak-free joint with simple fit-up, while the handle provides familiar quarter-turn isolation.
Product Benefits
- Easy fit-up: Socket welding is the practical way to get welded integrity on small pipe: alignment is easy because the pipe seats in the socket, and no bevelling is needed.
- No leak paths: The result is a compact, robust connection with no gaskets or threads to leak over time.
- Weld once, service often: The three-piece pattern means the welded joint is made only once, and afterwards the centre section unbolts for seat and seal replacement without touching the welds.
- Standards-backed build: A stout pressure rating and international design, wall-thickness and testing standards back up the construction.
Where It's Used
- Small-bore, higher pressure: It is chosen for piping where threaded joints are not trusted.
- Instrument and utility points: Typical duties include instrument and sampling lines, chemical injection points, drains and vents on process equipment, and utility connections in welded systems.
- Follows the line spec: Stainless, carbon-steel and duplex options let the valve match the specification of the surrounding pipe.
- Manual suits the duty: Such valves are typically operated occasionally for isolation rather than cycled continuously, so a handle is all that is needed.
Good to Know
- Trim to suit the medium: Seat and seal choices span PTFE-family plastics and elastomers.
- Shield the seats: As with any welded soft-seated valve, protect the seats from welding heat during installation; removing or shielding the centre section is the accepted practice.
- Standard socket ends: Socket-weld ends follow the common international standard for such fittings.
- Confirm size and material: Check pipe size and material so the fillet weld pairs cleanly with the line.
- Minimal upkeep: Once installed, the valve needs little beyond occasional exercise and eventual seat renewal through the serviceable centre.
