The main types of valves in plumbing and piping are gate, globe, ball, check, butterfly, needle, diaphragm and plug valves \u2014 and every one of them exists to do one of three jobs: shut flow on or off (isolation), throttle or regulate how much fluid passes, or stop fluid from running backward (backflow prevention). Pick the wrong type and you pay for it: a gate valve cracked half-open to “control” flow will vibrate, erode its seat, and eventually fail to seal. So the first question is never “which brand” \u2014 it is “which of the three jobs am I buying this valve to do?”<\/p>\n\n
This guide walks through each valve type with its function and best use, classifies them by job in a table, then covers the materials and connection methods that decide reliability in a real line \u2014 including plastic (PPR) valves that fuse straight into the pipe. If you are building a hot- and cold-water plumbing system, valve choice sits inside a bigger material decision, which we cover in the PPR pipe guide<\/a>. Read on to match the valve to the fluid, the pressure, and the pipe you are actually running.<\/p>\n\n