Do you need a valve to control the flow of water through a pipe or hose? Are you out of ideas after going to the hardware store and picking a valve that failed to meet expectations? You have come to the right page.
Rather than choose the least expensive valve that fits on your hose or pipe a second time around, take some time to read our reviews of six best water shut off valves on the market. Some of these valves are from known brands like SharkBite, KES, and Dramm. We will also go over what makes them great and what limits their capabilities. Which shut off valve is worth your hard-earned money? Proceed to find out.
Comparison of Water Shut Off Valve 2021
Name | Material | Finish | Valve Type | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
KES K1140B3 Shower Head Shut-Off Valve | Brass | Chrome | Ceramic Disc | |
Dramm 12353 Heavy-Duty Brass Shut-Off Valve (Editor's Picks) | Brass | None | Ball Valve | |
SharkBite 22222-0000LFA Ball Valve | Brass | None | Ball Valve | |
WaterCop Z-Wave Shut-Off Valve | Brass | None | Remote Valve | |
Industrial Grade Garden Hose Shut Off Valve | Brass | None | Ball Valve | |
Dome Home Automation Water Shut-Off Valve | Plastic | None | Remote Valve |
Recommended 6 Best Water Shut Off Valve Review
1. KES K1140B3 Shower Head Shut-Off Valve
This first water shut off valve is by KES. This is a brass valve that had a beautiful finish of chrome. This is a highly appealing valve that has a ceramic disc valve type, and has a G ½ connection, male and female.
This water shut off valve includes a rubber gasket, which prevents water from leaking in between its segments. When you install this valve, you will notice that it performs excellently right away.
This valve is easy to use and operate, with simple assembly and removal that stays on when intended.
With a G ½ connection, this water shut off valve by KES can fit most shower heads and arms. Unless your shower head does not accept a G ½ connection, this shut off valve will not work with it.
This valve can be used in two ways: As a water shut off valve or a water saver valve. All in all, this is an effective means to stop waters from spraying out your shower, toilet or other bathroom fixtures.
The ceramic disc and brass body are both durable and are sure to last a long time. The chrome finish, however, will also make water stains noticeable.
The one problem that this water shut off valve has is that it slows down too much water pressure. The abilities of this valve are just too effective in which you need to have a good way to control it in order for it to work in the way that you desire.
[ We also have a guide on sump pump check valve ]
Pros
Cons
2. Dramm 12353 Heavy-Duty Brass Shut-Off Valve
This next shut off valve is created by Dramm. This is a heavy duty brass valve that is a golden brown in color. This valve is ideal for use with garden hoses.
This valve contains a handle that allows you to control the flow of water manually. If you need to turn the water off right away without having to walk over to your spigot or water source, just simply pull this lever to stop any water flow on the spot.
This valve works with a chrome plated brass ball and TPFE seals to ensure that the valve lasts a long time.
This ball is polished chrome, but the rest of the valve is not. Two rubber gaskets are also included to prevent water from leaking out the sides of the valve.
Water can flow entirely from this valve with a half-inch opening. This guarantees a decent and powerful stream of water all the time. The flow rate of this shut off valve is reported at 15 gallons per minute with a moderate garden hose pressure.
All parts of this valve are made and manufactured in the USA. Regardless of the most aggressive environments that you can throw at this valve, it will not bend or break. This is known to be a tough and heavy-duty shut off valve.
The one flaw to this brass shut off valve is that it costs far more than pennies on the dollar. Sure, it promises a strong performance for years, but is the price worth it for just a valve that does its job well?
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3. SharkBite 22222-0000LFA Ball Valve
This Sharkbite shut off valve is made of strong, fail proof brass, a handle for turning water off manually, and a half-inch opening.
There are five other versions of this valve available with larger openings, such as one inch and one and a half inches. This valve is specifically designed for water heaters in mind.
This water shut off valve is made of high-quality brass that contains no lead and is 100 percent safe to the feel and touch.
This shut off valve is easy to install and easy to use. There is no special skills or supplies needed, such as gluing, soldering or crimping the valve onto your pipework. This shut off valve fits onto copper, CPVC, PE-RT and PEX pipe and you can use any combination of pipe materials to connect them with this valve.
Sharkbite is the only known brand of shut off valve that allows you to just push the pipe in to connect in. When you connect the valve with a pipe, a water-tight seal is automatically created with no further steps or instructions.
This valve is safe to use in water that is up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. You may not even need water that hot for your bathroom or garden, but you can be rest assured that this valve can handle the heat. It can also handle streams of water of up to 200 PSI (pounds per square inch).
One nitpick that we have had with this water shut off valve is that the measurements are inaccurate. The pipework that you have or buy might be off by a couple millimeters. When buying pipe, take this valve to the hardware or home improvement store and try to see what will fit before you buy it.
Pros
Cons
4. WaterCop Z-Wave Shut-Off Valve
This value is actually attached to a robot. This allows you to turn the valve on and off with a smartphone app. The commands you make in your app will send signals to the robot, and this makes the robot turn the water valve off and on.
It is compatible with select voice activation applications, too, such as Samsung SmartThings, Fibaro and VeraPlus.
By referring to the app, not only can you close and open the shut off valve, but it can show you updates and errors with the valve as they occur.
It will even let you know if a leak occurs. With a Z-Wave water sensor and a Z-Wave hub, the water valve can even shut off on its own when a leak is detected.
There are limits to the Z-Wave shut off valve. The first is that this valve only works with pipes that a three quarters of an inch in diameter. If you have pipe work that is smaller or larger, you are out of luck and cannot use this valve.
Secondly, we only recommend a professional plumber install this valve for you. You can try to install this on your own, but it is not as easy as it looks, and it has nothing to do with the technology or programming that is involved.
Finally, this is not a cheap valve to buy. Despite all the smart technology that it comes with, this is not really worth the investment for you as of this writing.
Pros
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5. Industrial Grade Garden Hose Shut Off Valve
This water shut off valve from Yard Maxx is specifically for garden hoses in mind. This valve has a brass body with no finish, a big brass handle, and a city that is big enough for three quarter-inch pipes and/or hoses.
This valve is of excellent quality. It and feels like a very professional piece of equipment without looking and feeling too “industrial” or “heavy duty”. This shit off valve is designed to last a long time before you will need to replace it.
The Yard Maxx valve takes after a standard ball valve design that is known to be the most reliable and mishap free of them all. This is a very reliable shut off valve that much professional use and rely on.
The handle on this water shut off valve is also fairly large. It’s easy to access, easy to turn and the valve works effectively when you want to turn water on or off manually.
This valve also works great with garden hose attachments like special sprayers, so if you want to use a mist spray or a multi-shot spray but don’t have a function to turn it off, this valve by Yard Maxx can spare you the trouble of walking to your water supply and save you time.
There is also a 90-day money back guarantee. If you buy this valve and want to return it for whatever reason within three months, you will get your money back with no hoops to jump through.
This is one of out contenders for the best water shut off valve. It is a rather simple valve, but it hardly has any errors or flaws. There is not much we can say about this valve that is negative, other than the limit in size.
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6. Dome Home Automation Water Shut-Off Valve
This final shut off valve is not really a valve, but it is a smart device, like the Z-Wave valve, that allows you to turn water on and off in a pipe remotely.
This device connects to a valve and clamps two pipes together. This device only works with pipes that are one and a half inches in diameter.
When a leak is detected, this valve will instantly shut off water, making it a step up from the Z-Wave shutoff valve. However, this device does not come with a valve itself; they are sold separately.
A ball valve that is one and a half inches in diameter are the only valves that Dome’s device will accept.
This is known to be a versatile device that you can use with a sink, water heater, toilet and more. Installation is also a cinch, and no professional help is necessary. This device by Dome can integrate with other smart devices, such as Samsung SmartThings, Nexia and Wink.
One problem that we have experienced with this valve is that the motor inside does not provide the adequate power to shut the valve off. Without a valve that cannot turn off the water completely, what are you left with? Perhaps this is only defective in a few devices, but nothing beats the satisfaction of a physical, manual valve in our book.
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Things to Know Before Buying the Right Water Shut Off Valve
Buying the best water shut off valve can be tricky. You need to know about the different types of pipes and also how they work. The following section of the article will focus on different types of water valves so that you can make an informed decision.
Types of Water Shut off Valves
Generally speaking, there are two basic types of water shut off valves; one comes with a 90-degree angle, and the other comes in a straight shape. The valve stem or neck area is where you can find the difference between the two types. This classification, however, is strictly based on the structure of the unit.
But if we are to talk about how the function of the valve, there is a lot more to its category. Let us take a look at the different options available based on the water supply line. You will notice that some of the mentioned types come up repeatedly. The reason is that you can use a few different types of valves for different supply lines.
Copper Pipe Supply Line
- Compression fit
- Sweat fitting
- Push-fit
Iron Pipe Supply Line
- FIP threaded fitting
CVPC Supply Line
- FIP threaded fitting
- Push-fit
For PEX Supply Lines
- Barbed fitting
- Compression fit
- Push-fit
NOM Com or “nominal compression” sizing is the term that show the inlet size when you are selecting the right fitting for the supply line. Now let us take an in-depth look at each of the individual types water shut off valves.
Compression Fit Valves
When dealing with copper or PEX water line, you can use compression fit stop valves. They feature both quarter turn and multi-turn options. The quarter-turn compression fit valve is the superior one by a large margin. But the cost is also a bit higher but not much to justify getting a multi-turn valve.
A multi-turn compression fit valve comes with a plastic stem construction along with compression washers. It allows the unit to be much cheaper than a quarter-turn pipe. This type of valve tends to leak if left at the “on” position for a long time. You need to turn the stem several times before the water flow is cut-off.
On the other hand, we have the slightly steep quarter turn shut off valve. These units are much more reliable and come with better construction quality. To control the flow of water, it comes with a positive action ball valve. You only need a quarter-turn of the handle to shut off the water. Hence the name quarter-turn compression valve.
Sweat Fitting Stop Valves
This type of stop valve is suitable only for the copper water supply line. They feature a non-removable design that allows it to make a leak-proof connection.
It takes a certain amount of skill to install the pipes since they require soldering. It is recommended to take the help of a professional instead of trying to handle it on your own.
Push-Fit Shut Off Valves
The newest technology in the market you can find these days are push-fit valves. They offer the most versatility and also quite simple to install. However, their price is a bit higher compared to the rest. This type of stop valves is suitable for copper, PEX, and also CPVC supply lines.
FIP Threaded Fitting Shut off Valve
FIP stands for Female Iron Pipe. This type of water supply is commonly used in steel pipelines. All you need to install it is a threaded compound. It comes with screws for easy installation.
Barbed Fitting
Lastly, we have the barbed fitting water shut off valve, which is suitable for the PEX water supply line. Although you can use a compression fitting with this type of supply line, a barbed fitting works just as well. To install this type of valve, you would need a crimp ring and a special tool to crimp it.
Compression vs. Quarter-Turn Shutoff Valves
Compression or multi-turn shut off valves require several turns on the stem to completely shut off the water flow. They feature a valve handle that has a rubber washer attached to it.
Quarter-turn valves, on the other hand, do not require this many turns because of its ball valve design. Just a simple crank on the handle allows you to turn the flow on or off.
Though quarter-turn valves are a more recent addition to the family, multi-turn units are not all bad. Both kinds of pipes come with their advantages and disadvantages and understanding it would help you with your search for the right water shut off valve.
Compression or Multi-Turn Valves
Installation: Installing a multi-turn valve requires no special skills. If you are handy with some essential tools like pliers and pipe joint compounds, you should be good to go.
Durability: The main issue of multi-turn valves is their durability. If kept in the ON position for an extended period, some problems may arise. When you turn off the flow, the pipe might start leaking. That is when you know that your valve needs to be replaced.
Ease of use: Multi-turn valves require multiple turns on the handle to shut off completely. If the stems become rusty, the job becomes all the more difficult. But the easy installation process sometimes makes up for it.
Price: If you are strictly speaking about the price, compression valves win by a slight margin. Water shut off valves are quite cheap, and this should not be a significant issue.
Quarter-Turn Shut Off Valves
Installation: The installation process of this type of stop valve is not all that different from that of a multi-turn. Some basic idea of installation and knowledge of tools is required for initial setup.
Durability: Multi-turn valves shine when it comes to sustainability. Their simple construction design helps to reduce wear and thus increase its longevity. However, if a multi-turn pipe breaks down, there is no chance of fixing it.
Ease of use: Compared to compression models, multi-turn valves are simpler to use. Since its handle can be turned to two positions for on or off, it is easy to detect. Also, a single turn of the stem compared to multiple turns of compression shut-off valves is an added advantage.
Price: When it comes to pricing, a quarter-turn valve is slightly more expensive. This modicum amount of price shift is not enough to justify choosing multi-turn over compression systems.
Frequently Asked Questions
1.What is a water shut off valve?
Water shut off valves are small valves situated in pipes to control the flow of water.
2.Which is better gate or ball valve?
The way a gate valve closes the pipe differs from that of a ball valve. A gate valve makes use of a plug, and a ball valve uses a ball. By far, the ease of use of a ball valve makes it superior to a gate valve.
3.How do you replace a water shut off valve?
Replacing water shut off valve is a simple process. However, since some basic idea of the installation is required, it is always recommended to consult a professional plumber. The last thing you want is water leaking out after spending hours installing your new valve.
Final Verdict
The best water shut off valve that we have chosen for your recommendation is the Dramm 12353 Heavy-Duty Brass Shut-Off Valve.
There are many great valves in this review, but Dramm’s quality in their valves is superb and you don’t end up with a botched installation when you need the job to get done right away. The investment towards this valve is well worth it, as it does not cut any corners or use smart technology when all you need is a working valve.
While SharkBite’s easy installation process saves homeowners of headaches, nothing beats the satisfaction of a professional installation and an important plumbing or yard job done right.
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