ideas for in-ground water shut off valve

[s219]

What you're looking for is called a "curb valve". Mueller Company makes a whole bunch of different varieties. Their stuff is probably overkill for what you are doing but their catalog might give you some ideas.

Yeah, I looked at a bunch of those today in catalogs from Mueller, Ford, A.Y. McDonald, and a couple other companies. Problem is that they are super hard to find, both locally and on the internet. If you know a source I can order from online, let me know. I only found 4-5 available online, and none had the fitting ends I'd need for a 3/4 line (or close).

 

[lutt]

I took a 55 gallon plastic drum, cut the bottom out. Cut out half the top and made a lid out of the half I cut out. Buried it over my shutoff ball valve when I run my water to the pastor and barn. I dug the hole and trench with my backhoe and set the drum level in the hole and backfilled. The only thing i wish I done different was dug out s foot or so deeper and filled the hole up with clean crushed rock such as sb2 to under where my valve sets and barrel. I have clay and when it fills with water it takes a while to drain or pump out. And also to answer your question, I just used a regular ball valve with a 600 psi for w o g LUTT

 

[kenmac]

Not quite sre I understand what you'er looking for ,but here is a curb stop AY McDonald 3/4" FIP x FIP Ball Valve Curb Stop - Pipe Fittings - Amazon.com I mostly use PVC stops and put them in a plastic meter box that I buy at the supply house... Lowes sells the meter boxes as well

 

[Mendonsy]

I suspect you'll have to buy a brass NPT valve and add the PEX fittings to it. Amazon.com has them. Home Depot has the ground box and keys but not the valve itself. Orbit used to make one for their sprinkler systems but it doesn't appear in their catalog now.

 

[Birdhunter1]

At the lake we have a 6" round pc of PVC buried vertical in the ground with a notch cut in to straddle the water line. This creates "the box". The top is at ground level with a cast cover that rests on top like a normal water meter cover. For shutting off the water we just have some 4" pvc slotted that turns the ball valve. It is just a standard plastic ball valve and we shut it off and on every time we show up and leave the lake. It has held up for 20 years with no problems. Does not seem to flex or move at all. I would think for a couple of shut offs a year it would hold up fine for you. They do have a drain in the house down in the basement just like you are proposing. They drain everything past the ball valve during the winter. There is another shut off at the property line where the line comes in if any work needed to be done.

I have a 1/4 mile of 1 1/2" waterline and did the same thing in two spots, works very well.

 

[aczlan]

I would get this one: LDR 021 6904 3/4-Inch Stop and Drain Key Valve, Bronze - Faucet Valves - Amazon.com (as it drains the non-pressure side when shut off) and add NPT to PEX fittings (possibly going through a union).

Aaron Z

 

[charlz]

Stop and waste valve would do the trick but as noted are hard to find and get real expensive real fast in larger sizes.

What I have done is put a regular valve with the 'wheel' style handle in-line. Then right after that put a riser to near ground level with another valve where you can connect a compressor for blow outs. You can get 6" sewer pipe at most Lowes, I have also used scrap culvert. Use that to provide the hole down to the valve and cap it with one of those irrigation boxes such that it covers the hole and the blow out valve. You can find a 'water key' that has 1/4 or so round prongs and can fit in the 'wheel' style handle for seasonal turn on/shut off.

 

[Raspy]

I did, more or less, the same thing at my house to shut off the water going to the guest house.

I used a gate valve in the underground piping and set a piece of vertical 4" ABS pipe to access the handle. I then set a cap on to keep spiders and the cold out. The reason I used a gate valve is because they take less torque on the handle to open or close. I made a steel fork arrangement out of steel rod, with a tee handle on top, to reach the valve and engage the valve handle. Be sure to get one with a quality handle as the aluminum ones can corrode and go away. You can use a threaded valve with a couple of brass nipples to keep from stressing the PEX.

 

[Aquamoose]

I did mine at the well when I needed water for my RV pad & shop. 4 feet down was the connection that I made with the 1/4' turn ball valve curb stop. I put in lots of gravel down 2 feet to eliminate any standing water around there. I took a long black PVC drain pipe, notched it so it fits over the valve with a few inches of extra extending below the valve for good measure and filled it below with extra gravel. I capped it off with a threaded plug normally used for clearing drains. A 5 foot street shutoff "T" tool provided the shutoff when needed.

 

[s219]

Thanks for all the input and ideas guys -- really helpful.