Frequently Asked Questions

Our online store is tested with the latest versions of Google's Chrome and Microsoft's Edge web browsers. Most others should work as long as you have an up-to-date version. Internet Explorer has been discontinued so our store may not work correctly on IE.

If you have an Ads Blocker please turn it off, some Ads Blockers stop our product pages from displaying correctly. We do not have any 3rd party ads on our store, so you do not need an Ads Blocker when you shop with us. We earn money by selling products, not by selling advertising space.

When you wander away, just click the Discover logo on the top left of the screen to get back home and start again.

Try the Help Me Find It Tool on the top right of the screen. You can select the product type, size, material, and maximum pressure you need, then choose from the few options left. Or just call us, we will do our best to help you find a solution, even if it means sending you to a partner or competitor.

We do not have any reps or distributors, all sales are managed through our Colorado headquarters, most entered online directly by our customers. This saves us costs that we pass along to you with our factory-direct pricing. We are here by the phones daily to answer your questions.

Yes. Our website works on mobile devices. The information is a little abridged to fit, but you can shop and order from your phone or tablet.

For most products, no, you can order a quantity of one. If there are any minimum requirements it will be stated on the product pages.

We pull from more than 15 warehouses in the USA, so we have just about everything on the website in stock somewhere. There are a few items that we occasionally run out of, they are noted as such online. There is usually a link on those product pages to equivalent products if we are temporarily out of something.

No, that is optional for credit card purchases. If you set up an online account you can log in next time and avoid reentering your address, you can also log in to see your past orders and the tracking information. We do not store credit card numbers, so you will have to answer the payment questions each time.

Click the Past Orders link at the top of the page, enter your email and zip code. You should see your past orders and be able to click on View to track the status.

Yes. Please see our return policy here.

We manage our factories and suppliers directly to assure they build and test all of our products to the necessary requirements. All products received into our Colorado warehouse are AQL inspected before moving into inventory, including hydro-testing for leaks, confirming threads meet the ANSI standards, and laser testing for correct metallurgical composition. Water meters also undergo flow testing.

QUALITY GUARANTEE:

· We will repair or replace any defective products free of charge within (12) twelve months from date the unit was delivered to you.

· All of our products are manufactured to our high standards of quality control. However, should a product become defective due to a flaw incurred during the manufacture of the product, or should the material be found to be defective within the above listed time frame, contact us for free product repair or replacement, subject to our confirmation and final decision. Warranty does not cover damage caused by misuse, abuse, items subjected to frost damage, incorrect installation, incorrect application or shipping damage.

· Warranty is limited to the actual cost of the product only.

WE STAND BEHIND OUR PRODUCTS!

Please see our blog page for more information regarding tariffs

Most, but not all. Volume discounts are not available on flanged-end valves (carbon and SS), some carbon steel valves or special order items. The individual product pages will list an As low as price if the item is eligible for additional discounts.

We have a lean business model. We do not have sales people driving to customers, or dozens of order takers sitting by phones. We do not sell through distributors, only direct to you. Most of our sales are entered by our customers online, letting technology work for us. We ship directly to you from warehouses throughout the USA. That keeps our costs down, so less expenses that we have to pass on to our customers. However we will be happy to chat with you and answer any questions. Call us at 719-434-1727

Any available discounts will show automatically in the shopping basket. You will see the total amount before you enter the checkout pages and get asked to pay. No Surprises.

Our pricing is designed so wholesalers can buy in bulk from us and receive up to 20% off many of our stated prices. You can then resell them in smaller quantities, even below our online pricing, and make a profit. We also provide an OEM option, see the next question. If you have a large order requirement and the online store doesn't offer any discounts, call us directly, we will see what we can do.

Yes. Most of our business is OEM/private labeling. Contact us directly for details. Many of our products can be manufactured and delivered to you discounted up to 20% off the listed prices, giving you a good margin to work with. There are volume requirements for OEM, but we can usually give you pricing that you can compete with on the wholesale and resale levels. Manufacturing directly for you allows us to private label valves and provide materials to meet your needs exactly. You can find some examples here.

As fast as we can. Most products ship the same day or the following day, every product has an estimated ship time listed. If the products says Ships Today, we need to receive the order by 12:00 noon MT (2:00PM ET) to get it shipped today (weekends and holidays excluded). Ships today only applies to products listed as In stock, ready to ship shipments going to the lower 48 states and not on pallets.

That depends, we always try. Most products can ship the same day if the order is entered before 10:00AM MT, but not all. It depends on the product and what warehouse it will ship from. If it is urgent, please call us at 719-434-1727 to confirm how fast we can ship.

Yes. Most items can ship for free if the basket total is; at least $200 when shipping to the USA, $500US when shipping to Canada, more details below.

· Free Shipping will automatically appear as an option if offered.

· Free shipping is only available to the United States and Canada. Free shipping to Alaska and Hawai'i is limited to items that will fit in a USPS Priority Mail one-rate box, generally 2" valves and smaller, and items that we stock in our own warehouse. You can put items into a cart online and click Estimate Shipping, free shipping will display as an option if we can do it, or contact us for confirmation.

· USA - Merchandise total must be at least $200.00 and include eligible products only.

· Canada - Merchandise total must be at least $500US and include eligible products only. Discover Valve is not responsible for any duties, taxes or import charges into Canada, these are the responsibility of the importer as listed on the commercial invoice that we provide with the shipment. Let us know your import broker's contact information in the Special Instructions box when you checkout.

· For the free shipping option we will use LTL, FedEx Ground, UPS or USPS Priority Mail at our discretion. We use USPS Priority Mail for AK, HI, and any areas not serviced by FedEx, such as PO boxes. For freight shipments we will use our preferred motor freight carrier. Free motor freight shipping is limited to commercial addresses only. Delivery is normally 2-5 business days. If you require faster delivery please select the express shipping option of your choice from the drop-down list.

· Special order items may not be eligible for free shipping.

· We reserve the right to withdraw the free shipping offer at anytime and without prior notice. If you have any questions or technical problems send us a note.

We have our best negotiated rates with FedEx, and a daily pickup from most of our locations. We can ship on your UPS account if you choose freight collect (see ship on my account below).

Yes. We ship with UPS, FedEx, USPS, and many LTL carriers. When you checkout, choose Freight Collect or 3rd Party from the shipping option pull down list. On the next page enter your freight account, carrier and desired method of service in the Special Instructions box. You will not get charged shipping from us, and we will follow the directions you entered in the Special Instructions box. For UPS we need to know the zip/post code that the account number you enter is billed to.

Yes. When you checkout, if your country is listed in the pull down box, you will be offered international shipping options. If your country is not listed in the pull-down box of country choices, send us a note we may be able to add it for you. Discover Valve is not liable for lost shipments once they are confirmed by the shipping company to have left the USA, please make a claim with your local postal system, UPS or FedEx for lost shipments.

· For orders to Canada over $200US you can select prepaid Duty/Fees in the shipping options, we will prepay the import fees and GST/HST into Canada for you, nothing additional should be due on receipt.

Yes. We will ship to the address that you enter in the Ship To section during checkout. We only send a packing list in the box, no pricing. You can put any Special Instructions in the Special Instructions box when you checkout. Anything you type in the Special Instructions box will print on the Invoice and Packing Slip.

We accept Visa, Master Card, AMEX, and Discover cards, we also accept PayPal. If you have an open account with us you can pay with a Purchase Order number during checkout. Do not send us a PO if you pay online with a PO number and you were able to enter all the relevant information.
Customers outside the USA must pay open account balances by ACH or wire transfer.
Net-30 customers requesting to pay an invoice by credit card after the order has been entered, will be charged a 3% fee for offline processing.

Sorry, we do not.

We do offer net-30 terms once a credit report has been ordered and approved by our finance office. We have a $100 minimum order for Purchase Orders. Click here to download an application, signature not required.

We have moved to an online order system, it allows you to see pricing and availability in real time, plus you don't have to wait for us to process your order. Log into your account and easily order online 24/7/365, select Purchase Order when you checkout, the PO number will be your method of payment. After checkout you will receive immediate email confirmation, the invoice will be sent to the email address in the Bill To section during checkout.
Free gift offers only available for orders placed online.

We will only collect sales tax if the Ship To address is in Colorado. Customers outside Colorado do not need to worry about tax (for now). If you are located in Colorado, and will re-sell our products, email us a copy of your resale certificate and enter the resale number in the Resale # box (located under the Ship Via box) during checkout. Tax won't be added when you click continue.

Standard pipe threads used in the USA are NPT, National Pipe Thread Tapered, also referred to as IPT, Iron Pipe Tapered in some industries, not Iron Pipe Straight, as our valve threads are tapered. Almost every small valve on our website is NPT threaded. The exceptions are SW, Socket Weld ends, and a few tubing-end valves. The F or M we add defines Male (outie) or Female (innie) ends. So FNPT is a Female National Pipe Thread. We can special order many other world threads. Mobile applications, like automobiles, usually have SAE threads, SAE is different than NPT. Discover more here

Sorry, we only have flat files or cut sheets available. All products have links to the cut sheets on the individual product pages. If you need information not found on the cut sheet send us a note, we will do our best to get the information you need.

Some but not all. All code numbers starting with a "T" prefix have Canadian Registration Numbers (CRN) available. You can ask in advance or make a note in the Special Instructions on checkout and we will provide the CRN.

Pipe is rigid, usually sold in straight lengths, with the exception of products like PEX, which is pipe but sold in rolls. The nominal size is roughly the inside diameter of the pipe. So a 1" pipe will have about a 1" inside diameter. Tubing is usually sold rolled in a coil. The nominal size of tubing is the outside diameter of the tubing. So 1" tubing will have a 1" outside diameter. Confusing, yes, I agree. Most applications we deal with are pipe. If you are not sure what size you need, measure the inside diameter of the actual pipe (not the valve or fitting connection), and round to the closest 1/4" size that we list online. Discover more here

1-piece ball valves/unibody will restrict the flow a little. During manufacturing the ball is installed into the end of the valve, so a 1" 1-piece valve will have a 1" ball, but will have about a 3/4" hole in the ball for the flow. 1-piece valves are light weight and less expensive. If flow rate is not an issue, you can use a 1-piece ball valve.

2-piece valves do not restrict the flow much. A 1" ball valve will have a 1" hole in it. Since the ball is bigger than the valve, the valve body is two pieces screwed together to get the ball inside. If flow rate is an issue, use a 2-piece ball valve. Although you can disassemble most 2-piece valves, they are considered disposable and not designed to be repaired or rebuilt.

3-piece valves are designed to come apart easily for cleaning, maintenance, and to weld them onto pipe without damaging the polymer seats. We can get repair kits for the 3-piece valves. Discover more here

Full-Port: The hole in the ball is roughly the same size as the inside of the pipe, example; a 1" full-port ball valve has about a 1" hole through the ball, so little or no flow reduction is noticed through the valve.

Reduced/Standard Port: The hole in the ball is the about one pipe size smaller than the inside of the pipe, example a 1" reduced (standard) port ball valve has about a 3/4" hole through the ball, so some reduction in flow through the valve will occur.

Discover more here

WOG: The valve can be used for Water, Oil or Gas, however only CSA/AGA approved valves should be used for flammable gases.

CF8M is a casting material equivalent of 316SS. CF8 is a casting equivalent of 304SS. The alloy compositions between the CFs and 300 series alloys are slightly different since they are manufactured in different processes and for different end uses. We use the terms CF8 and 304SS interchangeably, likewise we use the terms CF8M and 316SS interchangeably for simplicity.

CF8/304SS has a lower content of anti-corrosion elements than CF8M/316SS, so it is less expensive. CF8/304SS is great for most applications.

CF8M/316SS has a higher corrosion resistance and is preferred for applications with low pH levels, high chlorine, high salinity, or high H2S oil and gas. Many industries processing food grade products prefer the higher corrosion resistance of CF8M/316SS. Discover more here

Yes. Since our 304 stainless steel valves are the same material as 18/8 flatware, the most common flatware in your kitchen, it is considered as safe as your knives and spoons. Our 316 stainless steel valves are a surgical grade of stainless. Stainless steel does not contain lead, we perform metallurgy testing in our QA lab to confirm the materials are what we advertise them as. Most of our valves have PTFE seals and seats.

PTFE stands for PolyTetraFluoroEthylene. You might know it under the brand name Teflon. Teflon is PTFE. You may find RPTFE on some cut sheets. RPTFE is a glass reinforced PTFE, usually used in higher pressure applications for strength.

API 598 is a inspection procedure issued by the American Petroleum Institute to assure that valves meet the pressure and other specifications as advertised. 100% of our steel valves undergo API 598 testing at our factories, we also perform ANSI sampling at our Colorado facility according to API 598 on every lot of valves received prior to releasing into inventory.

First determine where it is leaking from. Although all of our valves are pressure tested 100% before shipping, a leak could develop later if the conditions allow.

Leaking at the threaded connection? If you did not use Teflon tape, or a similar thread seal lubricant, you should. NPT threads are an interference fit, this means the threads have to tighten against each other to prevent leaks, like a wedge. Stainless and carbon steels are subject to galling, so it takes a little extra torque sometimes to get the connection tight. Teflon, or nickel guard tape, lubricate the threads and allow them to slide past each other more easily to tighten the connection.

Leaking at the stem? Most of our ball valves have adjustable packing, not a rubber O-ring. If there is a flat nut under the handle, tighten it a few degrees, this will squeeze the packing against the stem and should stop the leak. Heating and cooling of the valves can sometimes cause contraction and expansion of the materials enough to loosen the packing seal and cause a slight stem leak.

Leaking at the connection between the body halves in a 2-piece design ball valve? When you assemble the pipe connections it is possible to loosen the valve body connection, also extreme vibration in the pipeline can loosen the body halves. You should be able to tighten the body to stop the leak. There is a gasket between the two body parts to help prevent leaks.

· If the valve does not close tightly or at all, remove the 4-bolts (1/2" and larger), disassemble the body, check the seat and diaphragm for any debris. Something as small as a piece of Teflon tape on the seat will cause the valve to leak. Be sure you can press the diaphragm into the stem and it moves freely. To disassemble the 1/4" and 3/8" valves you can put the points of a pair of needle nose pliers into the two holes to unthread the cap, or use a spanner wrench, like a Baader 32450062. They have a o-ring seal and are not very tight.

· If the valve does not operate when energized; confirm the coil voltage and A/C or D/C is correct, there is no polarity requirement. All of the coils have the voltage and AC or DC imprinted into the plastic. Be sure you measure the rated voltage, ±10%, on the coil when it is energized. Our coils can pull >1 Amp, and may pull down a power supply if it cannot provide enough current. The 24V models need close to a 3 Amp (3,000mA) power supply to energize them.

· If the valve won't open, is connected to a liquid, and located below the fluid source, disassemble it and see if water got behind the diaphragm hydro-locking the valve.

· The valve should not be installed with the coil facing down.

· Confirm that the electrical contact pins on the coil did not get wet and carbonized. Discover more here

· Although many of our valves are suitable for actuation, we do not offer actuators at this time. We have partnered with a company in Texas, Attitude Systems, they can actuate most quarter turn ball valves and may be able to supply what you need. Please call them at 714-880-9992, ask for Donald, tell him we sent you.

· Please visit our blog page, lots more there.