gate valve or ball valve?

What's the difference? I see ball valves for $4, and gate valves for $37. What's the deal? Can I just use ball valves to regulate the flow through my system? Anyone know why the price difference?

cheers.

here's the gate valve...
http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/pl-gv1/Spears 1" Heavy Duty Gate Vale.html

and the ball valve...
http://www.mops.ca/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/skus/bh/BHSS-BV10T.asp?L scstore vqnp9248ffd94cd9 1257804711

 

Gate valves allow for more "fine" tuning. Currently I have ball valves for all of my valves but when I upgrade I'm going to use a gate valve for my drain. Not a ball valve. It depends...you can really do the same thing with a ball valve but for those things that require fine fine tuning, use a gate valve.

 

Yep. most of the time we simply need an on or off valve. The gate valves are $$, but they are necessary in applications like for a valve to adjust level of a skimmer (gate valve mod).

 

gate valves are alot easier to turn(as in fine tuning). ball valves will do the same thing but since they reqiure more force to turn, you end up turning it more than you want it to. thats why gate valves cost more(better quality)

 

Actually, some ball valves are very easy to turn, and others are harder to turn. The issue is inherent in the design of the ball valve that minute adjustments are not possible with a ball valve, but are with a gate valve.

 

Gate valves will make your life easier.

 

I found that sometimes ball valves cannot be closed all the way when you need them to. I have bent the little red handle part several times trying to close off a line.

 

Got it. Thanks for the quick replies. So as far as plumbing my sump, here's what I had in mind....

My drain can flow at 700GPH. The pump I have coming is a mag12. I was thinking to have just 1 straight down drain into the sump. It will go through some mechanical filtration here. Then go trough my skimmer area, and then into my return area. The return area will go in 3 directions. Into the refugium, which will overlfow back into the return, back to the display, and back to the skimmer area. The flow to the refugium will be limited, so the ball valve would be pretty closed off. The ball valve/gate valve going back to the skimmer section will be how I adjust/balance my return flow. I will have a union at the pump (for service), and 2 unions with shutoffs just below the display (return/drain).

Would this work? Or am I going in a totally wrong direction.

 

I think you will want to change the setup of the baffle between the skimmer section and the return section to eliminate micro bubbles from the skimmer getting into the dt

 

ya I know. I just drew that line real quick to show the separation of the skimmer section and return section. The transfer from skimmer to return will actually be all custom, as I will be using chemipure elite in there. My main concern is the plumbing. Whether or not I'm on the ball.