Ball Valve Problem

[cway001]

Has anyone ever encountered a consistent stress failure with threaded ball valve bodies cracking through the stamp on the hex? If so, what brand(s) and what was determined to be the cause of the failure?

 

[JimCasey]

That sounds like a failure with a high correlation to being installed by a gorilla with a pipe wrench.

Those are probably also the low-end WOG (Water-Oil-Gas) valves. ANSI (Now ASME) valves have to meet more stringent material properties and thivkness specifications. See ASME B16.34 and B16.10 for code requirements.