Irrigation Gate Valves | Nibco, Leemco, Legend Valve - Reinders

Author: Shirley

Jul. 28, 2025

Mechanical Parts & Fabrication Services

Irrigation Gate Valves | Nibco, Leemco, Legend Valve - Reinders

A non-rising stem gate valve is ideal for a limited-space irrigation system where positive shutoff is needed. That’s because irrigation pipe gate valves are designed in a way that makes them take up less space. Plus, they’re easier to padlock and more economical. That’s why we offer such a wide variety of these valves from the market’s top brands, like Leemco, Nibco and Legend Valve.

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We’ve got any non-rising stem irrigation gate valve you need - from brass irrigation gate valves with screw-in bonnets for pressure-tight seals to cast iron, push-on, resilient gate wedge valves for full flow with minimal pressure drop. Just click to order, and save an additional 1 percent on each order when you get a free Pro Login account.

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Irrigation system gate valves are multi-purpose, bi-directional shutoff valves for commercial and industrial applications. These on-off valves are designed to use a sliding plate, slab or wedge within the valve body to stop, limit, or permit full flow. They’re ideal when you need a straight-line flow of fluid and minimum flow restriction.

These valves can also isolate specific areas of the water supply network during maintenance, new installations or other instances in which water flow needs to be rerouted throughout the pipeline. Their simple design can be applied in many low pressure-drop services, which makes them one of the most common valves in use today.

Where space is at a premium and you need positive shutoff, non-rising stem gate valves are the perfect choice. That’s where Reinders comes in, with a wide variety of these space-saving, economical valves in bronze, brass and cast iron.

Bronze irrigation gate valves are fairly inexpensive and extremely ductile, so they resist breaking when bent. They’re also great for resisting corrosion, particularly from any corrosives similar to seawater. That’s why even the ancient Romans made flow control valves out of bronze!

Nibco, known for its high-quality, versatile and economical irrigation gate valves, makes high-quality bronze irrigation pipe gate valves with non-rising stems. These bronze valves are specifically designed for irrigation in-ground applications, with a cross-type operating handle used in conjunction with a remote operating wrench.

Other features:

  • screw-in bonnet for service where infrequent maintenance is required
  • solid wedge, integral seats and bi-directional service
  • female-threaded ends for ease of installation
  • dezincification resistant
  • conforms to MSS SP-80
  • rated at 125 PSI for saturated steam to 353° F and 200 PSI for non-shock cold working pressure

Specifically, Reinders offers the following popular sizes of Nibco bronze non rising stem gate valves for irrigation system pipe, although sizes range from ¼-inch to 3 inches. Please refer to Nibco technical data sheets, chemical resistance guides and catalogs for engineering and installation information:

  • Nibco - T113K - 2" Bronze Gate Valve With Cross Handle
  • Nibco - T113K - 2-1/2" Bronze Gate Valve With Cross Handle
  • Nibco - T113K - 3" Bronze Gate Valve With Cross Handle

Brass irrigation pipe gate valves are considered by many to be superior to bronze valves in terms of durability, malleability (for bending without cracking) and performance. Brass is more corrosion resistant than bronze, for instance, and has very low (to no) levels of lead. However, brass valves can cost more and may undergo dezincification when in contact with high levels of chlorine.

Reinders carries Legend Valve’s 1/2" S-400 Brass Compact Gate Valve, Sweat x Sweat. It’s rated at 200 PSI for non-shock cold working pressure and a maximum working temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Reinders also offers full port brass irrigation gate valves by Nibco. They all offer NPT X NPT end connections and cast-iron handwheels for commercial irrigation systems:

  • Nibco - TI-8 - 1" Full Port Brass Gate Valve
  • Nibco - TI-8 - 1-1/4" Full Port Brass Gate Valve
  • Nibco - TI-8 - 1-1/2" Full Port Brass Gate Valve
  • Nibco - TI-8 - 2" Full Port Brass Gate Valve
  • Nibco - TI-8 - 3" Full Port Brass Gate Valve
  • Nibco - TI-8 - 4" Full Port Brass Gate Valve

As far as materials go, cast iron is the most inexpensive choice. Yet it can handle extremely high temperatures and intense vibrations without damage. Cast-iron, resilient wedge irrigation gate valves by Nibco are designed to provide full flow with minimal pressure drop and positive shutoff. These valves also feature IPS PVC push-on end connections for easy installation and accessibility.

These cast-iron gate valves with non-rising stems for irrigation pipe are operated with a square operating nut and wrench. Their fusion-bonded, epoxy-coasted bodies are NSF and FDA certified. And they meet or exceed performance requirements of AWWA C509 and C515 for 3-inch and larger valves.

Other features:

  • 250 PSI non-shock cold working pressure
  • maximum operating temperature of 160ºF
  • bolted bonnet

We offer these valves in a wide variety of sizes, including:

  • Nibco - P619RW - 2" Push-On Resilient Wedge Gate Valve
  • Nibco - P619RW - 2-1/2" Push-On Resilient Wedge Gate Valve
  • Nibco - 3" Push-On Resilient Wedge Cast Iron Gate Valve
  • Nibco - P619RW - 4" Push-On Resilient Wedge Gate Valve
  • Nibco - P619RW - 6" Push-On Resilient Wedge Gate Valve
  • Nibco - P619RW - 8" Push-On Resilient Wedge Gate Valve

Can’t find the irrigation gate valve model you need for your irrigation pipe system? Just contact us! It’s easy to find what you need at Reinders, with our seasoned pros ready to help. Or, if visiting one of our local stores, check with your friendly in-store associate!

In addition to Reinders’ gate valves for on-off control in irrigation pipe systems, we also offer globe valves.

One of the main differences between a gate valve and a globe valve is how they look. The gate valve construction is much simpler. Most of its internal components are located on the top part of the valve body. When it is turned on, its body becomes hollow. That’s why there is a little pressure drop. The gate valve may have a non-rising or rising stem. In comparison, many globe valve parts are inside the cavity itself.

Globe valves are designed to provide a tight, efficient seal to limit the risk of leakage. They’re good throttling valves because their seats are parallel to the media flow, preventing erosion of the seat when the valve is on. Globe valves experience high-pressure drops and are more resistant to water flow when the valve is turned on.

Applications that encounter high temperatures or high pressures call for globe valves. They’re also appropriate when you need a safe, leak-proof solution that resists corrosion. Due to their capabilities, globe valves are more costly than gate valves for irrigation pipes but are a worthwhile expense in certain applications.

If that’s what you need, we offer the Leemco Globe Valve - LGV-200BB. In this valve, lateral to mainline connection is made with a resilient, seated globe valve.

Features include:

  • valve body and restraint clamps made of ductile iron
  • fusion-bonded, epoxy coating on all interior and exterior surfaces (10-12 mm thick)
  • valve mechanism and hardware made of 100-percent 304-series stainless steel
  • valve stem is fine-threaded stainless steel, O-ring sealed for easy operation
  • Spigot X bell connection to mainline fitting, mechanically attached and able to swivel about the base 360 degrees to allow positioning of valve outlet to any desired direction
  • valve outlet is deep bell, gasket and equipped with integrally cast joint restraint clamps to securely fasten pipe to the valve
  • restraint with blunt cast serrations; machine threaded restraints will not be allowed
  • stackable riser extensions

Looking for a different type of valve? Check out many other different kinds sprinkler and irrigation valves carried by Reinders for a variety of different irrigation applications and systems, from top irrigation valve brands like Nibco, Leemco, Legend Valve, Irritrol, Hunter Industries, Toro, Weathermatic and more:

Ball valves – for cutting off and adjusting water flow, including three-way ball valves, which can flexibly cut off, distribute and change the direction of the flow.

Electric anti-siphon valves – that serve as combination control valves and atmospheric back-flow preventers.

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For more Industrial Ball Valve Supplierinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.

In-line electric valves - used to regulate the flow of water on a sprinkler system, but unlike anti siphon valves, do not offer protection from backflow. However, in-line valves are designed to be installed under the ground to hide the plumbing. Usually, they are installed along with backflow prevention devices and vacuum breakers.

The Fundamentals of Gate Valves | Valve Magazine

Gate valves are a product of the industrial revolution. While some valve designs such as the globe and plug valve have been around longer, the gate valve dominated the industry for many decades, only recently ceding substantial market share to ball and butterfly valve designs.

The gate valve differs from ball, plug and butterfly valves in that the closure element, called the disc, gate, or obturator, rises on the base of a stem or spindle out of the waterway and into the valve top, called the bonnet, by means of multiple turns of the spindle or stem. These valves that open with a straight-line motion are also called multi-turn or linear valves and differ from quarter-turn styles, whose stems rotate 90 degrees and generally don’t rise.

Gate valves are available in dozens of different materials and several pressure classes. They range in size from fit-in-your-hand NPS ½ inch, through big-as-a-truck NPS 144 inch. Gate valves are constructed of castings, forgings or weld-fabricated assemblies, although casting designs dominate.

One of the most desirable aspects of gate valves is their ability to open fully and leave the flow bore virtually free of encumbrances or friction. An open gate valve offers about the same amount of resistance to flow as a section of pipe of the same port size. As a result, gate valves are still strongly considered for blocking or on/off applications. In some valve nomenclature, a gate valve is called a block valve.

Gate valves are generally bad choices for regulating flow or operating in any orientation other than fully open or fully closed. Using a partially open gate valve for throttling or regulating flow can result in either damage to the disc or body seat rings, due to the seating surfaces banging against one another in the partially open, turbulence-inducing flow environment.

GATE VALVE STYLES

From the outside, most gate valves look somewhat similar. However, inside there are a host of different design possibilities. Most gate valves consist of a body and bonnet that contains a closure element, called a disc or a gate. The closure element is attached to a stem that passes through the bonnet of the valve, ultimately interfacing with a handwheel or other actuation device to operate the stem. Pressure around the stem is contained with a packing material that is compressed into a packing area or chamber.

The motion of a gate valve’s disc upon the stem dictates whether the stem rises during opening or threads into the disc. This reaction also defines the two major stem/disc styles of the gate valve: the rising stem or the non-rising stem (NRS). The rising stem is the overwhelmingly popular style of stem/disc design for the industrial market, while the non-rising style has merited longtime favor with the waterworks and plumbing industry segments. Some marine applications where gate valves are still used and space is tight, also utilize the NRS style.

The most common stem/bonnet design in use on industrial valves is the outside screw and yoke (OS&Y). The OS&Y design is preferred for corrosive environments because the threads are outside the fluid containment area. It also differs from other designs in that the handwheel is attached to a bushing at the top of the valve yoke, and not to the stem itself, thus the handwheel does not rise as the valve is opened.

GATE VALVE TRIM

The word “trim” is often overheard when valve professionals are talking about industrial gate valves. Trim has nothing to do with how slim and fit a valve is; rather, it refers to the internal components of a valve that are exposed to great stress or subject to a harsh combination of erosion and corrosion. In a gate valve, the trim components are the stem, disc seating area, body seats and backseat, if applicable. Common utility bronze or brass valves usually have trim parts of the same material as the body and bonnet. Cast and ductile iron valves have either all iron trim components or occasionally bronze trim. The term for an iron valve with bronze trim is “iron body, bronze mounted” (IBBM).

Steel valves can be furnished with a number of different trims. Stellite, Hastelloy, 316ss, 347ss, Monel and Alloy 20 are some of the materials regularly used for gate valve trim.

DISC DESIGN

The heart of the gate valve is the closure element, which can be of two designs, either the wedge or the parallel seat. The wedge design is the most popular and has been around since invented by famous British engineer James Nasmyth in . The wedge style utilizes the slightly angled disc mating with the same angled valve body seats to affect a tight closure. These valves are seated by applying torque to push the disc firmly into the seats. Three types of wedge disc are available:

  1. The solid wedge has been around the longest and at one time virtually all wedge gates were the solid type. The drawback to a solid design is that it does not have any flexibility and if there is any valve body/seat distortion due to extreme temperature fluctuations or pipe stresses, the solid disc can become jammed in the seats. The solid disc is still standard on bronze, cast iron, water service and compact carbon steel valves (API 602 type).
  2. The flexible wedge type is just that: flexible. By the addition of a groove or slot around its periphery, the flexible disc can adapt to temperature changes and adverse piping stresses without binding. The flexible design also is a little easier to manufacture in that minor imperfections in the seating surface angles can be compensated for by the disc’s flexibility. The flex-wedge design is by far the most common type seen on commodity gate valves used in industrial applications.
  3. The split wedge type consists of a two-piece design with mating surfaces on the back side of each disc half. These mating surfaces allow the downward stem thrust to be uniformly transferred to the disc faces and onto the seats. This flexible design also provides protection against jamming due to thermal expansion. A disadvantage to the split design is that in dirty services, residue or debris can cake in between the disc halves, causing the valve to improperly seat or even jam. Split wedge designs are commonly found on stainless steel and high alloy valves, as well as many small bronze valves.

Wedge gates are guided by grooves or ribs cast or welded into the body of the valve. These wedge guides keep the disc in alignment as it opens or closes and also keeps the disc from sliding against the downstream seat during opening and closing.

The other gate valve disc style is the parallel seat design. Parallel seats may be spring loaded to provide for a tighter seal or create positive sealing in the upstream direction. Parallel seated valves are position seated, in that the position of the disc dictates the sealing efficacy, and not the amount of force (torque) applied to the disc by the stem.

BODY/BONNET DESIGN

Gate valves generally are made of two principal parts: the body and the bonnet. These comprise the pressure-containing envelope of the gate valve. There are a variety of designs for the interface of these two components.

  1. The screwed joint is the simplest design. However, it is only used for inexpensive, low-pressure bronze valves.
  2. The union joint is also primarily used on bronze valves, but the union design allows for easier disassembly for repair and maintenance.
  3. The bolted-bonnet joint is the most popular joint and it is used on the vast majority of gate valves in industrial use today. Unlike threaded and union bonnet valves, the bolted-bonnet connection requires a gasket to seal the joint between the body and bonnet.
  4. The pressure-seal joint is energized by the fluid pressure in the valve body acting upon a wedge shaped, soft iron or graphite gasket wedged between the body and bonnet. On a pressure-seal valve, the higher the body cavity pressure, the greater the force on the gasket. Pressure-seal bonnets are used extensively for high-pressure high-temperature applications, such as the power industry.
  5. Welded bonnets are a very popular body-bonnet joint for compact steel valves in sizes ½ inch through 2 inches and pressure classes 800 through , where disassembly is not required.

OTHER GATE VALVE DESIGNS

Also in the gate valve family are knife and sluice gates. The bonnetless knife gate is especially suited for use in slurries such as in pulp and paper mills.

Knife gates are very thin, only slightly wider than their closure element (disc). Because of their unique geometry and thin cross-section, knife gates are limited to low pressure applications.

In appearance, the sluice gate doesn’t look like it even belongs in the gate valve family; however, based upon its sliding disc design, it is characterized as a gate valve. Sluice gates are limited to very low pressures — in most cases, simple head pressure. They are used primarily in wastewater and irrigation systems.

GATE VALVE MARKET SEGMENTS

While the quarter-turn valve has achieved a large chunk of the gate valve market share over the past 50 years, there are still industries that rely heavily on them, including the oil and gas industry. Crude or liquid pipelines are still the home to parallel seat gate valves, despite the inroads that ball valves have made on the gas pipeline side.

In the larger sizes, the gate valves are still the primary choice for the refining industry for most applications. The robustness of design and total cost of ownership (which includes the economics of repair) are points that make this legacy design desirable.

Application-wise, many refinery processes utilize temperatures above the safe operating temperature of Teflon, which is the primary seating material in floating ball valves. The high-performance butterfly valve and metal-seated ball valve are beginning to see more use in refinery applications, although their total cost of ownership is often higher than that of the gate valve.

The waterworks industry segment is still dominated by iron gate valves. They are reasonably inexpensive and long-lasting, even in buried applications.

The power industry utilizes alloy gate valves for applications involving very high pressure and very high temperature. Although some newer Y-pattern globe valves, and metal-seated ball valves designed for blocking service are found in power plants, gate valves still find favor for plant designers and operators.

MATERIALS OF CONSTRUCTION

Steel and iron are the most popular materials for gate valve construction, with steel being the choice for most industrial applications and iron for water, wastewater and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC). Other materials popular for gate valve construction include stainless steel, bronze and high alloys such as Hastelloy and Inconel.

Standards for the design and construction of gate valves are published by the American Petroleum Institute (API), Manufacturers Standardization Society (MSS), American Waterworks Association (AWWA) and American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

STILL POPULAR

Gate valves are still the primary choice for many service applications. Their cost of manufacture to value ratio is still very high. On typical petrochemical and refining projects today, the percentage of gate valves on the requisition is about 60%.

Mark Twain once said, “The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” Although the ball, plug and butterfly valve segments have been gaining market share for decades, the venerable gate valve can respond the same way — the rumors of its demise have been exaggerated.


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