Plumbing Valves: Every Type You Need to Know

Plumbing valves explained - every type you need to know for the ARE exam and real-world practice. This episode breaks down gate valves, ball valves, butterfly valves, globe valves, check valves, backflow preventers, pressure reducing valves (PRVs), pressure relief valves, angle valves, and float valves, all organized by function so you actually understand what each one does. Instead of memorizing a giant list, learn the four categories that every plumbing valve falls into: stop valves, regulating valves, one-way valves, and specialty valves. Each valve gets its own custom diagram showing how it works open and closed, plus a simple analogy to make it stick. This is the kind of building systems knowledge tested on the PPD and PDD exams. 📝 Key topics covered: Gate valve vs ball valve - when to use each stop valve Butterfly valves for large-diameter piping Globe valves and angle valves for throttling and flow control Check valves vs backflow preventers - passive protection vs code-required safety Pressure reducing valve (water pressure regulator) vs pressure relief valve (T&P valve) Float valves for automatic water level control How plumbing valves show up on the ARE exam (PPD and PDD) ⏱️ Chapters: 0:00 - Introduction 1:54 - Stop Valves 2:11 - Gate Valve 3:08 - Ball Valve 3:45 - Butterfly Valve 6:00 - Regulating Valves 6:35 - Globe Valve 7:37 - Angle Valve 8:31 - Pressure Reducing Valve (PRV) 9:53 - One-Way Valves 10:24 - Check Valve 11:01 - Backflow Preventer 12:31 - Specialty Valves 13:01 - Pressure Relief Valve 14:01 - Float Valve 14:51 - Come Study With Us 15:48 - ARE Study Tip 📖 Read the full blog post with all valve diagrams: https://academy2.youngarchitect.com/p... 📝 Free Plumbing Valves Study Notes: https://youngarchitect.com/valves 🎯 Join the ARE Boot Camp - 10 weeks to transform your exam prep: https://youngarchitect.com/arebootcamp/ 📚 ARE 101 Membership - access all ARE study materials: https://academy2.youngarchitect.com/a... Individual Courses: PPD 101 (Project Planning and Design): https://academy2.youngarchitect.com/a... PDD 101 (Construction Documents and Specs): https://academy2.youngarchitect.com/a... Mechanical Systems 101: https://academy2.youngarchitect.com/a... Building Codes 101: https://academy2.youngarchitect.com/a... CDT 101 (Construction Documents Technologist): https://academy2.youngarchitect.com/c... CCCA 101 (Construction Contract Administration): https://academy2.youngarchitect.com/c... PcM 101 (Practice Management): https://academy2.youngarchitect.com/a... PjM 101 (Project Management): https://academy2.youngarchitect.com/a... CE 101 (Construction and Evaluation): https://academy2.youngarchitect.com/a... PA 101 (Programming and Analysis): https://academy2.youngarchitect.com/p... AIA Contracts 101: https://academy2.youngarchitect.com/a... 👍 If this helped, give it a thumbs up and subscribe for more ARE and CDT exam prep content!