Valve Box
Keeping a shut-off valve reachable behind a finished wall
A shut-off valve behind a finished wall has to be reachable in a hurry. A valve box is the housing that keeps it accessible, protected and identifiable, rather than buried behind board that has to be cut open when a pipe is already leaking.
Recessed KRVB and surface mounted KSMB compared
The KRVB recessed valve box installs into the wall so the door finishes flush with the surface. This is the normal choice in occupied and public areas, where the box should read as a panel rather than a projection.
The KSMB surface mounted valve box fixes to the face of the wall. Specify it where the wall depth will not take a recessed box: a thin partition, a solid masonry wall where chasing out is not practical, or a retrofit where the valve is already installed and the wall is already finished. It is also the faster option on existing buildings, because nothing has to be cut back.
Wall depth, sizing and labelling before you order
Three things.
- Valve type and handle swing, because the box has to give enough clear internal space to turn the handle through its full travel, not just to see the valve.
- Wall depth, because that decides recessed against surface mounted before any other consideration.
- Identification, because a valve box that is not labelled costs time in an emergency. Label the box for the service it isolates as part of commissioning.
Both models are made in the USA. Boxes can be supplied with louvers, peepholes or glass panels, and can be drilled or punched for pipes or conduits of all sizes, so the box can be matched to the valve arrangement rather than the arrangement worked around the box. For internal dimensions on a specific valve, send the detail to the sales team.