Our Story
In the mid 1980’s, the common gate valve on irrigation backflow devices were replaced with the modern Ball Valve.
The ball valve with its resilient positive shut off Teflon seats proved to be an ideal valve not only in irrigation but thousands of industries worldwide. This simple, long lasting, cost effective ¼ turn valve became the new standard.
Just one problem. If the valve is exposed to freezing temperatures, especially in the closed position, the water trapped in the ball freezes and cracks the side of the valve body in exactly the same spot. This can be prevented by proper maintenance techniques, but many times people are caught off guard or aren't properly informed.
In 2013, after replacing thousands of ball valves while running his irrigation service company in Denver Colorado, Ron Lehman, a 6 year navy veteran, 33 year irrigation specialist, set out to find a solution to this widespread problem. He envisioned a redesigned ball valve with a simple freeze plug positioned on the side of the valve that cracks, that would be very easy to replace. With this quick fix, customers could save on maintenance costs and improve uptime.
After sharing his new idea with many of the major ball valve companies in the USA, he was thoroughly rejected. Not because it wouldn't work, but simply due to the Greed and Corruption factor. All these companies make hundreds of millions of dollars a year, selling replacement ball valves after their inferior products crack.
So, rather than a product that is supposed to last 20 years, the customer receives something that fails in a few years or even a few months! Imagine the ethics and morals of those providing a product that will generate billions in revenue from known, preventable, premature failure due to freezing! That’s the dirty secret of the ball valve manufacturing industry. Equally shocking to Ron were the repair service companies who do not want to give their customers a better ball valve, because of the lost profits in replacing valves, rather than a simple 5 minute fix the customer could do without a serviceman, or pay a lower cost to the serviceman. This is ALL part of the reason why Ron designed the freeze tolerant ball valve AND offers a lifetime warranty not to crack the side of the valve. To date, not a single freeze plug has failed to do its job in saving the valve body from rupturing, saving our customers hundreds to thousands of dollars in repair and replacement costs. Join the revolution, and fight against corporate greed. Shop now
The ball valve with its resilient positive shut off Teflon seats proved to be an ideal valve not only in irrigation but thousands of industries worldwide. This simple, long lasting, cost effective ¼ turn valve became the new standard.
Just one problem. If the valve is exposed to freezing temperatures, especially in the closed position, the water trapped in the ball freezes and cracks the side of the valve body in exactly the same spot. This can be prevented by proper maintenance techniques, but many times people are caught off guard or aren't properly informed.
In 2013, after replacing thousands of ball valves while running his irrigation service company in Denver Colorado, Ron Lehman, a 6 year navy veteran, 33 year irrigation specialist, set out to find a solution to this widespread problem. He envisioned a redesigned ball valve with a simple freeze plug positioned on the side of the valve that cracks, that would be very easy to replace. With this quick fix, customers could save on maintenance costs and improve uptime.
After sharing his new idea with many of the major ball valve companies in the USA, he was thoroughly rejected. Not because it wouldn't work, but simply due to the Greed and Corruption factor. All these companies make hundreds of millions of dollars a year, selling replacement ball valves after their inferior products crack.
So, rather than a product that is supposed to last 20 years, the customer receives something that fails in a few years or even a few months! Imagine the ethics and morals of those providing a product that will generate billions in revenue from known, preventable, premature failure due to freezing! That’s the dirty secret of the ball valve manufacturing industry. Equally shocking to Ron were the repair service companies who do not want to give their customers a better ball valve, because of the lost profits in replacing valves, rather than a simple 5 minute fix the customer could do without a serviceman, or pay a lower cost to the serviceman. This is ALL part of the reason why Ron designed the freeze tolerant ball valve AND offers a lifetime warranty not to crack the side of the valve. To date, not a single freeze plug has failed to do its job in saving the valve body from rupturing, saving our customers hundreds to thousands of dollars in repair and replacement costs. Join the revolution, and fight against corporate greed. Shop now
Febco ball valves do not have any protection or warranty from freeze damages. The Freeze Tolerant Ball valve company located in beautiful Colorado, developed the best ball valve suited for cold weather. It has the CSS Approved certification. It is the only ball valve (including that made by febco ball valve corp.) approved for severe cold weather applications. It is the only ball valve with patented freeze-plug technology to protect it against freeze damage. Other products like the Febco FR 767 PVB states that it was made to be left out in the cold. However, we have tested this unit and found it highly susceptible to freezing and cracking. They are not sold in Colorado because they are not made to endure extreme cold snaps common in Colorado. That is what the distributor told me. Unfortunately most contractors do not like this freeze tolerant valve because they want to keep replacing the febco ball valves that readily crack on the febco pvb units, (the Febco 765 units as wells as any febco products that have febco valves on them.
Febco isn't alone. Watts, Apollo, Wilkins all lack cold weather valve products. They don't have freeze resistant or frost resistant or frost proof or cold weather valves on any of their products either.
I have personally changed out over 1,000 cracked ball valves in the last 20 years. Febco valves are the majority of the brand marketed in Colorado.Most of them have been specifically the Febco ball valve. The febco valve product is really not at fault. Either are the Wilkins ball valves, the Watts ball valves or other ball valves. A person just needs to maintain their febco valve products. However, I would think that Febco and others would want to make a better cold weather valve. But they really don't because they make a lot of profit selling replacement valves. I have found contractors and local distributors to be of the same mind set. Greed & Corruption is what seems to be in the for front of their minds. They put profit before integrity.
Febco isn't alone. Watts, Apollo, Wilkins all lack cold weather valve products. They don't have freeze resistant or frost resistant or frost proof or cold weather valves on any of their products either.
I have personally changed out over 1,000 cracked ball valves in the last 20 years. Febco valves are the majority of the brand marketed in Colorado.Most of them have been specifically the Febco ball valve. The febco valve product is really not at fault. Either are the Wilkins ball valves, the Watts ball valves or other ball valves. A person just needs to maintain their febco valve products. However, I would think that Febco and others would want to make a better cold weather valve. But they really don't because they make a lot of profit selling replacement valves. I have found contractors and local distributors to be of the same mind set. Greed & Corruption is what seems to be in the for front of their minds. They put profit before integrity.