Replies

1. Expert Member
   Malcolm Taylor|Oct 28, 2020 11:29am|#1

   ek728,

   There is no way the amount of teflon used in ball valves would be detectable in your water supply, or possible of causing any problems. It is inert unless heated.

2. 
   Trevor Lambert|Oct 28, 2020 11:46am|#2

   I think the only option to avoid Teflon would be to use the old school, rubber seal, screw type valves. This would be a bad choice. There is nothing scary about Teflon in this application.

3. 
   ek728|Oct 28, 2020 12:38pm|#3

   Thanks both - I figured as much but curious if there's anything in the market for residential plumbing application. I've seen non-PTFE thread sealant so wasn't sure if there was something similar for valves.

1. Expert Member
   Malcolm Taylor|Oct 28, 2020 05:18pm|#4

   ek728,

   I didn't mean to downplay the potential problems of PTFE contamination, I just don't think it's something to worry about with small ball-valves.

4. Expert Member
   Zephyr7|Oct 28, 2020 05:21pm|#5

   Teflon is completely inert until heated WAY beyond boiling. You don't need to worry about it leaching into the water. They use teflon in implantable medical devices because the body can't react with it. You could actually eat a piece of teflon and it will go right through your entire digestive tract without any physical or chemical changes at all -- nothing in your body can react with it. It is a VERY stable material.

   Regarding thread sealants, it would be the liquid part that could get out into the water (potentially), not the solid PTFE teflon part. In a valve, you have solid teflon that won't have that issue.

   If you really want to avoid teflon seals, you can get EPDM and Viton seals. Viton is another fluoropolymer though, so if that's your concern then it might not really be any different for you compared to teflon. EPDM is less long-term stable, and more likely to degrade with time. Teflon and Viton are usually considered the "better" materials for these purposes.

   Bill