How to Spot a Bad Chrome Plated Supply Stop

Chrome plated supply stops are utilized in many plumbing applications. They are a low pressure valve that is generally used right before an appliance or faucet in your home.

In the market, there are many different brands and qualities of Supply Stops available. It is important for you to be able to spot good from poor quality. You don’t always need the best valve out there, but if you install a poor quality one, it can lead to problems down the road.

In this blog, we will highlight a few key aspects to look for when evaluating the quality of Chrome Plated Supply Stops.  

The aspects that we are going to look at are: 

• Quarter vs. multi turn design  
• Price point  
• Overall look and weight

Quarter vs. multi-turn design  

Over the past number of years, Chrome Plated Supply Stops have been transitioning from a multi-turn design to the quarter turn design. This is for a few reasons. The first is due to the obvious – a quarter turn design is much easier to turn on and off.

The other advantage of a quarter-turn design is that it uses a ball in the valve rather than a rubber seat to make the seal. The quarter turn will make the valve last longer, especially when being used often.

Finally, with a multi-turn design, it is easy to damage the rubber seat by over tightening which will not happen on the quarter turn style.  

Price Point of the Supply Stop  

This can be said of any products that you buy. When something is too cheap, it can often be due to the quality and material used for manufacturing. In the Supply Stop market, this is no different. There are really three levels of quality with these products.

Some companies manufacture very high-quality Supply Stops and are priced high because of it. If you would like the confidence and warranty that comes with this, you will have to pay for it. 

There are mid-range quality Supply Stops that are great for any application and are reasonably priced. They tend to be made overseas, but are still manufactured to a good specification and quality level. The mid and high range price points would be the ones that I would trust the most. 

Finally, you get down to the low-priced valves. Based on the look and feel of them, you should be able to note some quality differences between them and the higher priced units. Because Chrome Plated Supply Stops can be susceptible to corrosion, I would stay away from these. Yes, you can save a bit of money, but at the expense of a flood, this is not a risk I would take.  

Overall Look and Weight

Gut feel is often a pretty good indicator of quality. The same is with Supply Stops. When speaking with a customer, we picked up a low-end Supply Stop that they were selling. Instantly I could tell that is was low quality. Didn't even have to see the price. The finish was poor, the valve turn was not smooth and it was light as a feather. I did not even need to have a higher quality stop to compare in order to make my conclusion. 

When you are looking at Supply Stops, pick them up, turn the handle and inspect the manufacturing. If these seem off to you, it could be a good indicator that the Supply Stop is not very good quality. 

In Summary:

These are just some quick aspects for you to pay attention to when evaluating which Chrome Plated Supply Stop you want to install or purchase. 

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