Nibco 76-LF Stop and Waste Valve - Lead-Free*, Straight, FIP x FIP

A stop and waste valve does two jobs: it shuts off flow, and it has a drain port so the downstream line can be emptied once the valve is closed. The Nibco 76-LF is the lead-free version, catalogued with a drain. That drain is why it gets used on lines that have to be winterized or drained down for service, outdoor hose bibb feeds, irrigation runs, unheated crawl space lines. A straight stop with no waste port shuts the water off but leaves the pipe full, so anything sitting in that run can freeze. If nothing downstream ever needs draining, a plain stop valve is the simpler choice.

Threaded both ends, FIP x FIP, so it takes male pipe thread on each side. Nothing gets soldered. On copper you need a male adapter on each side of the valve; on iron pipe or threaded brass nipples it screws straight on. Because both ends are female, you cannot drop it into a run without breaking the line and adding threaded ends, which is worth knowing before you cut.

It is certified compliant with California Health and Safety Code 116875 and Vermont Act 193 by IAPMO Research and Testing. The body carries the NIBCO double-oval lead-free marking and the handle is white specifically so a lead-free valve can be identified on sight during an inspection, which matters when an inspector is walking a job and wants to confirm it without pulling the valve.

Two sizes, 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch, both FIP x FIP. The 1/2 inch is MPN N64X0L6 and the 3/4 inch is N64X0L8. Size to the pipe you are tapping into, not to the fixture, since a 3/4 inch valve on a 1/2 inch branch just adds two reducing adapters.

This is a residential plumbing valve, catalogued for lead-free potable water service with a drain. The waste port is what makes it useful for draining a line down before a freeze. It is a straight pattern valve with threaded FIP ends, so it needs a valve box or accessible pit if it goes below grade, since somebody has to reach the handwheel and open the waste port to drain the run. Buried with no access it cannot do the job it is there for.

Because both ends are female threaded, the valve is not going to spin into place between two fixed threaded ends. You need a union on one side, or enough flex in the run to thread it on. On copper, budget two male adapters. Thread sealant or PTFE tape on the male threads is on you, none comes with the valve.

EPDM seat disc. EPDM is the standard elastomer for potable hot and cold water service and it is what gives this valve its shutoff. It is not compatible with petroleum based fluids, so keep this valve on water. If the line ever sees oil or a hydrocarbon, EPDM is the wrong seat.

A handwheel, epoxy coated zinc alloy, in white. Multi-turn, not a quarter-turn lever, so you cannot tell open from closed at a glance the way you can with a ball valve lever. On a fleet of units where a maintenance tech needs to confirm a shutoff from across a mechanical room, that is the tradeoff. The upside is fine throttling and a soft close that will not water hammer the line.