When I went to open the ball valve for the galley sink the other day the stem snapped off whilst the valve remained closed.
When I took the numbers off the valve to determine the appropriate replacement and researched them on the WWW, I discovered that the ball in question was the subject of a recall by the manufacturer. Apparently the material used for the valve stem was not correct. The valve was a Groco IBV 1250 ball valve, so if you have such a valve (or any of the others covered by the recall) take advantage of the replacement offer at your next haul out.
The particulars are described in:
http://www.groco.net/svc-bltn/cat-svc-bltn-2-08.htm.
