What kind of water valve is this?

my wife and i are thinking about replacing our kitchen faucet so i went to look under the sink to see how the existing faucet is hooked up. i expected to see a typical water valve where you can just turn a knob to shut off the flow, but, instead, i see this...



what kind of valve is this? and how the hell do these work? there are knobs that you can pull or push and one looks pushed in while the other looks pulled out. I want to make sure that i understand how these work before i mess with them. does that knob only disconnect the line? or does it also shut off the flow? or do i need to turn off the water to the house before disconnecting these lines?

thanks

 

I've never seen those. They look like some kind of shutoff valve. I'd pull them and turn on the faucet and see if the water flows. I can't quite understand why they'd connect the supply lines behind the cabinet where you can't get to them. You'll have to cut the back of the cabinet to access them to replace it needed.
Edit maybe the cabinet has a large enough access whole behind the white etscucheon (trim piece)

 

@15whtrd your assistance

 

ok... so i found this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw-Nv078j5A

so weird that i never noticed these before in the house

 

Hmm. Never seen those before.

 

Never seen before

 

Me likey

 

Learn something new every day. Never seen those before. But the video was informative. Not sure if I like. I like my water connections well outside the wall. I’d want to put some
O-ring grease on. Careful not to mar the mating surfaces when installing. Slow leaks are the worst kind. Hard to detect until damage is done. I hate mold!

Still a cool product. I would have the water turned on and purged before installation of the escutcheon. Dry the area real well, and observe. I put tissue or paper towels under my sinks after everything is completely dry. This is a great way to see if anything new develops.

 

That’s the difference between a good plumber and one that gets called again. I never want call backs. You could’ve done everything beautifully but leaks happen to the best of us. The more thorough you are the less likelihood of problems. Checking your work is the difference between a good plumber and a great plumber. Not just a once over. It may take a little more time and make me look slower than the next guy. But I’ve had customers that really appreciated the lack of problems after I’m gone.

Treat everyone’s house as if it were your own LOL. I wish I could find a mechanic like me.

 

So that exact style is new to me but there is something similar that used to be popular for new homes. Does your home have a main water shut off panel in the home for each room? The system was by Viega and it’s called a Manabloc system. They have don’t use them anymore. They were convenient to shut off certain rooms but prone to having issues.

 

Whaaaaaaa is that?!?!???

 

That is badass! Its a manifold system for every water source in the home. Everything branches from that point. Some home can have multiple manifolds depending on the size of the house.

 

This is how you run a pressurized beer tap to every room in your house.

 

I was way off!

 

The Viega systems are actually hated by most plumbers since they are notorious for leaks and busted lines. If you have one it’s usually not a good thing.

 

Thank you for kind words Sean! Everyone has their own preferences but I know my plumbers hate those systems. The idea is cool but the reliability not so much.

 

True ... I won't touch them.
I prefer working with PVC and CPVC.

 

They look really cool, the idea is great. But I prefer more the old fashion way. I like pex pipe but I prefer Uponor. No clamps. Keep it simple with minimal 90s and fittings. Or copper.

 

Copper is great as long as the pH of the H2O isn't acidic.

 

Exactly! And reverse osmosis water will kill copper.

 

The only call backs you want are repeat business.

 

And, I don't use the plastic fittings, only the brass ones for Pex.