Ball valve with flexible arm and detents for maintaining valve open or closed

A ball valve, comprising:

• a valve body including a flow inlet and a flow outlet across from the flow inlet and an aperture located on the valve body at a location between the flow inlet and the flow outlet, the aperture having a curved ledge adjacent the aperture and extending outwardly from the valve body;
• a ball including an outer surface and flow passage through the ball, the ball including a stem positionable in the aperture for rotatably positioning the ball relative to the valve body between an open condition with the flow passage of the ball aligned with and open to and in fluid communication with the flow inlet and the flow outlet of the valve body and a closed condition with the flow passage of the ball not aligned with and not in fluid communication with the flow inlet and the flow outlet of the valve body;
• and
• a handle connectable to the ball to rotate the ball relative to the valve body, the handle including a curved flexible arm having a catch at a free end thereof,
• wherein when the ball valve is in the open condition the catch of the curved flexible arm lockingly engages a first end of the curved ledge, and
• wherein when the ball valve is in the closed condition the catch of the curved flexible arm lockingly engages a second end of the curved ledge.

A ball valve, comprising:

• a valve body including a flow inlet and a flow outlet across from the flow inlet and an aperture located on the valve body at a location between the flow inlet and the flow outlet, the aperture having a first curved ledge adjacent the aperture and extending outwardly from the valve body and a second curved ledge adjacent the aperture and radially spaced from the first ledge and extending outwardly from the valve body;
• a ball including an outer surface and flow passage through the ball, the ball including a stem positionable in the aperture for rotatably positioning the ball relative to the valve body between an open condition with the flow passage of the ball aligned with and open to and in fluid communication with the flow inlet and the flow outlet of the valve body and a closed condition with the flow passage of the ball not aligned with and not in fluid communication with the flow inlet and the flow outlet of the valve body;
• and
• a handle connectable to the ball to rotate the ball relative to the valve body, the handle including a first curved flexible arm having a catch at a free end thereof and a second curved flexible arm radially spaced from the first curved flexible arm and having a catch at a free end thereof,
• wherein when the ball valve is in the open condition the catch of the first curved flexible arm lockingly engages a first end of the first curved ledge and the catch of the second curved flexible arm lockingly engages a first end of the second curved ledge, and wherein when the ball valve is in the closed condition the catch of the first curved flexible arm lockingly engages a second end of the first curved ledge and the catch of the second curved flexible arm lockingly engages a second end of the second curved ledge.