5 Steps To Maintain Industrial Valves

Maintaining industrial valves is hard work, and not to mention very dangerous. It is your job to keep yourself and others safe while exposing yourself to the dangers of being too close to the systems.

There are different types of industrial valves, and these valves require different maintenance too. Checking for valves that are not working, permits leakages, or not working as it's supposed to would be very dangerous for any system. An industrial valve is used for many different day-to-day applications and systems, and a valve should be checked for any inconsistencies to avoid risks.

Step 1: Prepare Checklist

If you want to make a thorough inspection of your systems, you need to have a thorough checklist. The best thing about having an industrial system checklist is it makes mistakes avoidable and it is a great tool for forgetful people. Since different valves regulates different substances, the checklist would vary widely too. For example, checklists for water systems are different from sanitary sewer systems.

Step 2: Close and Open

Operating all the valves would be a nice idea. If it isn’t dangerous, you should try to close and open all the valves. Water valves could be checked manually, but there are those operated by computers and machines. Take note of all the valves that cannot be opened or closed, and take note also of those which do not properly close and open. This would cause leakages and you would need to replace these valves immediately so as not to put yourself and other workers at risk. Sometimes, you would just need to grease some valves to be able to open them. Make sure that it is safe to do this before you do.

Step 3: Look Closely

Looking at the valves closely would make a good inspection. Look at how the valves bend, and see if they are properly aligned. Look for leakages in the different parts of industrial valves to see if there are some things that needs to be changed. Sometimes, you would only need to make some turns to loosen or tighten the valves, but it is safe to let professionals do this for you. If there are bents and warped stems in the valves, take note of them as they surely have an effect on how the valves work. Leakages are the first things one should avoid in a system as these could cause losses in revenue, customer satisfaction, and in some other not-so-rare cases, lives.

Step 4: Clean

Manufacturers have different specifications on the valves, but cleanliness is something that should always be observed. Apply thin coats of oil on the rods, and adjust too loose and too tight linkages.

Step 5: Examine Everything

Examine everything means examining the system for parts that already show weaknesses such as cracks, brittleness and everything that might give away leakages. Test if the alarms used in the system are all working and would go off at the slightest leakages of dangerous substances.

Maintaining industrial valves is hard work, and not to mention very dangerous. It is your job to keep yourself and others safe while exposing yourself to the dangers of being too close to the systems. Inspect systems thoroughly and make sure that it is safe for you, for your co-workers and for the customers.