What are the common faults and causes of breather valves?

1. Air leakage: This is usually caused by rust, hard objects scratching the contact surface between the valve and the valve disc, deformation of the valve disc or seat, and an inclined valve disc guide rod. 2. Blockage: This is mainly caused by the long-term lack of maintenance of mechanical breathing valves, which leads to the accumulation of dust, rust, and other debris inside the valve or in the breathing tube. It can also be caused by bees or birds building nests at the opening of the breathing valve, resulting in blockage. 3. Adhesion: This occurs as oil vapor, moisture, and dust and other debris deposited on the valve disc, valve seat, and guide rods combine and undergo chemical and physical changes; over time, this leads to the adhesion of the valve disc to the valve seat or the guide rods. 4. Jamming: This usually occurs when the breathing valve is not installed correctly, or when the oil tank deforms, causing the valve disc’s guide rod to become misaligned or the rod to rust. As a result, the valve seat cannot move up and down along the guide rod properly, which leads to the valve disc getting stuck at a certain point on the guide rod. 5. Freezing: Due to changes in temperature, moisture in the air condenses on parts such as the valve body, valve disc, valve seat, and guide rod of the breathing valve, eventually turning into ice and making it difficult to open the valve. Some of these faults prevent the breather valve of the oil tank from operating when it reaches the control pressure, resulting in overpressure in the tank; in severe cases, this can lead to explosions or deflation of the tank, posing a threat to its safety.