What to do if a valve won’t open?
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For ordinary gate valves that remain closed for an extended period of time (about half a year), it becomes particularly difficult to open them later on. Regular maintenance measures such as applying lubricant to the valve stem and filling the oil filler cap with oil are often taken. Are there any good ways to prevent this kind of problem from occurring?
Provide a bypass with a small diameter; open the small bypass valve first before opening the main valve.
Prevention recommendations； 1. Regularly open and close the valves (never force them to open or close) for inspection ； 2. During inspections, pay attention to checking for the presence of corrosive substances that could cause erosion in the surrounding area ； 3. In humid environments (or when the medium inside the pipeline is corrosive), valves made of suitable materials should be selected.
Here’s a small additional method for reference only. Generally, there are mainly two issues with valve opening: one is an excessive pressure difference ； Second, the valve packing is too tight. Regarding the issue of valves being too tight, before operation, the packing gland should be loosened as much as possible; after operation, the packing should be tightened again until there is no leakage, but it should not be tightened too tightly. This can reduce the likelihood of the valve getting stuck. Also, when maintaining the valve, it is necessary to check whether the packing is compacted and the condition of corrosion on the valve stem. For reference.