Use of ball valves

Proper maintenance is necessary. Ball valves are a type of valve that is widely used; they are employed frequently and wear out quickly. Therefore, adequate maintenance not only improves work efficiency but also reduces the time required for repairs and saves on replacement costs. To ensure stable performance and a long service life for ball valves, the following points should be considered during their maintenance: 1. Before use, the pipes and the flow-through parts of the valve body should be cleaned with water to prevent residual iron particles and other debris from entering the valve’s interior. 2. When the ball valve is in the closed position, some fluid remains inside the valve body, and it is also under certain pressure. Before servicing the ball valve, it is necessary to close the isolation valve located before the ball valve, open the ball valve that needs to be serviced, and completely release the pressure inside the valve body. If it is an electric ball valve or a pneumatic ball valve, the power supply and air supply should be disconnected first. 3. Generally, soft-sealed ball valves use PTFE as the sealing material, while the sealing surfaces of hard-sealed ball valves are formed by metal surfacing. If it is necessary to clean the ball valve for pipes, care must be taken during disassembly to prevent damage to the sealing ring and resulting leaks. 4. When disassembling or assembling a flanged ball valve, the bolts and nuts on the flange should be fixed first, then all the nuts should be tightened slightly, and finally secured firmly. If individual nuts are forced to be fixed first and then the other nuts are secured, uneven pressure between the flange surfaces can cause damage or cracking of the gasket surface, resulting in leakage of fluid at the joint of the valve flanges. 5. If the valve is to be cleaned, the solvent used must be compatible with the component being cleaned and must not cause corrosion. If it is a gas-specific ball valve, it can be cleaned with gasoline. Other components can generally be cleaned with reclaimed water. During cleaning, it is necessary to thoroughly remove any remaining dust, oil, and other deposits. If plain water is not sufficient for cleaning, cleaning agents such as alcohol can be used, as long as this does not damage the valve body or its components. After cleaning, wait until the cleaning agent has completely evaporated before proceeding with assembly. 6. If a slight leak is detected at the packing during use, the valve stem nut can be tightened slightly until the leak stops; it should not be tightened any further.