How should stainless steel ball valves be maintained and cared for?
To ensure stable performance and a long service life of ball valves, the following factors should be considered:
1. Before use, flush the pipeline and flow parts of the valve body with water to prevent residual iron filings and other debris from entering the valve body cavity.
2. Even when closed, stainless steel ball valves still retain some medium and bear a certain pressure within the valve body. Before overhauling the ball valve, first close the shut-off valve before the ball valve, then open the ball valve to be serviced to completely release the internal pressure of the valve body. For electric or pneumatic ball valves, the power and air supply should be disconnected first.
3. Generally, soft-seal ball valves use PTFE as the sealing material, while hard-seal ball valves have a metal welded sealing surface. When cleaning the pipeline ball valve, care should be taken during disassembly to prevent damage to the sealing ring and leakage.
4. When disassembling and assembling ball valves, the bolts and nuts on the flange should be tightened first, then all nuts should be slightly tightened, and finally, the valve should be firmly secured. If individual nuts are forcibly tightened before the others, uneven pressure on the flange faces can damage or crack the gaskets, leading to leakage of the medium at the valve flange connection.
5. When cleaning stainless steel valves, the solvent used must be compatible with and non-corrosive to the parts being cleaned. For gas-specific ball valves, gasoline can be used for cleaning. Other parts can generally be cleaned with water. During cleaning, thoroughly remove any residual dust, oil, and other contaminants. If water alone is insufficient, use a targeted cleaning agent such as alcohol without damaging the valve body and components. After cleaning, allow the cleaning agent to completely evaporate before reassembly.
6. If a slight leak is detected at the packing during use, slightly tighten the valve stem nut until the leak stops; do not continue tightening.
7. Long-term outdoor storage will cause corrosion of the valve body and components, rendering it unusable. Ball valves should be stored in a rainproof, waterproof, and moisture-proof environment, and the flange cover should be tightly closed. Valves stored for more than 12 months should be retested before use to ensure stable performance.
