Symptoms and Preventive Measures of Valve Failure

Valve failure can cause catastrophic damage to any vessel or system. However, detecting the first symptoms and preventing valve failure can help avoid such situations.

Industrial valve exporters help you understand the symptoms of valve failure and how to prevent it, please read the following guide.

Causes of valve failure

Valves are precision devices designed to ensure safety and correct operation. Nevertheless, valve failure is quite common.

According to many reasons, valve failure causes include:

Elastomer and valve seat seal wear

Debris in the pipe

Operating under high-temperature conditions

Improper valve installation, maintenance, and assembly

Symptoms of check valve failure

Once a fault occurs, the valve will issue a warning signal. For example, a malfunctioning check valve will start to vibrate and even lose some internal parts when something goes wrong. Other symptoms of check valve failure include backflow and excessive wear and damage to components.

Noise can also be emitted when the check valve starts to fail. This situation is called "water hammer" and is caused by the disc hitting the valve seat. Water hammer can cause pipe rupture and severe damage. In order to alleviate this problem, it is recommended to install a check valve that closes faster to prevent pressure fluctuations.

The valves will also start to stick and leak as they start to collapse. The sticking occurs when the valve is stuck in a certain position, and the sticking occurs when debris enters the valve clack and valve body hole. Leakage originates from damaged valve seats or discs or contaminants in the pipeline.

Preventive maintenance

As mentioned earlier, faulty valves can cause serious damage to the system and the vessel. However, the following preventive maintenance tasks can help prevent failures and extend the life of each valve.

Keep the valve clean

Contaminants and debris in any system can cause valve problems and failures. Keeping the pipeline clean is one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent this.

To prevent debris from entering the system, install filters, and covers inappropriate places. For liquid systems, flushing pumps also help keep the system clean. Flushing should be done before shutdown to minimize the accumulation of pollutants.

Lubricate the valve

Use appropriate lubricants for the valve to improve performance and ensure correct operation. In addition, the lubricant must be reapplied regularly to extend the life of each valve and the system in which it is used.

Use the valve as directed

The most important precaution is to ensure that the valve is used correctly. For example, ensuring that each valve is properly installed and maintained is crucial. In addition, choosing the correct valve for each application will help prevent damage and valve failure.

Replace the valve as needed

Finally, the valve needs to be replaced regularly to ensure optimal operation and safety. Therefore, once the valves in the system start to signal failures, it is best to replace them with new parts immediately. Otherwise, it will cause the final system failure.