On Tap Magazine - Winter 2. National. Drinking Water Clearinghouse. West Virginia University. PO Box 6. 89. 3Morgantown, WV 2. Why. bother with a valve exercising program? By. Dennis Blakely . Wachs Company. Editor’s. Note: Valves, those devices that regulate and stop or start water. A cardiac rehabilitation program is a combination of activities designed to help patients recover from cardiovascular. Supervised exercise to improve the heart's pumping. Valve repair or replacement; Angioplasty.
Dennis. Blakely, an account executive with the E. H. Wachs Company, is a strong advocate. On a regular basis, I get to discuss. Many utilities make a. American Water Works Association. AWWA) standards; many do not. Most are somewhere in between. Almost all comment. Over the years, I’ve heard many excuses as to why a community doesn’t. Here are half- a- dozen of my favorites: ? I would if I could find them. Removing accumulated sediment and dirt from the gate valve curb box. The. water systems I deal with are reluctant to undertake a valve exercising program. These are real concerns, but ones that are far outweighed. Broken, inoperable, or lost valves. The benefits of a valve exercise program include having. Basically, there are four components. According to AWWA, “Each valve should be operated through a full cycle. The interval of time between operations of valves. The number. of turns required to complete the operation cycle should be recorded and compared. A recording system should be adopted that provides a written record. AWWA standards continue, “Each valve should be operated through one. If the stem action is tight as a result of buildup. A full inspection should be performed and any problems should be reported. To carry out a meaningful inspection and maintenance program, it is. Depending on the record keeping. Easier Said Than Done. From my experience, most valve problems encountered during a valve exercise. System personnel cannot locate the valve. The template includes instructions to the author, boilerplate text. Program Manager, QA Manager, Security Manager, Training Manager/Coordinator. It almost goes without saying. The valve is already broken. You need to know how many and where, so replacements. The stem or operating nut breaks before valve movement can be accomplished. Bonnet bolts are decayed and break off before the valve turns, resulting. You get the valve near closed, the gate gets lodged, and it breaks in or. This is usually the result of something happening. I. have seen valves that turn fairly easily all the way down to the near- closed. Control of the torque is critical in this situation. Photo. Caption: When a water main breaks in. If the valve will turn at 8. Maintain the lowest possible torque setting throughout. As. you near the closed position, the initial low torque will not fully seat the. When you get as far as the low torque setting will allow, you should. If you gain some more on the valve, then you repeat the procedure. Opening the valve at least three turns to allow flushing of debris from the. Some opt to open hydrants. If full gate travel. If, at this point, you force the valve too hard, then a much. The ability of controlling. Starting Is the Hardest Part. The major stumbling block for most water utilities seems to be the misconception. In reality, a modest beginning can achieve immediate positive results. Mechanizing. the process of valve exercising significantly increases the efficiency of. This results in a safer work environment for employees and enables. Electronic data collection of valve information. After deciding to implement a valve exercise program, a water utility should. Put a lot of. thought into where you are going to spend your valuable time and how you are. I have seen written hydrant flushing procedures. I have seen written valve exercising procedures. If your workers approach the first valve on the first day of your exercise. In a good exercise program, they will know ahead of time the maximum. These results will then be recorded, and. With technological advancements in tooling and proper training, a well- conceived. With. good planning and execution, a valve exercise program will realize a very. These facts seem to contradict the general. This is simply not the case. Once problems are identified, repairs can be budgeted and scheduled. Considering workforce size and available time, another option for a water. For many reasons. You can hire trained. They have the state- of- the- art. They are not bothered by. A combination of contracted work and in- house work can also. Better Late Than Never. Every water utility must give serious consideration to this area to assure. Many would argue that a proactive valve. Most of these troubles resulted in costs that. The hard thing for me to understand. Why put this off? The next horror story may be one told about your system. About the Author. Dennis Blakely, seen in the lower photo at left, is an account executive with. E. H. Wachs Company of Wheeling, Illinois. To learn more about Wachs products. Web site at wachsco.
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