Video Post: Common Issues with Check Valves

The following text is the transcript of the Air Logic educational video on issues with check valves.

Intro

Hey everybody, my name is John Hayden from Air Logic. We’re talking about some common issues with check valves today. This goes for all check valves, not just at Air Logic, and things we’ve seen across the industry.

Decrease in Performance

So, one question I get from time to time is:

Hey I got this check valve it tests right initially, but after it’s been in my application for a while, the performance drops off what’s going on?

I would say a lot of times this comes down to lubrication.

It’s common in the industry for a lot of manufacturers to add a lot of lubrication to their check valve, and it makes the check valves test really nice especially right after they’re produced. Lubrication helps seal, so from a leak rate perspective, lubrication is going to take up any inconsistencies at the check valve seat and give you a really nice seal.

This is especially true for lightweight check valves with lightweight cracking pressures. It’s also going to add some consistency to the cracking pressures as well.

Lubrication Degradation

But what can happen though is depending on the application, what the flow rate is through there, if there’s any liquid, or any way for that lubrication to wash away, after a while the lubrication goes away. And then what you’re left with is a check valve that can stick a little bit or just not operate as consistently as it did when it was first assembled or first put into the equipment. This is something to think about if you’re having any issues with check valve performance that’s maybe degrading over time.

Anyway, we got some more videos like this talking about specific issues with check valves, so check us out on LinkedIn or at Air-Logic.com.

Thanks!