Everything You Need to Know About Stainless Steel Ball Valve
What is a Stainless Steel Ball Valve?
Stainless steel ball valves are perhaps one of the most common valve types that are implemented in both residential plumbing and industrial plumbing throughout Penang and Malaysia. They are generally used for basic on-off services, and are commonly referred to as ‘shutoff valves’, ‘isolation valves’ and even ‘stop valves’.
What are the Uses of a Stainless Steel Ball Valve?
There are two common function of stainless steel ball valves, which are: –
- To function as the “on” and “off” switch for the water flow: Sterling silver ball balls are used if the water flow needs to be shut off, which enables the pipes and hoses to disconnect without causing any spillage or leakage.
- To control the flow rate: The flow rate of water can be regulated when you partially open or close the stainless steel ball valve.
Four Steps to Operate a Stainless Steel Ball Valve
- Stainless steel ball valves are operated when a pivoting sphere-shaped “ball” is rotated to control the water flow.
- To switch on the flow control, you need to turn the handle to the left angle. To switch off the flow control, you have to turn the handle to the right angle.
- A stainless steel ball valve is also known as a quarter turn ball valve, as you only need to turn 90 degrees (or a quarter-turn) of a sphere-shaped ball in order to open or close the flow.
- When the stainless steel ball valve handle is turned to the left angle, it will open the flow. However, if the handle is geared towards the right angle, the flow will be closed.
Are Stainless Steel Ball Valves Used in Hydraulics?
Stainless steel ball valves are widely used in hydraulics and heating systems due to their high operating pressure rates and their resistance towards hydraulic and heat. More often than not, hydraulic ball valves are made of either steel or stainless steel as they are suitably used for high operating pressure.
The handles for many stainless steel ball valves are made of polyoxymethylene (POM) which are ideally used in applications that deal with high pressure and low temperature. The maximum operating pressure a stainless steel ball valve can operate is above 500 bar while being able to sustain up to 80°C in temperature.
The Advantages of Investing in Stainless Steel Ball Valves
There are several reasons why stainless steel ball valves are worth investing in, here are some of the benefits: –
- They have almost no pressure drop, which will cause no restricted flow of water leaked through the stainless steel ball valve.
- Stainless steel ball valve can be used quickly and efficiently, as you would only need to turn a quarter of the rotation to activate the ball valve.
- Stainless steel ball valves have low to no maintenance costs, which makes them relatively inexpensive and cost-efficient in the long run.
- Stainless steel valves help to seal the seat very well, which reduces the chances of any potential leakages.
- Stainless steel ball valves do not require any lubrication.
- Stainless steel ball valves are strongly durable and have a strong tolerance to corrosive and aggressive environments, which makes them ideally used in various applications. Some of the common applications you can find stainless steel ball valves include: seawater, swimming pools, and even places with high temperatures.
Conclusion
Stainless steel ball valves play a crucial role in various applications in our daily lives and are relatively important in hydraulics uses. Now that you have learned all this information about stainless steel ball valves, it may help you understand these hydraulic valves better.
If you are looking for a stainless steel ball valve manufacturer in Penang, Sunseal Enterprise Sdn Bhd is one of the leading stainless steel ball valve producers that provide high quality and efficient valves and other hydraulic equipment to all their clients throughout Penang and Malaysia.