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When to replace butterfly valve seats?

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  • When to replace butterfly valve seats?

    I have been in operation for 3+ years now and 90% of my BF valves are Inoxpa that came with (or were purchased later) the system from Premier Stainless. I have not seen any of them leak, but many of them are getting awfully stiff. I have read every thread I can find on the PB site regarding the seats, and replacing them, but would love some advice on what is ultimately the catalyst to do so. Leaks and visual tears are obvious, but I would rather replace before any leak compromises anything in the process. As for them getting stiffer -- all it really means is that I get them a little wet and they are easier to open/close. But I am wondering if I should just pull the trigger and at least replace all the seats in the hot side process flow.

    Any advice appreciated.

    Dave
    Dave Cowie
    Three Forks Bakery & Brewing Company
    Nevada City, CA

  • #2
    When do you change your car oil? Some say 3,000 miles, some say 3 months, others say 7,500 miles, 6 months. When it's black? How do you drive? Synthetic or not?

    I have had some EPDM and some Silicone valve seats last 5 years or so. Some don't last as long as others even in similar working conditions. The material they are made of, amount you use them, and chemicals/heat you run can all have a large impact.

    Another member here said he started tracking them by numbering and replacing the oldest ones at intervals. Wise idea, IMHO. Set your own standard (3-4 years seems cost effective for new seals to me) and replace on the interval before you have a failure. Or expect something can go wrong at the worst time and be prepared for it. Personally I go by visual inspections whenever possible and trade out valves often to rotate the stresses they see.

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    • #3
      We carefully inspect the seats at every trip to the parts washer and PAA soak for any physical damage--any at all is reason enough to replace them. Wear in the valve seating area is the most common, even a little roughness here and they get replaced. Look carefully for wear where the stem meets the valves disc--we see this frequently.

      Excess stiffness leads to bent valve stems, difficulty getting a good seal and causes accelerated wear. Replace them.

      I've been monitoring our BF valves since Nov. of '15. In that time, I've replaced 45 seats on the 1 1/2" valves alone (we have a lot of 1 1/2" valves). Most seats last for years, but since switching to PAA for our sanitizer soak, we are seeing more shot seats. We don't replace on any kind of schedule, as the rate of wear seems to vary wildly. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
      Last edited by TGTimm; 10-30-2017, 11:26 AM.
      Timm Turrentine

      Brewerywright,
      Terminal Gravity Brewing,
      Enterprise. Oregon.

      Comment


      • #4
        Thanks for the responses. I know nothing is writ in stone on how to run maintenance of this sort. Just trying to be ahead of the curve. I have ordered a number of epdm and silicone seats. Will follow TGTimm's advice and number/monitor them.
        Cheers,
        Dave Cowie
        Three Forks Bakery & Brewing Company
        Nevada City, CA

        Comment


        • #5
          I bought a set of number stamps for metal. I think they are 3/8" tall. I stamp both sides of the valve body, which also helps if you are taking more than one apart at a time so they get back together right.
          Timm Turrentine

          Brewerywright,
          Terminal Gravity Brewing,
          Enterprise. Oregon.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by TGTimm View Post
            I bought a set of number stamps for metal. I think they are 3/8" tall. I stamp both sides of the valve body, which also helps if you are taking more than one apart at a time so they get back together right.
            Thanks. I had not actually thought of how I was going to number them.
            Dave Cowie
            Three Forks Bakery & Brewing Company
            Nevada City, CA

            Comment


            • #7
              I just wish I had used Excel for the records, as it would allow me to easily get some numbers from my data. My record is just a dead Word doc.
              Timm Turrentine

              Brewerywright,
              Terminal Gravity Brewing,
              Enterprise. Oregon.

              Comment


              • #8
                I’ve long ago lost most of my excel/word magic, but I think there is a relatively easy way to “import” data into excel from word documents. We used to use it back when I shipped a lot of packages. It was pretty useful, but like I said, I lost my skills. You could try bribing a college student though and I bet they could figure it out, FWIW.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Thanks, Unferm. I'll see if one of our Millennials can help me out with that.

                  I did a lot of technical report writing a few years back, and thought I was pretty slick with Word. Too many version changes and too much water under the bridge since then. I find most of the new Office suite to be barely usable anymore. It's been "improved" beyond my comprehension.
                  Timm Turrentine

                  Brewerywright,
                  Terminal Gravity Brewing,
                  Enterprise. Oregon.

                  Comment

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