Retired valve found its way back home to AVK headquarters in Denmark
At AVK, we continuously develop new and innovative products, but the older versions still apply safety to your pipelines - even after half a century of duty. 15-10-2020
Almost 50 years old, a valve from the 1970’s was returned to our offices from Padborg Water Company. Back in the 1970’s, the valve was sold from AVK Maskinfabrik; the original AVK machine shop at present known as AVK International A/S. It was sold to Nordisk Wavin A/S, was then further distributed and ended up at Padborg Water in the South of Denmark.
After many years of work, in 2018, the valve was returned to AVK International office in Skovby, Denmark. It was sent for inspection only, as customer was simply surprised that the valve was in such a good shape after almost 50 years of active use.
The valve body, bonnet and wedge are produced from cast iron, and the rubber was, naturally, somewhat worn out. The old valve’s body and bonnet had been coated with red primer, where after it had been top coated with blue epoxy.
After thorough clean-up, the stem was rotating, the valve was able to keep tight and was basically fully functional. The valve has a bronze stem, which now-a-days is mostly manufactured from steel.
The 70's design
Back in the 70's, the design of such a valve was different compare to modern days. The bonnet, body and wedge core were made of grey cast iron, and flat bonnet gasket. The wedge (firstgeneration) had part of casting epoxy coated, meaning not fully encapsulated and stem thread cut directly into the casting. The thrust collar was mounted with a lock ring.
This valve is a good example of how quality design and construction assures long-lasting, reliable products.
As our CEO Niels Aage Kjær celebrated his 50-year jubilee this June, the retired valve joined the table as a symbol of many years of solid contributions to the water industry.