Plastic Valves Come of Age

Plastic dual containment valves are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to traditional metal valves. Lee Bellamy, national sales manager at Pegler & Louden, part of BSS Industrial, looks at the benefits of using plastic.

Metal has traditionally been the material of choice for valve users. However, plastic dual containment valves are becoming an increasingly popular choice, particularly in applications where hazardous substances are used, such as the water treatment sector where chemical dosing is required and cross contamination is unacceptable.

New regulations and legislation, in areas like health and safety, plus other environmental factors are increasingly forcing companies to enact pre-emptive solutions into areas which have previously been overlooked. For example, bunded storage tanks are standard practice, the use of dual containment pipe work, extends the system security and integrity to the whole pipe system.

A second reason for the growth of dual containment valves is cost. Dual containment pipework is an extremely cost effective solution, when compared to traditional expensive bespoke produced solutions, which use price volatile metallic components and pipe. What’s more, dual containment pipe work is a continuous single installation, whereas traditional methods involve the fitting of two systems one after each other, which takes twice the time with a more expensive labour cost base. A further issue is the lightweight and hygienic properties of plastic, which make it much easier to use, with no potential for costly corrosion, or limescale build up.

Plastics systems also offer benefits over metallic systems in terms of lower friction losses, allowing either smaller bore pipe to be used or reduced pump running costs. Improvements in reduced friction loss; which can equate up to 25 per cent over the life of a system.

Finally, the current trend toward dual contained flexible hose can also be serviced by BSS Industrial giving a fully dual contained system solution.

BSS Industrial
Tel: 0116 262 3232
Website: www.bssindustrial.co.uk

Published: 2nd August 2012