AVK valve retired after 50 years of duty
After half a century of duty, one of the AVK valves in the South of Denmark had to retire. This was proof that the AVK valve has great durability. 31-08-2020
An almost 50 years old valve has been returned to AVK from Padborg Water Company. Back in the 1970’s, the valve was sold from AVK Maskinfabrik; the original AVK machine shop which today is known as AVK International A/S. It was sold to Nordisk Wavin A/S and further distributed to Padborg Water in the South of Denmark.
In 2018, the valve was returned to AVK International. It was sent to be inspected, as the customer was simply surprised that the valve was in such a good condition after half a century of active use.
Since then, the valve has had a good brush-up and inspection at AVK Tech’s tool shop, as we are always very interested in understanding the conditions of our products after so many years of use. After a thorough clean-up, the stem was rotating, the valve was able to keep tight and it was basically fully functional.
The 70’s design
Back in the 70's, the design of such a valve was different than it would be today. The bonnet, body and wedge core were made of grey cast iron, it was fitted with a flat bonnet gasket and a bronze stem. The wedge core was partly epoxy coated and the valve was coated with a red primer and a top coat of blue epoxy. Today, AVK valves are made of ductile iron and are fitted with a round bonnet gasket and stainless steel stem. The wedge is fully encapsulated in rubber and the valve is as standard coated with fusion bonded epoxy coating.
The valve is a good example of how quality design and construction assures long-lasting, reliable products. The socket gate valve type is still part of our product range.
When our CEO Niels Aage Kjær celebrated his 50th work anniversary this June, the retired valve joined the table as a symbol of many years of solid contributions to the water industry.
