>> The primary focus of water
utilities is to provide safe
and reliable drinking
water to its customers.
Drinking water goes through
thousands of tests and a variety
of treatment processes to
achieve safe, quality water.
The reliability aspect
of drinking water
sometimes goes unnoticed.
That is, until you turn on your
faucet and no water comes out.
There are various tasks and jobs
that water utility operators
complete on a day to day basis
in order to ensure
reliable service.
One of these tasks is referred
to as valve exercising.
Water utilities have
hundreds, if not thousands
of valves throughout
the distribution system.
Valves are used for a variety of
purposes, but the main function
of a valve is to stop
the flow of water.
As drinking water
travels through miles
of underground piping,
valves are strategically placed
throughout the system enabling
operators to access
them as needed.
Valves are typically
located at intersections,
near fire hydrants, and spaced
throughout the distribution
system to limit the loss
of water and interruption
of service to customers
during outages.
Whenever the flow of water needs
to be stopped or redirected
because of a water main
break or some other reason,
valves are closed and
opened to perform this work.
Whenever a valve is closed,
utility operators need
to pay special attention
to surrounding customers
that might be out of water
because of the shutdown.
Affected customers are
usually notified by the utility
through the mail, phone calls,
door hangers, or direct contact
by a utility operator.
Since many valves are
buried underground,
there needs to be a way
for utility operators
to access them.
This is typically done with
a piece of pipe referred
to as a stand pipe
or stacking material.
This pipe is placed over the
operating nut on a valve and cut
to match the finished surface
elevation of the street.
A metal valve lid is then
placed on top of the stand pipe,
laying flush with the street.
The lid is pried open with
a screw driver or metal bar.
There are many different
types of valves,
but the most commonly
used valves connected
to pipelines underground
are butterfly and gate.
Butterfly valves have a shorter
lay length than gate valves.
The lay length is the distance
between the connections
on either side of the valve.
Butterfly valves are
operated by a rotating disk.
Gate valves tend to be
larger in size compared
to butterfly valves and are
operated by lifting the gate
up from the seat or bottom
of the valve opening.
Valve exercising is a term used
to describe a routine
maintenance function performed
by water utility operators.
It simply means that the
valve is operated or exercised
from an open position
to a closed position
and then back to
an open position.
This is done to ensure that the
valve is operating properly.
Valves, like all
mechanical devices can
and will break from
time to time.
For example, the operating
nut might get rusty
and stop turning.
Or the rubber seat inside the
valve might get damaged or worn,
preventing the valve
from closing completely,
allowing water through.
A proper valve exercise program
can help utilities identify
faulty valves and schedule
their repair or replacement.
Valves are identified
with a valve ID number
and the following information is
used to track each valve; size,
type, number of turns to fully
open or close it, current open
or close position in the field,
date of the last time it
was operated, and the number
of turns it was exercised.
Once the utility operators
have their list of valves
to be exercised, they plan
out their route for the day.
When they arrive at the
first location, an assessment
of the area is conducted
to determine
if traffic control is needed.
When valves are exercised
in high traffic areas,
special precautions
must be made to ensure
that the work area is safe.
Along cul-de-sacs and
residential streets, a few cones
and signs are usually
sufficient.
After the traffic
control has been set up,
the operator locates the
valve lid in the street.
Valve lids can easily be
lifted with a screwdriver.
A valve key is then slowly
placed into the stand pipe
and lowered down
until it fits snuggly
on the valve operating nut.
The valve key can then be
turned to exercise the valve.
Turning the key in a clockwise
motion closes the valve,
while turning counter
clockwise opens the valve.
The number of turns
are counted and noted
on the valve exercise
maintenance sheet along
with a date and time
the valve was operated.
Any problems associated
with operating the valve
such as did not close, valve nut
broken, valve spun continuously,
could not operate,
is noted as well.
Sometimes a valve might not
turn the appropriate number
of times required to
completely close it.
If this happens, the
operator will try and open
and close the valve
several times to see
if it will close completely.
If the actual turns in the field
do not match what is listed
on the valve maintenance sheet,
the operator will make a note
that the valve did
not close completely.
Once the work has been
completed for the day,
the information will be inputted
into a database or spreadsheet.
Any deficiencies
would be forwarded
to the department responsible
to make repairs or replacements.
Water utility operators
have a wide range
of responsibilities
and job functions.
Exercising valves is one
of many responsibilities
and job functions working
for a water utility.
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