A needle valve could be necessary for regulating the low-flow type gases or liquid in a pipe system. Its smaller dimension matches various purposes in residential plumbing or pipe. Moreover, Needle Valve Products are much cheaper than other valves. Therefore, it is not surprising, if you prefer to use this valve over others. However, before you decide to get this product, make sure you know what you should look for in it. So, here, we have a list of several factors you should consider when you buy a needle valve.
Materials
First of all, choose the material that is suitable for the place or system where you are going to install it. The standard material of the needle valve is brass and stainless steel. They have better durability against chemical substances and corrosion. On the other hand, you also can find other materials that match different applications. For now, let’s see the two standard materials of needle valves closely.
- Brass Material
This material is a perfect choice for a pipe system that you use to get drinking water. If you also need a valve for a hydraulic system or high-temperature application, you also can use a brass needle valve. In short, the brass material is a good valve for non-corrosive media. For example, drinking water that doesn’t have too many chemicals is suitable for this material.
However, you may have to avoid using it on the pipe system that you use for saltwater or water with acids and chlorides. There is a chance that those chemical substances can damage and corrode the inside surface of the brass needle valve.
- Stainless steel
How about stainless steel needle valve? We can say that this material is the best material you can find for a needle valve. It has high durability and resistance for any kind of chemical and water. Therefore, you can use it on various media. It is even suitable for seawater that has high corrosive properties. However, the price for Needle Valve Products made of stainless steel is mostly higher than other materials. So, you might have to prepare more budgets to get it.
Pressure
Another thing you also should consider is the pressure level that the valve can handle. It is necessary to choose the valve product that is suitable for the media or system pressure. For example, good-quality needle valves can handle around 4,000-5,000 psi with the media temperature at 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius). That is the standard pressure specification of the needle valve.
However, there are other applications where you may have to search for the needle valve that can handle higher or even lower pressure than that standard number. For example, a high-pressure hydraulic application will need a needle valve that can handle up to 10,000 psi. As for the low-pressure application, you may have to choose the needle valve with a specific design, such as a vacuum design.
Port and Orifice
You also should look at the port and orifice size like when you choose another type of valve. These two parts will affect on needle valve’s performance. A good needle valve uses the NPT (National American Pipe Thread), BSP (British Standard Pipe), or metric (ISO Standards) measurement.
You should match its size based on that standard measurement with the application or system that you have. If you choose the wrong size, it could cause leakage. The pipe system also can wear off much faster, which can damage the system itself and cost you a lot of money.
Temperature
Needle valves are also known as versatile valves. You can use it for low or high-temperature applications. Because of that, you also should choose carefully the product you want to buy based on the application where you will install it.
If you choose the wrong product, it can damage your system as well as cause leakage and other problems. Furthermore, you also have to choose the sealing material appropriately. Make sure the sealing material is suitable for the temperature of the application.
For example, you can choose the PTFE (Teflon) sealing for the temperature range of -65 degrees Fahrenheit to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (-54 degrees Celsius to 232 degrees Celsius). Or, you can use PEEK (Polyether Ether Ketone) material for temperature range up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit (315 degrees Celsius).
Conclusion
The correct Needle Valve Products give you the best performance and quality. It also prevents problems and damages in the future. More importantly, you can save a lot of money when you buy it and on maintenance costs.
