Retired valve found its way home to AVK headquarters

Almost 50 years old, a valve from the 1970’s was returned to our offices in Denmark from Padborg Water Company, who thought we should experience the condition of the valve first-hand.

Back in the 1970’s, the valve was sold from AVK Maskinfabrik; the original AVK machine shop which we now know as AVK International A/S. It was sold to Nordisk Wavin A/S, and was then further distributed to end up at Padborg Water in the South of Denmark.

After many years, in 2018, the valve was returned to AVK International offices in Skovby, Denmark. It was sent for inspection only, as customer was simply surprised that the valve was in such good shape after almost 50 years of active use.

Since then, the valve has been cleaned and inspected at AVK Tech’s tool shop, as we are always very interested in learning more about the condition of our products after so many years in 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 and had thereafter been top coated with blue epoxy.

After a 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 design of the 70’s
Back in the 70's, the design of such a valve was slightly different than it would be today. The bonnet, body and wedge core were in grey cast iron, and flat bonnet gasket. The wedge (first generation) 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.

All in all, the valve is a clear example of how quality in both design and construction assures long-lasting, reliable products.

As our CEO Niels Aage Kjær celebrated his 50-year jubilee this June, the old valve joined the table as a symbol of many years of solid contributions to the water industry.