With the rapid pace of technology and innovation, valuable information that should be delivered to industry professionals is often obscured today. While shortcuts or quick fixes can reflect well on short-term budgets, they exhibit a lack of experience and overall understanding of what makes a system viable in the long run. Based on these experiences, here is a list of 10 common installation mistakes that are easy to overlook:

    1. Bolts too long.

    With bolts on valves, only one or two threads over the over-nut is sufficient. It reduces the risk of damage or corrosion. Why buy a bolt longer than you need? Often bolts are too long because someone doesn't have the time to calculate the correct length, or the individual simply doesn't care what the end result looks like. This is lazy engineering.

    2. Control valves are not isolated separately.

    Although isolating valves takes up valuable space, it is important that personnel can be allowed to work on the valve when maintenance is required. If space is a constraint, and if gate valves are considered too long, at least install butterfly valves, which take up hardly any space at all. Always remember that for maintenance and operations that must be performed standing on them, it is easier to work with them and more efficient to perform maintenance tasks.

    3. No pressure gauges or devices are installed.

    Some utilities like to calibrate testers and these facilities are usually well equipped for their field personnel to connect testing equipment, but some even have connections for mounting fittings. Although not specified, this is designed so that the actual pressure of the valve can be seen. Even with Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and telemetry capabilities, someone at some point will be standing next to the valve and will need to see what the pressure is, and that is so convenient.

    4. Too little installation space.

    If it's a pain in the ass to install a valve station that may involve work such as digging up concrete, don't try to save that little bit of cost by making it as little installation space as possible. It will be very difficult to perform basic maintenance at a later stage. One more thing to remember: the tools can be very long, so it is important to set up the space to allow for space so that the bolts can be loosened. You also need some space, which allows you to add equipment later.

    5. Do not consider later disassembly

    Most of the time, installers understand that you can't join everything together in a concrete chamber without needing some type of connection to remove parts at some point in the future. If all the parts are tightly screwed together with no gaps, separating them is nearly impossible. Either grooved couplings, flange joints or pipe joints are necessary. In the future, it may sometimes be necessary to remove components, and while this is not usually a concern for the installing contractor, it should be a concern for the owner and engineer.

    6. Concentric reducers installed horizontally.

    This may be nitpicking, but it is a concern. Eccentric reducers can be installed horizontally. Concentric reducers are installed in vertical lines. In some applications where it is necessary to install in a horizontal line, an eccentric reducer is used, but this issue usually involves cost: concentric reducers are cheaper.

    7. Valve wells that do not allow drainage.

    All rooms are wet. Even during valve activation, when air is expelled from the valve cover, water will at some point fall on the floor. Anyone in industry at any time has seen a flooded valve, but there really is no excuse (unless, of course, the entire area is flooded, in which case you have a bigger problem). If a drain cannot be installed, use a simple drain pump, assuming there is power. A float valve with jets will be effective in keeping the chamber dry in the absence of power.

    8. Do not remove air.

    When the pressure drops, air is expelled from the suspension and transferred to the piping, which will cause problems downstream of the valve. A simple bleeder valve will get rid of any air that may be present and will prevent problems downstream. A bleeder valve upstream of the control valve is also effective because directing air in the line can cause instability. Why not remove the air before it reaches the valve?

    9. Spare tap.

    This may be a minor issue, but it is always helpful to have spare taps in the chambers upstream and downstream of the control valve. This setup provides easy access for future maintenance, whether it's connecting hoses, adding remote sensing to a control valve or adding a pressure transmitter for SCADA. For the small cost of adding fittings at the design stage, it significantly increases availability in the future. Makes maintenance tasks more difficult, as everything is covered in paint, making it impossible to read nameplates or make adjustments.