Cast iron gate valves

A cast iron gate valve is a device used to turn off and on the flow of liquid and isolate sections of a water supply as needed. A gate valve is commonly used for isolation duties in primary potable water, wastewater, sewage, and fire applications. As the name suggests, it acts as a gate that stops the flow and opens it again when needed. It can be used during maintenance and repair work, as well as being installed in new installations.

Gate valves operate by a gate or wedge that rises (opens) or lowers (closes) in the path of the flowing liquid. The movement is produced by an actuator that is connected to the gate rod, which can be manually, electrically, pneumatically, or hydraulically powered.

They can have a rising stem, meaning it is fixed to the gate, or a non-rising stem, where it is fixed to the actuator and remains in the valve body.

The latter is most commonly used in the plumbing industry and is suitable for underground applications where there is limited vertical space. The model chosen will depend a lot on the installation in which it is used. For example, for the isolation of water and clean neutral fluids, resilient seated gate valves provide the ideal solution and operate using a rubber encapsulated wedge. Metal seated gate valves use a non-ferrous metal surface, making them perfectly suited for wastewater and sewage applications. Knife gate valves are ideal for handling heavy oils, light greases, slurry, pulp, and waste water.