Hydrosave was called upon by the Environment Agency to release three seized valves on the River Test in Rivermead Close, Romsey.
The valves had been seized for over twenty years with several failed attempts to release them by different contractors during that time.
Thanks to the success rate of Hydrosave’s seized valve release solution, HydroV®, the team were contracted in to release the valves once and for all.
HydroV® ascertains the ‘free movement’ of an asset and has the ability to apply a controlled release process to seized valves by applying low levels of torque to focus the vibration in the necessary direction.
As a modular system, HydroV® can grip to any valve in any orientation and enables risk free operation and flexibility. The unit is pneumatic and operated remotely outside of the ‘danger zone’. It can be used on all types of water network valves including gate, penstock, butterfly, plug and non-return valves.
The seized valve at Rivermead was located below the surface level of the water so the team had to secure scaffolding to allow access to the valve before they could begin work to release it. Due to previous unsuccessful release attempts, the valve had been compromised. The spindle was bent and difficult to work with. However, the team used a careful approach to release the valve using HydroV®. A low level of torque enabled the team to gradually gain control over the valve and successfully release it.
Client testimonial
“I was struggling to find a way to repair one of our cast iron sluices. The sluices hadn’t been operated for a long time, which led to the frame being fused with the gate. The sluices were situated in deep water and removing them would involve a major project. I organised contractors to replace the spindle and grease nipples, but all these methods had failed. When doing some research online I came across Hydrosave. Hydrosave proposed to use a special non-invasive method to repair even the most stubborn sluices. During the works, the site was set up professionally with good awareness of health and safety. The team worked its magic on the sluices and after a few hours they were operational again. This method saved us time and money.”
Artur Podsiadly, Environment Agency
