Float Valves

While most people don’t know what a float value is, it is present in a lot of everyday devices that we use in our homes. It is these valves that control the working of water tanks, toilet cisterns, water coolers, and refrigerators.

Valves are necessary for the working of quite a lot of things that we use. These include kitchen faucets, bathroom faucets, water coolers, and much other equipment. But not all of them use the same type of valves. In fact, there are so many different types of valves. It might even be really hard for a layperson to remember the names of all of them. Even bathroom faucets use half a dozen different types of valves. But float valves are a bit different from all of these. Read this article to know more about them. Having a better understanding of these valves will help you make the right choices when you are making the purchase.

Different types of float valves

Not all float valves are created equal. The design and working of these valves change depending on the pressure of the liquid, the temperature of the liquid, and also the way the container is oriented. It is important to know these distinctions because the type of replacement valve you buy should be suitable for the purpose you want to use it for. A wrong valve can be just as useless as a chocolate teapot. Thus, it’s important to make the right choice from the get-go. Below is a list of four different types of float valves and how they work. We will also unveil some useful tips that will help you achieve a fantastic shopping experience.

Isolating valves

These types of float valves are basically mechanical liquid level controllers. An isolating valve maintains the level of liquid in a container or a tank. If the valve detects a drop in the level of liquid, the valve opens up and let in more water and brings back the water level to the way it was. These valves are present in equipment like toilet cisterns and water coolers. Depending on the pressure level of the water inlet, you have to either use a low-pressure isolating valve or a high-pressure isolating valve. The size of the isolating valve also changes depending on the pressure rating.

High-pressure valves

As the name indicates, high-pressure valves are used for high-pressure applications. These valves are necessary for the proper working of power plants. But they are also used for high-pressure water supply systems. High-pressure valves use the expansion and compression of the floating ball for the working of the valve. When the pressure gets too high in a container, the floating ball shrinks and lets the water out. While an isolating valve maintains a constant level of liquid in a container, a high-pressure valve maintains a constant pressure inside a container.

Low-pressure valves

The major difference between a high-pressure float valve and a low-pressure float valve is that the first one is useful for high-temperature applications while the second one is useful for low-temperature fluids. Because of this reason, low-pressure valves are present in refrigerators and water coolers. This float valve also detects the difference in pressure. But instead of opening up the valve when the pressure goes higher than the limit, this valve opens when the pressure goes under. When the pressure on one side of the valve decreases, the valve lets in more fluid to the other side of the valve and equalises it.

Hydrostatic control valves

A hydrostatic valve is different from all three above valves. Basically, hydrostatic valves do not control the flow of water or other liquids between two containers. Rather, this valve is useful as a pressure release mechanism. So, you will see these valves in sewage tanks and sewage pipelines. A hydrostatic control valve uses the weight of the valve to control the pressure. Therefore, these valves are mostly vertical valves. When the pressure gets above the threshold level, the weight of the valve rises and opens up the valve to release the pressure. In fact, the safety valve on a pressure cooker is a hydrostatic float valve.