Frequently Asked Questions

It is true that we offer several options for the same service. The best advice we can give you is to have a discussion with us about your particular need or requirement. We are pleased to offer a full range of customized solutions for the industries we serve.

Sure Seal's Nylon 11 coating is a vegetable-based thermoplastic which is USDA approved. Nylon 11 is resistant to fungi, molds and corrosion.

Although Sure Seal has been manufacturing valves for more than 10 years, we are still a relatively new company and as such we have been able to study our own designs and reverse engineer several of our competitors products. We found from our customers that some of our competition had problems in applications such as cement with twisting or breaking stems. In some of our valves we offer a modern duplex stainless steel alloy to combat this, in other products we offer beefier shafts or stems, all in effort to give our customers the best products for their applications.

Many of our products have overlapping strengths. The 300 500 and 800 series valves are all valid strong performers for most applications. We invite you to contact us with your requirements and allow our experienced staff to help you decide what features and benefits will be most important to you.

That depends on what you are using, however the majority of our resilient seated valves are interchangeable with the larger competitors in the North American market. Our direct mount DIN top plate means that many of our customers can buy our valve and use their existing actuator without having to make a new coupler or bracket. Call us and we can help you.

No, other manufacturers do not have an additional seal directly above and in contact with the liner. However many companies will provide two O-ring seals in the neck of the valve, which are designed to keep atmospheric contaminants out. In our experience, we determined that the atmospheric seals in our competitors' valves often acted as a final seal, meaning that one O-ring was sealing in both directions, and meaning that the process going through the valve was getting up into the neck of the valve. In certain applications this can cause the valve to prematurely fail. Examples include products like cement, adhesives, and syrups. In other applications, having an area in the neck of the valve that could trap product was viewed as a liability, particularly when cross contamination was considered.

Absolutely. As a matter of fact, depending on where you live and how far you drive, you probably see our valves on the bottom of most dry bulk container trucks. We private label for many of these companies and estimate that we have over 75% of the transportation market butterfly valves. Our philosophy has always been to design our products for the most grueling applications and the rest of the world will beat a path to our door.

Alloy 255 is a duplex stainless steel. It costs more than 316 SS, and in many instances has proven to be a better material for valves and pumps. Specifically, it has a much higher tensile strength than 316 SS and is much harder. For abrasive applications this is critical. Corrosion resistance of Alloy 255 is generally as good or superior to 316 SS. Alloy 255 has better corrosion resistence in applications with chlorides or salts. Alloy 255 is harder, stronger, and more corrosion resistant so we chose to standardize on it.

Absolutely. There are a lot of applications which will attack and corrode Alloy 255 just like they attack 316 SS. For instance, hydrochloric acid will corrode all stainless steels. In 99% of the applications we have sold valves into, the Alloy 255 disc is as good or better than 316 SS. In a few applications 316 SS is preferred. For those applications we also offer 316 SS discs and stems.

The 899-892 Teflon-lined valve has the liner bonded to the backup elastomer and also has the backup patented O-Seal. This is a general-duty valve and is used in food applications, paint applications, adhesive applications and beverage applications. In many instances the valve is Teflon-lined for purity reasons, or because the pipe lines are cleaned out or sanitized by sending a stronger acid or base type cleaner through them and the Teflon is required to protect against the cleaning chemicals.

In many instances if you know what your application is, we can guide you in your choice with compatibility charts.

We have addressed many of the concerns that people used to raise about resilient seated valves. If your process is not too hot and the pressure is below 150 psi, it would be good to have a conversation about what valve is best for your application. High performance valves (and we make an excellent one) are designed for more intensive applications than resilient seated valves. However, many high performance valves are misapplied. Some advantages of our resilient seated valves include ease of repair, better abrasion resistance, and much higher Cvs, not to mention significant cost savings. Call us and let us help you make an informed decision.

Valve manufacturers use Cv sizing coefficients to give a numerical value to the flow coefficient of liquids through their products. Cv is defined as the amount of ambient water which can pass through the valve or orifice with a 1 psi pressure drop. The higher the Cv the more water you can get through the valve. Because High Performance valves have to have such thick discs for the high pressures for which they are designed, they have lower Cv ratings than resilient seated valves.

The Sure Seal Service team has years of experience, engineers, and professionals who will help you choose the best product for your application. Currently this valve is being used in applicactions as diverse as air, toothpaste, hydrochloric acid, brine, oleum, and lime slurry. We have 6 liner options, and many disc options. The LBF continues to demonstrate the strenghth of our design by its performance in so many diverse applications.

UHMPE is Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyetheylene and is a liner material we use for applications that are particularly abrasive. It has similar properties to Teflon in corrosion resistance, although it has a lower temperature limit. MEPTFE is Molecularly Enhanced Poly Tetra Florethylene. It is denser, slicker, less permeable Teflon than standard PTFE, glass-filled PTFE, or FEP Teflon.

Yes, our valves are built to ANSI and ISO standards. Our Teflon lined ball valves have face to face dimensions equal to most standard port flanged valves and plug valves.

Generally these valves are in service up to 400F.

There is a anti-static device installed on every valve to insure against static buildup or discharge.

Yes, we have valves in full vacuum service. Contact us with your specific application and we can assist you.

The packing adjustment is underneath the DIN dimension actuation mounting pad.

Standard sizes range from 1"-6" in both wafer and flanged style valves. Special end connections and larger sizes are available on special request.

All sample systems are specifically designed per ASME/ANSI B 16.10 and ASME/ANSI B 16.5. In addition, all sample system valves are individually tested for absolute bubble tight shut-off and zero stem leakage in accordance with the API 598 testing specifications. Most sample valves are rated from full vacuum to 150 psi. The minimum/maximum temperature ratings depend on the materials of construction. Each PFA lined sample valve is spark tested to 20,000 volts to insure the integrity of the lining.

Valve bodies are available in the following

• materials of construction:
• 316 Stainless Steel/CF8M
• 316 Stainless Steel (PFA Lined)
• Ductile Iron (PFA Lined)
• Oiled PVDF (Kynar) 1"-3"
• Alloy 20, Monel 400 and Hastelloy C276 (upon request)

Sure Seal sample systems feature a direct inline closed loop design that is engineered to effectively collect representative samples direct from the process piping without requiring flushing. The design allows for the valves to be installed in both horizontal and vertical piping systems. The Sure Seal system offers open bottle sampling or needle adapters for sealed septum bottles. Safety cabinets and specially designed 90 degree bottle adapters can be used in horizontal or vertical piping.

Sure Seal sample systems are available with spring loaded mechanical shaft seals (PTFE Chevron Style or Graphite) or a bellows seal with a secondary sealing system. In addition, PFA lined valves are available with (TFM) Teflon bellows seals and a secondary O-ring seal.

All valves are available with several methods of operation: Manual Handwheel, Lockable Safety Spring to Close Hand Levers and Fail Close Pneumatic Actuators.

For temperature related processes, heating and cooling jackets can be made available. In addition, special orifices and bottle adapters are available.