Portable Valve Actuator for Underground Valves

Lockout Tagout, Valve Interlock and Valve Actuation experts Total Lockout (Safety) Ltd have increased their range of portable valve actuators to include a pedestal mounted drive tool for operating valves located below ground.

In the Water Industry it is common for valves to be located below ground, often below access areas and roadways. Standard procedure is to operate these valves with a T-bar valve key. Such handles are not ergonomically designed and can be difficult to use, especially if the valve is stiff to operate, or has a high number of turns from open to closed. The risk of personal strain injury and fatigue is also greatly increased.

Italian manufacturer F.Lli Scapin have produced two new products to deal with these operational issues. The RPM100N incorporates a pedestal mounted reduction bevel gearbox complete with manual cranking handle. The RPM300N is adapted to use their portable power drive tools including APB45N cordless battery valve driver and APS100N and APS140N petrol motor portable drive tools.

The pedestal kit is fully portable too. Weighing just 11kg it can be carried around site and quickly positioned above the valve drive. A telescopic drive shaft links the underside of the drive kit to the valve stem below ground. Locator pegs secure the pedestal frame to the access cover as an anti-rotation mechanism.

Optional items including a valve revolution counter and a torque limiter device are also available. The latter helps to protect the valve from over-torqueing at the open and closed positions.