1/28/2010

Butterfly valve installation guide

Avoiding problems with butterfly valves.

The majority of all problems with butterfly valves in the field are directly related to poor installation
procedures. For this reason, it is wise to consider best-practice when laying out pipe-work and
installing the valve itself.
The seat in a resilient-seated butterfly valve usually extends around to both faces of the valve. As
a result, no gaskets are required as these seats serve the function of a gasket. The seat material
which extends past the face is compressed during installation and flows toward the centre of the
valve seat. Any change in this configuration due to improper installation directly affects the
pressure rating and seating/unseating torques.
Unlike most valve types, the butterfly valve's disc actually extends beyond the face of the valve
body at given angles of opening (say, 30 or more) when installed between flanges. Therefore, it is
very important before installation to ensure that the disc is able to freely turn and enter the flanges
and pipe-work.

Shipment & Storage

Position discs at 10% open so that they are unseated.
The faces of each valve should be covered to prevent damage to the seat face, disc edge, or
valve interior.
Store indoors, preferably with ambient temperatures between 5C and 30C.
Open and close the valves every 3 months.
Ship and store valves so that no heavy loads are applied to the bodies.

Valve Location
Butterfly valves should be installed if possible a minimum of 6 pipe diameters from other line
elements, i.e. elbows, pumps, valves, etc. Sometimes this is not feasible, but it is important
to achieve as much distance as possible.
Where the butterfly valve is connected to a check valve or pump, keep enough space
between them to ensure the disc does not interfere with the adjacent equipment.

Valve Orientation
As a rule of thumb, butterfly valves be installed with the stem in the vertical position with the
actuator mounted vertically directly above it, however, there are some applications where the stem
should be horizontal.

delvin.co.nz//ButterflyInstallNotes-d

1/4

1/28/2010

Butterfly valve installation guide

For slurries, sludge,

mine tailings, pulp, dry
cement, (media with
sediment or particles),
install the valve with
the stem horizontal,
with the lower disc
edge opening towards
the downstream
direction.

Butterfly valves
located after a
centrifugal pump.

Butterfly valves
located after a bend:

Butterfly valves
located after a T
joint.

delvin.co.nz//ButterflyInstallNotes-d

2/4

1/28/2010

Butterfly valve installation guide

Butterfly valves
located a pipe
reducer:

Butterfly valves in
combination for
control / isolation
applications.
When all the valve stems are in the Noise, vibration, and erosion are less
same orientation there is a greater likely when the stem of the control
likelihood of noise, vibration and
valve is at a right angle to those of
erosion.
adjacent valves

Installation Procedures
1 Make sure the pipeline and flange faces are clean. Any foreign material such as metal filings, pipe
scale, welding slag, welding rods, etc. can limit disc movement or damage the disc or seat.
2 Gaskets are not required on resilient seated valves because they extend to both faces of the
valve.
3 Align the pipe-work, and spread the flanges enough to allow the valve body to be easily inserted
between the flanges without contacting the pipe flanges.
4 Check that the valve disc has been set to about 10% open so it doesn't become jammed in the
fully seated position.

Pipe not spread, disc opened beyond

valve body face.
delvin.co.nz//ButterflyInstallNotes-d

Pipes aligned and spread, disc rotated 10%.

Result: Minimal seating / unseating torque
3/4

1/28/2010

Butterfly valve installation guide

Result: Minimal seating / unseating torque,
Result: Disc edge damaged as it
disc edge protected.
contacts the flanges.
5 Insert the valve between the flanges as shown, taking care not to damage the seat faces.
Always lift the valve by the locating holes or by using a nylon sling on the neck or the body.
Never lift the valve by the actuator or operator mounted on the valve.

6 Place the valve between the flanges, centre it, insert the bolts and
hand-tighten them. Carefully open the disc, making sure the disc
does not contact the inside of the adjacent pipes.
7 Very slowly close the valve disc to ensure disc edge clearance from
the adjacent pipe flange.
8 Fully open the disc and tighten all flange bolts as shown.
9 Repeat a full close to full open rotation of the disc to ensure proper
clearances.

Installation with Flange Welding

When butterfly valves are to be installed between welding type flanges, care should be taken to
ensure no damage will occur to the seat:
1 Place the valve between the flanges with the flanges and valve body aligned. The disc should be
10% open.
2 Bolt the flanges to the valve body. Ensure the valve and flanges are aligned with the pipe.
3 Tack-weld the flanges to the pipe.
4 Remove the bolts and the valve from the pipe flanges and finish welding the flanges.
5 Wait for the pipe and flanges to cool before installing the valve. NOTE: Never complete the welding
(after tacking) with the valve between flanges as heat transfer will cause severe seat damage.

delvin.co.nz//ButterflyInstallNotes-d

4/4