What Is A Sanitary Ball Type Check Valve and How Does It Work?

TOP-FLO^® Ball-type check valves are one of the styles of check valves used for low-viscosity fluid backflow prevention in sanitary piping systems. Typical applications for a Steel & O'Brien ball check valve in a sanitary system include water, CIP, raw and finished milk, soft drinks, and fruit juice. This style of valve depends on downstream fluid back pressure to seat the ball into the internal inlet area of the valve, which prevents reverse flow when there is no inlet fluid or pressure.

What is an advantage of using a ball-type vs. a disc-type check valve?

Unlike a disc-type check valve, the advantage of a ball-type check valve is that the fluid flow path is unrestricted. When there is fluid flow, the ball is pushed into the enlarged “Y” portion of the body and out of the way of the fluid stream. This feature reduces the pressure drop created across the valve when the elevated flow rates (i.e., during a CIP cycle to create turbulent flow) are required.

Why use a Steel & O'Brien Sanitary ball check valve?

• The valve carries the 3-A certification so it can be used in USDA-inspected dairy applications.
• The 2-piece body design allows for the elastomer seat to be easily replaced if damaged or worn.
• FDA conforming FKM elastomer seat & seal to handle harsh CIP chemicals.
•  The solid virgin PTFE ball eliminates the possibility of delamination of an elastomer ball covering as found in many competitor ball check valve designs
• Traceability is available for all 316L wetted components.
• Readily available seal and full repair kits for regularly scheduled maintenance.
• Standard size clamp end for air blow check valve installation.

Choose a sanitary check valve built for performance, reliability, and easy maintenance. Explore Steel & O'Brien check valves to find the right solution for your sanitary processing application.