Valve for Diverting Water in Ready To Eat Salads Production

A local company producing ready to eat fresh salads are using pinch valves from AKO UK within their wash system.

How Does The Pinch Valve Assist?

The company have grilled covered drains running throughout the production area. These collect all water and debris, and then take it to a waste recovery system that is situated outside. The drains have a constant flow of water to stop any blockages appearing. The pinch valve is used to divert water from one side of the factory to the other, every 20 minutes.

Application Details

The water passing through the pinch valves is slightly soiled water at a temperature of approx 5-10°C. This slightly soiled water is pressurised through the valves at <1 Bar, and an air pressure amount of 3.5 Bar is used to fully shut off the valves. The valves for diverting water open/close every 20 minutes during production. There are two shifts which run 7 days a week but this depends on sales.

Pinch Valve Performance & Client Feedback

The company have been using AKO UK Pinch Valves since they opened in 2019. The valves for diverting water were installed during the main building works, so were already part of the equipment.

This site is littered with valves, which are a key component to many parts of the salad washing process from start to finish including all water supplies, fresh water above the salad lines, and on the main refridgeration system controlling the glycol.

The company have confirmed they have no problems with the AKO valves for diverting water, and they are happy because they can obtain spares easily from AKO UK.

The rubber sleeves inside the valves are lasting around 2.5 years. Being the only wearable part that needs replacing, the rubber sleeve is high in elasticity, making it durable and tough on performance. The long lifetime of the sleeve ensures this client does not need to worry about inconvenient failures, which could cause production downtime.

Currently this site has two Pinch Valves on site, but as the company grows this will change.