The valve alignment trick that saved me 45 minutes on a pipeline job

I kept seeing guys force their valves closed with cheater bars and ruin the seals. If you back the valve off a quarter turn after seating it, then align your handle, it seats perfectly without binding. Has anyone else noticed this saves you from replacing those rubber seals twice a year?

2 comments

2 Comments

lily971mo ago

Wait, do you back it off before or after you tighten the packing nut?

pat_park1mo ago

Back it off before you tighten the nut, that's the trick. I learned that the hard way after wrecking a $60 seal on a high pressure line last fall.