Hydraulic check valves
The working of hydraulic check valves depend on the type of check valve. As there are a different number of check valves, the mode of working is different for different check valves but the underlying principle is same. For instance, a ball check valve contains a ball. This ball is placed at the opening of the pipe and with the help of a spring, the ball is held in place. When the water flows towards the valve, the ball is pushed and this forces the spring to contract. The ball then moves away from the valve's opening. When there is a stop in the flowing of water through the valve, the spring expands once again. The spring presses the ball back into the valve's mouth, and thereby the water is stopped for flowing backwards through the valve. In the same manner the swing valves and split disk valves work. Swing check valves consists of a small hinged door. When water flows past, the swing gets opened and when the flow of water is stopped, the swing gets shut. There are split disk valves which consist of a folded metal disk. This disk allows water to flow past it and when the flow stops, the spring opens. This is how all hydraulic check valves work.
Hydraulic check valves are very useful. Firstly, hydraulic check valves prevent flooding of water if there is extreme back flow running through the pipes. These valves also prevent the equipment from being damaged if the water flows the wrong way. Moreover, when the machine is switched off, the check valve prevents water from flowing back in the wrong direction. In this way, hydraulic check valve saves power and protects the pipes from damage caused by water.
