If you’re a project manager or site foreman – here’s an important question you should find out if you don’t already know. What generation of abrasive metering valve do you have on your blast pots?
It may surprise you that your metering valve is one of the most significant indicators of your efficiency and profit. This is one of the most important (yet neglected) considerations on the majority of jobsites we visit. It’s so important in fact – that if you’re a project manager looking to turn ONE DIAL to improve your team’s performance – we suggest investigating your abrasive metering valve. It’s to your financial advantage to understand the metering valve you’re using and why it’s most likely costing you hundreds of dollars a day in inefficiencies.
First… here’s a general layout of the abrasive metering valves currently in use. These are listed from least efficient to most efficient across the broad range of blasting applications.
So, what makes one metering valve any better than another? ONE metric. Which valve saves you the most money? And this metric should be evaluated on the following 4 criteria:
- Wasted Abrasive
- Clean-up Costs
- Productivity/Downtime
- Needed Repairs/Replacement Parts
We’ve explained these costs in a previous Primed Insight if you’d like to learn more. But suffice it to say, thousands of dollars can be lost each day simply by saving $200 on the purchase of a cheap metering valve. This is something every project manager should pay attention to.
A popular misunderstanding is all these valves represent different methods of metering. That is not correct. Each column is actually a generational improvement on the previous valves.
Think of the above valves through this perspective:
Engineering and materials have improved with each product upgrade.
- The metering has gotten more precise – conserving abrasive
- Breakdowns and repairs have drastically reduced with each generation
Now, as we’re presented things, it may seem that the silver bullet to everyone’s problems is simply to buy this most current valve – The Axxiom Schmidt TeraValve.
And it probably is our top recommendation. It not only improves efficiency across the broadest range of industrial applications, but surprisingly, it also costs less than its predecessor – The Thompson 2 Valve.
However, for high flow jobs that use multiple #10 nozzles or in blast room situations using a robot, the Thompson 2 is actually our top recommendation.
Now in case you think we’re just trying to sell you a more expensive valve – here’s an insight within an insight…
Because we’re a business like you, profit and loss is something we must also manage. That’s why we have installed over 200 Tera Valves on our vast rental fleet. You can imagine that renting blast pots comes with quite a bit of maintenance and repair when they’re returned. We discovered that simply by installing Tera Valves on our rental pots, those maintenance costs dropped 75%.
THAT’S why we recommend TeraValves. They’re a superior product.
And in case you’re interested – contact us for more information on upgrading your current pot to the latest and greatest generation of metering valves.
If you have questions as to which valve is best for your pot and applications – just reach out and ask. That’s our job!