Valves are important for our water supply.  They are necessary devices utilized in the regulation of fluids and gases flowing in one direction through pipes and ducts.  The valve operates as a stopper that can completely shut off the flow or just slow it down just enough to ensure the proper flow speed and pressure is maintained.  Valves are everywhere and are a crucial component to the functioning of our cardiovascular systems.  Just like our cardiovascular systems need exercise to stay healthy, valves used by municipal water departments and wastewater systems need to be exercised to in order function optimally.  Fortunately, companies like U.S. SAWS have developed valve exercisers that are portable and battery operated to ensure all of the valves affecting the full gamut of water and plumbing systems, no matter how inconvenient a location, can be exercised to reduce any interruptions to our water supply.

Why Is It Important?

Millions of people rely on the public water supply, and it is crucial that the water directed to our homes is potable.  Valves control the flow of water and waste to and from our homes and businesses.  Maintaining the consistent quality and drinkability of water to the public is managed by valves.  Backflow is a key concern of many waterworks departments.  Backflow happens when non-potable water or other substance flows in a direction that is reversed from its intended direction.  Should an issue with backflow arise, the water supply for the community is deemed unsafe, and the community suffers an inconvenient and potentially disastrous interruption in the water supply.  In order to avoid any potential backflow issues, it is recommended that regular maintenance is performed on the valves to reduce stiffness and decay.  This is typically done by the use of a valve exerciser, a handy tool that every employee of the waterworks department should have in the toolbox.

The valve exerciser loosens and then re-tightens the valves to prevent malfunction.  As the contractor uses the valve exerciser, he or she is able to determine whether there is any decay or corrosion on the valve or if the valve is generally functioning at an optimal level.  Due to the severity of consequences should a water supply valve fail, it is imperative that municipalities perform regular maintenance on its water supply valves to ensure full functionality.  Regular maintenance and use of valve exercisers also reliefs the valves of gunk buildup and debris, keeping the environment safe for the operation of the valves.

How to Get It Done

Valves are not known for their convenient placement.  They are typically in hard to reach areas, many times on purpose to reduce non-municipal workers from accessing and potentially damaging valves and the water supply.  Accessing these restricted areas with a valve exerciser with enough space to turn the tool to loosen the valves can be an ordeal.  Nowadays, valve exercisers are portable, many with a convenient carrying case, battery operated, and lightweight to ensure the worker’s ability to use it in any tight situation or inopportune location.

One the valve has been located and the worker has him or herself into position, step one is to remove the valve cover.   Next, the drive shaft needs to be placed onto the valve nut.  Then the solid extension needs to be installed onto the gearbox output, engaging the twist lock mechanism will lock the solid extension into place.  Now it is time to attach the power head unit to the drive shaft.  Using a lower torque output is crucial to ensuring the valve is not overloaded, which could damage the valve.  When cycling the valve, make sure to use slower speeds, especially when the valve size is unknown.  If the valve is stuck and not moving, increase the torque in small increments to ensure no damage is being done to the valve.  This is the time to evaluate the valve and note how limber it is.  Once the valve has been exercised, pack up the exerciser in the handy carrying case and move on to the next one.

Valve exercisers, as simplistic as they may sound, play a vital role in ensuring potable water is available to the community.  This tool is vital for any waterworks employee and should be in every contractor’s toolbox.  Regular annual maintenance of municipal water supply valves will reduce the risk of backflow and the contamination of the community’s entire water supply, keeping everyone safe and drinking clean water.

Vale exercisers are crucial to municipal workers, and U.S. SAWS is an industry leader in providing all of your valve exerciser and companion accessory needs. Contact U.S. SAWS today find the right valve exerciser for your waterflow project.

U.S.SAWS has a comprehensive list of quality products to assist you with your toughest tasks. If you need hard-working, durable, portable and efficient tools, odds are you’ll find everything you need right here.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t add something special to the lineup when the opportunity presents itself.

The FSB-150H is our latest addition, and it packs a lot of punch into a compact, efficient frame. Let’s take a look at the newest product in the U.S.SAWS roster.

What is the FSB-150H?

Our latest offering is a hydraulic walk behind saw designed for tough jobs such as street repair and other utility tasks. It’s ideal for blades up to 20” in diameter and cuts as deep as 7.5 inches. It can operate in water, and at 110 pounds, it’s a portable tool you can take with you on your toughest jobs. The FSB-150H is perfect for use with concrete and asphalt, and its weight is balanced to minimize rocking, giving you a deep, steady cut when you really need it.

Also, there’s no belt, so having one slip on the job is eliminated. The lightweight, strong frame makes it compact and light enough to travel to wherever you need it, and the 2500 PSI engine ensures it’s strong enough to handle the challenging jobs that require rugged durability and professional precision.

A Major Advantage

You know that the FSB-150H can handle your outdoor projects with easy, but there’s another feature that makes it even more valuable. The saw has no exhaust fumes, making it just as useful for indoor projects and tight spaces, while still providing the necessary power and accuracy. Trench cutting, restoration, and any inside task is no problem for this walk behind saw, and any job site that has both indoor and outdoor work only needs the FSB-150H to get everything done.

Some jobs require smaller saws, and others need heavy-hitters. To take full advantage of the tougher jobs without sacrificing accuracy in your cuts, this new model checks off all the boxes, while adding lightweight maneuverability and the ability to work in confined and indoor spaces just as effectively as outside. In the past, it might have been necessary to sacrifice power for portability, or vice-versa. In some cases, extra machines might have been required, adding to the expense and challenges of bringing extra equipment to the jobsite. But with the FSB-150H, You get the advantages of an exhaust-free walk behind saw that has the power to take on whatever project where it’s needed.

A Good Fit for the U.S.SAWS Lineup

When you come to us for your work needs, you know that you’ll get great value and a tool that will help you complete tasks correctly and on time. They need to be strong, versatile and stand out from the competition in terms of quality and reliability. When we add a product to the lineup, it needs to not only meet those requirements, but offer unique benefits on its own that you can’t find elsewhere. This walk behind hydraulic saw meets that responsibility and exceeds the lofty expectations of our valued customers, and we’re proud to add it to our roster of efficient and effective tools for a variety of jobs.

If you have questions about the FSB-150H, or any other product you see here on the website, we’re happy to help. Just use our contact page for a prompt response.

Concrete saws are a necessary tool for any contractor’s workshop.  As concrete proves itself to be a widely versatile material and more businesses and residents choose concrete for their spaces, the contractors’ reliance on concrete saws will increase.  One way to reduce the back breaking nature of concrete surface prep is through the use of a walk behind saw.

Cutting Concrete with a Walk Behind Floor Saw

Cutting concrete is an essential part of concrete surface prep.  Concrete requires specialized cuts in its surface to prevent cracks.  There is no way to prevent cracking in concrete, but contractors are able to control the location of the cracks by initiating the cracking purpose on first, before the concrete fully sets and cracks.  These intentional cracks are control joints.  Control joints are created by using a walk behind floor saw equipped with wide tires to limit indentations in the fresh concrete.  Once the control joints are placed, they are filled with a variety of joint fillers, including polyurea and epoxies.  Over time, as repairs or remodeling occurs, those joint fillers need to be removed before any work can be done to repair or resurface the concrete.  Walk behind saws are a fast and efficient option or what could be laborious work.

The purpose of the walk behind saw is to let the saw do the work.  The control joints are not deep cuts, but do need to be precise.  U.S. SAWS manufactures walk behind saws and walk behind joint clean out saws that are powered by air, hydraulics or gas.  These saws are equipped with heavy duty frames that reduce vibration which could interfere with the cut.  They even come with water feed kits to allow for wet cutting of concrete which will reduce the amount of silica dust produced from the cutting action.

Cutting Asphalt with a Walk Behind Saw

Asphalt is a much softer surface than concrete and requires the use of a different blade to cut the surface. Asphalt requires a diamond blade with a hard bond, as opposed to a soft bond.   Because the surface is different than concrete, the way in which the surface is cut changes as well. Cutting asphalt, just like concrete is not a walk in the park.   Prior to cutting asphalt, it is important to fully clean the surface.  Cleaning the surface ensures there is no debris in the way when you do your cut.  Large debris can damage the saw or even cause injury to the operator if not removed prior to cutting.  It’s critical that cuts in the asphalt are precise.  In order to ensure those cuts are precise, marking the area to be cut is key.  In order to cut a swath of asphalt out to provide access to the area beneath it, the saw operator must cut the initial side, then lift the saw in order to reposition it.  If the saw is not lifted and merely turned, the operator risks damaging the saw blade.

Tips for Cutting Concrete with a Floor Saw

The first tip for cutting concrete with a floor saw is to ensure the surface is clean.  Removal of any debris is the key to a precise cut.  As with asphalt, larger debris hit by the saw during the cutting action can cause damage to the saw, can cause injury to the operator, and can cause the cut to be thrown off its trajectory.  Second, make sure you are wearing your safety gear.  Wearing safety gloves, safety goggles and a face mask will help ensure you complete the job in a healthy manner with all digits in place.

U.S. Saws is an innovator in the tool industry.  As concrete flooring gains popularity, U.S. Saws remains on the cutting edge of tool manufacturing for concrete surface prep.  Contact U.S. Saws today to find the right walk behind saw for your concrete job.