Description
APCO Full Flow Foot Valve (FFF) is a type of check valve designed for submerged water or clean fluids service and is typically installed at the bottom of a suction line and inside a wet well. It is an inexpensive way to maintain prime on a single centrifugal pump.
The valve is constructed with high quality long-wearing materials. It has a heavy cast body, rugged stainless steel internals and drop tight resilient seating to ensure no loss of suction. The strainer cap is constructed from heavy stainless steel and securely bolted to the valve body.
The APCO FFF Full Flow Foot Valve provides full flow area to ensure minimum head loss. The flow area through the body is 10% greater than the equivalent pipe size. The plug is center guided at both ends by the shaft. The stainless steel bushing and shaft protect against electrolytic action and provide long valve service life. If maintenance is ever required, the seat and plug are hand replaceable in the field. The bushing is held in place by the retaining ring so that it can be easily removed if required.
The foot valve is installed in the vertical position with the direction of flow upward. In this position, the valve is normally closed. Prior to initial startup of the centrifugal pump, the suction line is manually filled with water. This eliminates the risk of damage to the centrifugal pump from running dry. Once the suction line is filled, the foot valve takes over and opens while the centrifugal pump is running and closes when the pump stops running to maintain a primed flooded suction pump.