July 25, 2025
Although gate valves are not often directly "seen" in daily life, they are widely hidden in various infrastructure and civil equipment, silently playing a key role in controlling the on-off of fluids.
Gate valves have extremely low flow resistance when fully open, which will not affect the normal transportation efficiency of tap water, heating water, etc.
They have good sealing performance when fully closed, and can completely cut off fluids, meeting the isolation needs during maintenance.
They have a durable structure and are suitable for long-term use with non-corrosive fluids such as tap water and heating water.
Household inlet main valve: Most households have a gate valve installed on the tap water inlet pipeline to control the main switch of the whole house's tap water. When repairing water pipes or replacing faucets at home, closing this gate valve can cut off the water source to avoid water leakage.
Community water supply main pipe: In the underground pipe wells or pump rooms of residential quarters and apartment buildings, gate valves are used to control the water supply of the whole building or a certain unit, facilitating the maintenance of pipeline systems or emergency water cut-offs by property management.
Main pipe control of radiators: In residential areas with central heating in northern China, gate valves are installed on the main heating pipelines of buildings or units to open/close the circulation of heating hot water, facilitating system debugging or fault maintenance before winter heating.
Household heating branch roads: Some households also have small gate valves on the branch pipelines of floor heating or radiators, which can separately control the on-off of heating in a certain area.
Gas main pipes or community main valves: On urban gas transmission branch pipelines and community gas main pipelines, gate valves or, in combination with ball valves, are used to control the overall on-off of gas, ensuring the safe maintenance of the gas system.
Note: The control valve in front of household gas meters is mostly a ball valve, but gate valves are still the main type in medium and large gas transmission pipelines.
Municipal sewage pipelines: In urban main sewer pipelines and pipelines of sewage treatment plants, gate valves are used to control the on-off of sewage and sludge. The knife-shaped gate can cut off fibrous debris to avoid pipeline blockage.
Drainage in household basements and garages: In some villas or low-rise buildings, gate valves are installed on the drainage pipelines of basements to control the connection between the drainage pump and the main pipeline, preventing backflow.
Fire water pipe networks: In fire hydrant pipelines and main pipelines of sprinkler systems in communities, shopping malls, and office buildings, gate valves are used to control the on-off of fire water. They are fully opened to ensure water supply in case of fire and closed to isolate specific area pipelines during daily maintenance.
Fire pump outlets: Gate valves are installed at the connection between fire pumps and pipelines to control the water flow when starting the pumps and isolate the pumps during maintenance.
Solar water heater/electric water heater pipelines: Small gate valves are installed on the water inlet or outlet main pipelines of some solar water heaters or electric water heaters to cut off the water source during equipment maintenance.
Swimming pool/water feature systems: In the water circulation pipelines of community swimming pools and landscape fountains, gate valves are used to control the water flow between the water pump and the pool, facilitating water change or pool cleaning.
It can be said that gate valves are "invisible guarantees" in daily life, supporting the stable operation of basic livelihood systems such as water, heating, and gas.
