Managing all of the assets of a water system can be daunting. Tracking maintenance schedules and ensuring things are kept in good working order gets increasingly difficult with tighter budgets and reduced labor available. With that idea in mind, Cla-Val developed Link2Valves as an aid to water utilities, service personnel and really anyone who has to maintain and keep records for their automatic control valves, according to Mark Gimson, director of marketing and international sales for Cla-Val.
“Link2Valves is the only asset management program specifically designed for control valves and with the end-user in mind,” he says. “It allows the customer to see their valves on a web-based platform and in an app, and helps track maintenance records, startup records and helps the end user know where and what they have in their system.”
Utilizing a simple app on your mobile phone, data is collected at the valve site along with photographs, that are then automatically synchronized with Cla-Val’s servers. This data can then be accessed via a dedicated Link2Valves website, secure and specific to the utility, providing a complete service history, exact valve location and settings, and graphically shows which valves may require attention. The portal is accessible only by approved users and allows for user-defined fields for additional notes.
“We recommend that valves be serviced every one to three years, depending on water quality and pressure,” says Gimson. “The app is helpful for more than just tracking maintenance, though. End-users can also use this tool to budget for the next fiscal year. Seeing all of the valves in a system in one place can make budgeting a lot easier and more accurate.”
That visual indicator of valves requiring work allows for more efficient service routing in a system using the map view and lets technicians know what valves will require work in the near future, allowing for more efficient budgeting and allocation of resources. The program can email the designated contact, informing them what valves will require attention in the coming weeks. It is offered as a no-cost service to Cla-Val valve users as a tool to assist them in keeping their control valves in good health.
“This visual documentation, combined with detailed maintenance records, enables the district to develop more accurate lifecycle forecasts and implement robust predictive maintenance strategies,” says Gimson.
800-942-6326; www.cla-val.com
