When it comes to check valves, swing checks and wafer checks are actually similar in many ways. Both serve to block back flow from occurring in a pipe line. Both use a swinging disc to block and allow flow in one direction. The differences in the two valves may seem obvious when you look at them, but many users don’t realize the difference it might make in their application.

Wafer check valves get their name from their wafer thin design. These valves are sleek and made to fit in tight spaces between two flanges. There are no controls on this valve. The main component of the valve is a swinging disc in the center that opens in one direction and closes if liquids flow back the other direction.

Swing check valves, as the name implies, also uses a swinging disc to allow or block flow. The difference between the two is in the body design. Swing check valves are not designed for extremely tight spaces like the wafer check. They have molded bodies around the area where the disc opens up. This is the most important difference between the two types of valve.

While at first glance this may just seem like a space issue, the presence of a valve body as opposed to the bare bones wafer check actually makes a big difference in the functionality of the valve. Because wafer check valves are flanged in place, there isn’t much room for the disc to open in the pipe line. That means flow is often restricted with a wafer check valve.

Swing check valves on the other hand, have a molded body that creates room for the disc to swing open fully, thus allowing full flow. As you can imagine, this is immensely important if your application requires full flow. For this reason, we recommend wafer check valves for applications where flow is not an issue, and swing check valves when a full port valve is required.

You can easily find a reputed and well-known provider of these different types of valves on the internet such as the NICO VALVES CORP. This company always offers the best quality wafer check valves and other valves to you. Learn more information about valves, try to check out NICO’s website here: www.ni-co.com

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