method of pressure adjusting of safety valve

Should be set under steaming condition at the end of every boiler survey. Setting is carried out
by the engineers and is witnessed by the independent classification surveyor. The most important
setting of the safety valve is the opening or set pressure.
This pressure can be obtained from either:

• Previous record as stated by classification society

• The stamped pressure as marked on the boiler data plate
• The working pressure of the boiler, as stated in the boiler manufactures literature.
at first instruction manuals should be studied carefully and then Take necessary personal safety
precaution and arrange tools i.e., gagging tool and master gage. The other boiler safety valve has
to be gagged in order to avoid interference with adjustment.
1. Before attempting to adjust the safety valves of any boiler, it is essential that the
accuracy of the boiler pressure gauge to be verified. There should be at least two
pressure gauges to be verified while the safety valves are being adjusted.
2. Consider that the valves have been assembled correctly without the top hood and the
easing gear. Cheek the drains and waste steam pipes and make sure that those are
clear.
3. Steam pressure is raised and the boiler put on banked fire, light load to maintain steady
pressure during setting process.
4. Screw down each compression nut a few turns more than the previous setting.
5. Raise the boiler pressure and maintain the blow-off pressure at which the safety valves
are required to be set.
6. Adjust one valve at a time. Slacken the compression nut slowly till the valve on test lifts
under the set steam pressure.
7. Stop firing immediately when the valve lifts. Keep tapping the spindle top softly for the
valve to sit back smartly and remain seated in place. This setting of the valve would be
slightly less than the blow-off pressure.
8. Restore water level if necessary and start raising the boiler pressure back.
9. Try-out again for lifting (floating) of the safety valve to check if the pressure at which the
valve lifts and sits back is correct; if not, re-set the valve with the same procedure
10. The valve setting is done with a bit of trial-and-error procedure and with practice can be
achieved fairly quickly.
11. Once set, the valve adjusted, should be gagged (by means of special tool) and the other
valve should now be floated and adjusted with the same procedure as the first one.
Note: The gag fitted should only be finger tight on the spindle and should never be fitted when
the boiler is cold, to avoid any chance of the spindle bending due to thermal expansion as the
temperature rises.
12. The gag from the first valve is now removed.
13. Next the boiler is fired again to cheek that both the safety vales adjusted open and close
simultaneously.
14. A caliper measures distance from the bottom of the compression nut to the top of the
safety valve cover bush and split ring is made and fitted in that space.
15. Next the hood is locked to the spindle with a cotter key and the easing gear is fitted into
place.
16. Both the safety valves are now manually lifted by means of the easing gear to ensure its
correct operation.
17. A padlock then locks one end of the hood cotter key. For the floating of the safety valve,
the surveyor brings along his own pressure gauge - this helps in checking the accuracy of
the boiler pressure gauges.