When the pressure is on, you can count on Dante for superior service and support
In 2010, Dante Valve officially became loose assemblers of Kunkle valves. The safety, reliability and renown of Kunkle valves for compressible fluid applications (gas, vapor or steam) made us at Dante Valve very keen to become representatives of the company’s valves.
Safety-relief valves were first developed during the Industrial Revolution for use on steam boilers. Early boilers were operated without them and were prone to explosions. An example is a pressure relief valve, which automatically releases steam from a boiler when the pressure or temperature exceeds preset limits.
Kunkle valves are engineered for today’s most extreme industrial and commercial environments.
Wherever you have an air, water or steam tank, a compressor, or something that is running or making power, it must have a safety valve on it to act as a fail-safe.
Dante Valve is proud to be a factory-authorized loose assembler of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)-certified and non-code Kunkle safety and relief valves. We offer a vast in-stock portfolio of the entire Kunkle product line for field-proven results. Kunkle has been building safety relief valves for decades, and they make the most reliable and longest-lasting valves worldwide for pressure relief applications. Quite simply, customers ask for Kunkle before any other brand of valve.
Kunkle’s Reputation for Safety and Reliability
The most popular Kunkle pressure relief valve models are those in the 6000 series. The 6000 series models are the ‘go-to’ valves for air, gas and steam applications. The valve housing is made with a heavy-duty bronze or stainless-steel casting. They are primarily installed on any type of a vessel with a pressure limitation, in which a relief valve is mandatory. The primary media that these valves are called to work on are steam or boiler and air tanks.
They are commonly used on steam boilers, steam generators, air compressors, gas compressors – both reciprocating and rotary – intercoolers and aftercoolers, pressurized steam autoclaves, pressurized steam sterilizers and pressure reducing stations.
How a Kunkle Valve Works
Kunkle valves are typical right angle type valves designed to work with a spring-loaded force above a disc, and then a spring on top. The force builds up from underneath the disc as the pressure starts to rise. The spring is what puts force on top of the disc and the seating surface to keep the valve closed.
Once the pressure reaches the valve’s set point, the spring gives, and the valve begins rising, releasing pressure as it does so. Once enough pressure is released at a certain point, the spring will completely collapse, and the disc will be fully open. Once the set point of the valve begins to be relieved as air, steam or water recedes, the spring will start to expand, and the valve will return to a fully closed position.
Commercial Applications
Kunkle valves are supplied in large numbers to industrial buildings such as hotels and hospitals to protect their systems, boilers, air and water tanks. The boilers used to heat large buildings like hotels and hospitals will almost always rely on a Kunkle pressure relief valve for protection. Medical and dental offices, too, will rely on Kunkle valves to protect the air compressors used for patient treatment and critical care systems.
There are a huge variety of commercial applications for Kunkle valves. We frequently get called in to replace valves in hospitals. The boiler fails or a valve leaks on a boiler. We move as quickly as possible to get the valve done. And we’ll get it done, because when a hospital boiler fails or a valve leaks on a boiler, hospitals can’t just stop what they are doing to wait for the valve to arrive. They use these boilers to heat the emergency wards, patient beds and operating rooms. There are lives at stake.
On the other hand, theme parks like Disneyland will call us for Kunkle relief valves frequently as well. For example, a valve could fail that goes on one of the rides, like on the train that goes around the world’s most famous theme park. There could be fifty thousand park visitors on any one day, so if a valve on a ride or a boiler fails, they need it replaced fast.
ASME Certified
Dante Valve is fully licensed and authorized by the ASME. Our relief valves and assemblers are periodically inspected and tested by ASME representatives to maintain those high standards and accreditations. According to Jesse Williams, Product Specialist at Dante Valve, “Customers who require ASME-certified Kunkle valves come to Dante Valve, as we have been certified to assemble ASME-certified valves since 1998. Our company is audited and recertified every six years by ASME to maintain the strict quality compliance standards required.”
“We are proud of our legacy in maintaining our ASME certifications. It takes years to learn how to assemble valves according to ASME standards and protocols. And then we also pass this knowledge on to our newer technicians to keep them certifiable. All of this takes investment in training and years of hard work.”
“The high-quality of our products are renowned and that makes us very proud,” said Jesse Williams. “We still have valves operating in systems from the year I started working here, in 1985. Our product quality is superior, and that is a big support to the success of Dante Valve.”
Why Dante Valve?
Dante Valve is a family-owned business, which marked its 60th anniversary in 2020, and is an international manufacturer and distributor of pressure-relief valves and related products — primarily for submarines, aircraft carriers and other naval vessels.
Dante Valve assembles custom Kunkle valve configurations to help our customers conform to specific safety and performance targets provided by the ASME. In addition, our impeccable service, delivery, reliability and respectful treatment of our customers are without a question the keys to our long success. At Dante Valve, we always strive to do the best we can. We have always been there for our customers and always will be. Contact us to get started on a quote today.