What Is A Valve Spanner?

By Author: Vikram Kumar
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Irrespective of whether you are a professional plumber or a DIY fan, having a well-equipped tool kit is a must for every home. Amongst the must-have’s are pliers, screwdrivers and wrenches. The latter may also be called a valve spanner. It is essentially a gripping tool that is used to loosen nuts and bolts. The increased torque makes it easier to loosen them with less of an effort. A valve spanner is available in any size to suit any application. Commonly a spanner tool will have a gripping head. This is designed to get a grip on bolts and nuts.

The long handle that it is attached to has a semi-circular opening at one end. The ridged edges provide a stronger fit. Valve spanners are made of chromed vanadium steel. This material has anti-corrosive properties and is very durable as well. Almost all standard-brand spanners will have their size stamped into their handle. This makes it very easy for you to either acquire them or use them. Some spanners have adjustable heads. This provides you with the flexibility you need and one spanner serves the purpose of many, in the same size range.

There are several styles ...
... of spanners. This makes the tool a very versatile one and it can be used for different tasks. Open-ended spanners have heads at either end. These are of different sizes but are not adjustable. If you settle for this variety, you will have to buy an entire set of spanners of varying sizes. The most common ones are the box spanners. These have a gripping head with either a six or a 12-point end. They are also attached to a handle. Adjustable spanners may be either the locking or un-locking kind. The gripping head can be widened or narrowed.

Spanners can be used in numerous commercial and residential household repair jobs. The primary function of a spanner is to grip and twist caps, bolts, fittings, pipes, plugs, screws and nuts. Spanners hold these in place, thus prevent the threading on fixtures from getting damaged or stripped. Valve spanners are also used as holding clamps and vises while some spanners have the capacity to tighten bolts and nuts to specific foot-pounds of torque. These tools are an important part of a car tool-kit and are almost as critical as alignment tools are.

Alignment tools are available online nowadays as are valve spanners. The ones that you buy will depend on the vehicle you are using and the application that they are going to be used in. Tool websites have pictures and specifications of the tools you wish to buy and these are listed in different categories. When you are repairing any machine or engine, having the right kind of tools goes a long way in making the job easy. Spanners are available as single pieces as well as in sets. Always keep the spanners dry and clean and away from intense heat sources. This will ensure that they last for a long time.
Another key alignment tool is the flange alignment pin or pin set. It allows flange alignments particularly on oil and gas pipelines when laying the pipe. The alignment pins can be hammered into place or turned into place with a suitable wrench or spanner. In the reverse manner, when removing piping or splitting two flanges a flanger spreader is required. These can be simple wind in wedges or a more sophisticated popit style tool.

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Scintex Specialty Tools has Alignment Tools to suit varied applications. A Valve Spanner is a very useful tool and a necessary component of every tool kit.