Control Valve Technician

Imagine a manufacturing plant full of machines pumping fluids, hissing with steam, and spitting out finished products. Many of those machines contain valves that control the level of fluid or pressure inside. Control Valve Technicians take care of those valves so that they perform properly.

Typical valves include meters, gauges, gas regulators, pressure release and flow valves, safety valves, and thermostats. These unique pieces of equipment help hold back water levels, control the amount of pressure in a unit, monitor the temperature of gases, and regulate the flow of fluids.

Some of these machines are massive—too big to ship. So, if you’re a Control Valve Technician, you hop on a plane and travel to the customer’s location. Once there, you assess the equipment, diagnose the problem, and strive to repair it.

You work swiftly. After all, time is money to the business when a machine failure takes down the production line. But, you’re not in such a hurry that you rush through safety precautions. A faulty safety valve can be a dangerous thing, and Control Valve Technicians must be vigilant enough to ensure it works properly before calling it a day.

Whether you’re in the field or in the repair shop working on valves that have been sent in, you do many of the same tasks. You use specialized tools to make sure the valves are properly calibrated, replace parts as needed, and perform preventative maintenance to avoid unexpected issues in the future. You also carry out tests, keep a record of your work, and submit reports that outline work performed and recommendations made.