When your job is in the waterworks industry, it can be tempting to try to make do with tools that just aren't made to take the abuse. But the damage that can happen from these tools can create a real problem if you end up with an emergency. One key area of complaint we regularly hear about from customers is broken valve stems and how frustrating they are to deal with in the field. Because we believe in creating tools for the waterworks industry that will exceed your expectations and meet the needs that are unique to the waterworks industry. One of these tools is our broken valve stem wrench. The reversible head allows it to be used for either opening or closing the valve and can be used on either open left or open right valves. In this scenario, you can see the difference a specialty tool makes:

There's a serious leak at a local industrial plant and to stop the leak, the water needs to be turned off at the valve. When your office gets the call, you prepare to dispatch a team to take care of the problem, thinking it would be a simple five minute fix. Then the company official on the other end of the phone starts to hem and haw a little, finally mentioning that one of their people had tried to close the valve and wasn't able to make it work. You send your team out to take care of the problem.

Fifteen minutes later, you receive a phone call from the team lead. Apparently, in trying to close the valve, the maintenance person from the plant accidentally sheared off the valve operating nut, leaving it stuck wide open. Now what are you going to do to stem the flow? With visions of phones ringing off the hook because you need to stop the flow of water much further back in the systems, you remember a clever little tool you'd seen. The valve stem wrench in question has a strong resemblance to a pipe wrench that has been mounted onto a gate wrench. With a spring loaded design, it allows your team to bypass the nut and simply turn the valve stem itself. You send it out to the site, eager to see how well it works in the field. Within 15 minutes of arriving on site, the valve is shut off.

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Of course, the team doesn't show back up for another hour, because after they get the valve closed, they have to see what else the valve stem wrench will work on. The reversible head allows it to be used for either opening or closing valves, with relative ease of adaptation to either position. When they get back into the office, they're pretty sure they could have that 15 minute response down to 5, because now they know how it works.

By having the right tools on hand to deal with an emergency, you can quickly and effectively make the repairs you need and get your customers back on the system. Click below to browse our handcrafted, made in the USA, gate valve tools and accessories to make sure you have the right tool for any job.