The gasket is a fundamental part of the manway or manhole and choosing the right material can really make the difference in terms of performance.
ARTEN supplies six different types of compounds which have specific characteristics, like:
- PARA is a natural rubber compound with great elasticity and softness and high resistance to tear and wear. It’s the cheapest one, but also the one who needs to be substituted more frequently.
- EPDM is an EPDM (ethylene propylene rubber) compound with great resistance to atmospheric agents, ozone, hydroalcoholic environments and acids. It’s better than PARA because it’s more long lasting and performative for a wider range of applications.
- NBR is a NBR (nitrile rubber) compound with good resistance to oils, animal fat and, generally, to wear.
- NEOPRENE is a CR compound (polychloroprene) with good versatility and resistance to room temperature oils and atmospheric agents.
- SILICONE is a VMQ compound (silicon rubber) with great resistance to high and low temperatures, atmospheric agents, and ozone. Good also in contact with oxidising substances and body fluids.
- VITON is a FKM compound (fluor elastomer) with good resistance to heat, hot oils, fuels, and ozone. It’s resistant also to high chemical inertia.
After receiving reports of leaks or malfunctioning of a manway/manhole, we often note that the defect comes from the gasket: a wrong compound, a non-replacement, or the wrong placement.
In fact, gaskets are subject to wear and they need to be substituted time to time, according to the use and the material/liquid they get in contact with. When the gasket begins to deteriorate, it is easy that the tightness of the manway/manhole starts failing.
Moreover, if the placement is not correct, there can be leaks’ problems. On ARTEN items, the customer can choose to place the gasket on the frame or on the cover thanks to a welded support. Even if it seems to be a small matter, this is a decisive choice. We usually advise the placement on the frame when you need to wash and remove the gasket many times, while it’s better on the cover if your main concern is the hermetic seal.
While preparing the offer, our sales department identify the specific needs of the customer and, according to the liquid/material which will get in contact with the gasket, they can guide him towards the proper compound, to avoid future problems.
Starting from 2021, we have decided to gradually substitute PARA with a soft grey EPMD, which is better from each point of view. As soon as we finish our warehouse stocks, we will delate the PARA option form our catalogue, and the standard gasket for our products will become EPDM. This will bring many advantages to our customers, in terms of performance, tightness and availability of the materials.