Non-Pop Lids from Southwest Services for Quieter, Safer Residential Roadways
Southwest Services specializes in providing innovative products for utility-related construction applications, including locking debris caps, sign-post sleeves, stabilizer bars, and non-pop lids that reduce road noise, and create safer driving conditions. Anyone who has lived in a city will be all too familiar with the unpleasant noise that can be caused by valve boxes with cast iron lids. The innovative non-pop lids offered by Southwest Services are constructed with high-impact fiberglass and reinforced nylon rubber, which eliminates roll-out and movement, as well as the noise typical of conventional cast-iron equipment. This makes them perfect for quieter, residential neighborhoods. The non-pop design also means that roadways will be safer, reducing liability costs often caused by problems associated with roll-out or pop-out issues. In addition to noise reduction and improved safety, these lids also reduce the possibility of debris-related damage, are made from light but durable materials, can be located after being buried or obscured, come in various colors for customizable coding systems, and lockout versions can guard against unauthorized access.
The non-pop lids offered by Southwest Services feature a number of design-based solutions to problems common to cast-iron lids and bases. In addition to reduced road-noise, and elimination or roll-out and movement problems associated with lid of metal construction, these lids have a number of advantages over traditional designs. They are resistant to displacement by traffic or vandalism, their design reduces the accumulation of dirt and water, as well as insect infiltration, color coding and printed labeling makes identification easy, and optional passive antennas makes it simple to find buried or obscured valve lids. All of these things combined makes for an overall reduction in valuable time spent cleaning, repairing, or locating valve boxes, which can help utilities better manage their resources.
On conventional valve boxes, lids can often too easily be displaced by traffic, or dislodged by vandals. This leaves an open hole, as well as a loose piece of metal, exposed to passing traffic, posing an extreme safety hazard on the road. The non-pop lid features a locking system which cannot be dislodged by traffic, and require a specially-designed tool to access manually, making it difficult for potential vandals to remove them.
Cast-iron valve lids are prone to collect dirt and water, which can make valve actuation impossible without an inspection and cleaning of the hole. At the very least this is time-consuming and inconvenient, but in the event of an emergency, such as a fire, earthquake, or disrupted service line, it could prove disastrous. The elastomeric seal on Southwest Services' non-pop lids keeps both water and dirt from entering the valve box. In cases where gas pressure rises from below, the lid allows for venting, while keeping sealed against dirt and water. This sealing design also prevent infestation by bees, spiders, or other aggressive and dangerous insects which can pose serious risk of injury, or even death, to utility operators.
These lids can also help to prevent maintenance confusion over a buried valve's function. It can be especially important during emergencies that the correct valve is located as quickly as possible. Each non-pop lid is identified by a printed label detailing whether the service is gas, water, or other, and lids can also be ordered with utility names pre-stamped. Most important for utility operators, these lids feature an identification plate, to be completed by the utility, which can include information on ownership and valve size, what size wrench is required, direction of flow, or the number of turns and direction for valve actuation. Additionally, plates are able to be color coded, for quick, unambiguous identification. For even more advanced location and identification, these lids can also be fitted with an FM Antenna, which allows the user to locate them quickly using a tuned electronic locator.
The non-pop lids offered by Southwest Services have a marked design advantage over older, cast-iron equipment, and can help utilities to enhance operations and save money, while reducing road noise, and increasing overall safety.