Hydraulic valves for dampening pressure spikes and associated methods are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a hydraulic valve for dampening pressure spikes includes: a spool configured to move axially inside the hydraulic valve; and a sleeve configured to at least partially house the spool. A location of the spool with respect to the sleeve may determine a flow of a working fluid through the hydraulic valve. A viscous damper is at least partially housed inside an opening in the spool, and a viscous friction between the viscous damper and the opening in the spool slows a motion of the spool.

A linear solenoid valve has a spring member and a spring load adjusting member, which is screwed into a sleeve member of the linear solenoid valve in order to adjust a spring load of the spring member. The sleeve member has a female screw portion and a swaged-claw forming portion is formed at an axial end surface of the female screw portion. Multiple swaging punches are prepared, each of which has a punching tooth portion of a punching portion. A punching area of the punching tooth portion differs from the swaging punch to the swaging punch. One of the multiple swaging punches is selected depending on a press-direction distance between the swaged-claw forming portion and an axial end surface of the adjust screw member. When the press-direction distance is smaller than a predetermined distance range, the swaging punch having a larger punching area for the punching tooth portion is selected, wherein the punching area is larger than a punching area of another swaging punch which is selected when the press-direction distance is larger than the predetermined distance range.

A spool for a spool valve having a longitudinal axis (L). The spool comprising: a plurality of lands each having a substantially radially extending metering edge and an axially extending circumferential surface; a plurality of grooves separating each of the plurality of the lands; and a guiding section located axially between at least one land and an adjacent groove. The guiding section comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced guiding surfaces being substantially flush and contiguous with the circumferential surface of the land, wherein the guiding section allows fluid communication between the groove and the metering edge of the land.

Hydraulic valves for dampening pressure spikes and associated methods are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a hydraulic valve for dampening pressure spikes includes: a spool configured to move axially inside the hydraulic valve; and a sleeve configured to at least partially house the spool. A location of the spool with respect to the sleeve may determine a flow of a working fluid through the hydraulic valve. A viscous damper is at least partially housed inside an opening in the spool, and a viscous friction between the viscous damper and the opening in the spool slows a motion of the spool.

A spool for a spool valve having a longitudinal axis (L). The spool comprising: a plurality of lands each having a substantially radially extending metering edge and an axially extending circumferential surface; a plurality of grooves separating each of the plurality of the lands; and a guiding section located axially between at least one land and an adjacent groove. The guiding section comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced guiding surfaces being substantially flush and contiguous with the circumferential surface of the land, wherein the guiding section allows fluid communication between the groove and the metering edge of the land.

A method of rebuilding a pressure control solenoid includes uncrimping a housing of the solenoid, and disassembling the solenoid. An original spool valve of the solenoid is removed from a hydraulic bore of the solenoid. The hydraulic bore is reamed such that an inner diameter of the bore is enlarged. A replacement spool valve is inserted into the hydraulic bore. An outer diameter of the replacement spool valve is larger than an outer diameter of the original spool valve.

A valve arrangement comprises first and second valves mechanically interconnected for synchronous operation with one another so as to be switchable by a single action between first and second fluid flow configurations. The first configuration provides a first path for first fluid to flow from a first inlet to a first outlet and a second path for second fluid to flow from a second inlet to a second outlet. The second configuration provides paths for first fluid to flow from the first inlet to both the first and second outlets while closing the path from the second inlet. In one application, the arrangement allows a convenient method of disinfecting a water-consuming appliance such as a shower.