
A check valve lets oil flow one way and blocks it the other. Simple, but the cracking pressure matters more than people expect — it is the pressure needed to lift the poppet off its seat, and it sets what the valve is actually good for.
| Cracking pressure | What it is for |
| 1 bar | General anti-return duty. Stops reverse flow with almost no penalty on the forward direction. The default choice. |
| 3 bar | Where a small back pressure is wanted — holding a charge on a pilot line, or keeping a return line flooded. |
| 5 bar | Anti-cavitation and return line duty, or where the valve must hold against a light standing head. |
Watch the pressure drop. The cracking pressure is not free — it is a permanent loss on the forward flow. Fitting a 5 bar check where a 1 bar would do costs you 4 bar of system pressure and turns it into heat.
| Port size | Part number series |
| 1/4" BSPP | VU14SF |
| 3/8" BSPP | VU38SF |
| 1/2" BSPP | VU12SF |
| 3/4" BSPP | VU34SF |
| 1" BSPP | VU10SP |
Also available on request: 0.5 bar and 0.1 bar cracking in 1" (VU10SP0.5, VU10SP0.1), 3/8" with 0.5 mm or 0.8 mm orifice, and VU104S with an external 3/4" BSP thread.
Manufactured by CBF Hydraulic, Montecchio Maggiore, Italy.