The spinning mule spins textile fibres into yarn by an intermittent process.
2.
A continuous process is typically more efficient than an intermittent process, so it would be best if the valves stay open when the device is in use.
3.
To this end I have put my money where my mouth is and begun to chip away at the article to improve it, though I don't have much spare time so this will be a slow and intermittent process.