US3142900A

US3142900A - Method of repairing a valve

Info

Publication number: US3142900A
Application number: US284690A
Authority: US
Inventors: Tony M Merrick
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-05-31
Filing date: 1963-05-31
Publication date: 1964-08-04
Anticipated expiration: 1981-08-04

Description

Aug. 4, 1964 'r. M. MERRICK METHOD OF REPAIRING A VALVE Filed May 31, 1963 FIG-2 FIG-3 TONY M. MERRICK INVENTOR.

FIG-l min-h United States Patent 3,142,900 METHOD OF REPAIRING A VALVE Tony M. Merrick, 4304 N. Adams, Spokane 18, Wash. Filed May 31, 1963, Ser. No. 284,690 1 Claim. (Cl. 29-401) My present invention is a method of repairing a valve of the character having a valve body and a removable sleeve mating in a ground joint.

Although there are many types of valves available on the market today, one type which is quite prevalent, includes a valve body having an annular ground face mating with an annular ground face of a removable sleeve releasably held therein. Primarily, these valves are employed in domestic water systems and are conventionally termed tub filler valves, shower and diverter valves, kitchen deck faucets, etc. When these valves are new, the sleeve and valve body are sealed by said ground joint, but after years of use, due to various operational causes, as for example, expansions and contractions effected by temperature changes, leakage occurs between the joint faces and causes erosion to either or both faces, that is, to the ground face of the valve body and/or the ground face of the sleeve. When the erosion takes place in the ground face of the sleeve, it is only necessary to purchase a new sleeve and insert it into the valve body and the leakage is corrected. However, when the erosion takes place in the ground face of the valve body, it is considerably more diflicult to correct.

Efforts have been made in the past to correct the latter problem by employing a grinding compound between the mating faces and by oscillatory rotations of the sleeve, grind out the damaged area and thus form new seating faces. The time consumed and therefore the expense involved in practicing such a method is normally prohibitive.

In cases where the valve is one that is installed in a wall such as in a bathroom tub and shower installation where the valves are installed and tile applied thereover, the time required to remove the wall covering, replace the valve and then replace the wall covering and retile, may exceed the time of re-seating by using the grinding compound.

In other examples, as when the valve is a kitchen deck faucet which may be easily exchanged, it is economically not feasible to regrind the mating faces since the purchase of a new valve body is normally less than the labor time consumed in grinding as hereinabove described. But, even in this situation, the cost of a valve body is relatively high and thus the necessity for purchasing a substitute valve is distasteful.

Efforts have been made to repair the leaking condition by applying plastic tape or a continuous lead washer between the mating faces of the valve body and the sleeve, but these have not proven to be satisfactory because the sleeve is not then permitted to properly seat with the face of the valve body face and in very short time the faucet is found to be leaking again and further damage to the valve body face is noted.

The present invention provides a relatively convenient and economical method of stopping leakage between the damaged ground face of a valve body and valve sleeve in a valve of the character described.

Another object of the present invention lies in the provision of an improved valve sleeve which will stop leakage between a damaged valve body face and a valve sleeve.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent during the course of the following description when considered in conjunction with the exemplifying drawings wherein like numerals are employed to designate similar parts; and

FIGURE 1 is an enlarged view of a conventional sleeve and the mating parts of a valve body in section;

FIG. 2 is an elevation of the sleeve with the O ring recess being formed therein;

FIG. 3 is an elevation of the sleeve with the O ring applied; and a FIG. 4 is a sectional view through a wall and a valve of the character involved showing the repaired assembly.

In the drawing, the numeral 1 indicates the valve body which is adapted to receive the valve sleeve 2 and seal therewith at a ground joint 3, by means of mating faces. The sleeve 2 is provided with a mating face 4 and the valve body 1 is provided with a mating face 5. These ground faces provide a ground joint seal between the sleeve 2 and valve body 1.

As is conventional, the sleeve 2 is provided with an annular valve seat 6 with which seat washer 6a cooperates to provide the conventional valving action effected by rotation of the valve stem 10 and the resultant axial movement of the seat washer 6a to and away from the valve seat 6 by means of the cooperating internal threads 9 of the sleeve 2 and the internal threads 11 of the valve stem.

conventionally, water is admitted into the area 1a of the valve and passes through inlet apertures 8 of the sleeve 9, thence between the seat washer 6a and seat 6 when the valve is opened through the opening 7 and is discharged through the pipe or coupling 19.

To insure that a seal will exist between the faces 4 and 5, the valve is provided with an anchor sleeve 12 which is threaded into the valve body 1 to exert axial force upon the sleeve 9. The anchor sleeve 12 is provided with an integral cap 13 which forms a gland 13a of a stuffing box 14 thus sealing between the cap 13 and the valve body 1.

An escutcheon nipple 15 has an end portion 16 constituting a gland and is threaded into the cap confining the stern packing 17 to prevent leakage about the stem 10.

The escutcheon 18 is threaded to the end of the escutcheon nipple 15 as shown.

conventionally, tub fillers and shower and diverter valves are mounted within a wall which is indicated in its entirety by the numeral 20. The wall 20 has an inside wall board 21 faced with a vitreous or plastic tile 22, all of which is supported on conventional studs as 23. The line 24 indicates the inner face of the opposed wall covering.

Referring now to FIGURES 2 and 3 particularly, it will be seen that after I remove the sleeve 2 from the valve body 1 in conventional manner, I form in the annular face 4 of the sleeve 2, a coextensive annular recess 25. This may be conveniently accomplished by chucking the sleeve 2 in a lathe, rotating the sleeve as shown by arrow 31, and by means of a lathe tool 26 cut the recess 25 therein. After removal from the lathe, I apply a selected 0 ring 27 which, it will be seen, has a portion extending from the recess beyond the face 4 of the sleeve 2.

The amount the 0 ring extends beyond the face is variable due to several variable conditions. For example, the more compressible the material from which the 0 ring 27 is made, the greater the extension which will be accommodated. This is necessitated by reason of the fact that it is desirable, for optimum length of operation, that the face 4 shall be seated with the face 5 even when the O ring 27 is disposed therebetween. This results in the greatest ability to Withstand the changing conditions, for example, Water pressure and temperature changes.

It will be noted that the recess is provided at its upper margin or limit with an annular flat face 28 which is normal to the axis of the sleeve 2. At its lower limit there is a radially disposed lip 29 which acts as a retainer for the O ring 27 and its bottom wall 30 is arcuate to conform to the configuration of the O ring 27.

In this disclosure, the end of the sleeve 2 having the ground face 4 is considered to be the bottom of the sleeve and it is inserted into the valve body 1 bottom first and moved axially therein until the ring 27 impinges against the ground face of the valve body 1 whereupon the anchor sleeve 12 is inserted into the valve body 1 and by means of a Wrench is threadedly advanced to apply sufficient force to the sleeve to move the face 4 into engagement with the face 5 thus compressing the O ring 27 so that it is deformed into the damaged or eroded area 5a of the valve body face 5. It therefore becomes obvious that the face 28 being normal to the axial movement of the sleeve will exert the axial force, exerted by the anchor sleeve, parallel to the axis of the sleeve 2 against the O ring 27 and prevent seizing or pinching of the O ring between the face 4 and the face 5.

By this means of repair, it becomes unnecessary then, to remove the wall, face and covering 21 and 22 to exchange the valve but it is only necessary to remove the sleeve 9 from the valve body 1 by first removing the escutcheon 18 and anchor sleeve 12 and thence forming an annular recess in the face 4 intermediate its axially spaced

margins

4a and 4b applying an O ring having a cross sectional body diameter adapted to be received in the recess with a sufiicient amount disposed beyond the face 4 to extend into and plug the erosion damage 5a of the valve body face 5 and then reinstall the sleeve into the valve body under suflicient force to bring the faces 4 and 5 into engagement and thereby deform the O ring into the erosion damage 511. This force is available by the 4 threaded interaction of the anchor sleeve 12 and the valve body 1.

Having thus described my invention, I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States the following:

The herein described method of stopping leakage in a valve of the character described having a valve body and a removable valve sleeve each with an annular ground face coacting with the other to form a ground joint wherein the valve body face is damaged by erosion beyond sealing with the valve sleeve face, which consists in:

removing the sleeve from the valve body; forming an annularly coextensive recess in the face of said sleeve intermedaite its axially spaced margins; applying to said recess an O ring of a cross-sectional body diameter to be received in said recess with a sufficient amount disposed beyond the face of said sleeve to extend into and plug said damage of said valve body face; and reinstalling said sleeve in said valve body under sufficient force to bring the said faces into engagement and deform said O ring into said damage to seal between said faces.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS