Patent ID: 7775450
Filing Date: 2010-08-17
Classification: G05D

Abstract:
1. A thermostatic mixing valve assembly vertically mounted on and extending through a mounting hole in a horizontal top surface of a deck and accommodating a range of thickness of the deck wall comprising: a valve body having a hot water inlet, a cold water inlet, and an outlet located below said deck; a thermostatic valve within said valve body controlling inlet flow of hot and cold water for mixing within said valve body; a rotatable adjustment shaft extending out of said thermostatic valve for adjusting temperature of water discharged through said outlet; an outer sleeve with a threaded outer surface having a lower end joined to said valve body extending up through said mounting hole and having a throughbore; a vertically extending extension shaft within said throughbore having one end engaging said adjustment shaft and an opposite end above said top surface of said deck, said opposite end of said extension shaft having a fluted extension; a stationary ring stop member in said throughbore surrounding said extension shaft, an upper end of said ring stop member having an annular wall with an inwardly extending ring stop protrusion; a top hold down member having a main body extending into said mounting hole and threadably mounted on an upper end of said outer sleeve and having a shoulder for engaging the top surface of said deck; a hold down nut threaded on said outer sleeve for clamping against a bottom surface of said deck through a spacer for securing said mixing valve assembly to said horizontal deck; said spacer having an inner diameter greater than an outer diameter of said main body so that said spacer overlaps said main body of said top hold down member when said deck wall is thinner than length of said main body of said top hold down member, whereby said assembly is mountable on a thin deck wall; a removable and rotatable top cap mounted on an upper portion of said mixing valve assembly for turning said extension shaft for selecting the temperature of the water leaving said outlet; a handle attached to said top cap for rotating said top cap for selecting the outlet water temperature; and hot and cold limit stops within said removable top cap for setting a temperature range limiting the temperature selectable by said handle, removal of said top cap allowing convenient adjustment of said hot and cold limit stops to widen or narrow temperature range without accessing said valve assembly below said deck.