Valve stem length adjustment device

Abstract: The invention concerns a valve stem adjustment device suitable for setting the valve handle to a predetermined height from the wall surface irrespective of the valve recessing depth in the wall. The device is comprised of an extension shaft (4) fitted between the stem (2) of the valve (1) and the valve handle (3) and of a protective bushing (5) enclosing the extension shaft. The extension shaft (4) can be trimmed steplessly according to installation instructions so that the handle (3) of the valve (1) remains at a predetermined height from the wall surface when mounted to the end of the extension shaft.

Description: The present invention relates to a valve stem adjustment device suitable for setting the valve handle to a predetermined height from the wall surface irrespective of the valve recessing depth in the wall, said device being comprised of an extension shaft fitted between the valve stem and the valve handle and of a protective bushing that encloses the extension shaft. Presently, the stem of a recess-mounting valve employs, for instance, a construction in which the valve handle height from the wall remains dependent on the installation depth of piping within the wall. Such a construction is complemented with extension shaft elements of either 35 mm or 65 mm length which are necessary if the piping is installed to greater depth within the wall. In this manner, the valve handle can be adapted to a piping installed to 25...75 mm depth from the wall surface. However, the distance of the valve handle cannot be set to predetermined height from the wall, but only in 35 mm height steps. In a typical case the hot and cold water pipes are installed to run at different depths within the wall, thus forcing the valves to be recessed at different depths in the wall, whereby the valve handles, which are generally located adjacent to each other, become awkwardly outdistanced at different heights from the wall. AT-C-331 085 discloses a coupling device for coupling a spindle of a valve member with a valve handle. The device includes an extension shaft which is trimmed to being installed to a desired length. Similar devices are known from DE-U-1 994 901 or DE-C-27 57 315. It is an object of the present invention to provide for a valve stem adjustment device which can be mounted in a simpler way than it is possible in the prior art devices. This object is achieved by a valve stem adjustment device as claimed in claim 1. A further embodiment of the invention is characterized in that lengthwise the extension shaft has axially outwardly protruding wedge elements whose tips are provided with teeth onto which the protruding elements on the bottom of the wedge-shaped recesses of the handle's inner part lock. Thus, the handle stays firmly attached to the extension shaft. Another further embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the handle part of the handle has axially inward oriented pegs which lock the handle part to the inner part in rotational direction and that the handle part has a bushing-shaped mounting extension which locks the handle part to the inner part axially by a snap-on joint. Also these mountings can be performed without tools. The only working tool needed is, for instance, a hack-saw for trimming the extension shaft according to the installation instructions. In the following, the invention is examined with the help of an exemplifying embodiment by making reference to the attached drawings, in which Figure 1 shows the length adjustment device according to the invention attached to a valve which is recessed by approx. 10 cm in the wall, Figure 2 shows a control element attached to a valve which is mounted immediately flush with the wall surface, and Figure 3 shows a section of the diagram of Fig. 1 along the line III-III. Said valve stem length adjustment device comprises an extension shaft 4 mounted between a valve 1, a valve stem 2 and a valve handle 3. The extension shaft is enclosed by a protective bushing 5. The extension shaft 4 is trimmed according to installation instructions using, e.g., a hack-saw so that the valve handle remains at a predetermined height from the wall surface. The extension shaft 4 is mountable by a push and snap-on joint onto the stem 2 of the valve 1. The handle 3 is comprised of an inner part 6 and a handle part 7 which can be pushed onto the inner part for the control of the valve. The inner part 6 is pushable onto the end of the extension shaft 4 so as to lock in both the rotational and axial directions onto the extension shaft. The inner part 6 has a collar 8 against which the end of the extension shaft 4 rests. The extension shaft 4 has outward protruding longitudinal wedge elements 9 whose tips are provided with teeth onto which the protruding elements 10 on the bottom of the wedge-shaped recesses of the handle's inner part lock. The handle part 7 has axially inward oriented pegs 11 which lock the handle part to the inner part 6 in the rotational direction. The handle part 7 also has a bushing-shaped mounting extension 12 which locks the handle part to the inner part axially by a snap-on joint. The protective bushing enclosing the extension shaft 4 is assembled from a multiple set of mutually connectable bushing elements, which can be connected by the threadedjoints in steps to form a protective bushing 5 of desired length. Onto the protective bushing is axially tightened a cover flange 13 which becomes resting flush with the wall. Fig. 1 shows a protective bushing comprised of three bushing elements, while Fig. 2 shows a protective bushing comprising only a single bushing element.

Claims: A valve stem adjustment device suitable for setting a valve handle to a predetermined height from a wall surface irrespective of the valve recessing depth in the wall, said device being comprised of a valve handle (3), an extension shaft (4) fitted between the stem (2) of the valve (1) and the valve handle (3) and of a protective bushing (5) enclosing the extension shaft, and wherein the extension shaft (4) can be trimmed steplessly according to installation instructions so that the handle (3) of the valve (1) remains at a predetermined height from the wall surface when mounted to the end of the extension shaft (6) characterized in that the valve handle (3) is comprised of an inner part (6) and, suitable for push-on mounting onto the inner part, a handle part (7) for the valve control and that said inner part (6) is pushable onto the end of the extension shaft (4) so as to lock both rotationally and axially to said extension shaft (4). An adjustment device as defined in claim 1 characterized in that lengthwise the extension shaft (4) has axially outwardly protruding wedge elements (9) whose tips are provided with teeth onto which protruding elements (10) on the botton of wedge-shaped recesses of the handle's inner part (6) lock. An adjustment device as defined in claim 1 or 2 characterized in that the handle part (7) has axially inward oriented pegs (11) which lock the handle part to the inner part in rotational direction and that the handle part (7) has a bushing-shaped mounting extension (12) which locks the handle part (7) to the inner part (6) axially by a snap-on joint.

Inventors: JAEPOELAE JARI, SAARISALO RISTO ANTERO, JAEPOELAE, JARI, SAARISALO, RISTO ANTERO, Jäpölä, Jari
Applicants: ORAS OY
Application year: 1992
Main classification: F16K31
IPC codes: F16K31, E03C1, E03B9