Valve assembly and acuator operative for automatically shutting off water and gas supplies to a hot water heater upon detection of a water leak

A valve assembly for automatically shutting off a water supply line and gas supply line to a gas-fired hot water vessel, said hot water vessel including a water inlet line, and a gas supply control valve mounted in said gas supply line, said gas supply control valve having an electromagnetic valve actuator, said valve assembly comprising:

• a valve body having an interior fluid passage, inlet opening and an outlet opening which are in fluid communication with said fluid passage, said inlet opening being connected to said water supply line and said outlet opening being connected to the water inlet line of said hot water vessel;
• a valve member movable within the valve body between an open position wherein the valve member does not block fluid flow through said fluid passage, and a closed position wherein the valve member blocks fluid flow through said fluid passage;
• a spring for normally biasing said valve member to said closed position;
• a water softenable latch engaged between the valve member and the valve body for normally holding said valve member in said open position against the bias of said spring;
• a pair of contact elements attached to said valve body adjacent to said valve member, said contact normally being biased to a closed circuit condition, said pair of contact elements being in electrical communication with a power circuit of said electromagnetic valve actuator, said contact elements being selectively movable to an open circuit condition whereby electrical power to said electromagnetic valve actuator is temporarily disrupted and said gas supply control valve is closed,
• said water softenable latch softening upon exposure to water wherein said valve member is released and automatically moved from said open position to said closed position by said spring, said valve member including a formation which engages said pair of contact elements along a portion of the travel of said valve member, said formation moving said pair of contact elements apart to at least temporarily form an open circuit condition at an intermediate point of travel between said open and close positions, whereby said water supply and said gas supply to said water vessel are simultaneously shut off.

A valve assembly for automatically shutting off a fluid supply line comprising:

• a valve body having an interior fluid passage, an inlet arm portion and an outlet arm portion which are in fluid communication with said fluid passage, said inlet arm portion and said outlet arm portion being connected to said fluid supply line, said valve body including a valve seat located within said fluid passage, said valve body further including a leg portion depending outwardly therefrom, said leg portion having an open terminal end, said leg portion being in fluid communication with said fluid passage;
• a sleeve member mounted within the leg portion of the valve body;
• a valve member having a head portion and a tail portion, said valve member being slidably captured within said sleeve member, said valve member being slidably movable within the leg portion of the valve body between an open position wherein the valve member is substantially entirely positioned within the leg portion of the valve body allowing fluid to flow through said fluid passage, and a closed position wherein the head portion of the valve member extends into the fluid passage and matingly engages with said valve seat to prevent fluid from flowing through the fluid passage,
• said sleeve member including a flexible formation that engages with a complementary formation provided on said tail portion of said valve member when said valve member is in said open position;
• a spring captured between the valve member and the sleeve member for normally biasing said valve member to said closed position;
• and
• a fluid softenable latch surrounding said formations on said sleeve member and said valve member and maintaining said formations in mating engagement for normally holding said valve member in said open position against the bias of said spring,
• said latch at least partially softening upon exposure to fluid wherein said formations are released from engagement and said valve member is automatically moved from said open position to said closed position by said spring, whereby fluid flow through said valve assembly is shut off.

A valve assembly for automatically shutting off a water supply line and gas supply line to a gas-fired hot water vessel, said hot water vessel including a water inlet line, and a gas supply control valve mounted in said gas supply line, said gas supply control valve having an electromagnetic valve actuator, said valve assembly comprising:

• a valve body having an interior fluid passage, in inlet arm portion and an outlet arm portion which are in fluid communication with said fluid passage, said inlet arm portion being connected to said water supply line and said outlet arm portion being connected to the water inlet line of said hot water vessel said valve body including a valve seat located within said fluid passage, said valve body further including a leg portion depending outwardly therefrom, said leg portion having an open terminal end, said leg portion being in fluid communication with said fluid passage;
• a sleeve member mounted within the leg portion of the valve body;
• valve member having a head portion and a tail portion, said valve member being slidably captured within said sleeve member, said valve member being slidably movable within the leg portion of the valve body between an open position wherein the valve member is substantially entirely positioned within the leg portion of the valve body allowing water to flow through said fluid passage, and a closed position wherein the head portion of the valve member extends into the fluid passage and matingly engages with said valve seat to prevent water from flowing through the fluid passage;
• a spring captured between the valve member and the sleeve member for normally biasing said valve member to said closed position;
• a water softenable latch engaged between the valve member and the sleeve member for normally holding said valve member in said open position against the bias of said spring;
• and
• a pair of contact elements attached to said valve body adjacent to said valve member, said contact normally being biased to a closed circuit condition, said pair of contact elements being in electrical communication with a power circuit for said electromagnetic valve actuator, said pair of contact elements being selectively movable apart to an open circuit condition whereby electrical power to said electromagnetic valve actuator is at least temporarily disrupted and further whereby said gas supply control valve is closed,
• said latch softening upon exposure to water wherein said valve member is automatically moved from said open position to said closed position by said spring, said valve member including a portion which engages aid pair of contact elements along a portion of the travel of said valve member, said valve member portion moving said pair of contact elements apart to at least temporarily form said open circuit condition at an intermediate point of travel between said open and closed positions, whereby said water supply and said gas supply to said water vessel are simultaneously shut off.

A valve assembly for automatically shutting off a water supply line and gas supply line to a gas-fired hot water vessel, said hot water vessel including a water inlet line, and a gas supply control valve mounted in said gas supply line, said gas supply control valve having an electromagnetic valve actuator, said valve assembly comprising:

• a valve body having an interior fluid passage, an inlet arm portion and an outlet arm portion which are in fluid communication with said fluid passage, said inlet arm portion being connected to said water supply line and said outlet arm portion being connected to the water inlet line of said hot water vessel, said valve body including a valve seat located within said fluid passage, said valve body further including a leg portion depending outwardly therefrom, said leg portion having an open terminal end, said leg portion being in fluid communication with said fluid passage;
• a sleeve member mounted within the leg portion of the valve body;
• a valve member having a head portion and a tail portion, said valve member being slidably captured within said sleeve member, said valve member being slidably movable within the leg body portion of the valve body between an open position wherein the valve member is substantially entirely positioned within the leg portion of the valve body allowing water to flow through said fluid passage and a closet position wherein the head portion of the valve member extends into the fluid passage and matingly engages with said valve seat to prevent water from flowing through the fluid passage;
• a spring captured between the valve member and the sleeve member for normally biasing said valve member to said closed position;
• a water softenable latch engaged between the valve member and the sleeve member for normally holding said valve member in said open position against the bias of said spring;
• and
• a pair of contacts in electrical communication with a power circuit for said electromagnetic valve actuator, said pair of contacts being selectively movable apart to an open circuit condition whereby electrical power to said electromagnetic valve actor is at least temporarily disrupted and further whereby said gas supply control valve is closed,
• said latch softening upon exposure to water wherein said valve member is released and automatically moved from said open position to said closed position by said spring, said valve member including a portion which engages said pair of contact elements along a portion of the travel of said valve member, said valve member portion at least temporarily moving said pair of contacts apart to said open circuit condition at an intermediate point of travel between said open and closed positions, whereby said water supply and said gas supply to said water vessel are simultaneously shut off.

A valve assembly for automatically shutting off a water supply line to a hot water vessel, said hot water vessel including a water inlet line, said valve assembly comprising:

• a valve body having an interior fluid passage, an inlet arm portion and an outlet arm portion which are in fluid communication with said fluid passage, said inlet arm portion being connected to said water supply line and said outlet arm portion being connected to the water inlet line of said hot water vessel, said valve body including a valve seat located within said fluid passage, said valve body further including a leg portion depending outwardly therefrom, said leg portion having an open terminal end, said leg portion and being in fluid communication with said fluid passage;
• a sleeve member mounted within the leg portion of the valve body;
• valve member having a head portion and a tail portion, said valve member being slidably captured within the sleeve member, said valve member being slidably movable within the leg body portion of the valve body between an open position wherein the valve member is substantially entirely positioned within the leg portion of the valve body allowing water to flow through said fluid passage, and a closed position wherein the head portion of the valve member extends into the fluid passage and matingly engages with said valve seat to prevent water from flowing through the fluid passage;
• said sleeve member including a flexible formation that engages with a complementary formation provided on said tail portion of said valve member when said valve member is in said open position;
• a spring captured between the valve member and the sleeve member for normally biasing said valve member to said closed position;
• and
• a water softenable latch surrounding said formations on said sleeve member and said valve member and maintaining said formations in mating engagement for normally holding said valve member in said open position against the bias of said spring,
• said latch at least partially softening upon exposure to water wherein said formations are released from engagement and said valve member is released and automatically moved from said open position to said closed position by said spring whereby said water supply to said water vessel is shut off.