Patent Application
20060026811
The present invention is directed to a faucet valve cartridge removal tool for removing a faucet valve cartridge from a plumbing conduit. In one embodiment, the tool includes an elongated shaft having a gripping handle and an externally threaded stem adapted to be secured to a threaded aperture of the valve cartridge and includes a slide hammer for exerting longitudinal force on the threaded stem for valve cartridge removal. In another embodiment, the invention is directed to a valve cartridge removal kit which includes the threaded stem as well as a tapping device for forming internal threads on an inside diameter of the valve cartridge after removal of internal valve structure by use of the threaded stem and slide hammer tool.
A very popular household faucet, made by Moen Corporation, is manufactured to include a removable valve cartridge so that when parts of the valve, e.g., packing, o-rings or the like become worn, as in other faucet designs, the entire cartridge can be relatively easily removed and replaced with a new cartridge by the homeowner. Such Moen faucets containing removable valve cartridges have been sold for decades and one or more tools are presently sold for the purpose of removing the worn cartridge. Such prior art tools include an elongated stem having a threaded distal end adapted to engage internal threads within the valve cartridge so that a pulling force exerted on the tool, theoretically, will remove the entire valve cartridge. Often, however, the outer surface of the valve cartridge becomes fixed to the plumbing conduit by oxidation of the valve cartridge outer surface or by particles becoming lodged between the valve cartridge and the plumbing conduit so that the longitudinal force exerted for the purpose of removing the entire valve cartridges sometimes only removes a rotatable, internal valve structure of the valve cartridge leaving an outer valve cartridge casing or housing stuck to the plumbing conduit. At this point, there is no structure for the prior art tools to grasp onto in order to remove the outer valve cartridge casing and the homeowner must often call a plumber for valve cartridge casing removal before the new cartridge can be installed.
One or more of the above problems of the prior art valve cartridge removal tool have been eliminated in accordance with the tool and kit described herein by including a slide hammer on the removal tool and by providing a tapping device for cutting internal threads on the internal diameter of the outer valve cartridge housing in case the internal valve cartridge structure becomes removed separately from the entire valve cartridge during the removal process.
In brief, the apparatus and methods described herein provide fail-safe removal of the most difficult-to-remove plumbing valve cartridges from plumbing conduits. The apparatus includes an elongated, externally threaded shaft adapted to reach into a plumbing conduit to secure the elongated shaft to an internally threaded portion of the valve cartridge. A slide hammer that is easily and quickly movable, manually, that surrounds the elongated shaft at a centrally disposed aperture exerts longitudinal force on the shaft for freeing and removing the valve cartridge from the plumbing cartridge. In another embodiment, the elongated shaft also includes second, larger diameter external threads for removing the most difficult-to-remove valve cartridges when the longitudinal force exerted on the valve cartridge removes the internal valve cartridge structure, leaving a tubular outer cartridge casing that has bonded to the plumbing conduit.
For removal of the tubular outer cartridge casing, after separation of the internal valve cartridge structure, a tapping device capable of forming internal threads on a reduced diameter portion of the cartridge casing cuts internal threads on the bonded cartridge casing. In some instances, the bonded cartridge casing can be removed directly by exciting longitudinal force through a handle of the tapping device. However, with the most difficult-to-remove, most severely bonded cartridge casings, the tapping device is unscrewed from the formed internal threads and the elongated shaft is connected to the formed threads, at the second, larger diameter external threads so that the slide hammer can be used to exert greater, sudden longitudinal force on the cartridge casing to achieve cartridge casing removal.
A tubular tapping device guide also is provided to insure that the tapping device cuts internal threads relatively evenly completely around the internal diameter of the reduced-diameter portion of the cartridge casing. In a preferred embodiment, the elongated shaft, having an integral gripping handle; the side hammer adapted to quickly slide longitudinally over the elongated shaft; the tapping device; and the tubular tapping device guide all are included in a tool kit.
Accordingly, one aspect of the apparatus, tool kit, and methods described herein is to provide an apparatus capable of removing a faucet valve cartridge from a plumbing conduit.
Another aspect of the apparatus, tool kit, and methods described herein is to provide a tool kit capable of first removing internal valve structure from a faucet valve cartridge; then cutting internal threads within an internal diameter of a remaining valve cartridge casing; and then removing the valve cartridge casing separately from the internal valve cartridge structure.
Yet another aspect of the apparatus, tool kit, and methods described herein is to provide apparatus having a slide hammer disposed to easily and quickly slide longitudinally surrounding an elongated shaft that is threadedly connected to a valve cartridge to provide sufficient force to remove internal valve structure from the valve cartridge, or in some cases, remove the entire valve cartridge from a plumbing conduit.
Still another aspect of the apparatus, tool kit, and methods described herein is to provide a tool kit for removing a valve cartridge from a plumbing conduit including a first tool having a gripping handle and an externally threaded, elongated shaft adapted for threaded engagement with an internally threaded aperture in an internal valve structure portion of the valve cartridge; a slide hammer slideably mounted over the elongated shaft of the first tool; and a second tool comprising a tapping device, having a gripping handle, for cutting internal threads into an inside diameter of a tubular outer valve cartridge casing after removing the internal valve structure portion of the valve cartridge.
Another aspect of the apparatus, tool kit, and methods described herein is to provide a tap guide to insure relatively even cutting of threads into an internal diameter of the outer valve cartridge casing. The above and other aspects and advantages of the apparatus, tool kit, and methods described herein will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the drawings.
Referring now to the drawings,
In order to remove the valve cartridge 34 from the plumbing conduit 36, the valve cartridge connecting member is threadedly connected to the elongated shaft 12 by threading the external threads 26 into the internal threads 28 of the elongated shaft 12. The exposed, external threads 30, on the distal end of the valve cartridge attachment member 24 then are internally threaded into the internal threads 32 of the valve cartridge 34 (
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Other features, advantages, and specific embodiments of this invention will become readily apparent to those exercising ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, while specific embodiments of this invention have been described in considerable detail, variations and modifications of these embodiments can be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention as disclosed and claimed.
