Patent attributes
A frost free faucet having a spigot assembly including a drain conduit, a sleeve assembly including an elongated pipe, and a valve assembly. The valve assembly includes a ½ turn valve, a check valve and optionally a pressure relief mechanism. The ½ turn valve includes a rotatable valve element configured with a water passageway and a stationary valve element with one or through holes. The rotatable valve element is circular-shaped and configured with a water passageway in a semicircular portion. The stationary element is a disc shaped configured with one or more through-holes in a semi-circular portion of the stationary valve element. Upon turning the rotatable valve element 180 degrees in a first direction, the water passageway and the one or more through-holes are aligned to an open position and upon turning the rotatable element 180 degrees in a second direction, the water passageway and the one or more through-holes are misaligned to a closed position. Each valve element of the ½ turn valve may be formed from a ceramic material, The check valve is located upstream of the ½ turn valve to prevent the backflow of water from the spigot to the supply line. An optional pressure relief mechanism allows water trapped downstream of the valve assembly to be discharged from the valve assembly.
