Freeze guard valve

Claim 1

A freeze valve device for connection to a water conduit to protect said conduit from damage due to freezing water in said conduit, comprising: a cylindrical body member having an end cap attached at either end to define a chamber; a retainer washer plate secured to one end of said body member adjacent one of said end caps and extending across the width of said chamber, said one end cap having an opening therein and said retainer washer plate having at least one aperture therein for passage of fluid; the other end cap being threadedly attached to the adjacent end of said body member to allow axial adjustment of said other end cap relative to said cylindrical body member, said other end cap having an opening therein with a valve seat for coacting with a valve element to vary the amount of water through the opening in said other end cap as said other end cap is movably adjusted along said cylindrical body member to position said valve element relative to the valve opening; a bellows assembly secured within the valve chamber on the retainer washer plate for aligning said bellows assembly with said valve seat, said bellows assembly having a bellows which is capable of being charged with a fluid to a longitudinally expanded condition and also capable of contracting longitudinally as said fluid contracts under reduced temperature conditions; a valve element secured to the bellows which is directly aligned with the opening in said other end cap as said other end cap is moved along said cylindrical body member, said valve element having a stem which extends longitudinally from said bellows through the opening in said other end cap and coacting with said valve seat to close said opening to fluid flow when the bellows is in an expanded condition.