To provide a small low-cost rotary valve, wherein operating pressure in a refrigerator or the like can be changed over with one rotary valve.

The rotary valve 9 comprises a housing 1 having a high pressure side communication port 3 and a low pressure side communication port 2 for the operating gas and an operating part communication port 4 and a rotor 5 to be rotated in the housing 1. In the rotor 5, there are formed a high pressure side flow path 7 for communicating the high pressure side communication port 3 with the operating part communication port and a low pressure side flow path 6 for communicating the low pressure side communication port 2 with the operating part communication port 4. With the rotation of the rotor 5, the communication of the high pressure side with the operating part communication port 4 is changed over into the communication of the low pressure side therewith. In the housing 1, a plurality of communication port sets are provided including the high pressure side communication port 3, the low pressure side communication port 2 and the operating part communication port 4. The communication port sets are arranged in different positions in the rotating direction of the rotor 5 so as to be adaptable for the change-over between differently communicated conditions in the refrigerator.