Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a system for interconnecting a hydrant to the roof of a building or other structure.
There is a growing need for a convenient and robust water source for, among other things, cleaning condenser coils and washing windows in buildings. Often hydrant and faucets are used on roofs but suffer from leaking and possess little structural support to accommodate the movement of a hose, for example. To try to address this issue, water faucets or hydrants are currently integrated into roof top penthouses, secured to a box, or secured to a bollard, methods of providing a water source that have many drawbacks. For example, the penthouse structure may not offer sufficient support, the attachment scheme may be prone to leaks, freeze protection may be insufficient, and/or the attachment location may not be in close proximity to the required areas of use. In addition, the prior art systems are often heavy and difficult to interconnect and they also provide unacceptable leak paths into the structure. Therefore, a need exists for a hydrant that can be sealingly mounted generally on a roof and yet substantially impervious to freezing.
Thus it is a long felt need to provide a water access system to the roof of a building that is easy to install and that is substantially leak and freeze proof. The following disclosure describes a device that provides structural support to roof-top hydrant system.
It is one aspect to provide a support for interconnection to a roof that secures a hydrant. More specifically, one embodiment of the present invention is a hydrant support that interconnects to a roof deck of a building that includes a weather-tight sealing system that interfaces with the standpipe of a traditional hydrant. The contemplated mount includes a vertically-oriented hydrant support having a flange for interconnection to the roof.
A boot is also employed by embodiments of the present invention that helps ensure that fluids, for example, are prevented from entering the building. Embodiments of the present invention employ a boot constructed of material suitable to seal the structure when in use and to provide weather resistance, e.g. ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber with UV protection. The hydrant support may also be fitted with flashing material to mask the hydrant support.
It is also envisioned that at least one shim may be included to facilitate interconnection between the hydrant support and the roof. Preferably, a two degree shim is employed that is placed under the hydrant support to help ensure that the hydrant support is generally oriented vertically. One skilled in the art, however, will appreciate that the flange that is associated with the hydrant support may be constructed of varying thicknesses to compensate for roof pitch.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a system for supporting a hydrant that is easy to install. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention allow for the interconnection of a hydrant to a roof via a hydrant support wherein the hydrant support and associated boot are separable and easily interconnect to the standpipe. In addition, it is contemplated that a flange be used in conjunction with the hydrant support that is located under the roof that is used to sandwich the roof between the flange of the hydrant support and the flange located beneath the roof. This under deck flange may be constructed of a single piece of material with a plurality of holes incorporated therein, thereby making it light and easy to install.
It is yet another aspect of the present invention to provide a tight seal between the standpipe and the hydrant support. When interfacing the standpipe to the hydrant support, a series of seals may be employed wherein the tightening of at least one bolt increases the compression on an intermediate seal, thereby squeezing it tightly between the standpipe and the inner diameter of the hydrant support. As alluded to above, the sealing system may be enhanced by the use of a boot that covers the seals and that interfaces with the standpipe and the outer diameter of the hydrant support.
The Summary of the Invention is neither intended nor should it be construed as being representative of the full extent and scope of the present invention. The present invention is set forth in various levels of detail in the Summary of the Invention as well as in the attached drawings and the Detailed Description of the Invention and no limitation as to the scope of the present invention is intended by either the inclusion or non-inclusion of elements, components, etc. in this Summary of the Invention. Additional aspects of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the Detail Description, particularly when taken together with the drawings.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the general description of the invention given above and the detailed description of the drawings given below, serve to explain the principles of these inventions.
To assist in the understanding of the present invention the following list of components and associated numbering found in the drawings is provided herein:
It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale. In certain instances, details that are not necessary for an understanding of the invention or that render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the invention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein.
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After the hydrant support 18 is located, the installer inserts the standpipe 10 (with the associated seal assembly 84 positioned toward the hydrant 2) through the tube 26 of the hydrant support 18. The upper well seal 86, rubber seal 94 and associated well seal 98 are then slid between the standpipe 10 and the hydrant support 18. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the seal assembly 84 may alternatively be clam shelled around the standpipe 10 to facilitate on site interconnection and retrofitting. It is important to note the amount of standpipe 10 exposed out of the hydrant support 18 may be selectively altered in the vertical direction at this time. Once the desired height of the hydrant 2 is achieved, the other end of the standpipe 10 is interconnected to the water supply 14. The seal assembly 84, which includes the upper well seal 86, the rubber seal 94 and the bottom well seal 98, is then tightened via the bolts 102 such that the lower well seal 98 is drawn upward towards the upper well seal 86, thereby bulging the rubber seal 94 to form a tight seal between the standpipe 10 and the tube 26.
At this time, roofing material may be integrated around the hydrant support 18. For example, flashing, a weather proofing shielding used to prevent intrusion of water into buildings, may be wrapped around the tube 26 of the hydrant support 18. Roof flashing is often placed around discontinuities or objects which protrude from the roof of a building to deflect water away from seams or joints. Here, one skilled in the art will appreciate that all sealing methods generally used to accommodate other roof protrusions may be used in conjunction with embodiments of the present invention.
The optional boot 22, which was previously located near the hydrant 2 is then slid onto the standpipe 10 and associated with the tubular portion of the hydrant support 18. Boots 22 of alternative embodiments that possess multiple pieces could, of course, be integrated onto the hydrant support 18 at any time. Some boots 22 contemplated herein are designed to be easily movable away from the hydrant support 18 or removed from the hydrant support 18 to allow selective access to the seal assembly bolts 102, thereby allowing quick access to the seal assembly 84 for servicing and/or replacement. Finally, the standpipe 10 is interconnected to the hydrant 2 at one end and the water supply 14 on the other end.
While various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it is apparent that modifications and alterations of those embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be expressly understood that such modifications and alterations are within the scope and spirit of the present invention, as set forth in the following claims. In addition, one skilled in the art will appreciate that aspects of other inventions may be incorporated in or added in combination to the embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein. For example, aspects of inventions disclosed in U.S. Patent and Published Patent Application Nos. 5,632,303, 5,590,679, 7,100,637, 5,813,428, and 20060196561, all of which being incorporated by reference herein, which concern backflow prevention may be incorporated into embodiments of the present invention. Aspects of inventions disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,701,925 and 5,246,028, all of which being incorporated by reference herein, which concern sanitary hydrants may be incorporated into embodiments of the present invention. Aspects of inventions disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,532,986, 6,805,154, 6,135,359, 6,769,446, 6,830,063, RE39,235, 6,206,039, 6,883,534, 6,857,442 and 6,142,172, all of which being incorporated by reference herein, which concern freeze-proof hydrants may be incorporated into embodiments of the present invention. Aspects of inventions disclosed in U.S. Patent and Published Patent Application Nos. U.S. Pat. Nos. D521,113, D470,915, 7,234,732, 7,059,937, 6,679,473, 6,431,204, 7,111,875, D482,431, 6,631,623, 6,948,518, 6,948,509, 20070044840, 20070044838, 20070039649, 20060254647 and 20060108804, all of which being incorporated by reference herein, which concern general hydrant technology may be incorporated into embodiments of the present invention.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/821,892, filed Aug. 9, 2006, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. This application is also a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/248,316, filed Aug. 9, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. D,574,065, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. This application is also a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/554,232, filed Oct. 30, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,472,718, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/596,962, filed Nov. 1, 2005, both disclosures of which being incorporated by reference in their entirety herein.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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