The present invention relates generally to wells. More particularly, the present invention relates to a pumping system for wells that vents unpleasant odors from wells.
Wells can be one of a home's main sources of water. However, natural amounts of sulfides can be found in most wells, causing an unpleasant odor. It is an object of the present invention to address this issue by providing users with a pump system that vents out the unpleasant odor from the well before the well water is pumped into the user's home.
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The present invention is to be described in detail and is provided in a manner that establishes a thorough understanding of the present invention. There may be aspects of the present invention that may be practiced or utilized without the implementation of some features as they are described. It should be understood that some details have not been described in detail in order to not unnecessarily obscure focus of the invention.
References herein to “the preferred embodiment”, “one embodiment”, “some embodiments”, or “alternative embodiments” should be considered to be illustrating aspects of the present invention that may potentially vary in some instances, and should not be considered to be limiting to the scope of the present invention as a whole. The present invention is a pump system that functions to vent unpleasant odors out of a well and its water, so that water pumped from the well into a residence or other location is free of unpleasant odors.
In general, the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a well enclosure 1, a water pump 2, a water supply pipe 3, an air pump 4, an air tube 5, a venting pipe 6, a well cap 7, and an air vent 8.
As illustrated in
The water pump 2 is positioned adjacent to a lower end 11 of the well enclosure 1, beneath the surface of any water which accumulates in the bottom of the well enclosure 1, thus being cable to intake the water and pump it to a desired location. In some embodiments, the water pump 2 may be a four-inch, 10-gallon, 1 horsepower sub pump, though it is noted that any water pump 2 may be utilized as desired based on preference and design choice. The water supply pipe 3 is connected to the outlet 64 of the water pump 2, and thus the water intakes the surrounding well water, and pumps the water out through the water supply pump. The water supply pipe 3 may be connected to a water line of a residence, or to any other applicable or desired destination. The water supply pipe 3 may be manufactured of any desirable material and may have various configurations in various embodiments of the present invention. The water supply pipe 3 traverses from the water pump 2 and exits the well enclosure 1 through the upper end 12 of the well enclosure 1 opposite lower end 11 of the well enclosure 1.
The venting pipe 6 traverses into the upper end 12 of the well enclosure 1, and may be generally understood to extend to a similar depth as the water supply pipe 3 within the well enclosure 1. The venting pipe 6 comprises an upper end 61, a lower end 62, an inlet 63, and an outlet 64. The inlet 63 traverses into the venting pipe 6 adjacent to the lower end 62 of the venting pipe 6, and allows well water to enter the venting pipe 6. The outlet 64 traverses into the venting pipe 6 between the upper end 61 of the venting pipe 6 and the lower end 62 of the venting pipe 6, preferably above the water line within the well enclosure 1. In the preferred embodiment, the outlet 64 of the venting pipe 6 is a well screen, through the outlet 64 may vary in different embodiments, so long as the outlet 64 allows the water/air mixture to exit the venting pipe 6 at an appropriate height within the well enclosure 1. The lower end 62 of the venting pipe 6 may be positioned adjacent to the water pump 2, or at any depth within the well enclosure 1 that allows the present invention to function properly.
The air pump 4 may be any device capable of pumping air through the air tube 5 as desired or necessary. The air pump 4 may be positioned external to the well enclosure 1, above or below ground, or in any location that permits the air pump 4 to properly function as herein described. One end of the air tube 5 is connected to the outlet 64 of the air pump 4, and the air tube 5 traverses from the air pump 4, through the venting tube into the well enclosure 1. A terminal end 51 of the air tube 5, which is where air expelled from the air pump 4 exits the air tube 5, and which is positioned opposite the air pump 4 along the air tube 5, is positioned adjacent to the lower end 62 of the venting pipe 6, wherein the air pump 4 pumps air from the air pump 4, through the air tube 5, out from the terminal end 51, and into the venting pipe 6. Preferably, the terminal end 51 of the air tube 5 is positioned close to the lower end 62 of the venting pipe 6, and more particularly, the terminal end 51 is positioned between the lower end 62 of the venting pipe 6 and the outlet 64 of the venting pipe 6.
As a result of the previously described arrangement, the air pump 4 ejects air from the terminal end 51 of the air tube 5 within the venting pipe 6, and the ejected air aerates and mixes with the water within the venting pipe 6, pushes the water upwards within the venting pipe 6. As the upwardly pushed water rises within the venting pipe 6, it exits through the outlet 64 of the venting pipe 6 and falls back into the supply of water within the well enclosure 1. Odorous gases previously contained within the well water are separated from the water due to the water being agitated with the pumped air and are now free to vent upwards out of the well enclosure 1, thus reducing or eliminating unpleasant odors from the well water before it is pumped by the water pump 2 into a residence or other destination.
Furthermore, the present invention may comprise one or more timers for controlling the operation of the air pump 4. For example, a timer may be electrically connected to the air pump 4 and set to operate such that the air pump 4 runs for 15 minutes per hour. This benefits the user by saving electricity and avoiding wear and tear on the air pump 4.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
The current application claims a priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 62/565,663 filed on Sep. 29, 2017. The current application is filed on Oct. 1, 2018, whereas Sep. 29, 2018 and Sep. 30, 2018 were on a weekend.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2833222 | Hansen | May 1958 | A |
4290979 | Sugiura | Sep 1981 | A |
4444259 | Schwall | Apr 1984 | A |
4543186 | Weisenbarger | Sep 1985 | A |
5104554 | Dempsey | Apr 1992 | A |
5851389 | Brewster | Dec 1998 | A |
7048861 | Beretta, III | May 2006 | B2 |
7100683 | Heilmann | Sep 2006 | B2 |
7650938 | Hall | Jan 2010 | B2 |
8286951 | Dart | Oct 2012 | B2 |
8845906 | Henley | Sep 2014 | B2 |
8956532 | James, Jr. | Feb 2015 | B1 |
9139457 | Hatten | Sep 2015 | B2 |
10450211 | Julian | Oct 2019 | B1 |
20040244974 | Zupanick | Dec 2004 | A1 |
20120224994 | Steiner | Sep 2012 | A1 |
20130161262 | Henley | Jun 2013 | A1 |
20190100901 | Akins | Apr 2019 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20190100901 A1 | Apr 2019 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
62565663 | Sep 2017 | US |