Patent Application
20100229961
Embodiments of the present invention are generally related to wall hydrants located on the outside of buildings that are resistant to damage associated with freezing.
“Freezeless” wall hydrants, or faucets characteristically employ a fluid closure valve located in a pipe that is positioned within an exterior wall of a building. The fluid closure valve is opened and closed by an elongated rod connected to a handle that is operably associated thereto. Wall hydrants of this construction are “freezeless” since the closure valve that turns on and shuts off the flow of water through the pipe is located within the exterior wall and thus, maintained at a temperature above freezing. The pipe is angled downwardly from the fluid closure valve to allow gravity to pull any water within the pipe from the hydrant.
The foregoing structure operates very successfully except, for example, in situations where a hose or the like is attached to the hydrant, whereupon subsequent to shut off, water in the pipe is either restricted or prevented from exiting the hydrant by water trapped in the hose. For example, hoses are often interconnected to a wall hydrant on one end and to a selectively openable nozzle on another end. If the nozzle is not opened subsequent to hydrant shut off to allow water to drain from the hose, any water trapped within the pipe will not be able to escape. Thereafter, when the outside temperature drops below freezing, the trapped water in the hose and in the pipe will freeze and expand, which may cause damage to the hydrant. Furthermore, any hydrant damage may not become apparent until the wall hydrant is subsequently turned on, which could be months from the time the damage occurred. To make matters worse, the rupture point may be located within the exterior wall wherein opening the valve subsequent to damage will allow water to exit the rupture point and damage the dwelling. Understandably, this damage may be hidden for quite some time. Hydrant ruptures often do not occur exclusively due to frozen water in the pipe. Rather, ruptures result from ice imposing severe pressure on captivated non-frozen fluid and/or gas in the pipe. Prior art pipes are susceptible to ruptures partially due to their make-up, which makes them prone to pitting and/or thinning. Pitting is generally descriptive of mechanical erosion or corrosion of the inside surface of the pipe by turbulent flow of the carried liquid. The amount of erosion/corrosion is also dependent on the make up of the pipe. Copper pipes have been used to distribute potable water within buildings for many years. Given the increased cost of copper, however, it would be desirous to use thinner walled pipe, furthering concerns over long term reliability of plumbing systems incorporating copper. Despite the reliability of copper, in some environments pits may form in the pipe.
Corrosion often damages copper pipes in localized areas, i.e. “impingement damage”, which refers to the combined effect of corrosion and erosion caused by rapid flowing turbulent water. If the general speed of water within a copper pipe or degree of localized turbulence in a plumbing system is relatively high, the protective coating (if any) of the copper pipe will be removed from localized areas of the inner surface of the pipe, thereby permitting further corrosion to take place. The attack of metal is caused by the corrosive action of the water and erosive effect related to the mechanical removal of the corrosion product by the turbulent flow. It is unusual for the general water velocity to be so high that impingement damage occurs throughout the entire plumbing system. More commonly, the fluid velocity is sufficiently low enough for satisfactory protective films to be formed and remain in position for most of the water system. Impingement damage, however, most likely occurs where there is a change in the direction of water flow that causes turbulence. In the arena of hydrants, for example, turbulent flow often occurs at the interconnection of the pipe and hydrant head. The turbulence will influence the flow pattern through the pipe and cause erosive removal of material of the pipe, usually in a circumferential pattern. Thereafter if ice expands within the pipe, such areas may rupture.
As briefly alluded to above, pitting may be prevented by the formation of a protective layer formed on the inner wall of the copper pipe. More specifically, one of skill in the art will appreciate that some forms of metal surface reactions are beneficial, such as when oxidized material remains joined to the parent material. Water containing particular amounts of aluminum that react with the copper pipe to form a protective covering is one example of how beneficial metal surface reactions occur when copper pipe is employed. Unfortunately, due to the requirements of the Clean Water Act, which reduced the permitted amount of aluminum from drinking water, the formation of a beneficial protective layer on copper piping is absent or less than it was in the past.
Thus, there is a long felt need in the field of plumbing to provide a hydrant that is resistant to pitting and is thus less susceptible to the damaging affects of ice. The following disclosure describes an improved hydrant that employs a pipe made of a material that is resistant to such pitting and that also addresses the effects of expanding ice.
It is one aspect of the present invention to provide a hydrant that employs a fluid inlet pipe made at least partially of a material that is resistant to pitting. More specifically, one embodiment of the present invention replaces the copper pipe generally employed by wall hydrants with a pipe made of a plastic material. Another embodiment employs a traditional copper pipe having a segment made of a plastic material. For example, one embodiment of the present invention employs a pipe made of cross linked polyethylene (PEX). One of skill in the art will appreciate that other similar material such as high density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), chlorinated PVC (CPVC), or any combination thereof, may also be employed. Any similar materials that are resistant the aforementioned problem of pitting may also be employed. The contemplated pipe interconnects to common hydrant assemblies. Preferably, a coupling may be used to interconnect the hydrant assembly to the pipe wherein a band clamp is used to ensure that the pipe is firmly interconnected to the hydrant assembly. Such use of a band clamps, adhesives, sonic welding and spin welding, as opposed to sweating or otherwise interconnecting copper tubes, has the advantage of reducing the risk of fire and is less time consuming. One advantage of employing embodiments of the present invention is the cost savings associated with not using increasingly costly copper. More specifically, in recent years, the price of copper has increased dramatically. By eliminating some or all of the copper used in construction, building costs can be reduced. In addition, by omitting copper the occurrences of copper theft are necessarily reduced. In one embodiment a hydrant employing the contemplated erosion and corrosion resistant tubing weights about 14% less than similar hydrants of the prior art.
It is another aspect of embodiments of the present invention to provide a common interface between a plumbing system of a dwelling and an outdoor hydrant. More specifically, as materials other than copper are being used on an increasing basis, it has become desirable to ensure that the interconnection between the plumbing system and the hydrant are consistent with respect to the materials of manufacture. One of skill in the art will appreciate that joining different materials may pose a problem with respect to bonding and varieties of thermal expansion rates, for example. Thus, one embodiment of the present invention employs a plumbing system and hydrant that possess similar material properties to address if not alleviate this issue.
It is yet another aspect of the present invention to employ a plastic base material in plumbing components that may incur higher than normal pitting. More specifically, although the foregoing has been concerned predominantly with hydrants, one of skill in the art will appreciate that the use of PEX tubing as described herein can be used in any location of the plumbing system where pitting may be an issue.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a sleeve for incorporation within the pipe of a hydrant. More specifically, the sleeves described in detail below may be used in conjunction with hydrant assemblies that employ a copper or plastic pipes, but more aptly with copper pipes. The sleeves contemplated herein would be used when a copper tube becomes fragile or ruptures. In operation, a user would disconnect a nut that secures the handle to the hydrant to gain access to the inner portion of the pipe and remove the control rod associated with the valve. The sleeve may then be inserted into the tube to in effect patch the rupture point.
In one embodiment, the sleeve has an outer diameter approximately equal to the inner diameter of the pipe such that a flow path between from the water source and the weakened or ruptured area is effectively blocked. Another embodiment of the present invention comprises a coiled cylinder that expands when placed within the pipe to patch the ruptured or weakened area. The expandable cylinder may include a compound that is thermally or chemically actuated to harden thereby forming a rigid, similar to cure-in-place-pipe used in exterior pipe repair. The sleeve, as will be outlined in further detail below, can be provided in any shape or size and may be deployed within the pipe in any number of ways.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a removable portion that is affected by the fluid flowing through the tube. More specifically, a sacrificial sleeve is contemplated that is positioned within the pipe. This sleeve is designed to feel the brunt of the corrosive damage. After a predetermined amount of time, the hydrant would be inspected and the sacrificial sleeve could be replaced if necessary.
Similarly, a sleeve may be employed within a copper pipe and positioned adjacent to the areas of a pipe that is prone to pitting. This sleeve would thus block the turbulent flow from impinging upon the inner diameter of the pipe. Also, one of skill in the art will appreciate that copper tubes may be coated with a material that is less prone or resistant to pitting similar to the corrosive layer that generally formed on copper tubes of the prior art. This coating could be of a plastic material or other corrosive resistant material well known in the art.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a sleeve or other member that alters the flow of fluid through the pipe. For example, a sleeve having a plurality of baffles or restrictions or other mechanisms to alter fluid flow is envisioned such that the areas of maximum turbulent flow are reduced, eliminated or altered. For example, one of skill in the art will appreciate that the pipe may include a thickened portion of copper material wherein the sleeve directs the flow such that impingements occur adjacent to the thickened areas of material, thereby increasing the lifespan of the hydrant.
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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The pipe 6 provided in one embodiment of the present invention is made of a material, such as plastic, that resists pitting. Preferably, the pipe 6 is interconnected to the faucet assembly 10 via a coupling 62 via a band clamp 66. A band clamp 68 may also be used to interconnect the pipe 6 to the valve fitting 54. One of skill in the art will appreciate that all or portions of the hydrant assembly 10 and/or the valve fitting 54 may also be comprised of a material that resists pitting. When the valve body 46 is transitioned away from the valve fitting 54, water is transferred through the valve fitting 54 and into an annular space between the control rod 26 and the pipe 6. A check valve 72 is also interconnected to the valve body 46 to prevent backflow of water from the hydrant assembly 10 into the fluid source 58. One of skill in the art will appreciate that the pipe 6 may be constructed of a flexible plastic to accommodate installation misalignments. If a flexible pipe is employed, the rod 26 may need to be flexible or be replaced with a linkage to accommodate the flex of the pipe 6. Some embodiments are able to flex at lest about 5 degrees.
One of skill in the art will appreciate upon review of the drawings that turbulent flow can occur at the junction of the pipe 6 and the hydrant assembly 10 and the junction of the pipe 6 and the valve fitting 54 that will necessarily cause impingement on the inner surface of the pipe 6. Due to the nature of the material of the pipe 6, however, turbulent flow will have little influence with respect to pitting of the material. That is, the plastic material used for constructing the pipe 6 of some of the embodiments described herein is made of a substantially non-corrosive material that will not react with the water flowing through the pipe 6. Although for a given thickness copper pipe generally possesses a higher yield strength than PEX, for example, the latter is not susceptible to pitting. Thus the failure mode experienced by hydrants of the prior art when exposed to the expansive forces and pressure associated with ice being situated in the outlet pipe is avoided. More specifically, turbulent flow, which is present at the marriage of the pipe 6 and the faucet assembly 10, does not produce the characteristic circumferential thinning and pitting of the pipe 6. As mentioned above, when exposed to high pressure, the thinned or pitted area is often the main rupture point.
One of skill in the art will appreciate upon review of the figures that the pipe 6 may be of any material that is not susceptible to pitting, such as PEX, PVC, CPVC or other similar types of materials. Further, the pipe 6 may be interconnected to the hydrant assembly 10 via any common method such as clamps, bonding, spin welding, sonic welding, braces, bands (shown). Various seals may also be employed between the pipe 6 and the faucet assembly 10 to help insure a water tight structure. Again, the valving mechanism shown may be of any valving mechanisms currently used.
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The hydrant assembly 10 and associated hardware may be in any faucet assembly. Preferably, the faucet assembly are those manufactured by WCM Industries, Inc., which hold various patents and published patent applications, all of which are incorporated by reference in their entireties herein. For example, the following are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein: U.S. Pat. No. 7,249,609 entitled “Yard hydrant with closure valve check valve”, U.S. Pat. No. 7,111,875 entitled “Wall hydrant with slip clutch assembly”, U.S. Pat. No. 7,100,637 entitled “Wall hydrant having backflow preventor”, RE39,235 entitled “Freezerless wall hydrant for delivery of hot or cold water through a single discharge conduit”, U.S. Pat. No. 7,059,337 entitled “Fluid hydrant”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,948,518 entitled “Escutcheon for wall mounted faucets and hydrants”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,948,509 entitled “Fluid hydrant”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,883,534 entitled “Freeze protection device for wall hydrants/faucets”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,857,442 entitled “Freeze protection device for wall hydrants/faucets”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,830,063 entitled “Freezeless protection device for wall hydrants/faucets”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,805,154 entitled “Freeze protection device for wall hydrants/faucets”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,446 entitled “Freeze protection device for wall hydrants/faucets”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,473 entitled “Push and turn hydrant for delivery of hot or cold water through a single discharge conduit”, D482,431 entitled “Wall hydrant”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,532,986 entitled “Freeze protection device for wall hydrants/faucets”, D470,915 entitled “Wall hydrant”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,431,204 entitled “Solenoid actuated wall hydrant”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,039 entitled “Freezeless wall hydrant for delivery of hot or cold water through a single discharge conduit”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,172 entitled “Freeze protection device for wall hydrants/faucets”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,359 entitled “Heated yard hydrant”, U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,428 entitled “Combination wall hydrant and backflow preventor”, U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,925 entitled “Sanitary yard hydrant”, U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,303 entitled “Wall water hydrant having backflow and back siphonage preventor”, U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,679 entitled “Wall water hydrant having backflow and back siphonage preventor”, U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,028 entitled “Sanitary yard hydrant”, 20080047615 entitled “Yard hydrant with check valve”, 20080047612 entitled “Automatic draining double check vacuum breaker”, 20080006327 entitled “Hydrant Roof Mount”, 20070095396 entitled “Assembly to mount a hydrant to a roof”, 20070044840 entitled “Motor actuated wall hydrant” 20070044838 entitled “Yard hydrant with closure valve check valve”, 20070039649 entitled “Yard hydrant with drain port air line” 20060254647 entitled “Yard hydrant with drain port check valve”, 20060196561 entitled “Wall hydrant having a backflow preventor”, 20060108804 entitled “Wall hydrant with slip clutch assembly”, 20060086921 entitled “Wall hydrant assembly with a rotatable connector”, 20050067833 entitled “Pipe coupling for joining pipes of varying diameters”, 20050034757 entitled “Freeze protection device for wall hydrants/faucets”, and 20040194395 entitled “Round wall-mounted hydrant housing for freezeless wall hydrants and method of installation thereof”.
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.
