The present disclosure relates to alarm systems. More particularly, embodiments relate to warning or alarm systems for alerting users of the undesirable presence of liquid (such as sewage) in a line (such as a sewer line or pipe).
Homes, offices and other buildings have one or more systems of pipes that are configured to channel wastewater from the building to a sewer system or septic tank. In a common configuration, one or more toilets, sinks, bathtubs, and showers may be connected to a main waste line which is connected to a drain line or lateral that is then connected to a septic system or to a public sewer line. The lateral or drain line may have one or more cleanout valves that allow maintenance access to the lateral or drain line.
Unfortunately, the drain line or lateral may become clogged or backed up. For example, in systems where a drain line or lateral (or portions thereof, such as the portions exterior to a foundation of a building) is formed of terracotta or clay pipe, the line is susceptible to cracking, separation, disturbance or blocking due to tree roots, soil shifting or settling, or the like. A drain line or lateral may also become clogged or blocked when certain items (such as tampons) are flushed down a toilet. When a drain line or lateral (or portion thereof) becomes clogged, cracked or otherwise blocked, the sewage or wastewater that should drain out to the septic system or sewer system backs up into the house or building. Often, the clog may cause a backup and then wastewater may overflow into the building from its nearest open low point. Such overflows or backups can be unpleasant, unhealthy and expensive to repair. Further, many sewer system backups are not covered under a typical homeowner's insurance policy, nor are they covered by flood insurance.
It would be desirable to provide an alarm system that alerts or warns a homeowner (or other individual or entity) of the undesirable or unexpected pending presence of fluid in a pipe such as an upper lateral pipe or other outflow pipe. Several potential solutions have been proposed. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,973,950, a sewer blockage alarm is described which utilizes a pressure sensor switch mounted to the inside of a cap for a sewer clean out branch. Unfortunately, the pressure sensor switch may provide inaccurate readings as a result of air or air bubbles collecting in the sewer clean out branch. Further, the '950 patent requires that a pressure bell extend into an interior of a pipe to be monitored which allows debris, sewage or other material collecting at the end of the pressure bell which, unfortunately can cause clogs or blockage.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,907,059 describes a similar alarm that is mounted in a cap of a pipe. The '059 patent requires the use of probes that extend into a pipe. Unfortunately, each of these systems requires that probes or other components extend to an interior of a pipe to be monitored which can lead to clogs or blockage. Further, these devices require the use of a drain clean out cap associated with a trap (e.g., in the '059 patent, an entire trap system is required to be retrofitted with the alarm). Most modern home or office fixtures (such as sinks, showers, toilets) have their own trap associated with it, making it undesirable to utilize drain clean out caps for use in positioning a monitoring device. Further, the inventor of the present invention has determined that placement of an alarm sensor device in a drain or cleaning pipe does not allow a pipe blockage to be detected sufficiently early enough to be corrected—instead, when a blockage is severe enough that wastewater is backing up to the cleaning pipe, a drain or other exit point (such as a toilet or the like), it is commonly too late for proactive maintenance action.
Canadian Patent No. 890926 (application number 1,261,940) describes a water backup alarm system which fits within a vertical pipe that leads to a sewer or septic system. The system is constructed of plastic material that fits entirely within a pipe. Unfortunately, installation of the system requires access to the interior of a pipe (such as, for example, through a cap or the like). Unfortunately, the system effectively reduces the interior dimensions of the pipe (which may result in blockage or obstruction of the pipe or a reduction in the capacity of the pipe). Further, the system requires that a user be able to access a section of pipe with a removable cap. Many homes or other buildings do not have drain systems with ready access to a suitable cap or section of pipe with a cap.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a sewer alarm system which does not use a component which extends into the interior of a pipe being monitored. Further, it would be desirable to provide a sewer alarm system that is easily mounted or fitted on an existing drain line or lateral. Further still, it would be desirable to provide a sewer alarm system which does not substantially block or impair the flow of wastewater through the drain line or lateral.
Embodiments relate to alarm systems that are usable to detect the undesired presence of fluid in a pipe system. In some embodiments, alarm systems are provided to detect the undesired presence of wastewater in a sewage system.
A number of terms are used herein for convenience and ease of exposition. For example, the term “sewage system” will be used to refer to waste drainage systems, including septic and sewer systems. The term “drain line” is used to refer to a pipe, system of pipes, or other connectors that deliver wastewater from out of a building to a sewage system. A drain line may be a plastic (PVC or the like), metal, clay or other material. Embodiments may be used in both commercial and residential applications.
Features of some embodiments will now be described by reference to the drawings. Reference is first made to
The drain line 108 exits the building (e.g., through a via or cut or recess in the foundation) and may have a cap or cleanout 106 which may, in some situations, be removed to allow cleaning materials from the drain line 108 or other access to the drain line 108 or the lateral 116. Pursuant to some embodiments, a sewer alarm system 220 may be mounted on retrofitted pipe section 200 which may be installed by cutting a short section of the main drain line 108 (where the cut section is selected to be sized for the length of the retrofitted pipe section 200). A flexible rubber fitting or sleeve (not shown) may be used to connect the retrofitted pipe section 200 to the main drain line 108. For example, the flexible rubber fittings provided by Fernco, Inc. may be used to provide a leak-proof seal between the retrofitted pipe section 200 and the drain line 108. In some embodiments, the sewer alarm system of the present invention may be installed with a new build or a new drain line installation, by using standard plumbing techniques to provide a leak-proof seal between a pipe section 200 and a drain line 108. In either event, the retrofitted pipe section 200 is positioned on a main sewer line or a lateral line. The sewer alarm may be positioned on a vertical or a horizontal line such that the wye extension is above the normal flow of sewage or fluid.
In some embodiments, the sewer alarm system 220 is positioned on a portion of a drain line 108 or other pipe in the building that is in communication with a lateral 116 or other pipe system that delivers wastewater to a sewer or septic system. In some embodiments, the sewer alarm system 220 is positioned on a pipe or drain line that is substantially horizontal such that the alarm system 220 may detect the presence of undesired wastewater or fluid caused by a blocked or damaged pipe downstream from the area where the sewer alarm system 220 is mounted.
In some embodiments, the sewer alarm system 220 may be positioned on a pipe or drain line that is vertical or that otherwise provides a position allowing the sewer alarm system 220 to detect the presence of undesired wastewater or fluid caused by a blocked or damaged pipe downstream from the area where the system 220 is positioned. In some buildings, multiple sewer alarm systems 220 may be used to ensure early detection of blocked or clogged lines. Preferably, the sewer alarm system 220 is mounted on a pipe or drain line that is at or near a low exit point from the building 102. As shown in
For example, in the system depicted in
Sewer and other drain systems (such as shown in
It is desirable to detect such backups or clogs early, before damage to the property occurs. Embodiments of the present invention provide a convenient and accurate way to provide early detection of the presence of such backups. As will be described further herein by reference to the drawings, embodiments provide a sewer alarm system 220 that can be easily mounted on an existing pipe (such as a drain pipe 108 or the like) in a way which provides ease of access to the sewer alarm system 220 as well as which provides accurate and repeatable results.
Reference is again made to
In some embodiments, one or more gaskets 254 may be positioned between the lower portion 252 of the shaped housing 240 and the upper portion 232 of the wye connector 230. For example, in some embodiments, the gasket may be formed of foam or rubber, providing a water tight seal between the sewer alarm 220 and the wye connector 230. The use of a gasket may also provide other desirable benefits. For example, the use of a gasket can allow a homeowner or other installer to tighten the shaped housing 240 onto the wye connector 230 in a manner which doesn't harm the wye connector 230 or the sewer alarm 220 and which assures the installer that the sewer alarm 220 is tightly mounted onto the wye connector 230.
In some embodiments, the shaped housing 240 of the sewer alarm 220 includes one or more covers such as an electronics cover 250 and a battery cover 248. Each or all of the covers may be removably attached to the shaped housing 240 (e.g., using recessed screw mounts or the like), allowing access to the battery (in the case of the battery cover 248) and the electronics and speaker 242 (in the case of the electronics cover 250). While two separate covers are shown in the embodiment illustrated in
In some embodiments, the sewer alarm system 220 includes one or more switches 244, 246 as well as a speaker 242. As will be described further below, the switches 244, 246 allow the sewer alarm system 220 to be activated or deactivated (e.g., using switch 246) and tested (e.g., using switch 244). The speaker 242 is selected to provide an audible alert when the presence of backed up wastewater is detected by the sewer alarm system 220. While a speaker may be used, in some embodiments, as will be described further below, other alerting devices may also be used (such as, for example, lights, WiFi or cellular signals, or the like). For example, in some embodiments, the sewer alarm system 220 may placed in communication with an existing home alarm system such that a notice or other alert may be issued through the home alarm system when the presence of backed up wastewater is detected. In some embodiments, an external power source (as described below in conjunction with
Reference is now made to
As shown, the shaped housing 240 of the sewer alarm system 220 has a probe housing 280 that extends into the wye connector 230. A bottom face 284 of the probe housing 280 has one or more probes 282 (or pairs of probes 282) that are positioned toward an interior of the section of pipe 200. As shown in the embodiment of
For example, referring to
Referring again to
Further details of some embodiments of the probe housing 280 and shaped housing 240 of the sewer alarm system 220 are shown in
The probe housing 280 extends from the body of the shaped housing 240 from the bottom surface 241. For example, the probe housing 280 may be sized such that the probe elements 282 are positioned proximate to the inner surface of the pipe section 200. In some embodiments, the probe housing 280 has a length selected to place the probe elements 282 within ¼ to ½ inches from the inner surface of the pipe section 200. In some embodiments, the probe housing 280 has an exterior diameter selected to allow the probe housing 280 to securely fit within the wye connector 230. For example, if the wye connector 230 has a 2 inch diameter, the exterior diameter of the probe housing 280 may be selected to be slightly less than 2 inches in diameter. In some embodiments, one or more gaskets or flanges may be disposed along the exterior surface of the probe housing 280 to ensure a tight fit within the wye connector 230. This allows the probe elements 282 to be positioned such that they may be exposed to wastewater at the top of the wastepipe in the event of a backup, while preventing wastewater from collecting near the top of the probe housing 280 (e.g., near the bottom surface 241 of the shaped housing 240).
Further details of the shaped housing 240 and probe housing 280 pursuant to some embodiments are shown in
Referring now to
Referring now to
Reference is now made to
In one example embodiment, switching between the power sources 1002 (e.g., such as switching from the external power source and the backup power source) may be controlled using a control circuit such as the Low Loss PowerPath Controller (manufacturer's part number LTC4412ES6#PBF) offered by Linear Technologies. Other suitable circuits may also be used with desirable results.
In some embodiments, the control circuitry 1004 may include circuitry that receives data from one or more sensor(s) 1006 and that controls the operation of one or more alarm(s) 1008, 1010 to alert homeowners, building owners, maintenance personnel or the like of the presence of potentially undesirable wastewater. A number of different circuits may be used to implement the functions of control circuitry 1004. In one illustrative but not limiting example, the control circuitry 1004 may include a comparator such as, for example, an ultralow power quad comparator offered by Linear Technologies (e.g., such as manufacturer part number LTC1444IS#PBF). Other controllers, including, for example, microprocessor controllers, may also be used with desirable results.
In some embodiments, the one or more alarm (s) 1008 may include a speaker or other device which emits an audible tone when the presence of wastewater is detected by the sensor(s) 1006. For example, one suitable speaker is part number PS-562Q offered by Mallory Sonalert Products, Inc., although a wide variety of other speakers or devices may be used with similarly desirable results. In some embodiments, in addition to an audible alarm, one or more visual alarms may also be utilized (e.g., such as an LED or other light source which is enabled when the sensor(s) 1006 detect the undesirable presence of wastewater). In some embodiments, the alarm(s) 1008 may include other forms of notification. For example, in some embodiments, the alarm(s) 1008 may include one or more remote alarm(s) 1010 which are activated via remote connection such as via a WiFi, Bluetooth or other network connection which causes an alert to be transmitted to a remote recipient. For example, in some embodiments, when the undesirable presence of wastewater is detected by the sensor(s) 1006, an email, text message, or other notification may be transmitted from the alarm(s) 1008 to a remote recipient alerting the recipient of the presence of wastewater. In some embodiments, a cellular or other wireless connection may be provided to facilitate such communication.
Embodiments of a sewer alarm have been described herein in the context of identifying backups or potential backups in residential, commercial, industrial and other building applications, but it should be understood that other applications are possible. For example, embodiments may be used to detect the undesirable presence of fluids in other types of drainage systems.
The above description and/or the accompanying drawings are not meant to imply a fixed order or sequence of steps for any process referred to herein; rather any process may be performed in any order that is practicable, including but not limited to simultaneous performance of steps indicated as sequential.
Although the present invention has been described in connection with specific exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations apparent to those skilled in the art can be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
This application is a continuation-in-part of, and claims benefit of and priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/818,625 filed on Aug. 5, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/083,698 filed on Nov. 19, 2013 (issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,127,445).
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20160240066 A1 | Aug 2016 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 14083698 | Nov 2013 | US |
Child | 14818625 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 14818625 | Aug 2015 | US |
Child | 15137599 | US |