Patent Application
20250109585
The use of sump pumps to remove water is common in residential neighborhoods and wherever groundwater accumulates near a dwelling or other structure such as a single-family home. The most common installation is a sump pump and housing combination installed beneath the floor of a home either in a crawl space or basement.
The present invention relates generally to commercial and residential water abatement and removal, but more particularly to subsurface or subfloor fluid removal including a sump pump housing with a detachable lid for use with a sump pump. In use, a fluid removal pipe assembly is often operably connected to the housing to discharge water away from the dwelling in use.
A typical sump pump installation involves digging a hole in the ground at the desired location, usually in a low area where water will gravitate naturally. The well is sized to receive a sump pump housing (hereinafter the “housing”). The sump pump housing generally resembles a large bucket having a floor, a sidewall extending upwardly from the floor, and an open top opposite the floor. The sidewall and floor define the interior well and exterior of the housing. Most often, the sidewall is perforated in some way to allow fluid (e.g., water) to flow from the exterior to the interior and collect with the well.
An electrical sump pump is operably positioned within the well and rests on the floor of the housing. (Alternatively, the sump pump may rest on a support surface in communication with the floor.) When water collects within the well of the pump housing the rising water level triggers a float-type actuation to turn the sump pump on and expel the water from the housing most often through a piping system operably attached to the housing.
The background sump pump housings have a continuous wall with a plurality of spaced-apart circular apertures formed therethrough. The circular apertures enable water to flow into the housing. The universal drawbacks of the background sump housings with circular apertures are at least twofold. Firstly, circular apertures are known to allow an unacceptable amount of unwanted debris such as rock, dirt, clay, and other materials to be introduced into the housing well through the circular apertures thereby diminishing pump efficiency, promoting clogging, and damaging the pump. Secondly, the housing wall rigidity is known to be compromised with circular apertures thereby tending to crush when downward forces are applied directly or indirectly to the cooperating lid intended to close off the open top of the housing. For example, the housings with circular apertures are known not to withstand heavy loads such as those associated with humans stepping or kneeling on the wall or lid thereby causing the wall to crumple and/or lid to cave in creating severely unsafe conditions and ineffective sump pump operation.
A variety of methods have been employed to address both common drawbacks only to remedy one while exacerbating the other, and/or dramatically reducing sump pump efficiency below the industry rating in gallons per minute (GPM). For example, background devices designed to minimize or prevent the unwanted entry of material and debris into the housing simply make the circular apertures smaller. Another ineffective solution is to use a screen or other semi-permeable filter covering placed over the circular apertures to strain out the unwanted debris or material. Smaller circular apertures and semi-permeable coverings have proven ineffective because they easily clog thereby diminishing or preventing the flow of water contrary to the intended purpose of the housing.
To prevent the background housing from clogging, the installer of the system may choose not to backfill the area between the installed housing and the wall of the hole in the ground in which the housing sits. The drawback is the space between the pump housing and the ground presents a known safety hazard, debris will collect around the housing and prevent the flow of water over time, and may violate the applicable industry code standards. In addition, without proper backfilling, the pump and housing may easily be dislodged from their installed position thereby causing breaches in the water removal piping and system.
Other unsuccessful attempts have been made to maximize the flow rate through circular apertures while filtering unwanted material from entering the prior housings by increasing the number of circular apertures and slightly decreasing their size. The known drawback to decreasing the size of the holes is they become blocked more easily by the material surrounding the housing wall's outside surface, thereby decreasing the effectiveness of the water removal system leading to puddling and flooding.
Another drawback associated with background devices having a plurality of round apertures through the housing sidewall is the significant loss of strength and rigidity sufficient to support the backfill or withstand downward pressure on the housing wall unacceptably reducing the wall rigidity and resistance to crushing. Simply stated, a housing with many circular apertures tends to crush or cave inward thereby posing another safety hazard, diminishing the volume of the well, and becoming ineffective as a sump pump system.
Whenever a sump pump housing and pump combination is installed in a crawl space or basement location, the top opening of the sump housing is often level with (and/or in close proximity or communication with) the surface of the ground surrounding it. It is quite common for debris to fall into the housing well. Thus, the background devices with circular apertures may include a removable lid to close off the interior well of the housing. Unfortunately, all known background devices that use a lid also use the sidewall circular aperture configuration. In combination, the lid and wall rigidity are unable to support downward loads and easily collapse when walked on or other forces applied as mentioned previously.
Until now, a sump pump housing configured without circular apertures promoting the maximum flow rate of water through the sidewall and maximizing pump efficiency while minimizing entry of debris through the sidewall while providing sufficient rigidity of the housing wall to resist forces from the backfill, surrounding earth, and a person's weight has not been invented.
Until now, a sump housing having optimized water flow rates through a plurality of slots and cooperating lid to minimize entry of debris while maintaining the strength and rigidity of the housing wall has not been invented.
The present invention can be summarized in a variety of ways, including an inventive housing for a sump pump comprising a body formed by a floor, and a continuous circular sidewall extending upward from the floor. The sidewall defines an open top end spaced apart from and substantially parallel to the floor. The preferred body has a circular cross-section with the diameter of the sidewall nearest the floor being smaller than the diameter of the housing nearest the opening to form a tapered cylinder from the opening downward toward the floor. The sidewall further comprises an exterior surface, an interior surface, and a circular rim forming the periphery of the top opening. An interior pump receiving well is defined by the interior surface of the continuous sidewall and floor.
A plurality of vertical slots is formed through the sidewall enabling fluid to pass through the sidewall and into the well. The slots of the preferred embodiment are radially spaced apart and substantially parallel around the sidewall. The rim further comprises a substantially horizontal ledge and a vertical annulus extending upwardly from and substantially perpendicular to the ledge. A cooperating lid rests on the ledge covering the well. The combination of the tapered cylindrical sidewall with slots is configured to minimize the entry of debris while maximizing the flow of fluid into the well in X, Y, and Z dimensions and maintaining the rigidity of the housing to withstand downward pressure without crumpling or caving in.
A conventional sump pump is operably positioned within the well and supported by an interior surface of the floor. Some embodiments include a port formed through the sidewall enabling a piping system to pass through the wall and be operably connected to the pump. More specifically, the port is configured to receive a section of pipe to increase the fluid flow into the well through the pipe and/or expelled from the well by the pump.
The body is preferably made from a molded plastic material resistant to cracking and natural deformation and degradation over time during use. The tapered configuration enables a plurality of inventive housings to nest together for compact storage or transport.
The present invention may also be summarized as part of a water removal system including a housing for a sump pump having a floor, a continuous circular sidewall extending upward from the floor, a top opening spaced vertically apart from and substantially parallel with the floor, a well formed by the sidewall and floor, and a plurality of vertical slots formed through the sidewall to enable fluid to pass through it and into the well. The slots are radially spaced apart and substantially parallel around the sidewall, and a sump pump is operably positioned within the housing and supported by the floor. A piping means is operably connected to the pump for expelling water from the well when the pump is actuated to form the system. A substantially horizontal water pipe passes through an aperture in the housing sidewall for carrying water into a well of the housing for removal by the pump. A removable lid is configured to rest on the ledge inside of the vertical annulus to form an upper deck. The lid is secured to the housing via a fastener.
The combination of the tapered cylindrical sidewall and vertical slots contributes to maximizing the flow of fluid into the well from the X, Y, and Z dimensions maximizing the efficiency of the housing to transmit water into the well.
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These and other embodiments are contemplated to be within the scope of the present invention whose only limitation is the claims set forth below. All such embodiments and equivalents whether stated or not are believed to be within the context of the present invention as claimed below.
