Patent Application
20190128607
This invention relates generally to systems and devices for removing unwanted and harmful moisture from wet and/or water damaged structures using positive and negative pressure sources.
Unwanted water introduced by flooding, precipitation or otherwise causes millions, if not billions, of dollars of damage to structures every year. Generally, the amount of damage can be reduced, minimized, or even eliminated if the water can be removed from the structure shortly after its undesired entry into the structure. For example, if the water can be extracted promptly in some manner from the structure generally, and then from the cavities within walls, floors and other structural elements, then rot, mold, rust and other destructive effects of the unwanted water can be minimized or avoided altogether.
Some early attempts to solve this problem involved simply passive drying, such as draining the visible water, and opening windows to let the hidden moisture evaporate. While this had the advantage of being relatively non-intrusive and non-destructive, it also generally took so long that it did not avert rot, mold, rust and the other destructive effects of the lingering moisture. In addition, it left the structure relatively unusable for an undesirably long period.
Partly in response to those disadvantages, approaches that are more active were used, such as forcing air, heated or otherwise, through the afflicted structure to expedite the evaporation process. While this resulted in some improvement in many cases, generally, the results were still not satisfactory.
Other early attempts involved removal of some or all of certain structural elements to facilitate evaporation from enclosed areas. For example, in some cases floorboards or wallboards were removed to enable the moisture trapped in the wall or floor cavities to evaporate more effectively and sooner. The obvious disadvantage of such approaches is that they were so destructive as to require significant repair and/or replacement of the structure after the drying process, resulting in greater cost and often the loss of use of the structure for a longer period than would be the case without the destruction.
To overcome some of the disadvantages of the prior systems, some improved systems were developed. For example, in my prior patent application (application Ser. No. 08/890,141, filed Jul. 9, 1997 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,216) I developed certain features of a system that dried structures more effectively and less destructively than previous systems. In that system, a blower forced air, either positively or negatively, to dry the afflicted structure. Specifically, in positive pressure mode, the blower would blow dry air through a hose, and into one or more manifolds, and then from the manifolds into a network of smaller tubes, and then into injectors that penetrated through small holes in the structure. Conversely, when in negative pressure mode, the system would suck the damp air from the structure, out through the holes via the injectors, and then through the tubes, the manifold, the hose, and ultimately out back through the blower.
While this system was a significant advance over prior systems, significant problems remained. Some shortcomings of my prior system, and other prior systems, included:
(1) Excessively destructive intrusion. Specifically, the prior system required that a plurality of relatively large sized holes be created in the structure. For example, in a high-density material such as wood, a hole in the approximate range of 3/16″ to 7/16″ diameter would be required. Holes this large require more effort in repair than would be required with smaller holes. While some prior systems have attempted to utilize smaller holes, the required air injectors were so small that they lacked convenient and effective means for preventing accidental withdrawal without damage to the structure. For example, when an injector was inserted into a wet sheetrock ceiling, the injector would have a tendency to fall out, especially in positive pressure mode. To date, previous attempts to prevent this problem have either not been effective, or have had undesirable side-effects, such as larger holes to accommodate fletching for friction to prevent withdrawal, angled penetration tending to cause damage upon removal, and threads for screwing in the injectors tending to cause a suboptimal amount of labor in the field.
(2) Clogging. In my prior system, the injectors included a small hole near the distal end of the injector tube. The purpose of this extra hole was in part to create extra airflow. However, the hole in the distal end was too close to the end of the injector and thereby resulted in frequent clogging with wet drywall or other debris or matter within the wall or floor cavity. Because of the small surface area available at the distal end, the extra holes could not be large enough to avoid clogging.
(3) Inefficiency and Expense in Mobilization and Demobilization. Perhaps the biggest problem with prior systems was the relatively large amount of labor required to assemble, reconfigure and disassemble them in the field. Since labor costs for restoration services are relatively high, even modest improvements in field efficiency can be extremely valuable.
(4) Interference with Facilities & Operations. Another disadvantage of my prior system, and all other drying systems of which I am aware, is the significant intrusion and interference with the structure being dried. That is, as a practical matter, while prior systems are being used to dry a structure, it is nearly impossible for the usual occupants of the premises being dried to conduct business therein. For example, in an office building, the office tenants must generally not return until the job is completed due to the extensive tangle of blowers, hoses and tubes radiating in all directions throughout the afflicted structure. In most prior systems also, the blowers are too loud to enable work in the structure until the job is completed.
(5) Inefficient airflow. Prior systems moved air inefficiently. Specifically, for example, in my prior system while in positive mode, dry air would be forced several feet down a trunk hose, and then into a manifold. From the manifold, some of the air would be dispersed into a tube which retraced back over the same distance to a hole in the structure close to the blower. This inefficiency was an inherent feature of the general configuration of my prior system, in that a main trunk line hose would transmit the air to a manifold, typically in the center of a room or wet area, and the manifold would then disperse the air through tubes all about the room. Thus, all other things being equal, higher pressure would be required to overcome the friction inherent in the system. Or, conversely, given a maximum amount of pressure sustainable by the blower in the system, the friction in the inefficient distribution of the prior systems would leave that much less effective air movement for actual drying at the point of the wet surface.
(6) Waste of Material. For much the same reason, the prior systems waste a considerable amount of material. Specifically, much more hosing and tubing is required than is with the present invention. This not only creates more manufacturing cost and labor in the field, but also tends to clutter the afflicted structure to the point of presenting a hazardous condition for occupants, such as by increased risk of tripping.
Each of the foregoing difficulties with prior systems applied to drying any part of any structure in general, whether walls, ceilings, cabinets, or floors, or any cavities therein. However, particular difficulties are presented with hardwood floors. Hardwood floors, when damaged by excess moisture, can be very difficult to dry. Most homeowners, for example, are completely discouraged to see their floors commence to swell and cup, especially since such damage can occur after the floors only had water on them for as few as 20 minutes. In such cases, with current systems, the owner's alternatives are not good.
One option is total replacement if the area damaged is a large percentage of the entire hardwood area, and the cupping heavy, the option of complete replacement may currently be most appropriate. The full replacement is usually easy for the contractor to bid, with wet material removal and replacement fairly straightforward. However, unless the contractor is careful and accustomed to repairing water-damaged structures, hardwoods are sometimes re-installed over damp subfloors. Extreme care must be taken to equalize the structure and the new hardwood prior to installation. In addition, total replacement is generally very costly. Another disadvantage is the total time the average home or office is unusable or substantially unusable. The average drying time even with equipment is 1-2 weeks just to dry the subfloor. This delay dramatically increases the total cost of the loss because of additional living expenses or loss of use.
A second option is partial replacement. Again, however, the substrate must be dried to equilibrium, and the total repair time is close to that of complete replacement. A further disadvantage is that sometimes the wood cannot be matched to the owner's satisfaction.
Many restoration contractors attempt to dry hardwoods by one or a combination of the following: blowing air across the surface, dehumidifying (or tenting & pumping in dehumidified air), or blowing dry air from the wall area. The first option of blowing air across the surface does almost no good. The finishes and sealers prevent the moisture from being released easily. Dehumidifying accompanied by tenting seems good on the face but seldom works adequately and often causes the wood to check and crack.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to also provide an improved and yet simple and inexpensive drying system particularly effective at drying hardwood and other similar floors.
The present invention provides an improved system and method for removing excess moisture from underneath and within floors, ceilings, and walls of structures. Apparatus of the system uses negative, positive, or a combination of negative and positive pressure sources to promote circulation of dry air to, over, and within the moisture-laden structures, and the removal of water and moisture-laden air from the surfaces or below the surfaces of structures.
The negative pressure system includes systems and methods for applying vacuum along the periphery of a floor near the wall-floor junction of the floor, and on the floor away from the wall floor junction. The system uses a blower arranged with hoses to deliver a vacuum source to detachable interplane vacuum chambers that straddle and self-seal along the junctional interface between the floor and adjacent walls. This embodiment is not limited to floor wall junctions, but any set of intersecting planar junctions. That is, the detachable vacuum chamber straddles and seals across any two intersecting structural planes, for example, the floor and wall as noted above, a ceiling and a wall, and between two intersecting walls.
The negative pressure system also directs vacuum pressure to flexible vacuum plates, panels, or mats sealed to the floors. The flexible vacuum plates are separately attached to the vacuum source, or alternatively, in series with adjacent vacuum plates to the vacuum source. The flexible vacuum plates can take at least two forms. One form is substantially a unitary construction with a built-in vacuum reservoir and manifold with at least one vacuum port. The other form is a substantially grid-like mat made with overlapping strands to which a manifold is placed and over which a plastic sheet or membrane is overlaid to make a seal. Both forms have channels either molded into the unitary construction or formed by spaces between the overlapping strands.
Vacuum pressure is applied and water laden air and fluids of the water laden floor and adjacent walls migrate towards the detachable vacuum chambers positioned along the floor-wall interface through the existing spaces, cracks, crevasses, and openings in the respective floor and wall structure. Similarly, the self-sealing vacuum chambers are placed at the ceiling and floor junction, or wall-to-wall junctions, and water migration occurs towards the self-sealed and positioned vacuum chamber in a manner similar to the floor-wall setup.
The negative pressure system is initially used on floors and interplane junctions between floors, walls and ceilings without drilling or punching holes to receive the vacuum. In cases where there are no natural or pre-existing cracks or openings in the wall, ceilings, or floors, prepared openings are made into the structure surfaces near the floor-wall or ceiling-wall interfaces over which the vacuum chamber is then placed. In yet other cases, vent holes are drilled or punched from the peripheral vacuum chambers or vacuum plates at locations so as to promote air circulation across and within the moisture-laden structures, drawn by the vacuum applied to the pre-existing or prepared openings via the interplane chamber or vacuum plates.
Other embodiments of the negative pressure system utilize injectors designed to convey vacuum to the internal regions in walls, ceilings, and floors. The injectors penetrate through and securely attach to the walls, ceilings, and floors.
The positive pressure system can include the injectors as used in the negative pressure system for applying and improving air circulation to the internal regions in walls, ceilings, and floors in a manner that improves the distribution of dry air to the water-laden internal regions. The positive pressure system uses a blower to force air through a main trunk line hose. The main hose may terminate, or may return to the blower in a complete circuit. In accordance with the invention, several improvements are made to devices that are used with positive pressure blower-based air distribution and collection systems, in particular the use of injectors configured to have smaller penetration holes and improved gripping properties to prevent accidental withdrawal or uncoupling, especially under the higher air pressures experienced in positive pressure systems.
Specifically, in a currently preferred embodiment, each injector has locking tabs which can be depressed by the fingers of the user to reduce the effective diameter of the injector to facilitate insertion of the injector into the small hole. Once the injector is inserted however, the tabs can be released, and they will spring back into place, creating an effective diameter that is wider than the hole into which the injector was inserted, thereby preventing accidental withdrawal of the injector. This feature is particularly helpful in positive pressure mode, when the mere force of the air emanating from the injector will tend to dislodge the injector from the hole. It is also particularly helpful when drying ceilings, where the force of gravity tends to pull the injector out of the hole. This locking tab mechanism can also be easily removed without any damage to even fragile structures simply by re-pressing the tabs, and pulling.
The locking tab mechanism is a significant improvement over the prior systems, some of which relied either on fletchings or threads and friction (which required a larger injector diameter and hence a larger penetration hole and tended to result in damage around the edge of the hole in any case), and others of which lacked the friction fletchings and the larger hole, and were of small diameter, but which were not effective in preventing accidental withdrawal. In addition, the locking tab mechanism makes it extremely easy to quickly install and remove the injectors with zero damage to the structure other than the very small hole. The locking tab mechanism is not only much easier to use than the threaded or fletched injectors, but causes less damage. In the preferred embodiment, a pair of opposing locking tabs is utilized, but either one or any number of tabs may be used in accordance with the invention.
The injectors are further improved for preventing clogging by the addition of at least one elongated slot to the distal end of the injector configured to have a Bernoulli effect. The elongated slot or slots provides an alternate air source route to minimize clogging as commonly occurs, for example, when drying sheetrock enclosed cavities, or other structural cavities with debris therein. It accordance with the invention, the small hole near the distal end of the injector is replaced with one or more elongated slots resulting in greater alternate air source. Thus, if the hole at the end of the injector becomes plugged or clogged, the air may still be drawn in through the slot. Similarly, the slots are themselves less likely to become plugged than the small hole of prior systems. In prior systems, the hole was designed primarily for creating a Bernoulli effect, and not for air removal as such, and for that reason was quite small. In the present invention, the slots serve a different primary purpose, and result in a more effective injector in practice, especially in negative pressure mode. In addition, even the small gaps surrounding the locking tab mechanism also serve to enable further air movement if the slots or end-hole become plugged or clogged.
The new injectors also provide a double barb near the proximal end. This double barb arrangement enables the injector to be used as a connector instead of an injector when desired. For example, in many uses, two individual air outlets need to be joined together to stop air escaping if not needed in the drying process. Instead of taking both injectors out and substituting a ⅜″×⅜″ connector, one injector can be removed and the second injector left in place and used as a connector of the unused lines. If the operator desires to extend the length of the tubing, the injector may be left in place and another tube with injector attached, thereby lengthening the tube to get air where needed. Thus, the system is more versatile and convenient in use, because the injectors are configured to serve two functions, and a separate part (i.e., a connector) is not required.
Another fundamental advantage of the invention is the means for improved efficiency in mobilization and demobilization. Specifically, the configuration of the new system is considerably less cluttered, takes less time to assemble, deploy, reconfigure and disassemble, thereby saving considerably in labor cost.
Prior systems involved a trunk line hose feeding a manifold, which in turn distributed the air through a plurality of long tubes (see
In addition, in a preferred embodiment of the new system, the tubes are preassembled, that is already attached in the trunk hose. Thus, the user need not even affix any of the tubes to a manifold. This feature, plus the generally less cluttered configuration as shown in
In addition, the new configuration results in less interference with the afflicted structure. The shorter tubes being affixed along the trunk enable the system to be deployed in most applications around the perimeter of the afflicted room, leaving most of the room available for use.
The new configuration also distributes the air more efficiently in the sense of requiring less energy (typically electrical) and less tubing material per unit of air moved. By delivering air at the point of need, there is an elimination of tubing, eliminating need for air to travel through 3-4 unnecessary feet of tubing for each injector, faster setup, less trip hazard, less labor to carry in and setup. Thus, in summary, presently the drying art practiced has manifolds which are placed at infrequent intervals disposed along a trunkline. The disadvantages are in the area of messiness, excessive amounts of tubing required, trip hazard, increased friction due to extra lengths of tubing required and high labor costs to setup. The present invention solves each of these problems.
Obtaining all of the advantages of my new preferred configuration could not be effected simply by multiplying the number of manifolds of the prior systems, in part because the labor and material costs would be prohibitive. Instead, to capture all the advantages of the preferred embodiment, a fundamentally new approach was required. Specifically, the distribution of the air more efficiently to the afflicted areas, without doubling back, required a fundamentally different configuration. The configuration of the preferred embodiment of the present invention provided that fundamental difference. Specifically, it involved tubing along the main trunk hose (compare
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, the new system provides an active hoseline, by providing self-piercing scooped hose inserts. The scooped hose inserts penetrate the main hoseline at regular intervals (typically every 8 inches, for reasons explained below). The inserts are self-piercing, such that they can be inserted into the main hose simply by pushing them in by hand. This provides maximum versatility to the user in the field. The inserts further provide an air scoop, configured and oriented to catch the air passing through the hoseline in positive pressure mode, and efficiently inserting the air into the hoseline in negative pressure mode. The inserts further provide a barbed nozzle end for easily affixing the tubes.
Thus, in general, the self-piercing, self-sealing scooped hose inserts accomplish the function of distributing appropriate amounts of air from and to the main hoseline to the wet structure more directly, less expensively, and more efficiently than the manifold configuration of the prior systems. Less labor, less material, and less energy are required. In fact, the need for manifolds is eliminated. (Although a manifold can still be utilized when desired).
The insert is further unique in that it is capable of piercing a hose and self sealing with flanges on each side of the hose wall. On the proximal end, there is a barbed opening for coupling a tube to it and the outer flange is curved to accommodate the outside surface of the hose. This results in the flange being flat at all points eliminating rocking which could potentially pull the insert out of the hose. There can also be one or more pins on the hose side of the outer flange when applying a vacuum, wherein negative pressure causes water or other fluids to flow through the spaces within the lattice formation to the vacuum source to effect moisture removal underneath and from the surface which fit between the ribs on the outside surface of the hose. These pins can eliminate rotation of the insert thereby keeping the insert secure. The inside flange is introduced through the hose wall and seals on the inside. An adhesive/sealant may be used to seal any small cracks between the shaft that penetrates the hose and the hose, but in most applications such sealant would not be required. The insert shaft is hollow and conducts air from the inside of the hose to the outside or the reverse if used negatively. The bottom of the insert is slightly conical, that is, pointed with gradually tapering sides to allow the insert to puncture and penetrate or be pushed through the hose. In this cone area, there is optionally a scoop which points toward air source or toward the vacuum source if used negatively. This scoop is designed to re-direct air while minimizing friction. The scoop is connected to the hollow shaft and communicates with the distal end of the insert.
Alternate embodiments of the present invention utilize the combination of negative and positive pressure systems such that a negative system sucks wet air from structures while the positive system delivers dry air into the structures. For example, the floor-wall perimeter interplane vacuum chamber is connected to the negative pressure systems to suck out wet air from naturally occurring or prepared apertures, and a positive pressure system pumps dry air into the walls, floors, or ceilings via mounted and penetrating injectors.
The present invention provides an improved system for drying floors, and especially hardwood floors. In accordance with the invention, the system contains one or more plates for use with a grid. The plates are designed to go on top of the grid after the floor is prepared. The systems, in a preferred embodiment are best used in areas of approximately 50 square feet. However, they can be used for areas of any size.
In accordance with the invention, each wet area may be taped off separately and a separate plate used in each area. The system may be installed to avoid the potential floor traffic and minimize trip hazards. For example, it is usually best to put the plates on the sides of a hall next to a wall. In a bathroom, you would not set up a plate in front of the wash basin or commode, but probably along a wall out of the way. An effort should be made to cover the bulk of the wet area. In many cases however, the effect of the vacuum will extend beyond the reach of the area covered with grid and plastic sheeting. These areas might be the area beneath the stove and refrigerator. Once the vacuum is turned on, there is a pulling effect that will exert force beyond the grid.
In accordance with the invention, the wet floor surface is prepared. Generally, this involves some sanding or other treatment to remove or otherwise penetrate varnish or other floor sealant that will, unless removed, prevent or retard the air and water movement. This step is not necessary however, and depends on conditions.
Next, the grid is laid on the floor. The grid is comprised of at least two planes, each plane comprised of generally parallel rows of strands of material, but each plane's rows being not parallel relative to the rows of the adjacent plane. Each plane is also parallel to the plane of the floor to be dried. Thus, while a preferred embodiment will be described below, the principle or purpose of the grid is that it is configured such that air and water may move laterally and/or pass between the two planes. Thus, for example, a grid that is uniplanar and is comprised of perpendicular strands which create impermeable cells (co-extensive in thickness with the plane), would generally not be appropriate, as it would not permit the movement of air and water from the floor below the grid to the top of the grid. If the grid was made of porous or permeable material, the structural configuration could be of almost any shape.
Atop the grid is situated a special vacuum plate. On the top of the plate will be barbs that will penetrate the plastic sheeting or other membrane. The perimeter is then sealed with convenient sealing means, such as with 2″ wide painter's tape or plastic shrink-wrap tape. This type of tape is preferred, as it will not harm the wood finish. If sanding is to be done, lesser expensive masking tape may be used. The special vacuum plate may be a separate piece or it may be fixed to or be part of the grid.
Another step will be to set up a blower, such as an Injectidry HP 60 or 90, set on the suction side (negative pressure mode). Next, the tubes are connected from the standard blower to the barbs on the vacuum plates. When the system is thus set up, the blower is activated, and the covered floor area will begin drying. In this embodiment, the system will resemble a “shrink wrapped” floor section. Because of the configuration of the grid and the vacuum plate, the relatively impermeable membrane such as visqueen, although taped or otherwise sealed around its perimeter, and compressed by negative pressure against the grid, will cause the migration of air or water from the floor, up through the two planes of the grid, into the vacuum plate and thence out through the tubes to the blower. If visqueen, alone is taped to the floor without the grid, the negative pressure or suction would cause the visqueen to simply stick to the floor, and instead of the moisture being effectively extracted, the vacuum blower motor would simply overheat and shut down. While this system is effective at drying floors, it is also useful in removing excess moisture entrapped in fiberglass or wooden boat hulls.
The negative pressure system also directs vacuum to flexible vacuum plates sealed to the floors. The flexible vacuum plates are of substantially a unitary construction with a built-in vacuum reservoir and manifold with at least one vacuum port in communication with a main vacuum trunk line. Multi-ported manifolds may be attached to one or more vacuum trunk lines , or serve to connect in series with and convey vacuum to adjacent vacuum plates. The series connection extends the effective length of the main trunk line, which can be particularly useful under conditions in which the end of the trunk line is reached.
The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Referring now to
Curved underside 32 of sealing flange 30 has a curvature matching the curvature of the outside diameter of hose 12 so as to facilitate sealing to prevent air passage where insert 20 penetrates hose 12 (except of course through hollow shaft 26 as intended). While such curvature is advantageous, and is an inventive aspect, it will be appreciated that it need not be curved, and that such curvature is not essential to the practice of the invention. Similarly, in some applications adhesive may be used to facilitate a seal between insert 20 and hose 12, but adhesive is not required. For example, in the preferred embodiment, it is anticipated that air scoop 24 will have an inside sealing flange 36 opposite piercing point 22 that will seat against the inner diameter of hose 12 so as to provide a seal. In most embodiments, hose 12 will have a smooth curved surface, even if hose 12 is corrugated on the outside, such that a corresponding curvature may be supplied on inside sealing flange 36. However, it will be appreciated that the seal may be accomplished by any means, and that such corresponding curvature is not required to practice the invention, and that hose 12 may be of any type.
In the preferred embodiment, insert 20 is oriented such that air scoop 24 is facing toward the blower, or parallel with the air flow direction within hose 12. This orientation is shown in
In the preferred embodiment, piercing point 22 will be sharp enough and hard enough to enable the puncturing and penetration of the hose 12 simply by grasping the insert 20 by the hand and pushing it through the hose 12. Such configuration eliminates the need for tools in the field when additional inserts are required or desired. However, it will be appreciated that in some applications it will be desirable to construct the insert with material or of a shape that will require tools for such penetration, without departing from the scope of the invention.
It will be appreciated that the length of hollow shaft 26 between curved underside 32 and sealing flange 36 will generally be the same as the thickness of the wall of hose 12, and perhaps slightly shorter so as to squeeze the hose somewhat for a superior seal.
In the depicted embodiment, it will be seen that sealing flange 36 is configured so as to prevent easy removal of the insert 20 from the hose 12. However, in some embodiments, it may be preferable to taper or curve sealing flange 36 so that removal is easier. Alternately, in some embodiments sealing flange 36 can be slot-shaped in plan view such that, after penetration, insert 20 can be rotated ninety degrees thereby locking insert 20 into place, not withdrawable until rotated ninety degrees again so that the flange is parallel with the slice made by the initial penetration.
In the depicted embodiment, barbed nozzle 28 is barbed to facilitate a frictional seal between insert 20 and tubes 10 (not shown in
Adjacent barbed nozzle 42 is a tube flange 44 for further facilitating a seal between tube 10 and injector 40. While tube flange 44 is a feature of the preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated that it is not required for the practice of the invention.
Adjacent tube flange 44 (or adjacent barbed nozzle 42 if a tube flange 44 is not used), is a barbed connector nozzle 46 for connecting another tube 10 to the injector when the injector 40 is used only as a connector, and not as an injector. That is, a feature of the improved injector 40 is that it can be used as a connector between tubes 10 as well as serving as an injector. This dual purpose or function of improved injector 40 is a significant improvement over prior systems. It facilitates improved versatility and convenience in the field. The connector mode may be useful, for example, when a longer tube is desired at a particular point along the hose. A second tube can simply be attached to the first one by slipping it over the injector 40, and seating it along the barbed connector nozzle 46.
Another inventive aspect of the improved injector 40 is the locking mechanism 50. Locking mechanism 50 is comprised of one or more flexible tabs 52, which, when compressed into injector 40, do not add any dimension to the diameter or outside width of injector 50, but when released, expand the effective diameter or outside width of injector 40 so as to retard or prevent unwanted withdrawal of injector 40 from the wall or ceiling (or other) hole into which it is inserted for drying of a wet structural cavity.
In the preferred embodiment, a pair of flexible tabs 52, as shown in
An additional inventive feature of the present invention is the improved means for preventing clogging or plugging. Referring again to
While injector 40 is shown as being substantially straight, it will be appreciated that it may be slightly or substantially curved, as that may be desirable in certain applications, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
In the currently preferred embodiment, injector 40 is approximately 2 inches in overall length, and approximately 3/16 inch in outside diameter on the injector end (that is, the end that is inserted into the wet cavity, as opposed to the barbed nozzle 42 end for receiving the tube 10). However, it will be appreciated that even smaller, or if desired, larger diameter injectors are possible. Similarly, while it is generally preferred that the injector 40 be generally tubular, that is round in cross sectional end view, it need not be so. It could be a square tube, triangular tube, octagonal tube, or any shape permitting the passage of air.
The floor drying aspect of the invention will now be described. While the previous aspects of the invention can be used to dry floors, the following aspect of the new system is particularly advantageous in drying floors, especially hardwood floors. Referring now to
Referring now to
Floor plate 70 depicted in
Now that the details of the particular components of the floor drying system have been described, a general description of the use of the system is provided. Reference to
In the preferred embodiment, the grid 78 is either 300 square feet (in the 60 Pak) and 450 square feet (in the 90 Pak). This grid is 30 inches wide. To make handling easier, one way to use it is to cut it into three foot long pieces. When covering a wet area with the grid, the user simply places on the floor enough pieces to cover the affected area to be dried. The grid is irregular enough to allow air and moisture to travel up vertically and then horizontally as there is not a perfect seal between the grid and the floor surface.
Irregular extruded grid to allow air and moisture to move vertically and laterally between two surfaces, one flat and firm and the other conforming to grid surface (e.g. visqueen).
The basic components of the system in its preferred embodiment include:
Vacuum plate that is tunnel shaped that conforms to grid, sealable with the visqueen. Plate is to have vacuum attachment points.
Vacuum means of 40+ inches of water lift
Plastic sealing such as 4 mil visqueen.
In the preferred method of use, painter's tape is specified, as it will not remove finish from the floor when removed. Three or four mil plastic sheeting is recommended as the impermeable membrane because of its ease of handing and use. It is also tough enough to allow foot traffic when system setup is completed.
Floors that can be effectively dried include hardwood, plaster walls with wet door headers, quarry tile, marble, and other surfaces that include grout which can allow moisture to penetrate beneath the surface.
In the currently preferred embodiment, the mechanics and steps are as follows:
Apply special grid 78 to the wet area. This is an irregular grid designed to let moisture and air travel vertically and horizontally between two sealing surfaces. The one surface obviously is the hardwood and the next covering layer will be 3-4 mil plastic sheeting.
Apply a special vacuum plate 70 on top of the grid. On the top of the plate will be barbed nozzles 72 that will penetrate the plastic sheeting.
The perimeter will be sealed with 2″ wide painter's tape. This type of tape is preferred, as it will not harm the wood finish. If sanding is to be done, lesser expensive masking tape may be used.
The next step will be to set up blowers such as an Injectidry HP 60 or 90 set on the suction side (negative pressure mode). Next, connect the tubes from the standard Injectidry manifolds to the barbed nozzles 72 on the floor plates 70. When the system is set up, turn on the HP drying system and the floor will be appear to be “shrink wrapped”.
In the preferred method of use, some of the finish should be removed prior to drying, using a 3M® type floor stripping pads disk beneath a buffer or use fine sandpaper taking care to not take off more than just a little of the finish. No preparatory aggressive sanding should be done unless sanding and refinishing are to be done on completion. If you do not remove some of the finish, however, the drying may not occur very quickly.
The subfloor must be dried for effective results. If there is a crawlspace, inspect, pull down wet insulation and dry using air movement and dehumidification. If moisture is not removed to equilibrium, the wood floor will most likely gain this excess moisture and cup. If the underside is a finished room, a second HP 60 or 90 can be set up to dry through the ceiling. This will dry the subfloor. Moisture readings of all surface material including subfloor will be the only way to determine dry. In preferred usage, jobs should be monitored daily. Some jobs can literally dry overnight, especially if finish is removed, and over-drying can damage the floor.
While the preferred usage is for hardwoods, other floors such as tile, slate floors, concrete and other semi-permeable hard surfaces can be dried using the system. Summary of steps (not necessarily in sequence) in the preferred method of the system:
Step 1: Determine the area that has elevated moisture content.
Step 2: Might include the initial partial removal of finish in selected areas by light sanding or chemical stripping.
Step 3: Place the grid over the damp area.
Step 4: Place a floor plate over the grid out of the traffic area.
Step 5: Place 3 or 4 mil visqueen over the wet area and over the grid and plate (such a Vac-It Plate® available from Injectidry®).
Step 6: Seal around the edges with tape. If no sanding is anticipated, releasable painters tape should be used. Otherwise, masking tape may be used. This will seal the visqueen to the surface to be treated.
Step 7: Connect tubes to Vac-It Plate and connect tubing to vacuum means.
Step 8: Apply vacuum.
Step 9: Monitor and stop drying when equilibrium is reached.
Step 10: Remove grid and evaluate for any further work.
Objective is to remove moisture faster than the standard method of letting the wet material dry out naturally, or by merely blowing air over the surface, or by puncturing the floor with holes. Further objective is to provide lower pressure point to induce moisture to move toward lower pressure.
Other vacuum-based embodiments of the invention use perimeter-deployed and room-centered systems to deliver dry air exchanges with moisture-laden floors, walls, and ceilings. The perimeter deployed systems are illustrated in
The chamber 104 is placed along a wall-floor junctional interface and the vacuum is applied. The chamber 104, as configured in the illustration, provides three faces of the chamber, and the wall and floor each supply another face. Thus, as shown in
Interposed with and between the plateaus 210A and 210B are four dome-like reservoirs 210 C distributed approximately in the middle of each side of the plateaus 210A and B. Rising from the middle of the inner plateau 210B is a vacuum port 210D configured to receive the tube 10. The vacuum port 210D is cone shaped to securely attach and hold the tube 10. The number of plateaus and domes may be varied to adjust the cumulative volume of the reservoir available to the manifold 210. Supporting the single-port manifold 210 are four manifold supports 210E that engage the surface to which the vacuum mat 204 is placed. The four manifold supports 210E are solidly configured and do not convey vacuum. The manifold supports 210E serve to minimize the flexing of the single-port manifold 210 that can occur while vacuum is applied, and the number and placement of manifold supports 210E may be varied to accommodate the task of stabilizing the single-port manifold 210 to applied vacuum. Also shown in
Interposed with and between the plateaus 310A and 310B are four dome-like reservoirs 310 C distributed approximately in the middle of each side of the plateaus 310A and B. Rising from the middle of the inner plateau 210B is a vacuum port 310D configured to receive the tube 10. The vacuum port 310D is cone shaped to securely attach and hold the tube 10. Rising between the domes 310C and near the corners of the inner plateau 310B are four additional vacuum ports 310D. The number of plateaus and domes may be varied to adjust the cumulative volume of the reservoir available to the manifold 310. Similarly, the number of ports may be varied to accommodate different combination arrangements between the vacuum mat 204 to the trunk line 116 or to other vacuum plates 204. Supporting the multi-port manifold 310 are four manifold supports 310E that engage the surface to which the vacuum mat 204 is placed. The four manifold supports are solidly configured and to do not convey vacuum. The manifold supports 310E serve to minimize the flexing of the multi-port manifold 310 that can occur while vacuum is applied. The number and placement of manifold supports 310E may be varied to accommodate the task of stabilizing the multi-port manifold 310 to applied vacuum. Also shown in
The arrangement as illustrated in
While the preferred embodiment of most of the components of the described system will be constructed of plastic, it may be made of many materials known to those of ordinary skill in the art such as flexible metals or fiberglass.
The foregoing embodiment is merely illustrative of the use or implementation of but one of several variations or embodiments of the invention. While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
For example, the interplane vacuum chamber 104 may have more than one vacuum port, and may be configured to be placed in rooms where the interplanes intersect at angles other than 90 degrees between each plane. For example, the interplane chamber 104 may be placed in rooms having corners of acute or obtuse angles. Furthermore, the interplane vacuum chamber may be configured to be placed in the corners of room and thus straddle across three planes that intersect near the corners of two walls and a floor, or two walls and a ceiling. The corner embodiment of the interplane vacuum chamber may similarly be configured to straddle across corners at angles other than 90 degrees between each plane, and have more than one vacuum port.
As regards the vacuum mats 204, the placing of the mats may be on the floor and on adjoining walls, each independently attached to the main vacuum hose 116 directly from their respective 210 single port or 310 multi port manifolds. Or, as shown in
With regards to the active hoseline, while the system contemplates that the inserts in the active hoseline may be added by users at will, it is contemplated that the preferred embodiment will be sold as a completely pre-configured system, such that no inserts need to be installed by the user, and that the inserts will be essentially permanent for durability.
While the preferred embodiment contemplates that the inserts may be inserted easily by hand, in some applications it may be preferable that insertion and/or removal of the inserts will require tools. Also, in the preferred embodiment, it is anticipated that the removal of the insert will not leave a hole in the hose, but that the hole into which it was place previously will essentially reseal upon removal of the insert.
In the preferred embodiment, the inserts for the tubes will be spaced every eight inches. However any frequency, regular or irregular, may be practiced without departing from the invention. Similarly, in the preferred embodiment, hoses will come in ten foot standard lengths. However, any length of hose may be provided, as well as any length of tube. An advantage of the invention is that manifolds (such as that of my prior system) are not required. However, a manifold may still be used with the invention.
The invention may be practiced with the hoses terminating, or forming a complete circuit back to the blower, and with any number of blowers. Similarly, either positive or negative pressure may be used with the system. Furthermore, the vacuum mats, interplane vacuum chambers, tubes, and hoses may be made of transparent materials, such as plastics, so that the flow of moisture may be visually monitored. This decision will be dictated by conditions or goals.
This application is a continuation and claims priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/785,383 filed Feb. 24, 2004, which is a continuation-in-part of and claims priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/605,267 filed Sep. 18, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,886,271; which is a divisional of and claims priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/516,827 filed Mar. 1, 2000 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,647,639; and claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/123,401 filed Mar. 8, 1999; each of the foregoing applications is incorporated by reference in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60123401 | Mar 1999 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 09516827 | Mar 2000 | US |
| Child | 10605267 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10785383 | Feb 2004 | US |
| Child | 15968635 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10605267 | Sep 2003 | US |
| Child | 10785383 | US |
