Patent Application
20110214490
This invention relates generally to a water leak detector, and more particularly that is used to detect water leak in the attic or the space between the ceiling and the upstairs floor.
The water leak is a common problem in many buildings, and the problem usually becomes more serious as the building becomes older. The leak can occur in the roof, in the cold/hot water pipes and the drain pipe. Finding the source of a water leak in the multi-story building can be difficult especially when the water leak is detected in a spot the water leak is not expected: the water could come from the roof or any of the pipes in higher floors. Or in some cases, water leaks are not detected for a long time if the amount of leaked water is small. These water damages could cause growth of the mold while the occupants of the building not being aware of it. Stationary water leak detectors available in the market are able to detect water leaks on the floor, but none of those detectors is able to detect water leaks of the kind described above unless the ceiling is opened up and the detector is installed above the ceiling or the attic. A stationary water leak detector that is able to detect leaked water in the space between the floors or the attic is needed.
An object of this invention is the provision of a water leak detector that is able to detect water leaks in normally inaccessible space such as that between the ceiling and the upstairs floor, and the attic in which an insulation material is not disposed, and that does not require opening up of the ceiling in the installation of the detector.
An object of this invention is the provision of a water leak detector that is able to detect a small amount of water leaks.
The preferred embodiment of the water leak detector of the present invention comprises a detection device and at least one water sensor. The water sensor includes a pair of elastic conductive metal tapes and at least one water absorber that has an appearance of a tape and made of water absorbing material, and to which water absorber, the elastic conductive metal tapes are affixed to; a socket into which the pair of elastic conductive metal tapes is plugged; and a sliding shoe into which the tip of the elastic conductive metal tapes are plugged. The tape-like water absorber is dipped into a salt water pond in the production process so that the water absorber includes salt within and on its surfaces. The socket includes two cables connected to the receptors of the metal tapes in one end and connected to cables that extend from the detection device in the other end. The detection device includes a housing; a battery socket; an alarm; a toggle switch; a push button switch; and a pair of cables that connects the detection device with the cables of the socket to the water sensor.
The above description and other objects and advantages of this invention will become more clearly understood from the following description when considered with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the drawings are for purposes of illustration only and not by way of limitation of the invention. In the drawings, like reference characters refer to the same parts in the several views:
The prior art of the water sensor that is closest in design to that of the present invention uses a water sensor tape as shown in
As shown in
A few variations of the water absorber's design are possible. The water absorber 24 may be a flattened tube, and the two elastic conductive metal tapes 22 may be affixed to the internal surface of a flattened tube-shaped water absorber 24; or the two elastic conductive metal tapes 22 may be affixed to the water absorber 24 in such a manner that the water absorber 24 wraps around the two elastic conductive metal tapes 22; or the two elastic conductive metal tapes 22 may be affixed to one side of the water absorber 24 of flattened tube construction; or one water absorber 24 may be affixed to each side of the elastic conductive metal tapes 22.
In an alternative embodiment, the water absorber is not dipped into the salt pond. In another embodiment, both the water absorber 24 and the elastic conductive metal tapes 22 are dipped into the salt water pond—doing so could corrode the metal tape, if they are made of high carbon steel, and that will improve conductivity. The length of the water sensor 20 of any of these designs is adjustable by simply cutting it, and attaching the socket in one end and the sliding shoes in the other end.
The detection device includes a housing 42; a battery socket 44; an alarm 46; a toggle switch 48; a push button switch 50 (see
At least one sensor is used per application. It is more effective to use a plurality of water sensors, and most effective if four water sensors 20 are used diagonally as shown in
In order to detect water leak in the space above the ceiling, the water sensor 20 must be installed in the space above the ceiling. Installation of the water sensor 20 in the space above the ceiling includes opening of a hole 51 in the ceiling that is barely large enough to push the tape-shaped water sensor 20 through. The tape-shaped water sensor 20 is bendable but rigid enough so that the installer is able to push the tape-shaped water sensor 20 deep into the space above the ceiling. When the distal end of the water sensor 20 reaches the furthest point the installer wanted or the space allows, he/she cuts the tape-shaped sensor in such a manner that the proximal end of the water sensor will barely reach the hole in the ceiling, and plug in the metal tapes 22 into a socket 26. To avoid the tip of the sensor is caught by a bump or debris and gets stuck, the water sensor includes the sliding shoe 28 attached at the tip of the sensor (see
The invention having been described in detail in accordance with the requirements of the U.S. Patent Statutes, various other changes and modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled in this art. It is intended that such changes and modifications shall fall within the spirit and scope of the invention defined in the appended claims.
