Standby water-powered basement sump pump

• US 4,552,512 A
• Filed: 08/22/1983
• Issued: 11/12/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Permutare Corporation
• Original Assignee: Permutare Corporation
• Inventors: Gallup, William, Schmidt, Detleff W. P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Freeh, William L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/525,121
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 417/2, 417/3, 417/6, 417/36, 417/40, 417/47, 417/405-407, 417/426, 417/41, 417/46, 417/85, 417/286, 417/287, 418/267
• US Class Current: 417/6
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 11/003 having complementary function
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 14/06 specially adapted for stopping, starting, idling or no-load operation

Abstract

A water-powered positive displacement auxiliary sump pump has a drive water inlet connected to the municipal water supply via a float actuated pilot valve. The pump is designed to be constructed chiefly of molded plastic supported by an exit manifold connected to the discharge line of an existing electrical sump pump. The presently preferred design is a rotary sliding vane pump having drive water and pump water chambers.

Claims

1. A municipal water-powered auxiliary basement sump pump system for backing up a residential electric sump pump installation having an existing discharge line, comprising

a water-powered rotary vane pump having a drive chamber and a pump chamber,

slotted drive and pump rotors with a plurality of slidable vanes received therein sealingly engaging the inside walls of the respective chambers,

means for drivingly coupling said drive rotor to said auxiliary pump rotor to impart rotation thereto, said drive chamber having a drive water inlet displaced from a drive water outlet,

said auxiliary pump chamber having a sump water intake displaced from a sump water outlet,

valve means for communicating said drive water inlet with a municipal water supply in response to the sump water level exceeding a predetermined threshold,

exit manifold means for connecting said sump water outlet and said drive water outlet to said existing discharge line of the residential electrical sump pump, and

intake manifold means for supplying said auxiliary pump intake with sump water.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said valve means includes

a float,

a chamber having a municipal water valve inlet and a valve outlet connected to the motor inlet,

a two position movable element sealingly received in said chamber, said element having means for blocking fluid communication between the inlet and outlet of said chamber in one position but not in the other position, and

pilot valve means responsive to the actuation of said float for urging said element from one position to the other by applying a water pressure differential to said element.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising

rigid coupling means interposed between said exit manifold means and said discharge line for supporting the weight of said pump.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said pump further includes means for resiliently urging said vanes into contact with the inside of said chambers in addition to centrifugal force.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the length of the pump chamber is greater than the length of the drive chamber.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said rotor coupling means includes a common drive shaft secured coaxially to said rotors.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said rotors are the same diameter.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said chambers are coaxial, cylindrical and have the same diameter and are separated by a partition through which said drive shaft is sealingly received in eccentric relation to the axis of the cylindrical chambers.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein said drive rotor vanes are equipped with cutout channels which terminate short of the chamber contacting edge of the vane facing the drive water inlet so as to be acted upon by water pressure from the drive water inlet and to allow water to egress from the rotor as the vanes are pushed inward, the pump rotor vanes having cutout channels terminating short of the chamber contacting edge of the vane facing the sump water discharge outlet so as to be acted upon by the pressure in the discharge line and to allow egress of water from the rotor when the vanes are pushed inward.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said valve means includes

a float,

a double acting cylinder valve means having an elongated chamber and a piston sealingly received in said chamber and slidable between an ON and an OFF position, said chamber having a municipal water valve inlet and a valve outlet offset therefrom and connected to the motor inlet, said piston having means for blocking said motor inlet in the OFF position,

auxiliary power valve means linked to said float for communicating one end of said chamber with said municipal water supply valve inlet and discharging the other end to move said piston from said OFF to the ON position in which said valve inlet and outlet are substantially unobstructed.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said valve means further includes means for spring biasing said piston to the OFF position.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said auxiliary pilot valve means includes a manifold surface with three juxtaposed holes, duct means for connecting a first one of said holes to said municipal water supply valve inlet to said chamber, and a second and a third one of said holes to respective ends of said chamber,

a pivot body having an elongated chamber with resilient sealing means surrounding the periphery of said chamber in face-to-face contact with said surface so as to encompass and communicate either said first and second holes or said first and third holes depending on whether said pivot body is in the ON or OFF position,

means responsive to said float level for rotating said pivot body to the ON orientation when said sump water exceeds the threshold or the OFF position when said sump water falls substantially below said threshold.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said valve chamber is cylindrical and said piston includes a pair of cylindrical members having outer diameters approximately the same as the inner diameters of the adjacent cylindrical chamber axially spaced from each other but rigidly interconnected, one of the cylindrical ends of said piston having an axial length sufficient to occlude the valve outlet only in the OFF position.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein said valve means further includes

means for maintaining said float at the ON position until the water level has dropped substantially below the normal buoyancy level of said float, whereby the pivot body is brought abruptly to the OFF position when the float drops.

15. A municipal water-powered auxiliary sump pump system for backing up a residential electrical sump pump installation having an existing discharge line, comprising

a positive displacement water pump having an outlet and a submersible sump water intake,

means for connecting said auxiliary sump pump water outlet to the existing discharge line of the residential electrical sump pump,

hydraulic motor means drivingly coupled to said auxiliary pump having a drive water inlet for converting water pressure to mechanical energy to power said auxiliary pump, and

valve means for communicating said drive water inlet with a municipal water supply in response to the sump water level exceeding a predetermined threshold, wherein said valve means includes

a float,

a chamber having a municipal water valve inlet and a valve outlet connected to the motor inlet,

a two position movable element sealingly received in said chamber, said element having means for blocking fluid communication between the inlet and outlet of said chamber in one position but not in the other position, and

pilot valve means responsive to the actuation of said float for urging said element from one position to the other by applying a water pressure differential to said element.

16. A municipal water-powered auxiliary sump pump system for backing up a residential electrical sump pump installation having an existing discharge line, comprising

a positive displacement water pump having an outlet and a submersible sump water intake,

means for connecting said auxiliary sump pump water outlet to the existing discharge line of the residential electrical sump pump,

hydraulic motor means drivingly coupled to said auxiliary pump having a drive water inlet for converting water pressure to mechanical energy to power said auxiliary pump, and

valve means for communicating said drive water inlet with a municipal water supply in response to the sump water level exceeding a predetermined threshold, wherein said valve means includes

a float,

a double acting cylinder valve means having a chamber and a piston sealingly received within said chamber and slidable between an ON and an OFF position, said chamber having a municipal water inlet and a valve outlet offset from said inlet connected to said motor means drive inlet, said piston having means for blocking the chamber outlet to said motor inlet in the OFF position, and

auxiliary pilot valve means linked to said float for alternately communicating one end of said chamber with said municipal water supply and discharging the other end to move said piston from the OFF position to the ON position in which said chamber inlet and chamber outlet are substantially unobstructed.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said valve means further includes means for spring biasing said piston to the OFF position.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein said auxiliary pilot valve means further includes a manifold surface with three non-colinear juxtaposed holes, duct means for connecting a first one of the holes to said municipal water supply inlet to said chamber and second and third holes to respective ends of said chamber,

pivot body means having an elongated oval chamber with a sealing means along the periphery of the chamber in face-to-face contact with said manifold surface so as to encompass and communicate either said first and second holes or said first and third holes depending on whether said pivot body means is in an ON or an OFF angular position, and

means responsive to said float level for rotating said pivot body to the ON position when said sump water exceeds the threshold or to the OFF position when said sump water falls substantially below said threshold.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said valve means further includes

means for maintaining said float at the ON position until the water level has dropped substantially below the normal buoyancy level of said float, whereby the pivot body is brought abruptly to the OFF position when the float drops.