Pressure responsive fluid pump shut off and alarm system

• US 5,064,347 A
• Filed: 11/26/1990
• Issued: 11/12/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ronnie L. Lavalley Sr
• Original Assignee: Ronnie L. Lavalley Sr
• Inventors: LaValley, Ronnie L. Sr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bertsch, Richard A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Scheuermann, David W.
• Application Number:
  US07/617,669
• Time in Patent Office: 351 Days
• Field of Search: 417/9, 417/12, 417/18, 417/36, 417/38, 417/44, 417/53, 417/63
• US Class Current: 417/9
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/022 by means of pressure

Abstract

A pump supply system for furnishing well water or the like which is sensitive to and operates within a range defined by a pressure switch to supply water when pressure in the system falls below a preset minimum pressure and shut off the pump when the pressure reaches a predetermined value. Timing means is employed in the system and preset to time out after a predesignated interval of operation of the pump. The system will retime the next pumping cycle, if that interval of operation is not exceeded. If the pump seeks to operate beyond the predesingated time period, the timing circuit is disabled, the pump is shut down, and an alarm is activated.

Claims

1. A pressure responsive pump shut off and alarm system for buildings having water use appliances and components supplied by the pump through a water line comprising:

a. A water line connected to water using appliances;

b. A normally inactive pump system, responsive to a minimum pressure in the water line to become operative to pump water from a well, or other supply source, and responsive to a maximum predetermined pressure to be rendered inoperative;

c. Interval timing means, settable to time for a predetermined period, connected to said pump to monitor the time of operation of said pump when it is activated to pump water and to automatically retime for a subsequent operation of said pump if said predetermined interval is not exceeded; and

d. a manually resettable component operable to deenergize said interval timing means and pump if said period is exceeded.

2. The system of claim 1 in which an alarm is connected in circuit with said timing means, and is automatically activated if said period is exceeded.

3. The system of claim 1 in which said component is reset by momentarily interrupting the supply of electrical power thereto.

4. The system of claim 1 in which said timing means and component are mounted in a sealed enclosure having a removable cap.

5. In a method of preventing undue damage to buildings having a water use system with components supplied by a normally deenergized pump which is responsive to a minimum water pressure in the system to become operative to pump water from a well or other supply source, and responsive to a maximum predetermined pressure to be rendered inoperative, the system having interval timing means settable to time the time of operation of said pump during a time period chosen as the maximum time the pump should operate to supply water to the system and automatically retime subsequent operations of said pump for the set interval so long as the maximum time period is not exceeded in the immediately preceding cycle, the system also having a manually resettable component, responsive to timing out of the interval timing means, connected therewith and with the pump to inactivate the timing means and shut down the pump, the steps of:

a. setting the timing means to begin timing when the pump is activated and to time the operation of the pump for a period corresponding to normal cycle of operation of the pump to supply water to the water system of the particular building involved;

b. automatically retiming subsequent cycles of operation of said pump for the interval set so long as the maximum time period is not exceeded in the immediately preceding cycle;

c. shutting down the pump and deactivating the timing means if the maximum time period is exceeded; and

d. manually resetting said resettable component to ready the timing means and pump for further operation.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of activating an alarm is performed when said pump is shut down.