Freeze protection system for car washer units

• US 5,746,240 A
• Filed: 10/17/1996
• Issued: 05/05/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Leo Ayotte
• Original Assignee: Leo Ayotte
• Inventors: Obie, Paul, Ayotte, Leo
• Primary Examiner(s): Walton, George L.
• Application Number:
  US08/733,270
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• Field of Search: 137/59, 137/79, 137/80, 137/240, 137/334, 137/341, 137/899, 138/32, 138/33, 138/34, 138/35, 237/80, 340/580, 340/581, 340/584, 340/588
• US Class Current: 137/59
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 3/00 Vehicle cleaning apparatus not integral with vehicles cleaning in general B08B; cleaning peculiar to waterborne vessels B63B57/00, B63B59/00; ground equipment for cleaning aircraft B64F5/30
• CPC Class Codes: E03B 7/12 by preventing freezing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/1189 Freeze condition responsive safety systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/1963 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/4259 With separate material addition
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/6416 With heating or cooling of the system
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/6606 With electric heating element
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/6855 Vehicle

Abstract

A freeze protection system for a car wash facility having a plurality of bays and having exposed water lines located in an area that is subjected to freezing temperatures. By using a temperature probe connected via a digital temperature meter to a microprocessor, the system will only operate when the temperature is lower than a pre-set value and will shut off when the temperature is higher than a pre-set value. When activated, a predetermined charge of antifreeze mist will purge the piping in each bay, leaving only a small residual of antifreeze. When a bay is used, the system is reactivated, purging only the bay that has been used. The system is easily adaptable to any number of bays or areas of piping that must be protected.

Claims

1. A system for preventing the freezing of liquids in a conduit comprising:

a temperature sensor for sensing the ambient temperature in the vicinity of the conduit;

digital temperature means, connected to said temperature sensor, for providing a temperature signal that corresponds to the ambient temperature;

a microprocessor, connected to said digital temperature means, for comparing said signal to a predetermined low temperature and a predetermined high temperature such that when said signal indicates that the ambient temperature is less than said predetermined low temperature, said system is activated to deliver a predetermined volume of antifreeze mist under pressure to said conduit to provide a purged condition, wherein said conduit is protected from freezing; and

,

wherein said microprocessor further comprises reuse control means for determining when said conduit has been refilled with a freezable liquid, so that said system can be reactivated to deliver another of said predetermined volume of antifreeze mist under pressure to said conduit to again reinstate said purged condition.

2. The system of claim 1 such that when said signal indicates that the ambient temperature is greater than said predetermined high temperature, said system is deactivated.

3. The system of claim 2 further comprising:

a supply tank for holding a reservoir of antifreeze solution such that the volume of the reservoir of said supply tank is much greater than said predetermined volume.

4. The system of claim 3 further comprising:

a manifold connected between said supply tank and said conduit;

an air vent, connected to said manifold, said air vent having an open and closed position, said open and closed positions being controllable by said microprocessor, such that when said vent is in the open position, antifreeze solution from said supply tank can flow via gravity to said manifold, thus filling said manifold with said predetermined volume of antifreeze solution.

5. The system of claim 4 further comprising:

a source of compressed air, controllable by said microprocessor, such that when said source of compressed air is activated by said microprocessor, said predetermined volume of antifreeze mist under pressure is delivered to said conduit to provide said purged condition.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said conduit is part of a car wash facility having a plurality of bays with at least some of said bays needing protection against freezing and wherein a separate portion of said conduit is located in each bay needing protection against freezing.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein said reuse control means further comprising bay use indicator means for determining when each of said bays needing protection against freezing has been used so that only that portion of said conduit within a bay that has been used will receive said predetermined volume of antifreeze mist under pressure to again reinstate said purged condition.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said microprocessor further comprises a floor heater control means for activating a floor heating system in said car wash facility.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said microprocessor further comprises a modem for communicating with a computer.

10. A system for preventing the freezing of liquids in a conduit having a plurality of outlets, said system comprising:

a temperature sensor for sensing the ambient temperature in the vicinity of the conduit;

a temperature meter, connected to said temperature sensor, for providing a first signal when said ambient temperature drops below a predetermined low temperature and for providing a second signal when said ambient temperature rises above a predetermined high temperature; and

a microprocessor connected to said temperature meter;

wherein said microprocessor is programmed to activate said system upon receiving said first signal such that a predetermined volume of antifreeze mist is delivered under pressure to said conduit to purge a freezable liquid from all of said plurality of outlets, wherein said conduit and said plurality of outlets are protected from freezing, and programmed to deactivate said system upon receiving said second signal; and

,

wherein said microprocessor further comprises reuse control means for determining when one of said plurality of outlets has been refilled with said freezable liquid, so that said system can be reactivated to deliver another predetermined volume of antifreeze mist under pressure only to said one of said plurality of outlets that has been refilled with said freezable liquid to again reinstate said purged condition.

11. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

a supply tank for holding a reservoir of antifreeze solution such that the volume of the reservoir of said supply tank is much greater than said predetermined volume,

a manifold connected between said supply tank and said conduit; and

an air vent, connected to said manifold, said air vent having an open position and a closed position, said open position and said closed position each being controllable by said microprocessor, such that when said vent is in the open position, antifreeze solution from said supply tank can flow via gravity to said manifold, thus filling said manifold with said predetermined volume of antifreeze solution.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

a source of compressed air, controllable by said microprocessor, such that when said source of compressed air is activated by said microprocessor, said predetermined volume of antifreeze mist under pressure is delivered to said conduit to provide said purged condition.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein said microprocessor further comprises floor heater control means for activating a floor heating system.

14. A system for preventing the freezing of liquids in a conduit having a plurality of outlets, said system comprising:

a temperature sensor for sensing the ambient temperature in the vicinity of the conduit;

a temperature meter, connected to said temperature sensor, for providing a temperature signal;

a microprocessor connected to said temperature meter;

wherein, said microprocessor processes said temperature signal such that when said temperature signal indicates that the ambient temperature is less than a predetermined low temperature, said system is activated to deliver a predetermined volume of antifreeze mist under pressure to all of said plurality of outlets of said conduit to provide a purged condition, wherein said conduit is protected from freezing, and such that when the ambient temperature is above a predetermined high temperature, said system is deactivated; and

,

wherein said microprocessor further comprises reuse control means for determining when one of said plurality of outlets has been refilled with said freezable liquid, so that said system can be reactivated to deliver another predetermined volume of antifreeze mist under pressure only to said one of said plurality of outlets that has been refilled with said freezable liquid to again reinstate said purged condition;

a supply tank for holding a reservoir of antifreeze solution such that the volume of the reservoir of said supply tank is much greater than said predetermined volume;

a manifold connected between said supply tank and said conduit; and

an air vent, connected to said manifold, said air vent having an open and closed position, said open and closed positions being controllable by said microprocessor, such that when said vent is in the open position, antifreeze solution from said supply tank can flow via gravity to said manifold, thus filling said manifold with said predetermined volume of antifreeze solution.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising:

a source of compressed air, controllable by said microprocessor, such that when said source of compressed air is activated by said microprocessor, said predetermined volume of antifreeze mist under pressure is delivered to said conduit to provide said purged condition.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said temperature signal is a continuous digital signal and wherein said microprocessor process said continuous digital signal by comparing said continuous digital signal with a pair of predetermined values corresponding to said predetermined low temperature and to said predetermined high temperature.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein said temperature signal is an alarm signal and wherein said microprocessor process said alarm signal by activating said system when said alarm is activated and deactivating said system when said alarm signal is deactivated.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein said alarm signal is activated when said ambient temperature is below said predetermined low temperature and is deactivated when said ambient temperature is above said predetermined high temperature.