System for excercising the control valve for a water shut-off valve

• US 6,374,846 B1
• Filed: 01/19/2001
• Issued: 04/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flologic Inc.
• Original Assignee: Flologic Inc.
• Inventors: DeSmet, Charles R.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, KEVIN L
• Application Number:
  US09/766,164
• Time in Patent Office: 459 Days
• Field of Search: 137/624.12, 137/624.11, 137/624.13, 137/487.5, 137/460, 137/15.01
• US Class Current: 137/15.01
• CPC Class Codes: E03B 7/071 Arrangement of safety devices in domestic pipe systems, e.g. devices for automatic shut-off
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/2807 for pipes G01M3/2892, G01M3/30 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 20/15 Leakage reduction or detection in water storage or distribution
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0402 Cleaning, repairing, or assembling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7727 Excessive flow cut-off
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86397 With independent valve controller

Abstract

A water shut-off valve assembly comprises a valve that is moveable by a motor between open and closed positions. The water shut-off valve assembly is adapted to be connected to a water line. A sensor is also associated with a valve assembly for sensing leakages that occurred downstream from the valve assembly. A controller is operatively connected to the water shut-off valve assembly for actuating the electric motor which in turn actuates the valve therein. From time to time, the water shut-off valve assembly exercises or moves the valve within the valve assembly so as to prevent the valve from becoming clogged due to inactivity over a period of time.

Claims

1. A water shut-off system, comprising:

a normally open water shut-off valve;

a sensor for sensing a flow of water through the valve; and

a controller for actuating and closing the water shut-off valve in response to the sensor sensing a leak condition and for exercising the valve, by at least partially closing the valve and returning the valve back to a normal open position, from time to time independently of a need to control water flow through the water shut-off valve.

2. The water shut-off system of claim 1 further comprising a manual exercise button adapted to cause said controller to exercise the valve.

3. The water shut-off system of claim 1 wherein said controller is programmed with active and away modes.

4. The water shut-off system of claim 3 wherein said controller periodically exercises said valve when in said away mode.

5. The water shut-off system of claim 3 wherein said controller exercises said valve during non-peak times when in said active mode.

6. The water shut-off system of claim 5 wherein said non-peak times are programmed into said controller.

7. The water shut-off system of claim 5 wherein said non-peak times are determined empirically by said controller.

8. The water shut-off system of claim 1 wherein said controller actuates said valve by closing said valve a quarter turn and subsequently opening said valve a quarter turn.

9. A method of maintaining a valve in a water shut-off system, comprising:

programming a controller for active and away modes;

associating the controller with a normally open valve; and

periodically closing and opening the water shut-off valve pursuant to a command from said controller in the absence of the detection of a leak event.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein periodically closing and opening the valve comprises periodically closing and opening the valve when in said away mode.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein periodically closing and opening the valve comprises periodically closing and opening the valve during a non-peak time when in said active mode.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein periodically closing and opening the valve comprises closing the valve a quarter turn and opening the valve a quarter turn.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising accepting manual input to exercise the valve.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising programming said non-peak time.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising determining said non-peak time with empirical data collected by the controller.

16. A method of controlling a flow of water through a water shut-off valve and exercising the water shut-off valve from time to time, comprising:

sensing the flow of water through said water shut-off valve;

closing the water shut-off valve in response to detection of a leak event; and

exercising the water shut-off valve from time to time independently of a desire to control water flowing through the water shut-off valve.

17. A method of maintaining a normally open valve in a water shut-off valve assembly so as to generally prevent the valve from clogging comprising exercising the normally open valve, by at least partially closing the valve and returning the valve back to a normal open position, from time to time independently of a need to control water flow through the water shut-off valve.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising programming a controller that is operatively connected to the water shut-off valve assembly to exercise the valve.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the water shut-off valve is operative to operate in multiple modes and wherein the method further comprises exercising the valve in response to a mode change.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the water shut-off valve assembly is operatively connected to a controller and wherein the controller is programmed to exercise the valve in response to a mode change with respect to the water shut-off valve assembly.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the controller is programmed for both an active mode and an away mode and is operative to exercise the valve in response to the away mode being actuated.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein in exercising the valve, the valve is turned at least a partial turn.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the valve comprises the form of a ball valve and wherein the method comprises first turning the ball valve through a selected rotation, pausing and thereafter turning the ball valve through another selected rotation.

24. The method of claim 17 wherein the shut-off valve assembly is operatively connected to a controller, and wherein the method comprises programming the controller to exercise the valve at one or more times during a time period.

25. The method of claim 17 wherein the water shut-off valve assembly is operatively connected to a controller and wherein there is provided a button for manually actuating the controller so as to cause the valve to be exercised.