Control and alarm system for sump pump
First Claim
1. A control system for a sump pump driven by an AC motor, comprisingan AC power line having an input adapted for connection to an AC power source and an output adapted for connection to said drive motor for energizing said drive motor,a controllable switch in said AC power line,a controller coupled to said controllable switch to supply a control signal to said switch to control the opening and closing of said switch, andredundant float switches each of which is coupled to said controller and adapted to be mounted in a sump to supply said controller with a signal when the liquid in said sump rises to a selected level.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A control system for a sump pump driven by an AC motor includes an AC power line having an input adapted for connection to an AC power source and an output adapted for connection to the AC drive motor. A controller is connected to a controllable switch in the AC power line, to control the opening and closing of that switch. Redundant float switches are coupled to the controller and adapted to be mounted in a sump to supply the controller with a signals when the liquid in the sump rises to a selected level. A timer in, or coupled to, the controller alters the control signal to open the controllable switch if the liquid level in the sump remains above the selected level for a preselected time period.
108 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A control system for a sump pump driven by an AC motor, comprising
an AC power line having an input adapted for connection to an AC power source and an output adapted for connection to said drive motor for energizing said drive motor, a controllable switch in said AC power line, a controller coupled to said controllable switch to supply a control signal to said switch to control the opening and closing of said switch, and redundant float switches each of which is coupled to said controller and adapted to be mounted in a sump to supply said controller with a signal when the liquid in said sump rises to a selected level.
-
11. A control system for a sump pump driven by an AC motor, comprising
an AC power line having an input adapted for connection to an AC power source and an output adapted for connection to said drive motor for energizing said drive motor, a controllable switch in said AC power line, a controller coupled to said controllable switch to supply a control signal to said switch to control the supply of power to said drive motor, at least one float switch coupled to said controller and adapted to be mounted in a sump to supply said controller with signals when the liquid in said sump rises to a selected level, and when the liquid in said sump drops below said selected level, and a timer responsive to the supply of power to said drive motor for producing an alarm signal when said drive motor has been energized continuously for a preselected time period, said preselected time period being independent of the amount of current through said motor.
-
13. A control system for a sump pump driven by an AC motor, comprising
an AC power line having an input adapted for connection to an AC power source and an output adapted for connection to said drive motor for energizing said drive motor, a controllable switch in said AC power line, a controller coupled to said controllable switch to supply a control signal to said switch to control the supply of power to said drive motor, a power supply for supplying said controller with power derived from said AC power line, at least one float switch coupled to said controller and adapted to be mounted in a sump to supply said controller with signals when the liquid in said sump rises to a selected level, and when the liquid in said sump drops below said selected level, a backup battery for supplying power to said controller when power is not available from said AC power line, and a monitor coupled to said backup battery for producing an alarm signal when the output voltage of said battery drops below a selected level.
-
16. A method of controlling a sump pump installed in a sump and driven by an AC drive motor, comprising
supplying said drive motor with power from an AC power source via a controllable switch for controlling the energization of said drive motor, detecting the liquid level in said sump with redundant float switches mounted in said sump and producing signals when the liquid in said sump rises to a first selected level and when said liquid falls to a second selected level, and supplying a control signal to said controllable switch to control the opening and closing of said switch in response to said signals produced by said float switches.
Specification