Cover for lift stations

• US 7,503,339 B1
• Filed: 01/12/2005
• Issued: 03/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Romtec Utilities, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Romtec Utilities, Inc.
• Inventors: Sheldon, Mark, Bogan, Timothy D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivell; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee; Cloud K
• Application Number:
  US11/036,622
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• Field of Search: 137/364, 137/363, 417/36, 417/360, 52 19- 21
• US Class Current: 137/364
• CPC Class Codes: E03F 5/08 Ventilation of sewers
• CPC Class Codes: E03F 5/22 Adaptations of pumping plants for lifting sewage wheeled apparatus for emptying sewers or cesspools E03F7/10; pumps, pumping plants, per se F04
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/6995 Valve and meter wells

Abstract

A cover assembly for a lift station is disclosed. The cover assembly includes a cover in which an access opening, a cable passageway and a vent are defined. The cable passageway has one end that connects to the access opening and another end that opens to an exterior of the lift station. The cable passageway and the access opening are covered by hatches that can be opened to fully uncover the cable passageway and a portion of the access opening adjacent the cable passageway. This facilitates installation and maintenance of cables running between external equipment and internal equipment. The hatch covering the cable passageway is substantially solid to prevent venting of flammable gases. An interior of the cable passageway has an additional barrier to these gases. The vent is spaced apart from the cable passageway to further separate the cable passageway and external equipment from flammable gases.

Claims

1. A cover assembly for a lift station for water or other liquid, comprising:

a cover with an access opening defined therein, wherein the access opening is sized to permit a worker to pass therethrough;

an access-opening hatch configured to at least partially cover the access opening;

a cable passageway defined in the cover and extending from an exterior of the lift station to an interior of the lift station;

a substantially solid cable-passageway hatch configured to cover the cable passageway; and

a vent defined in the cover, wherein the cable passageway and the vent are isolated from each other by the access opening.

2. The cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the cable passageway is substantially horizontal and the access opening is substantially vertical when the cover assembly is positioned over a lift station well.

3. The cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the cable passageway is recessed in a top surface of the cover, and wherein a top surface of the access-opening hatch, a top surface of a cable-passageway hatch for the cable passageway and a top surface of the vent are all substantially flush with the top surface of the cover.

4. The cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the cable passageway and the vent are positioned on opposite sides of the access opening.

5. The cover assembly of claim 1, further comprising a cable passageway hatch configured to cover the cable passageway, wherein the cable passageway and an adjacent portion of the access opening are fully uncovered when the cable-passageway hatch and the access-opening hatch are in an open position, such that a cable extending from the exterior of the lift station to the interior of the lift station can be placed into or removed from the cable passageway without being threaded through any closed space within the cable passageway or within the adjacent portion of the access opening.

6. The cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the cable passageway comprises a divider configured to separate power cables from signal cables.

7. The cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the access opening in the cover and an opening of the cable passageway adjacent the access opening occupy intersecting planes.

8. The cover assembly of claim 7, wherein the intersecting planes intersect at an angle of about 90°

.

9. The cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the access opening has a side wall and the cable passageway extends into the interior of the lift station through the side wall of the access opening.

10. The cover assembly of claim 9, wherein the cable-passageway hatch is substantially contiguous with the access-opening hatch when the cable-passageway hatch and the access-opening hatch are in a closed position.

11. The cover assembly of claim 10, wherein the cable-passageway hatch comprises a lip configured to extend under the access-opening hatch when the cable-passageway hatch and the access-opening hatch are in the closed position.

12. The cover assembly of claim 1, further comprising a barrier positioned in the cable passageway and configured to substantially block an area of the cable passageway around one or more cables.

13. The cover assembly of claim 12, wherein the barrier comprises a foamed polymer.

14. The cover assembly of claim 12, wherein the barrier comprises a cable support comprising a plate positioned transverse to a cable-passageway length, the plate having one or more openings configured to fit around the one or more cables, wherein the plate is divided along the one or more openings into two or more pieces, such that the one or more cables can be introduced or removed by separating at least one of the two or more pieces.

15. An assembly configured for use with a lift station, comprising:

an access-opening shell with a top surface comprising an access-opening hatch;

a cable-passageway shell with a top surface comprising a substantially solid cable-passageway hatch; and

a vent shell with a top surface comprising a vent cover,

wherein the access-opening shell defines an access opening sized to permit a worker to pass therethrough, the cable-passageway shell defines a cable passageway, the vent shell defines a vent and the vent is isolated from the cable passageway by the access opening.

16. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the access opening shell has a side wall and the cable passageway terminates at an opening in the side wall such that the cable passageway is in communication with the access opening.

17. The assembly of claim 16, wherein the access-opening hatch and the cable-passageway hatch are substantially contiguous when the cable-passageway hatch and the access-opening hatch are in a closed position.

18. The assembly of claim 17, wherein the cable-passageway hatch comprises a lip configured to extend under the access-opening hatch when the cable-passageway hatch and the access-opening hatch are in the closed position.

19. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the cable-passageway shell comprises a barrier positioned in the cable passageway and configured to substantially block the cable passageway around one or more cables.

20. The assembly of claim 19, wherein the barrier comprises a cable support comprising a plate positioned perpendicular to a cable-passageway length, the plate having one or more openings configured to fit snugly around the one or more cables, wherein the plate is divided along the one or more openings into two or more pieces, such that the one or more cables can be introduced or removed by separating the two or more pieces.

21. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the access-opening shell is separable from the cable-passageway shell, and wherein the access-opening shell and the cable-passageway shell are configured to be connected by a bolted connection.

22. The assembly of claim 21, wherein the vent shell is separable from the access-opening shell and the cable-passageway shell, and wherein the vent shell is configured to be connected to the access-opening shell.

23. A method for covering a lift station for water or other liquid, comprising:

positioning a cover assembly on the lift station, the cover assembly having an access opening defined therein, a cable passageway defined in the cover assembly and extending from a periphery of the cover assembly to the access opening, and a vent defined in the cover assembly at a position isolated from the cable passageway by the access opening and isolated from the access opening, wherein the access opening is sized to permit a worker to pass therethrough; and

routing at least one cable between an interior of the lift station and an exterior of the lift station through the cable passageway, the cable remaining isolated from direct impingement of gasses flowing through the vent.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein routing the one or more cables comprises laying the one or more cables in place without threading the one or more cables through any portion of the cable passageway.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising blocking substantial airflow through the cable passageway around the one or more cables.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein blocking substantial airflow comprises applying foamed insulation to the cable passageway, such that the foamed insulation substantially surrounds the one or more cables.

27. A cover assembly for a lift station for water or other liquid, comprising:

a cover with an access opening defined therein;

an access-opening hatch configured to at least partially cover the access opening;

a cable passageway defined in the cover and extending from an exterior of the lift station to an interior of the lift station;

a substantially solid cable-passageway hatch configured to cover the cable passageway; and

a vent defined in the cover, wherein the cable passageway and the vent are isolated from each other by the access opening;

wherein the access opening has a side wall and the cable passageway extends into the interior of the lift station through the side wall of the access opening;

wherein the cover assembly has a top surface, wherein the cable passageway has a first end at the side wall of the access opening and a second end positioned outwardly from the first end, and the cover assembly further comprises;

a disconnect box positioned above the top surface of the cover assembly; and

a disconnect-box stand extending from the second end of the cable passageway to the disconnect box, wherein the disconnect-box stand has a disconnect-box stand door with a bottom edge, and the bottom edge of the disconnect-box stand door overlaps the cable-passageway hatch when the disconnect-box stand door and the cable-passageway hatch are in a closed position, such that the cable-passageway hatch cannot be opened without first opening the disconnect-box stand door.

28. A cover assembly for a lift station for water or other liquid, comprising:

a cover with an access opening defined therein;

an access-opening hatch configured to at least partially cover the access opening;

a cable passageway recessed in a top surface of the cover and extending from an exterior of the lift station to an interior of the lift station;

a substantially solid cable-passageway hatch configured to cover the cable passageway; and

a vent defined in the cover, wherein;

the cable passageway and the vent are positioned on opposite sides of the access opening and thereby isolated from each other by the access opening, the cable passageway is substantially horizontal and the access opening is substantially vertical when the cover assembly is positioned over a lift station well, the cable passageway having an inner end at an opening defined in a side wall of the access opening;

a top surface of the access-opening hatch, a top surface of the cable-passageway hatch and a top surface of the vent are all substantially flush with the top surface of the cover assembly, and

the cable passageway and an adjacent portion of the access opening are fully uncovered when the cable-passageway hatch and the access-opening hatch are in an open position, such that a cable extending from the exterior of the lift station to the interior of the lift station can be placed into or removed from the cable passageway without being threaded through any closed space within the cable passageway or within the adjacent portion of the access opening.