Locked backwater valve
OwnerGabe Coscarellainventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A backwater valve has a hollow valve body with an inlet and an outlet and a valve member pivotally movable about a pivot axis disposed above the inlet. The valve member is movable between a closed position covering the inlet and an open position. The valve member has a specific gravity that is greater than water and has a basin that causes the valve member to be buoyant when the basin is filled with air. A releasable latch holds the valve member in the open position and releases the valve member when the valve member pivots to a release position. A rotational stop engages the valve member at a fill position permitting water to overflow into the basin.
Claims20
A backwater valve, comprising:
- a hollow valve body having an inlet and an outlet;
- a valve member pivotally movable about a pivot axis disposed above the inlet, the valve member being movable between a closed position in which the valve member directly engages and covers the inlet to prevent fluid flow through the inlet and an open position in which the valve member is away from the inlet;
- wherein:
- the valve member has a specific gravity that is greater than water;
- the valve member comprises a basin that causes the valve member to be buoyant in water when the valve member is in the open position and the basin is filled with air, the basin comprising a fill opening;
- a releasable latch that retains the valve member in the open position, the releasable latch releasing the valve member when the valve member pivots to a release position above the open position to permit pivotal movement of the valve member toward the closed position;
- and
- a rotational stop that engages the valve member at a fill position to permit a sufficiently high water level to flow into the basin through the fill opening, the fill position being at or above the release position.
A method of preventing backwater flow comprising the steps of:
- installing a backwater valve in a path of the backwater flow, the backwater valve comprising:
- a hollow valve body having an inlet and an outlet;
- and
- a valve member pivotally movable about a pivot axis disposed above the inlet;
- wherein:
- the valve member has a specific gravity that is greater than water;
- and
- the valve member comprises a basin, the top of the basin comprising an opening;
- using a releasable latch, latching the valve member in an open position in which the valve is away from the inlet;
- upon a backwater flow rising to a first water level within the hollow valve body, permitting the valve member to float upon the backwater flow and pivot from the open position to a release position;
- releasing the releasable latch when the valve member reaches the release position;
- and
- after the releasable latch is released, permitting water to flood the basin through the opening of the basin such that the valve member sinks and pivots to a closed position in which the valve member directly engages and covers the inlet to prevent the backwater flow from flowing through the inlet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.