Apparatus for cleaning clogged drain lines
AssigneeThe Scott Fetzer Company
InventorBobby L. Lawrence
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for discharging a high pressure burst of air against a column of standing water behind an obstruction in a drain line to create shockwaves in the water column to remove the obstruction, including a hollow gun body having a discharge opening and a pistol grip handle connected to the gun body. A discharge valve is connected to a piston dividing the interior of the gun body into two chambers, the pressurization and de-pressurization of which is controlled by a trigger operated pilot valve. Air is quickly exhausted from a rearward chamber by depressing the trigger and pilot valve, causing the piston and valve to snap rearwardly to open the discharge opening and direct a burst of pressurized air from a forward chamber to exit through the discharge opening and into a drain line.
Claims12
Apparatus for discharging a high pressure burst of fluid into a drain line to remove an obstruction therefrom, comprising:
- a hollow housing having a first chamber formed with a fluid discharge opening at a forward end of said housing, and a second chamber disposed at a rearward end of said housing;
- first valve means disposed within said first chamber at said forward end of the housing, said first valve means being movable between a closed and an open position, said first valve means sealing said fluid discharge opening in said closed position and unsealing said fluid discharge opening in said open position;
- second valve means operatively communicating with said first and second chambers, said second valve means being movable between a first position and a second position;
- said second valve means being operable in said first position to pass fluid under pressure into said first and second chambers, said first valve means being moved to said closed position with said first and second chambers pressurized to seal said fluid discharge opening;
- said second valve means being operable in said second position to exhaust pressurized fluid from said second chamber while maintaining pressurized fluid in said first chamber;
- and
- said first valve means being moved to said open position upon the exhaust of pressurized fluid from said second chamber to unseal said fluid discharge opening and release pressurized fluid from said first chamber therethrough and into a drain line.
Apparatus for discharging a high pressure burst of air into a drain line to remove an obstruction therefrom, comprising:
- a hollow housing including a forward end having a discharge opening, said forward end being adapted to communicate with a drain line, said housing having a rearward end;
- piston means axially movable within said housing, said piston means having a head portion forming a forward chamber and a rearward chamber in said housing at a rearward end thereof;
- first valve means disposed within said forward chamber at said forward end of said housing and connected to said piston means, said first valve means being axially movable with said piston means between a closed position to seal said discharge opening and an open position to unseal said discharge opening;
- second valve means communicating with said forward and rearward chambers, said second valve means being movable between a first and second position;
- said second valve means being operable in said first position to pass pressurized air into said forward and rearward chambers, said first valve means being movable forwardly with said piston means to said closed position to seal said discharge opening with said second valve means in said first position and said forward and rearward chambers pressurized;
- said second valve means being operable in said second position to exhaust pressurized air from said rearward chamber, said first valve means being movable rearwardly with said piston means to said open position to unseal said discharge opening with said second valve means in said second position so that pressurized air from said forward chamber is released through said opened discharge opening and into a drain line.
Apparatus for discharging a high pressure burst of air into a drain line to remove an obstruction therefrom, comprising:
- a gun body including a forward end and a discharge opening disposed at said forward end;
- a pistol grip handle connected to said gun body, said handle being formed with a transverse bore connected to an air inlet passageway and an air exhaust passageway;
- a piston axially movable within said gun body, said piston having a piston head connected to a piston rod, said piston head dividing said gun body into a forward and a rearward chamber;
- first valve means disposed within said forward chamber at said forward end of said gun body and connected to said piston rod, said first valve means being axially movable with said piston between a closed position to seal said discharge opening and an open position to unseal said discharge opening;
- a first passageway formed between said transverse bore and said rearward chamber, and a second passageway formed between said transverse bore and said forward chamber;
- second valve means slidable within said transverse bore between a first and second position;
- said second valve means being operable in said first position to pass air under pressure from said air inlet passageway through said first and second passageways and into said forward and rearward chambers, said first valve means being movable forwardly with said piston to said closed position to seal said discharge opening with pressurized air in each of said forward and rearward chambers;
- said second valve means being operable in said second position to exhaust pressurized air from said rearward chamber through said first passageway and into said air exhaust passageway while maintaining pressurized air in said forward chamber, said first valve means being moved rearwardly with said piston to said open position to unseal said discharge opening with pressurized air exhausted from said rearward chamber, the pressurized air from said forward chamber being released through said discharge opening with said first valve means in said open position and into a drain line.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.