Condensate discharge line treatment
AssigneeBeth Good Junkin
InventorRonald C. Junkin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Condensate discharge line treatment to keep the line open, or to clear it if clogged. A valve is inserted into the discharge line and provided with an alternative inlet to receive flushing liquid. The valve inlet from the upstream part of the condensate discharge line is blocked by a valve member from time to time in favor of flow of the flushing liquid via the alternative inlet into the valve and out through the outlet into the downstream part of the condensate discharge line. The flushing liquid may contain a cleaning composition or even an algicide, which may be injected by manually or mechanically squeezing a flexible container of it to inject it into the flow of flushing liquid.
Claims16
A flow-control valve disposed within a condensate line discharge path for selectively blocking and unblocking said discharge path from a pair of fluid sources, and comprising
- a first inlet port, adapted to be connected to an upstream part of the condensate line discharge path from a first fluid source;
- an outlet port, adapted to be connected to a downstream part of the condensate line discharge path;
- a second inlet port, adapted to be connected to a source of alternative fluid as a second fluid source, introducible into the condensate line discharge path for the purpose of flushing it;
- and
- a single rotatable internal valve means, solely disposed within the condensate line discharge path for alternately selectig either one of the sources, adapted to close either inlet port at any given time, but not to close both together.
Method of treating a pump-free downstream discharge line normally connected to an upstream condensate source and alternately connectable to an alternative fluid source by a two-way inlet valve, a single outlet valve disposed solely within said discharge line, said two-way valve having a handle for switching between the two sources,
- comprising the alternative steps of performing
- a simple one-way partial turn of the valve handle,
- blocking flow internally of said discharge line by said valve from the alternative fluid source upstream to the condensate source, and
- opening a path of fluid flow from the alternative source into the discharge line, thereby flushing the discharge line with an alternative fluid while condensate source flow is blocked;
- and
- a simple reverse partial turn of the valve handle,
- blocking flushing flow from entering the discharge line and enabling flow to resume from the condensate source, downstream into and through the flushed discharge line.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.