Storm drain system and method
OwnerLouis A. Waters, Jr.inventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A storm drain system is provided to prevent rising water from flowing substantially vertically out of a storm drain inlet. The storm drain system comprises a seat generally horizontally mounted within a chamber and a moveable buoyant door assembly responsive to rising water in the chamber to float upwardly to engage the seat to thereby prevent water flowing upwardly out of the storm drain inlet. A support frame may be mounted along a flow passageway leading to the storm drain gating such that the seat and the buoyant door assembly is mounted to or integral with the support frame. In an embodiment, one or more pivot or hinge mountings secure the buoyant door assembly pivotally with respect to the drain support.
Claims44
A storm drain system to prevent upward flow through a storm drain inlet due to rising water, said storm drain inlet opening into a chamber into which water ordinarily drains through said storm drain inlet, said chamber comprising one or more walls, said system comprising:
- a seat horizontally mounted or substantially horizontally mounted within said chamber around a substantially vertically oriented flow passageway through said chamber leading to the surface and above the top of a drainage conduit ordinarily draining from said chamber water entering through said inlet;
- and
- a buoyant door assembly which floats in water, said buoyant door assembly being movably mounted with respect to said seat and being responsive to water rising in said chamber by floating relatively upwardly until said buoyant door assembly engages said seat, said buoyant door being of sufficient size to block said vertically oriented passageway and thereby prevent water entering said chamber from said drainage conduit from flowing upwardly out of said chamber through said storm drain inlet.
A storm drain system to prevent upward flow due to rising water and thereby prevent or limit or delay flooding at a surface position, a chamber into which water drains from said surface position, said chamber comprising one or more walls, said system comprising:
- a seat secured within said chamber above the top of a subsurface drainage conduit ordinarily draining from said chamber water entering from said surface position and defining a generally vertically oriented opening leading to said surface position;
- and
- a door assembly, said door assembly being movably mounted with respect to said seat;
- and
- float elements for said door assembly responsive to water rising in said chamber by floating relatively upwardly and for moving said door assembly until said door assembly engages said seat, whereby said door assembly obstructs water flowing into said chamber from said drainage conduit from flowing upwardly toward said surface position through said generally vertically oriented opening.
A storm drain valve assembly, comprising:
- a support frame for horizontally or substantially horizontally mounting along a substantially vertically oriented storm drain passageway above the top of a drainage conduit for said passageway,
- a seat integral with said support frame;
- and
- a buoyant door assembly which floats in water, said buoyant door assembly being movably mounted with respect to said seat and being responsive to water rising in said passageway by floating relatively upwardly until said buoyant door assembly engages said seat, said buoyant door being of sufficient size to block said vertically oriented passageway and thereby prevent water flowing upwardly past said door assembly.
A method for preventing flooding due to rising water which flows upwardly and out of chambers which connect to a storm drain system, comprising:
- providing one or more sealing elements around a vertically oriented conduit through said chamber which leads to a surface position and above the top of a drainage conduit connecting to a storm drain system an ordinarily draining water from said chamber;
- providing a moveable door which in an open position permits drainage from said surface position into said chamber and in an closed position is engageable with said one or more sealing elements to thereby obstruct said rising water entering said chamber from said drain system from flowing through said vertically oriented conduit through said chamber;
- and
- providing one or more floatation elements positioned to operate said moveable door such that said door is in said open position when a water level in said chamber is sufficiently low and is in said closed position when water level in said chamber is sufficiently high.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.