Automatic sub-floor pumping system

Details Automatic sub-floor pumping system Automatic sub-floor pumping system

1998-11-03

2001-07-03

Wolfe, Willis R. (Department: 3747)

Pumps

Condition responsive control of pump drive motor

Responsive to accumulation of pumped liquid in receiver

C417S041000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06254350

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention pertains to the field of methods and apparatus for removing water from under floors. More particularly, the invention pertains to basement pumping systems for preventing and alleviating water infiltration without the use of sumps, drain gutters, or other relatively large intrusions into the basement floor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Waterproofing and water elimination in basements is a subject of much attention because of the dismay caused by occasional water presence on basement floors. The present invention is the result of diligent and successful work in eliminating periods of water in the basement. In past years there would be surprise and alarm when finding water over the basement floor. Frantic effort would be required to undo the damage.
Conventionally a pump is placed in a well, pit or cavity (“sump”) cut into the floor in or below the gravel, rock or mud bed which is found under basement floors. Channel drains on the floor, drainpipes under the floor, or gutters around the base of the basement walls direct water to the sump. The sump pump, usually controlled by a float, pumps the water in the sump out of the basement through an outflow piped away from the house when the water exceeds a predetermined depth.
Sumps take away floor space—a common sump will measure several square feet—and are troublesome to install in existing basements. The conventional float control is prone to problems due to mechanical interference with the float mechanism, thus requiring clear space around the float, especially for a hinged float, which in turn increases the required sump size. Hoses or debris in the water can hold the float under water, preventing it from turning on the pump, or such objects can slip under the float, causing the pump motor to run continuously. Corrosion on the float hinge or slip rod can cause the float to hang up. In addition, the water level is not well controlled by float switches, and the process of floatation requires a certain amount of water to physically support the float sufficiently to activate a switch. In short, float switches are subject to jamming, require much space, and need wide water height variations.
If the basement floor is built on a mud, clay or compressed soil base, the under-floor drainage could be poor enough that even when the water level in the sump is kept low by the sump pump, water will still seep into the basement at other points. If possible, this water may need to be drained into the sump across the floor or through the channels or gutters. In some cases, the water will collect in low spots on the concrete floor during wet periods and cannot be removed at all except by evaporation and a dehumidifier.
Thus, in a conventional sump system, some quantity of water is nearly always present in the basement, either as unpumped water in the sump, or flowing down channels or gutters to the sump, or even as standing surface water in low spots. This increases the humidity in the basement and potentially damages any floor covering which might be present. The sump, gutters and/or collection drains are unsightly, as well.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the present invention, the hydrostatic pressure, which builds up from gravity and forces water into the basement through the floor or lower walls, is relieved by sensing the water under the floor and pumping out the water to a drain or area away from the house. Thus, the water is prevented from ever entering the basement, and the basement remains dry.
In this situation, water pressure causes a flow along the interface between the concrete slab of the basement floor and the earth below. In fortunate cases where the slab is laid on a gravel or rock bed, the incoming water fills the void between rocks and tends to seek a uniform level as it accumulates up toward the floor, and a probe system with a single master probe at one location, as described and claimed in the parent application to this continuation-in-part, can serve an entire basement. If the basement floor is laid over packed earth, clay or mud, on the other hand, the water will tend to seep more slowly and unevenly, and more than one probe will be required.
The invention senses and removes water simply by means of tubes (which perform like large soda straws) and sensing wires (together, termed “probes”) inserted through one or more holes which are easily drilled in an existing basement floor, for example by using an impulse drill with a carbide tipped bit. Both the sensing of the water level and/or the pumping out of the sub-floor water are accomplished through these small holes drilled through the basement floor in trouble areas, eliminating the need for gutters, channels or sumps. A feature of the invention is that water may be extracted over large areas or along walls by use of multiple probes, arranged in several embodiments, with the use of a single water pump.


REFERENCES:
patent: 820429 (1906-05-01), May
patent: 821623 (1906-05-01), Edison
patent: 1979127 (1934-10-01), Warrick
patent: 3337778 (1967-08-01), Becker
patent: 3787733 (1974-01-01), Peters
patent: 3894240 (1975-07-01), Rose
patent: 3916213 (1975-10-01), Luteran
patent: 4061442 (1977-12-01), Clark
patent: 4182363 (1980-01-01), Fuller
patent: 4265262 (1981-05-01), Hotine
patent: 4600844 (1986-07-01), Atkins
patent: 4742244 (1988-05-01), Koerner
patent: 5234319 (1993-08-01), Wilder
patent: 5408223 (1995-04-01), Guillemot
patent: 5923102 (1999-07-01), Koenig et al.

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