Wells – Processes – Assembling well part
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-14
2004-11-16
Tsay, Frank (Department: 3672)
Wells
Processes
Assembling well part
C166S067000, C166S076100, C285S302000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06817420
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to upgrading potable water wells and more particularly to converting ‘below-ground’ pump installations to ‘above-ground’ installations.
2. Description of the Related Art
Potable water wells have become the focus of the public's attention in Canada over the past year as a result of the tragedy in Walkerton, Ontario in the spring of 2000. The Provincial Government of Ontario has regulations to ensure the public has access to clean drinking water. There have been similar events over the past several years which have made this an important public policy issue across North America.
Clean drinking water comes from a number of sources, including drilled wells. For many years, the drilled well has been installed “below-ground”. Not to be confused with the below ground source of water itself, the term “below-ground” herein below is intended to refer to those installations where the well casing has an upper end which itself is below the ground surface, for example four to six feet below the ground surface. The well casing is usually located in a well chamber which can be, for example, a cement casing or a corrugated steel casing, either of a size sufficient to allow a well installer to join the pump line to a water supply line above the surface of the well casing but which is below the surface of the ground. This below-ground configuration is commonly used in northern climates where pump lines are located a sufficient depth below the ground surface to protect them from freezing.
Though sufficient under earlier regulations, this below ground installation arrangement has not met government regulations for some time. It is common to adapt these below ground well installations to an “above-ground” version, using a generally unsatisfactory technique. It requires that an installer climb down into the typically cramped well chamber and first disassemble the well pump line from the water supply line. The installer must then weld a well casing extension onto the upper exposed end of the well casing with an arc welder. The well casing upper end is often rough or poorly cut to begin with, often requiring a grinding step. It is difficult, if not impossible, to form a tight joint between the well casing upper end and the well casing extension. This increases the risk that the weld seam is not water tight and raises the risk that ground water outside the well casing may enter through the seam causing contamination.
A hole is then formed in the welded casing to accommodate a “pitless” adaptor. The pitless adaptor is a commonly used pump line adaptor that is commercially available through Canadian Plumbing and Pump dealers. Often, the pitless adaptor hole is simply cut with a cutting torch, similarly making it different form a tight seal, thereby presenting a similar risk of unwanted exterior ground water through the poor seal into the well casing.
Furthermore, the welding operation is very dangerous. The installer is usually squeezed into the cramped space with an arc welder. The well chamber is either damp or wet, significantly increasing the risk if electrocution. The welding operation can therefore involve extended periods in a confined space with relatively poor air quality. Once this relatively difficult and dangerous procedure is completed, the well chamber is then filled in and the above-ground exposed end of the well casing extension is capped in a normal fashion.
Consequently, there remains the need for an improved method for converting “below-ground” well installations to “above-ground” installations. It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel method for doing so.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one of its aspects, the present invention provides a coupling device for converting a below-ground potable water well installation to an above-ground installation, the device comprising;
a housing having a first end region to engage an upper end of a below-ground well casing and a second end region to engage a lower end of a well casing extension;
gasket means located adjacent the first and second openings for sealing the respective connections between the housing, the below-ground well casing and the well casing extension; and
a central region including a passage to receive a well line adaptor there between.
Preferably, the gasket means further comprising a first seating surface to seat the upper end of the well casing and a second seating surface to seat the lower end of the well casing extension
In one embodiment, the first end region includes a first opening which is dimensioned to receive the upper end of the below-ground well casing and the second end region has an opening which is dimensioned to receive the lower end of the well casing extension.
In another embodiment, the first end region is arranged to extend into the upper end of the below-ground well casing and the second end region has an opening which is dimensioned to receive the lower end of the well casing extension.
In still another embodiment, the first and second end regions are arranged to extend into both the upper end of the below-ground well casing and the lower end of the well casing extension.
In one embodiment, the passage is between the first and second seating surfaces.
Preferably, the gasket means includes a passage which is aligned with the passage in the housing to receive the well line adaptor. The gasket means includes a gasket sleeve which extends from a region near the first end to a region near the second end. The gasket sleeve may or may not be a one piece member.
Preferably, the housing includes a gasket receiving region and a plurality of locating formations to locate the gasket sleeve therein. More preferably, the housing includes a gasket receiving chamber of an increased diameter relative to the diameters of the first and second openings.
In one embodiment, the housing is formed from a one piece member which has an expanded central portion with a diameter sufficient to accommodate the lower and upper ends together with the gasket member there between. The upper and lower regions also include annular surfaces which are separated by a distance sufficient for the gasket sleeve to fit there between.
The gasket, in the preferred embodiment, further includes a first inner surface region which is radially inwardly tapered from first the opening toward the first seating surface and a second inner surface region which is radially inwardly tapered from the second opening toward the second seating surface and a pair cylindrical seating regions, each of which neighbouring a corresponding seating surface.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for converting a below-ground potable water well installation to an above-ground installation, the below-ground installation being of the type having a well casing with an upper end positioned below the ground surface and located within a well chamber, comprising the steps of:
a) accessing the well chamber and opening the upper end of the well casing;
b) accessing a well pump line in the well casing which is connected, by a fluid joint, with a water supply line extending into the pump chamber and joined with the well chamber from a neighbouring water delivery location;
c) disconnecting the joint and isolating the well pump line;
d) providing a coupling member, having:
a housing having a first opening to receive the upper end and a second opening to receive a lower end of a well casing extension;
a gasket arrangement for sealing the connection between the housing and the upper end and the connection between the housing and the lower end;
a first seating surface to seat the upper end and a second seating surface to seat the lower end; and a passage to receive a well line adaptor there between, the seating surfaces between separated by a predetermined spacing;
e) preparing the upper end for engagement with the coupling member;
f) orienting the first opening of the coupling member to a position adjacent the upper end and positioning the housing on the up
Katten Muchin Zavis & Rosenman
Tsay Frank
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