CA1076036A

CA1076036A - Integrated cleanable filter, pressure reducer, check valve

Info

Publication number: CA1076036A
Application number: CA235,900A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Bernhard W. Braukmann; Rudolf Vollmer
Original assignee: Braukmann Armaturen AG
Current assignee: Braukmann Armaturen AG
Priority date: 1974-09-21
Filing date: 1975-09-19
Publication date: 1980-04-22
Also published as: FR2285499A1; FR2285499B1; JPS5155152A; DK424275A; NL162447C; IT1042683B; SE7510380L; BE833596A; AT343057B; NL7509989A; JPS5845548B2; DE2445199A1; SE399928B; ATA641475A; CH592787A5

Abstract

A B S T R A C T

A control unit is formed of a housing containing a filter with an inlet and outlet in line above the filter, the latter forming a channel with the housing; a pressure reducer is positioned between the inlet and the outlet above the filter. A rotary valve positioned between the filter and the pressure reducer reverses the flow in the unit. A plug-valve is located in the housing to provide drainage and the plug-valve is connected to the rotary valve so that on reversal of flow, the plug-valve opens to drain the unit.

Description

~076036 ~IELD OF INVENTION
The invention relates to a domestic-water control unit having connections for a supply line from the water main and a domestic water line, an inlet pressure gauge and an outlet pressure gauge, a filter, a pressure reducer and a return-flow check valve.
PRIOR ART
Units of the kind referred to above have their inlet ends connected to a water-supply line, for example the public water main, whereas the outlet ends are connected to the domestic water line or lines. The pressure reducer brings the inlet pressure down to a level suitable for the domestic water line. The said inlet and outlet pressures may be read on pressure gauges in hydraulic communication with the two con-nections on the unit, i.e. the inlet and the outlet connections.
The filter ensures that the functioning of the pressure-reducer is not i~paired by grains of sand or other contaminants. The return-flow check valve, which is located in the direction of flow, after the outlet-pressure gauge, ensures that no return flow occurs in the event of a drop in, or total failure of, the inlet pressure.
The disadvantage of existing domestic-water control units is that the individual elements, such as filters, pressure reducers, etc, must be assembled in situ, which requires considerable technical ability ~nd additional labour, In addition to this, existing units, as seen in the direction of the piping, are relatively lengthy and therefore require a considerable amount of room.
It is therefore the purpose of the present lnvention 3o to provide a domestic-water control unit, of the type mentioned at the beginning hereof, which is easy to install and which is of short length.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This purpose is achieved, according to the invention, in that, in order to provide an unit ready for installation, the filter, the pressure reducer, the return-flow check valve, and the two connectors all have a common housing, which also contains connecting passages for the pressure gauges connected thereto.
The filter, pressure reducer, return flow check valve, and the two pressure gauges, can thus be assembled at the plant, so that the only installation work required is to connect the said common housing of the unit to the supply line from the water main and to the domestic water line. The said housing may of course, be made in several parts, the idea being that the spring cap for the pressure reducer, and the preferably cup-shaped enclosure for the filter, be detachable. Threaded connections are, of course, supplied to connect the unit to the supply line from the water main and to the domestic water line. This single housing for all the elements of the unit also makes the said unit quite compact.
The two connectors on the housing are preferably coaxial with each other.
According to another configura~ion of the invention, the filter is arranged substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the housing and is thus at the bottom of the unit in the installed position. The size of the filter may thus be increased without affecting the length of the unit.
One particularly preferred example of embodiment of the invention is characterised in that the filter inlet and outlet are-connected to the control element of a reverse flushing device. In normal operation, the water flows through the filter in front of the pressure reducer in one direction but when the reverse flushing device is changed over, the water flows through the filter in the opposite direction, this floating away any contaminants deposited on the filter. The "flushing water", and any contaminants it may contain, may be removed through an aperture arranged in the housing for the purpose, especially in the part of the housing surrounding the filter.
According to another configuration of the invention, the reverse-flushing device consists of a rotary valve which, in its operative position connects the inlet-pressure chamber in the housing with the outside of the tubular filter which is provided at least with radial passages, while the interior of the filter is connected to the pressure-reducer inlet. Thus, with the rotary valve in the ~perative position, the water flows radially into the filter and leaves it axially, as usual, the conta~inants being deposited upon the outside of the cylind-rical screen. During reverse-flushing, the interior of the tub-ular filter is connected to the supply line from the water main, and the water therefore flows radially through the filter from inside to outside, thus washing away the contaminants deposited on the outside. The resulting contaminated water, which is initially located in the cylindrical cavity between the filter and its housing, is preferably removed, as stated above, through an aperture in the said housing, fitted with a drain plug. The rotary valve must, of course, be appropriately sealed, and the flow passages therein must be of a size, and must be arranged in a manner, such that they allow the water to flow through the filter in the opposite directions, when said valve is in its tNo terminal positions of rotation, in co-oper-` ` 1076036 ation with the corresponding passages in the housing. In this connection, it is of particular advantage to mount the said valve rotatably, directly in the control-unit housing, with the actuating lever passing through the said housing to the outside.
According to another variant of the invention, the said actuating lever is detachable and may be fitted to the rotary valve in one of the two positions of rotation thereof, for each of which a slot is provided in the housing. Thus, if the lever is inserted, through one slot in the housing, into one attachment thread on the rotary valve, then the unit may be be installed left-handed for example, whereas if the unit is to be installed right-handed then the lever is inserted through the other slot in the housing and into the other attachment thread on the valve. If the said rotary valve is arranged concentrically with the filter, and especially to the longit-udinal axis of the pressure reducer, the actuating lever will run in the horizontal -direction when the control unit is install-ed and will also pivot in a horizontal plane. The two slots in the housing may be immediately adjacent to each other, and the ends may be used as stops for the rotary valve. In the case of the left-handed assembly, the rotary valve may be from right to left for reverse-flushing; if the assembly is right-handed, then the valve will be moved from left to right. Thus the distance between the two attachment locations on the rotary valve is substantially equal to the distance between the two slots in the housing.
Another characteristic of the invention consists in that the rotary valve is connected to a rotary closure element, especially a plug-valve, in the housing, in which case the ~076036 operative position of the rotary valve in rotation is associated with the closed position of the plug valve. This means that when the rotary valve is changed over from the operative to the reverse flushing position, the plug valve is simultaneously moved from the closed to the open position. This eliminates the need for any special measures for draining the contaminated water during reverse-flushing. In this connection, it is particularly desirable to arrange the said plug-valve coaxially with the rotary valve at the bottom of the part of the housing surrounding the filter and to connect the two valves together by means of a rod passing axially through the filter.
According to another characteristic of the invent-ion, the rotary-valve actuating lever may run, when the said valve is in its operative position in rotation, in the direction of the connector for the domestic water line, with the reverse-flushing position at ~0 thereto. This conspicuous arrange--ment of the actuating lever and the "drain line" makes it pos-sible to see, from some distance away, whether the rotary valve is in its operative position or its reverse flushing position. Moreover, if the actuating lever is placed as closely as possible to the domestic water line, the danger of injury and inadvertent rotation of the rotary valve is effect-ively eliminated.
Additional advantages and configurations of the in-vention may be gathered from the following illustrated des-cription.
- BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS _ An example of embodiment of the invention is illustrat-ed in the drawing attached hereto, where;n:
Fig.1 shows a central vertical section through the domestic-iO76036 water control unit according to the invention, with the rotary valve in its operative position;
Fig.2 shows a section through the rotary valve at right angles to tne plane of Fig.1:
Fig.3 is a section, corresponding to that in Fig.2, through the main part of the domestic-water control unit.
DESCRIPTION OF_A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Housing 1 of the domestic-water control unit accord-ing to the invention has a connector 2 for a supply line from the water main, not shown, and ano-ther connector 3 for a domestic -water line, also not shown, the connections being made by means of threaded unions 4,5. The pressure obtaining in inlet passage 6 is shown on inlet-pressure gauge 7, while the pres-sure obtaining in outlet passage 9, in front of return-flow check valve 10, is shown on outlet-pressure gauge 8. The water therefore flows into the unit according tothe invention in the direction of arrow 11. The water passes initially through a ve~rtical passage 12 in a rotary valve 13 which is mounted rotatably in main part 14 of housing 1. The said valve is secured axially by means of a sealed central screw 15 which is screwed into a corresponding thread 16 in the housing.
Sealing is achieved by means of two resilient rubber rings 17 and 18 in spaced relationship to each other, fitted in corres-ponding grooves in rotary valve 13, and co-operating with step-ped cylindrical surface 19 of the said housing. Sealing ring 18 is located above the two slots 20,21 arranged in extension of each other, cast or machined into main part 14, and extend-ing through about 90. These slots allow for the passage of actuating lever 22 which may be screwed selectively into one of two threaded holes 24 (Fig. 1~ provided in the rotary valve at a distance 23 from each other. This makes it possible to rotate the said valve, frarn connecting web 25, between the slots 20,21 through about 90, to the left or right, depending upon which of the two threaded holes 24 the said actuating lever is screwed into. This makes the unit according to the invention suitabls for right or left-handed installation. When actuat-ing lever 22 lies parallel with sleeve 26, i.e. with the out-let passage from the control unit, the rotary valve is in its operative position of rotation, whereas if the said lever is at 10 right-.angles to the plane of the figure, the said valve is in reverse-flushing position.
In the operative position of rotation of valve 13 shown in Fig. 1, the incoming water flows through the passage 12 into the annular space 27, formed, on the one hand, by the cup- -~shaped lower portion 28 of the housing and, on the other hand, by the cylindrical casing of filter 29, through which the water flows in a radial direction 30 from outside to inside. Bottom - 31 of the said filter has no water passages. The top of the filter is mounted sealingly upon a spigot-shaped extension 32 20 of the rotary valve 13, through the interior of which the water flows, in the direction of the arrows shown in Fig. 2, through the two kidney shaped openings 33, 34 (Fig.3) and through openings 3~, 36 which are in alignment with the latter opening ings when the rotary valve is in its operative position, into housing chamber 37 (Figs. 1 and 3) which also constitutes the inlet-pressure chamber of the pressure reducer 38. After flowing through valve seat 39 of the pressure reducer 38, the water passes, at a suitably reduced pressure, into outlet passage 9. It then flows through valve seat 40 Of the return-flow check valve 10 and finally reaches the domestic water line, not shown. At this time, closure element 41 of pressure reducer 38 and 42 of return-flow check valve 10 are, respectively, in their partly or fully open positions.
When the rotary valve 13 is in the reverse-flushing position of rotation, either opening 33 or opening 34 in the said valve wilL be in hydraulic communication with inlet pas-sage 6, depending upon the direction in which the said valve has been rotated, and passage 12 will therefore be associated either with opening 35 or opening 36 in main housing passage 14.- In this--case, the water flows through the rotary valve 13 in a direction opposite to that of the arrows 43 or 44, and passes initially into the interior of filter 29. It then flows radially through the said filter, from inside to outside, in a direction opposite to that of the arrows and thus enters annular chamber 27. Particles of dirt on external surface 4~ of filter 29 are thus loosened and mixed with the emerging water and this contaminated water may be drained in some suitable manner.
It is not desirable to drain contaminated water through oulet passage 9, since it might contaminate both pressure 20 reducer 38-and return-flow check valve 10, which is precisely what filter 29 is intended to prevent. It is therefore desir-able that cup-shaped housing part 28 shall have at least one drain aperture 46, as shown in Fig.1 displaced through an angle of 90. This drain aperture, or apertures, is closed or, in the reverse-flushing position, is opened by means of a plug-valve 47, or the like, mounted rotatably in lower part 28 of the housing and suitably sealed.
In one particular example of embodiment of the invent-ion, plug-valve 47 is connected to rotary valve 13 by means of a rod 48, the said connection being made by ribs 49 or by some other means. Each drain aperture 46 is associated with a hole 50 in plug-valve 47.
The control unit according to the invention may be made relatively short in length by moving filter 29 to the bottom of housing 1 and locating pressure reducer 38 at the top of the housing. All elements are easily accessible and may therefore easily be serviced, repaired or replaced. Pressure reducer 38 and return-flow check valve are of conventional design.
In connection with the latter, it should be noted that valve seat 40 is moulded into a housing sleeve ~1. This permits complete pre-assembly of the said valve and also makes it easy to replace.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A domestic water control unit comprising a housing, a filter located in said housing to provide a channel, an inlet and an outlet in line in said housing above and normal to said channel, a pressure reducer between said inlet and said outlet and substantially in line with said filter and responsive to the flow therein, an inlet and outlet pressure gauge connected through said housing to said inlet and outlet respectively, a check valve in said outlet, the normal flow from said inlet being along said channel, through said filter into said pressure reducer and then through said check valve to said outlet.

2. An unit according to Claim 1 having valve means between said filter and pressure reducer which is operable to reverse said flow whereby the water from said inlet flows into said filter and then into said channel.

3. An unit according to Claim 2 wherein said valve means is a rotary valve mounted to rotate directly in said housing and there being an actuating lever to said rotary valve, said lever extending outward of said housing.

4. An unit according to Claim 3 wherein said lever is de-tachable and there being spaced apart slots in said housing, each said slot being adapted to receive said lever on re-attach-ment to said rotary valve.

5. An unit according to Claim 3 having a plug valve in said housing, said rotary valve being connected to said plug valve, the arrangement being such that on normal flow the plug valve is closed but on reverse flow, through operation of the rotary valve, the latter opens the plug valve to drain the unit.

6. An unit according to Claim 5 wherein said rotary valve and said plug valve are coaxial and connected by means of a rod which passes axially through said filter.

7. An unit according to Claim 3 wherein said lever in the normal flow condition of the unit is in line with said inlet and in the reverse flow condition is at about 90°
thereto.