GB2302162A

GB2302162A - Swimming pool filler

Info

Publication number: GB2302162A
Application number: GB9511859A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Keith Reginald Brian Johnson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1995-06-12
Filing date: 1995-06-12
Publication date: 1997-01-08
Also published as: GB9511859D0

Abstract

In fig 1 a portable swimming pool filler is disclosed which comprises a ball cock valve inside a perforated housing 12. The valve is connected to a pool filling hose (22 fig 3). The housing is carried by an arm 9. The arm is adjustably mounted (at 10) on a weighted base 7 placed beside the pool 1. In fig 8 a floating ball cock valve is disclosed which comprises a main float 22 supporting the valve 26, a weight 25 pulling on cord 24 to bring the valve into a closed position when the pool is full.

Description

LIOUlD - CONTROL APPARATUS This invention relates to liquid-control apparatus, including water-control apparatus. In particular, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to portable apparatus intended to prevent a swimming pool, or other container of liquid, from being over-filled during a filling operation.

Although not limited to use with swimming pools, nonetheless the present invention will be particularly described with reference to swimming pools, for convenience.

In use, a swimming pool loses a certain amount of water, either as a result of evaporation or as a result of water being splashed away from the pool and lost.

When using a garden hose to "top-up" a swimming pool, it can, with a large pool, take several hours of filling to cause the level of the surface of the water to rise by one inch. What can happen is that the person who turns on the tap connected to the garden hose forgets to turn it off at the appropriate time so that the water level is higher than desired (in which case water is more likely to be lost by being splashed out of the pool next time that the pool is used) or else the water is allowed to run into the pool for so long that it overflows the lip at the top of the pool and is wasted.

Whatever the magnitude of the over-filling, it is wasteful of water, which can be a precious commodity particularly in a draught, is environmentally unacceptable, and can cause unnecessary financial waste where water is metered to the household or pool facility.

Most swimming pools are filled by the use of a hose from a near-by tap. A small minority of pools have sophisticated filling arrangements built into them when they are being constructed which enable the supply of water, during the filling operation, to be terminated when the level of the water in the pool reaches a predetermined height, but this equipment is expensive (typically 400 at 1995 values), and it is particular expensive to fit such equipment to an existing pool not provided with such equipment ab initio.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided portable apparatus intended to prevent a swimming pool, or other container of liquid, from being overfilled during a filling operation, the apparatus comprising: a base intended to be stood on a flat surface beside a swimming pool or other container and to provide stability for the apparatus; an arm extending from the base and into the swimming pool or other container; and a ball-cock carried by the arm, the ball-cock having means to allow a liquid-supplying hose to be attached to the ball-cock; the arrangement being such that with the base stood securely on the flat surface and with the ballcock positioned at the right height relative to the predetermined desired level of liquid in the swimming pool or other container, and with liquid being supplied through the hose and via the ball-cock to the pool or other container, liquid is allowed to continue to be introduced until such time as the liquid level reaches the desired level, whereupon operation of the ball-cock prevents the introduction of further liquid through the hose.

In such apparatus, with reference to swimming pools, the base can be like a flat plate to be stood on the flat surface beside the pool and a suitable weight can be applied to the base, an example being a housing capable of containing water. If desired, the ball-cock can be directly carried by the arm. Alternatively, for example for compactness when the apparatus is not in use, the ball-cock can be carried in its own tank which is perforated so as to allow water from the pool or other container to enter the tank and to allow the ball of the ball-cock to find a level compatible with the level of the water outside the tank, as well as to allow water entering the tank to pass into the pool.

For easy storage, the ball-cock tank can be dimensioned so as to fit within the aforementioned housing used to provide ballast.

The arm can have provision for altering the depth of the ball-cock relative to the base, so as to allow the water level to be set at a different height within the pool and, usually, the ball-cock itself will have provision for fine tuning in terms of cutting off the supply of water. The housing can be made of any material strong enough to contain water or sand necessary to provide the appropriate ballast.

The ball-cock tank, when present, can be formed of any suitable material provided that it is heavier than water, especially when the ball-cock tank is not secured to the arm but merely sits on, or is dependent from, the arm.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable apparatus intended to prevent a swimming pool, or other container of liquid, from being overfilled during a filling operation, the apparatus comprising: a float means; a ball-cock having a lever, a valve which is open or closed dependent on the relative angle of the lever to the valve, and a ball mounted on the lever, the valve being fixedly secured relative to the float means; weight means intended to be placed on the floor of the swimming pool or other container; and a relatively inextendible elongate element extending between the weight means and the float and/or valve; the arrangement being such that, in use with the float means and ball-cock floating on a body of liquid and with the weight means placed on the floor, liquid may be introduced into the swimming pool or other container through the ball-cock until such time as the elongate element is taut, whereupon any increased rise in level of liquid in the swimming pool or other container causes the ball and lever to move relative to the valve and float means so as to close the valve and to prevent the introduction of further liquid into the swimming pool or other container.

As will be appreciated, between them the float means and the ball of the ball-cock need to be able to provide a stable floating entity with the ball-cock so disposed that the lever is free to pivot in a generally perpendicular plane. To provide this, the float means could be a horizontally extending float, with the ball of the ball-cock off to one side of the float means and preferably level with the mid-point of the float means.

In terms of economy, it may be preferable for the float means to comprise two spaced-apart floats, with the ball of the ball-cock lying on a line that runs equidistantly between the two floats, so that the two floats and the ball of the ball-cock are effectively at the apices of an isoceles or even equilateral, triangle. In fact, in such an arrangement, economies can be achieved by employing as the two floats and the single ball of the ball-cock, three identical floats obtainable from builders' merchants.

Conveniently the apparatus comprises a plate to which the float means is secured. When two separate floats are employed as the float means, they can be secured at opposing end regions of the plate, and the elongate element can be secured to a lower region of the plate generally at the mid-point of the plate. The ball-cock can be secured to another mid-point along the length of the plate in such a way that in practice, when the elongate element is slack, and with the two floats and ball floating freely on the surface region of the body of water, the valve of the ball-cock is in the open position.However, when the elongate element becomes taut and prevents further upward movement of the plate, a continued rise in the level of the water causes upward movement of the ball of the ball-cock and hence of the lever relative to the plate and float means so as, eventually, to close the valve.

The ball-cock can be mounted on the plate in much the same way as a conventional ball-cock is mounted within a domestic lavatory cistern, and conveniently on the opposite side of the plate and in fluid communication with the valve is a male or female hose connector capable of being coupled to a female or male (respectively) hose connector already attached to a hose.

With regard to the weight means, this can be a container capable of containing a suitable quantity of sand or other heavier-than-water aggregate, or it could be a purpose-built weight in its own right.

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a vertical section through one embodiment of portable apparatus in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, located beside a swimming pool; Figure 2 is a vertical section, on an enlarged scale, through part of the apparatus Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view from above, on an enlarged scale, of the ball-cock and its own tank, forming part of the apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a view from above of the apparatus of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a view of one end of another embodiment of portable apparatus, in accordance with the second-mentioned aspect of the present invention;; Figure 6 is a perspective view from one side and slightly from above of the apparatus of Figure 5; Figure 7 is a side view through a swimming pool showing the apparatus of Figures 5 and 6 floating on the surface of the water, with the elongate element slack; and Figure 8 is a vertical section through a swimming pool, like that of Figure 7, but from the opposite side, with the apparatus of Figures 5 and 6 floating on the water, but with the elongate element taut, and with the valve closed.

Referring firstly to Figure 1, there is shown a swimming pool generally indicated by the reference numeral 1, which has a floor 2, a side wall 3, a projecting lip 4 and adjacent level ground 5. Shown in relation to the pool 1 is a frame generally indicated by the reference numeral 6 which has a base 7 (intended to sit on the ground 5, an arm 8 dependent from the base 7, and a support 9 projecting laterally from a lower end of the arm 8, the arm 8 being adjustable in height relative to the base 7 by means of releasable securing means 10. The water level is indicated by the reference numeral 11, in Figure 1.

As shown in Figure 1, carried by the support 9 is a tank 12 containing numerous perforations 13 in its side walls (to allow the level of water in the tank to be the same as that outside the tank). Mounted in one end wall 14 of the tank is a ball-cock generally indicated by the reference numeral 15. The ball-cock 15 is mounted to the end wall 14 by a mounting means 16, and includes the usual valve 17, lever 18 and, at the free end of the lever 18, the ball 19. Upward movement of the ball 19 causes the lever 18 to rise and, at a certain point, to close the valve 17.

Mounted on the opposite side of the end wall 14 is a male connection piece 20 intended to connect with a female connection piece 21 attached to a conventional garden hose 22.

In practice, when the level of water in the swimming pool 1 below the desired level, water is caused to flow through the hose 22 and through the valve 17 and into the tank 12 and, from there, into the bulk of the swimming pool so as to cause the water level of the latter to rise. As the water level rises to the desired level 11, the ball 19 is caused to rise and, in the manner indicated above, causes the valve 17 to close, thereby terminating the introduction of water into the pool, even though the tap at the distant end of the hose remains in the "open" position.

Referring now to the embodiment illustrated in Figures 5 to 8 of the drawings, the apparatus includes a plate 21 to opposite end regions of which are secured two floats 22, 23, and to a lower mid-point of which is secured an elongate element 24 secured at its far end to a weight 25. Mounted on an upper mid-point region of the plate 21 is a ball-cock generally indicated by the reference numeral 26. The ball-cock 26 has a valve 27, a lever 28 pivotally mounted with respect to, and in control of, the valve 27, and a ball 29 at the opposite end of the lever 28. On the opposite side of the plate 21 to the ball-cock 26, and in fluid communication with the valve 27, is a hose attachment connector 30 intended for attachment to a complementary connector secured to a hose 31.

As can be seen from Figure 7, when the level in the swimming pool 1 is below the desired level the elongate element 24, which can be a cord, is slack and the angle between the lever 28 and the plane of the plate 21 is approximately 450, which allows the valve 27 to remain open and for water being passed through the hose 31 to pass through the valve and into the pool 1.

When, however, the level of water in the pool 1 rises sufficiently, the elongate element 24 become taut and this has the effect of preventing further upward movement of the plate 21 and of the floats 22, 23 rigidly secured thereto. However, the ball 29 is free, to some limited extent, to continue to rise and does so, causing upward pivotal movement of the lever 28 until such time as the valve 27 is closed, whereupon the further introduction of water through the pipe 31 into the pool 1 is prevented, even if the tap at the far end of the hose 31 is left in the open position.

Apparatus of the type shown in Figures 5 and 6 can be easy to construct as three identical standard balls, as found in standard ball-cock arrangements, can be employed. The ball-cock 27 and arm 28 can be standard, as indeed can be the hose connection component 30. The only specialist component which needs to be provided is the plate 21.

Claims

1. Portable apparatus intended to prevent a swimming pool, or other container of liquid, from being overfilled during a filling operation, the apparatus comprising: a base intended to be stood on a flat surface beside a swimming pool or other container and to provide stability for the apparatus; an arm extending from the base and into the swimming pool or other container; and a ball-cock carried by the arm, the ball-cock having means to allow a liquid-supplying hose to be attached to the ball-cock; the arrangement being such that with the base stood securely on the flat surface and with the ballcock positioned at the right height relative to the predetermined desired level of liquid in the swimming pool or other container, and with liquid being supplied through the hose and via the ball-cock to the pool or other container, liquid is allowed to continue to be introduced until such time as the liquid level reaches the desired level, whereupon operation of the ball-cock prevents the introduction of further liquid through the hose.

2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the base is a flat plate to be stood on the flat surface beside the pool and a suitable weight can be applied to the base.

3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the ball-cock is directly carried by the arm.

4. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the ball-cock is carried in its own tank which is perforated so as to allow water from the pool or other container to enter the tank and to allow the ball of the ball-cock to find a level compatible with the level of the water outside the tank, as well as to allow water entering the tank to pass into the pool.

5. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the arm has provision for altering the depth of the ball-cock relative to the base, so as to allow the water level to be set at a different height within the pool and, optionally, the ball-cock itself has provision for fine tuning in terms of cutting off the supply of water.

6. Portable apparatus intended to prevent a swimming pool, or other container of liquid, from being overfilled during a filling operation, the apparatus comprising: a float means; a ball-cock having a lever, a valve which is open or closed dependent on the relative angle of the lever to the valve, and a ball mounted on the lever, the valve being fixedly secured relative to the float means; weight means intended to be placed on the floor of the swimming pool or other container; and a relatively inextendible elongate element extending between the weight means and the float and/or valve; the arrangement being such that, in use with the float means and ball-cock floating on a body of liquid and with the weight means placed on the floor, liquid may be introduced into the swimming pool or other container through the ball-cock until such time as the elongate element is taut, whereupon any increased rise in level of liquid in the swimming pool or other container causes the ball and lever to move relative to the valve and float means so as to close the valve and to prevent the introduction of further liquid into the swimming pool or other container.

7. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the float means is a horizontally extending float, with the ball of the ball-cock off to one side of the float means and preferably level with the mid-point of the float means.

8. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the float means comprises two spaced-apart floats, with the ball of the ball-cock lying on a line that runs equidistantly between the two floats, so that the two floats and the ball of the ball-cock are effectively at the apices of an isoceles or even equilateral, triangle.

9. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 6, 7 or 8, which includes a plate to which the float means is secured.

10. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 9, wherein two floats are secured at opposing end regions of the plate, and the elongate element is secured to a lower region of the plate generally at the mid-point of the plate, the ball-cock being secured to another mid-point along the length of the plate in such a way that in practice, when the elongate element is slack, and with the two floats and ball floating freely on the surface region of the body of water, the valve of the ball-cock is in the open position, but when the elongate element becomes taut and prevents further upward movement of the plate, a continued rise in the level of the water causes upward movement of the ball of the ball-cock and hence of the lever relative to the plate and float means so as, eventually, to close the valve.

11. Apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, Figures 1 to 4, or Figures 5 and 6, of the accompanying drawings.