GB2370066A

GB2370066A - Flood protection aperture seal

Info

Publication number: GB2370066A
Application number: GB0127398A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Alexander Jones; Peter Anthony Jones
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-11-16
Filing date: 2001-11-15
Publication date: 2002-06-19
Also published as: GB0127398D0

Abstract

Apparatus for sealing an aperture such as an airbrick, a wastewater outlet or an overflow against the ingress of floodwater comprises a cover 20,66 for covering and forming a seal round the aperture and means 30,42,90 for engaging with a component 50,80 associated with the aperture to retain the cover in place. The means 42 may hook into the holes of an airbrick or the grille 50 of a waste outlet or overflow and the cover is drawn into sealing engagement by a tightening bolt 30. Alternatively where the aperture has no grille a bridging bar 80 may be fitted across the interior side of the aperture for engagement with the securing means. The invention is also applicable to apertures in boats.

Description

Flood Protection Aperture Seal

This invention relates to a flood protection aperture seal.

When a property occupier is presented with the prospect of preventing floodwater entering their property, one of the most daunting problems that they must face is the large number of and variety of the number of apertures that are formed through the walls of a typical building. All of these apertures must be sealed if ingress of floodwater is to be prevented.

Protection of door and window apertures has been addressed in our UK patent application No. 0102215.1 and International Patent Application No.

PCT/GBO 1/04897, and protection of overflow pipes and toilet waste outlets is addressed in out UK patent applications filed on the same date as this application.

However, there remain other apertures such as waste outlets and overflows of sinks and baths, and wall air vents that still require protection. It is protection of this latter type of apertures to which this application relates.

One aspect that is shared in common with the apertures to which this invention relates is that they are normally spanned by one or more transverse members.

These members may, for example, be a grille of a waste outlet, a support for a rising outlet plug of a waste outlet, or members of a grille of an airbrick. Alternatively or additionally, the aperture may have a periphery upon which a grip can be obtained. The inventors have realised that such a transverse member or the periphery of an aperture can be used to assist in sealing the aperture.

From a first aspect, this invention provides apparatus for sealing an aperture against ingress of floodwater comprising a cover portion for covering and forming a seal around an aperture, and location means for engaging with a fixed component associated with the aperture to retain the cover portion in place.

Such apparatus can be used to seal an aperture through which floodwater might otherwise enter a building.

The cover portion may carry a sealing element that, in use, forms a seal between the cover portion and material at the periphery of the aperture.

The location means may comprise an element that can be placed under tension to pull the cover portion into engagement with a peripheral region around an aperture to be sealed. The tension element may pass through the cover portion. For example, the tension element may be a bolt. In such cases, the locating means may further comprise a nut that is in threaded engagement with the bolt.

Additionally, the locating means may provide an engaging formation that can engage with and be retained by the fixed component. For example, the engaging formation may include a hook, for example, carried at an end region of an elongate element.

The fixed component with which apparatus embodying the invention may engage might be a periphery of the aperture or a component that extends across the aperture. As an example of the latter, the fixed component may be a grille, or a hole for the passage of fluid (e. g. water or ventilating air).

Apparatus embodying the invention may be provided in combination with additional mounting apparatus that can be disposed in relation to an aperture to provide a formation upon which the locating means can engage. Such additional mounting apparatus can be deployed where there is no existing formation for the location means to engage.

From a second aspect, the invention provides a flood protection kit including a plurality of apparatus for sealing an aperture against ingress of floodwater embodying the first aspect of the invention. These are typically suitable for application to a range of different apertures. A kit embodying this aspect of the invention may further include additional mounting apparatus as defined in the lastpreceding paragraph.

Although this invention has been described principally with reference to prevention of flooding in buildings, it may also find application to installation in boats. As is well-recognised, water can enter a boat when it is moored or underway in rough water, and this can cause flooding within the boat.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a wash-hand basin equipped with two sealing covers each being apparatus embodying the invention; Figure 2 is a transverse section of a sealing cover in place on the drain outlet in the wash-hand basin of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a component of securing means of the apparatus of Figure 2; Figure 4 shows an airbrick upon which apparatus embodying the invention is to be mounted; Figure 5 is a transverse view of the airbrick of Figure 4 having apparatus embodying the invention mounted upon it; Figure 6 is an external view of the apparatus of Figure 4 in place on the airbrick; Figure 7 is a cross-section of apparatus embodying the invention deployed in conjunction with additional mounting apparatus; and Figure 8 shows the additional mounting apparatus in Figure 7 in greater detail.

With reference first to Figure 1, a typical wash-hand basin 10 is shown. This has two apertures intended to let water out of the basin; a wastewater outlet and an overflow. However, in times of flooding, both of these can be potential points of entry for floodwater. As shown in Figure 1, two sealing covers 12,14, each being an embodiment of the invention have been deployed to protect these two potential risk points.

The two covers shown in Figure I are largely similar in construction, the principal difference between them being one of size. The cover 14 applied to the wastewater outlet is shown in Figure 2.

With reference to Figure 2, the sealing cover includes a cover portion 20 formed as a hollow frusto-conical moulding of stiff plastic material. At its end of lesser diameter, the cover portion 20 has a closing end wall 22. It is open at its end of greater diameter. A central aperture is formed through the end wall 22. A resilient annular seal 24 is provided at the open end of the cover portion 20.

The sealing cover further includes securing means to secure it in place on the wastewater outlet. The securing means comprises an elongate bolt 30 that extends axially of the cover portion 20 through the aperture in the end wall 22. A head 32 of the bolt 30 is shaped as a wingnut to enable it to be without the aid of tools. An annular sealing washer 34 of resilient material is disposed between the bolt heads 32 and the end wall 22.

The securing means further includes a locating component 38, shown in Figure 3.

The locating component 38 includes a nut 40 from which two elongate resilient metal locating legs 42 project. Each locating leg 42 has a hook portion 44 formed at an end portion remote from the nut 40. The nut 40 of the locating component 38 is carried in threaded engagement with the bolt 30, such that the locating legs 42 project generally away from the end wall 22 of the cover portion.

The procedure to deploy the apparatus will now be described.

The locating component 38 is positioned such that its nut 40 is towards the free end of the bolt 30. The hook portions 44 of the locating legs 42 are then located on a suitable structure. In this example, the structure chosen is a grid 50 provided to trap objects that are dropped into the wastewater outlet. However, in the case of apparatus applied to the overflow, the periphery of the overflow aperture may be used instead.

The bolt 30 is then turned to draw the nut 40 towards the end wall 22. This, in turn, places the bolt 30 under tension and this urges the cover portion 20 towards

the wastewater outlet. The seal 24 is compressed between the cover portion 20 and the periphery of the aperture so that a fluid-tight seal is formed between the cover portion 20, the seal 24 and the periphery of the aperture. The sealing washer 34 is also compressed to form a seal at the end wall 22 of the cover portion 20. In the case of a wastewater outlet, there is typically a bezel 52 at the periphery of the aperture that provides a surface against which a good seal can be formed.

An alternative embodiment is shown in Figures 4 to 6. In this case, the sealing cover is intended to form a seal to cover an airbrick 60.

An airbrick is typically built into a wall to provide a route for ventilating air to pass through the wall. The example shown in Figure 4 is a simple airbrick with air holes 62 disposed in a regular rectangular array; however, there are many alternative patterns. The airbrick may be formed of ceramic (like a building brick), metal, plastic or other material.

This sealing cover has a cover portion 64 that has a generally rectangular outline shape. An outer wall 66 of the cover portion 64 is domed to confer the outer wall 66 with strength in compression. The outer wall 66 has a central aperture. A peripheral wall 68 of rectangular outline extends from the outer wall 66. A resilient sealing element 70 is carried on an end surface of the peripheral wall 68.

This embodiment has locating means substantially as described above, although it may be of a larger scale, if appropriate. The bolt 30 of the locating means passes through the central aperture of the outer wall 66. This is shown most clearly in Figure 5.

To deploy this sealing cover, the legs 42 are each inserted through a hole 62 in the airbrick 60. The bolt head 32 is then turned to rotate the bolt 30 and draw the nut along its length to clamp the cover portion 66 against the airbrick 60. The sealing element 70 is then compressed between the airbrick 60 and the peripheral wall 68 to form a fluid-tight seal. The sealing washer 34 likewise is compressed to form a seal between the bolt head 32 and the outer wall 66, the domed shape of the outer wall 66 resisting the compressive force applied to it.

As will be understood, deployment of the embodiment described above can meet with difficulties if the aperture has no suitable formation upon which the location means can engage. There may, for example, be no transverse element, or the aperture may be too deep for the legs to reach to form an engagement. With reference to Figures 7 & 8, additional mounting apparatus is shown that presents a solution to this problem.

The additional mounting apparatus comprises a transverse metal bar 80. A respective flat mounting pad 82 is carried at opposite end regions of the transverse bar, the mounting pads 82 being disposed substantially in a common plane. A slot 84 is formed through a central region of the bar 80.

The additional mounting apparatus additionally includes a flat longitudinal metal bar 90 that extends through the slot 84. One end portion of the longitudinal bar 90 is formed as a hook 92. Several holes 94 are formed through the longitudinal bar 92 spaced along its length.

To deploy the additional mounting apparatus, the transverse bar 80 is placed across an aperture 96 to be sealed with the pads 82 being placed in contact with an inner surface of a wall 98 in which the aperture is formed, such that the longitudinal bar 90 is inserted into the aperture 96, with its hook portion 92 within the aperture 96.

A locating pin 100 is then inserted through one of the holes 94 to secure the longitudinal bar 92 against removal from the slot 84. The pin 100 has a head that cannot pass through the hole and a ring 102 that can be used to grip the pin 100 for removal.

Once the additional mounting apparatus is installed as discussed above, the sealing cover can then be deployed as shown in Figure 7. The hook portions 44 of the legs 44 can engage upon the hook portion 92 of the longitudinal bar 90 to secure the sealing cover in place.

The embodiments are described as being for installation in a building. However, the invention has equal applicability to application in boats (typically in yachts and larger boats) to prevent inundation of water through apertures such as drains or ventilators in the boat. It is likely that the embodiments for use in boats is likely to be very similar to those described above with little modification.

A property owner or a boat owner may be provided with a flood protection kit that includes several different embodiments, intended to cover a range of apertures in advance of a flood. The kit may also include additional mounting apparatus as described with reference to Figures 7 and 8.

Claims

Claims 1. Apparatus for sealing an aperture against ingress of floodwater comprising a cover portion for covering and forming a seal around an aperture, and location means for engaging with a component associated with the aperture to retain the cover portion in place.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which cover portion carries a sealing element that, in use, forms a seal between the cover portion and material at the periphery of the aperture.
3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the location means comprises an element that can be placed under tension to pull the cover portion into engagement with a peripheral region around an aperture to be sealed.
4. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which the tension element extends through the cover portion.
5. Apparatus according to claim 3 or claim 4 in which the tension element is a bolt.
6. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which the locating means further comprises a nut that is in threaded engagement with the bolt.
7. Apparatus according to any preceding claim in which the locating means provides an engaging formation that can engage with and be retained by the fixed component.
8. Apparatus according to claim 7 in which the engaging formation includes a hook.
9. Apparatus according to claim 7 or claim 8 in which the engaging formation is carried at an end region of an elongate element.
10. Apparatus according to any preceding claim suitable for engagement with a fixed component that is constituted by a periphery of the aperture to be sealed
11. Apparatus according to any preceding claim suitable for engagement with a component that extends across the aperture.
12. Apparatus according to claim 11 in which the fixed component is a grille, or a hole for the passage of fluid.
13. Apparatus for sealing an aperture against ingress of floodwater substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.
14. Apparatus for sealing an aperture against ingress of floodwater according to any preceding claim provided in combination with additional mounting apparatus that can be disposed in relation to an aperture to provide a formation upon which the locating means can engage.
15. Apparatus sealing an aperture in a wall of a building according to any preceding claim.
16. Apparatus sealing an aperture in a hull of a boat according to any one of claims 1 to 14.
17. A flood protection kit including a plurality of apparatus for sealing an aperture against ingress of floodwater according to any one of claims 1 to 13.
18. A flood protection kit according to claim 17 further comprising additional mounting apparatus as defined in claim 14.