US325820A

US325820A - Sewer

Info

Publication number: US325820A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1885-09-08
Anticipated expiration: 1902-09-08

Description

(No Model.)

J.H..OL ARKV.

SEWER. v I No. 325,820. Patented Sept. 8, 1885.

,Bell

these objects by devices illustrated in the .ac-

UNITED STATES P TENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. CLARK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINoIs;

SEWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 325,820, dated September 8, 1885.

Application filed June To all whom it may concern.- j

Be it known that 1, Lines H. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing in Ohicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in sewers, in which means are provided for preventing the backflow of water from the main sewer. V a

The object of this invention is to provide means for preventing the set-back of water into the basements or cellars of buildings when the main sewer or drainage pipe shall be flushed or overflow; to provide means for automatically cutting off the communication between the house drain-pipeand the main sewer-pipe when any setback of water may occur from any cause; to provide. an alarm which shall be automatically operated by the closing of the valve to notify the occupants of the building thata set-back from the sewer has occurred, and to provide certain details of construction hereinafter described. I attain companying drawings, in Which-'- Figure 1 isa vertical section through a well located beneath the sidewalk, showing the relative ,location of the drain and sewer pipes and the operating parts of my device with the valve suspendedin an open position; Fig. 2, a similar view in detail, showing the valve closed; Fig. 3, an enlarged detail sectionthrough the valve,showing the construc- I tion thereof; and Fig. 4., a detail section on line to m, Fig. 3. j

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the drawings.

A indicates a well, preferably located beneath the sidewalk B, beyond the main wall of the building. It is connected with the main; sewer-pipe (not necessary to be shown) by the pipe 0, which pipe is provided with the usual cesspool 0r. trap, O, forming a waterseal to prevent the escape of sewer-gas into the well. The opposite side of the well is a wall,preferably composed of masonry, of sufficient height to obviate the possibility of an overflow of the well into the basement or cellar of the building. If desired, this wall may extend up to 29, 1885. (No model.)

the sidewalk and a removable lid or cover be provided to permit access to the well from the street; also, if desired, the drain-pipe from the gutter-spout may be led into this well, but it is not deemed necessary to illustrate these points in the drawings filed herewith. Projecting through this wall, nearthe bottom of the well, is the discharge-end of the pipe D for carrying off the sewage from the house,

(having provided therein, just inside the said ,wall,an opening, a, for convenience of removing any obstruction -or sediment that may lodge in the end of this pipe or bottom of the well suflicient to interfere with the perfect operation of the valve. This opening also forms a passage through which the device for automatically giving the alarm is operated by the valve, as hereinafter described. I

A suitable trap-door, b, may be provided in the floor of the, basement, affording easy access to the aforesaid opening.

Forthe purpose of preventing the backflow of water from the sewer from entering the said drain-pipe D, I have provided the automatically-operating valve now to be described.

Hinged to suitable projectionsf'c, on the wall D is a, valve, E, adapted to swing upon the hinge and effectually close the mouth of the pipe D. This valve is preferably composed of an annular rubber plate, cl, rigidly secured between two metallic flanges, c 6, (see Fig. 3,) the flange 6 having cast therewith or otherwise rigidly secured thereto the lugs ff,

which, in conjunction with the projections c,

constitute thehinge upon which the valve, swings.

Extending at right angles from, and preferably constituting a part of, flange e is an arm, 9, carrying upon its free end a weight, It, having projected from its outer surfacea-pris-mshaped lug, '6, adapted to engage notches or teeth j in the bar F, for the purpose of suspending the valve in front of the mouth of the drain-pipe D, and free from contact therewith.

The bar F is pivoted to a suitable projection, 70, on the wall D, and has provided on its under side a series of teeth or notches, f, in which to engage lug '6, as before explained. Its outer end is formed into an eye, having an elongated slot therein, through which projects the upper end of a rod, G. This rod is screwthreaded on its upper end, and has a jam or look nut, Z, on either side of bar F, for the purpose of adjusting the position of said bar, and consequently altering the suspended position of the valve.

The lower end of the rod G is pivotally con nected to a rod, H, which is also pivotall y secured to a projection, m, on the opposite wall of the well, extending horizontally therefrom, and having secured at its outer or free end, beyond the pivotal point of the rod G, a float, I, having the general contour of a loaf, the flat or plane surface thereof being nearest the bottom of the well. This shape is deemed preferable, as rendering the float more sensitive to the water-pressure.

,I do not limit myself to the particular construction of this automatic valve herein shown, as it is obvious that changes of mechanical construction might easily be effected without departing from the spirit of my inventio11-such, for instance, as perforating the ends of the bar F and rod G, and making the adjustment by means of a connecting-pin.

The operation is as follows: \Vhen the backwater from the main sewer-pipe rushes into the well through the pipe 0, it elevates the float I, which, through the medium of rods H and G, inturn elevates the toothed bar F, causing the lug i on the weight it to become disengaged from the notch on bar F, and the gravity of the weight causes it to fall, carrying with it the hinged valve E, instantaneously and effectually sealing the mouth of the drainpipe D, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

In order to render this device more practical and useful, it is designed that the automatic closing of the valve shall automatically operate to give notice or warning to some suitable part of the house that a set-back from the sewer has occurred. This is also essential in order that the valve may be reset after the backflow has subsided. To this end I have provided an electric bell, J, located at some convenient point in the house, connected with a battery and having a wire, n, strung in any well-known manner along the Walls of the building, the free end of which wire passes through the opening a along the top of the drain-pipe D and projects slightly beyond the end of said pipe. Another wire, 0, connected with the battery, is strung in a similar manner and parallel thereto, with a few inches space between them.

When the valve E is seated on the end of pipe D, (see Fig. 2,) the metal flange 0 comes in contact with the projecting ends of these wires, completes the electric circuit, and produces the alarm.

I do not limit myself to this particular device for producing the automatic alarm, as various forms of mechanical construction may be employed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s- 1. A valve automatically operated to cut off communication between the house drainpipe and the main sewer-pipe, substantially as described. I t V 2. Thevalve, in combination with means for causing the said valve to automatically cut off communication between the house drain-pipe and the main sewer-pipe, substantially as described.

3. A hinged orpivoted valve and a weight I rigidly secured thereto having a lug projecting from said weight, in combination with a notched or toothed bar,whereby the valve may be suspended, substantially as described.

4. A hinged or pivoted valve and a weight rigidly secured thereto having 2. lug projected from said weight, in combination with a float and a separable connection between said weight and float, substantially as described.

5. A hinged or'pivoted valve, E, and the weighth, rigidly securedthereto, having a lag projecting from said weight, in combination with the pivoted bar F, the adjustable connectingrod G, and pivoted rod H, provided with a float at its free end, substantially as described.

6. The automatically-operating valve, in combination with means for automatically producing an alarm,substantially as described.

7. The hinged or pivoted valve, in combination with means for producing an alarm automatically operated by said valve, substantially as described. g

8. The hinged or pivoted valve having a metal plate upon one face thereof adapted to form a connection to complete the circuit between the two disconnected poles of a battery when the said valve is seated, substantially as described.

JAMES H. CLARK. Witnesses:

W. W. ELLIOTT, WILL R. OMOHUNDRO.

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