GB2480885A

GB2480885A - Flood defence method and apparatus for a sewer pipe

Info

Publication number: GB2480885A
Application number: GB1009474A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Anthony Turner; Malcolm Victor Thomas; Stefan Gavin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-06-05
Filing date: 2010-06-05
Publication date: 2011-12-07
Also published as: GB201009474D0

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and or a device for preventing water ingress through a sewer pipe connecting a building 10 to a sever mains (11 figure 1). A valve 35 may be provided in the sever pipe which closes in the event of rising floodwater. A valve actuating mechanism (14 figure 1) preferably incorporates an inflatable bladder 38 to effect closure of the valve, the bladder being inflated, automatically, when rising water is sensed. The bladder is preferably inflated by a canister 39 of compressed gas such as Carbon Dioxide or Nitrogen released into the bladder by an automatic water-responsive trigger 41.

Description

IMPRO VEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO

FLOOD DEFENCE

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to flood defence and, more particularly, to a method of and/or apparatus for preventing the ingress of flood waters into buildings.

Background to the Invention

Flooding is a well-known hazard and, almost on a daily basis, there are reports of property damage resulting from flooding.

Early attempts at keeping flood water out of buildings involved using sand bags across doorways to provide a physical barrier to the intrusion of flood water. This method is still used today but has obvious shortcomings. More recently purpose-made barriers have been proposed but these are dedicated items and must be installed in advance of the flood waters rising.

Past attempted solutions have concentrated, principally, on water ingress through doors and through ventilation openings, such as airbricks and weep vents provided in external walls. It will be appreciated, however, that there are further routes whereby flood water can enter a building.

It is an object of this invention to provide apparatus andlor methods which go at least some way to addressing the problems described above; or which will at least provide a novel and useful alternative.

Summary of the Invention

Accordingly, in one aspect, the invention provides a method of preventing water ingress through a sewer pipe leading from a building, said method including the steps of: sensing a water level rising above said sewer pipe and, in response thereto, effecting blockage of said sewer pipe.

Preferably said method further includes locating a valve to, in use, effect blockage of said sewer pipe; and a valve actuating mechanism operable, upon contact with water, to effect movement of said valve into a position blocking said sewer pipe.

Preferably said valve is associated with a laterally extending section of sewer pipe.

Preferably said method further includes defining a cavity about a section of said sewer pipe; removing a portion of said sewer pipe within said cavity; and mounting said valve within said cavity.

In a second aspect, the invention provides a flood protection device for preventing water ingress through a sewer pipe, said device including a valve engageable with said sewer pipe which, when closed, effects blockage of said sewer pipe; and a valve actuation mechanism responsive to water contact, said valve actuation mechanism being operable, upon contact with water, to effect closure of said valve.

Preferably said valve actuation mechanism includes an inflatable bladder configured to, upon inflation, effect closure of said valve; and a source of inflating gas which, upon water being sensed, is released into said bladder.

Preferably said valve and said valve actuation mechanism is incorporated into a sub-assembly, said sub-assembly being displaceable into and out of contact with said sewer pipe.

Preferably said device further includes a cavity liner, said sub-assembly being locatable within said cavity liner.

In a third aspect the invention the invention provides a sub-assembly consisting of a valve and a valve actuating mechanism suitable for use in the method and/or in the device set forth above.

In a fourth aspect the invention provides a method of providing flood defence to a building having a sewer pipe connected to a sewer mains, said method including locating a valve between said building and said sewer mains, said method further comprising providing a valve actuating mechanism operable to detect rising flood water and, in response thereto, to effect operation of said valve so as block the flow of water along said sewer pipe toward said building Many variations in the way the present invention can be performed will present themselves to those skilled in the art. The description which follows is intended as an illustration only of one means of performing the invention and the lack of description of variants or equivalents should not be regarded as limiting. Wherever possible, a description of a specific element should be deemed to include any and all equivalents thereof whether in existence now or in the future.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The various aspects of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1: shows a schematic view of a connection between a building and a mains sewer incorporating a flood defence system according to the invention; Figure 2: shows an enlarged view of that which is circled in Figure 1; Figure 3: shows a further enlarged isometric view of a valve and valve actuation sub-assembly shown in elevation in Figure 2; Figures 4A: show a sequence in forming the flood defence system shown in to4C Figure 2; Figure 5: shows an elevational view of a cavity liner forming part of the flood defence system shown in the previous Figures; Figure 6: shows a view along the line Vi-VI in Figure 5; and Figure 7: shows a view along the line Vu-Vu in Figure 5.

Description of Working Embodiments

The invention provides a method of andlor apparatus for preventing the ingress of flood waters into buildings, particularly water ingress through a sewer pipe leading from a building to a mains sewer connection. One characteristic feature of the invention is that a blocking valve is located between a building and a mains sewer serving that building. The valve is provided in the sewer pipe leading from the building to the mains sewer, the system further including an automatic actuation mechanism which senses rising flood water and actuates the valve to prevent flood water flowing back up the sewer pipe and into the building.

A further characteristic feature of the invention is the provision of an inflatable bladder to displace the valve into the closed position, the valve actuating mechanism including a water activated trigger and a source of inflating gas which, when a rising water level is sensed, is placed in communication with the bladder to inflate the same.

Yet a further characteristic of the invention is that the valve and valve actuating mechanism are provided as a sub-assembly which can be removed from its operating position for servicing and replacement of operating parts.

Referring to Figure 1, a building 10 is connected to sewer mains 11, passing through a mains collection pit 12, by a sewer pipe 13. A valve and valve actuating mechanism 14 are provided to effect blockage of the sewer pipe 13 and thus prevent the flow of rising floodwater back through the pipe 13 and into the building 10. Whilst the valve could be located where the sewer pipe 13 enters the collection pit 12, in the form shown the valve and valve actuating mechanism 14 are located between the pit 12 and the building 10 in a manner which will be described in detail below.

Referring to Figures 4A to 4C, according to one aspect, this invention provides a method of blocking a laterally extending section of sewer pipe 13 buried beneath the ground surface 15. In the form shown a cavity 16 is dug into the ground so as to expose a section of the pipe 13. A part of the pipe thus exposed is then removed leaving a space 17 between the exposed ends.

A cavity liner 18, which will be described in greater detail below, is then lowered into the cavity, positioned so that the exposed ends of the pipe 13 are located within the liner 18, and the liner then fixed in position by, for example, pouring concrete between the outer surface of the liner 18, and the surfaces defining the cavity 16. A sub-assembly 20, comprising the valve and valve actuation mechanism, can then be located within the cavity liner 18 and an inspection cover 21 engaged with the upper end of the cavity liner.

As can be seen from Figures 5 to 7, the cavity liner 18 is a hollow rectangular-sectioned box structure having end walls 23 and 24, side walls 25 and a bottom surface 26. Both end walls include elongated apertures 27, the widths of which are sufficient to accommodate the outer diameters of the sections of pipe 13. The lower edge of the aperture 27 on the face 23 is preferably further provided with a lip 28 which is sized and configured to locate within the pipe 13.

The cavity liner 18 is positioned within the cavity 16 so that the end wall 23 faces the building 10. To fit the cavity liner 18, the same is lowered into the cavity 16 and the elongated hole 27 in end wall 24 located over the projecting end of pipe 13. The cavity liner 18 is then displaced laterally so that the lip 28 engages within the other exposed end of the pipe 13. Circular blanking plates (not shown), whose diameter conforms to the diameter of the pipe 13, may then be positioned within the liner, over the pipe ends, before the concrete is poured about the liner 18 to fix the same into position. It will. be seen from Figure 2 that the pipe end engaging end wall 23 of the liner 18 does not extend into the liner but, at most, lies flush with the inner surface of the liner. This is so that an effective seal canbe created with the valve and valve actuation assembly. As an alternative, the inner surface and the sub-assembly could be formed with mating connections to ensure the requisite seal.

Turning now to Figure 3, one configuration of valve and valve actuating sub-assembly 20 is depicted. A single housing 30 provides a mount both for a sliding gate valve 31 and the actuating mechanism for the valve which will be described in greater detail below. The housing 30 has a pair of vertically extending ribs 32 on opposite sides thereof, the ribs engaging in channels 33 (Figure 4C) formed in the inner side walls of the cavity liner 18. This arrangement allows the sub-assembly 20 to be accurately located within the cavity liner 18.

The sub-assembly 20 and cavity liner 18 are configured so that, when the sub-assembly is fully engaged within the liner, the valve aperture 34 is aligned with the pipe 17 engaging end wall 23 of the liner. A valve closing member is vertically displaceable so as to selectively block or uncover the aperture 34. Mounted on the upper edge of the closing member 35 is a plate 36 and, mounted between the plate 36 and the top cover 37 of the housing 30 is an inflatable bladder 38. It will be appreciated that, as the bladder inflates and expands, the plate 36 is displaced away from the top cover 37, thus displacing the valve closing member 35 into a position which blocks the valve aperture 34.

The bladder 38 is preferably inflated from a canister 39 of an inflating gas such as, for example, CO2 or N2. The gas is released by a firing mechanism including a water-sensitive trigger 41 which, upon contact with water, releases the contents of the canister 39 into the bladder 38 by way of connecting tube 42. The canister and trigger mechanism may, for example, be the same in principle as the systems used to automatically inflate life jackets.

The incorporation of the valve and valve actuation mechanism in a single sub-assembly means that the same can be easily removed from the cavity liner for checking, service and replacement of the canister 39 and firing mechanism 40, after actuation. A handle 43 attached to the top cover of the housing 30 facilitates engagement and withdrawal of the sub-assembly from the cavity liner.

It will thus be appreciated that the present invention, at least in the case of the working embodiment herein described, provides a form of flood defence which is not only highly effective but has a number of advantages which include the following: 1. The sub-assembly 20 triggers automatically, without the need for human intervention.

2. The operative parts of the sub-assembly are enclosed in the cavity liner and are substantially inaccessible. Accordingly there is little possibility of the device being triggered unintentionally or being tampered with, and little risk of the functional parts of the device deteriorating due to exposure to the elements.

3. Following actuation, the sub-assembly can be easily withdrawn for replacement of the operating parts and re-arming for future use.

4. The system and apparatus described herein can be easily retro-fitted to existing buildings.

Claims

Claims 1. A method of preventing water ingress through a sewer pipe leading from a building, said method including the steps of: sensing a water level rising above said sewer pipe and, in response thereto, effecting blockage of said sewer pipe.
2. A method as claimed in claim 1 further including locating a valve to, in use, effect blockage of said sewer pipe; and a valve actuating mechanism operable, upon contact with water, to effect movement of said valve into a position blocking said sewer pipe.
3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein said valve is associated with a laterally extending section of sewer pipe.
4. A method as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 further including defining a cavity about a section of said sewer pipe; removing a portion of said sewer pipe within said cavity; and mounting said valve within said cavity.
5. Flood protection apparatus for preventing water ingress through a sewer pipe, said device including a valve engageable with said sewer pipe which, when closed, effects blockage of said sewer pipe; and a valve actuation mechanism responsive to water contact, said valve actuation mechanism being operable, upon contact with water, to effect closure of said valve.
6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein said valve actuation mechanism includes an inflatable bladder configured to, upon inflation, effect closure of said valve; and a source of inflating gas which, upon water being sensed, is released into said bladder.
7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6 wherein said valve and said valve actuation mechanism is incorporated into a sub-assembly, said sub-assembly being displaceable into and out of contact with said sewer pipe.
8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 further including a cavity liner, said sub-assembly being locatable within said cavity liner.
9. A sub-assembly consisting of a valve and a valve actuating mechanism suitable for use in the method claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 and/or for use in the apparatus claimed in any one of claims 5 to 8.
10. A method of providing flood defence to a building having a sewer pipe connected to a sewer mains, said method including locating a valve between said building and said sewer mains, said method further comprising providing a valve actuating mechanism operable to detect rising flood water and, in response thereto, to effect operation of said valve so as block the flow of water along said sewer pipe toward said building