Abstract:
A reconfigurable water flushing and sampling device which permits the same device to be utilized as a manual flusher, a continuous flushing device, an automatic flushing device, or a sampling station, or combinations thereof.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a national phase application under 35 U.S.C. §371 of Patent Cooperation Treaty application PCT/US2010/052822, filed Oct. 15, 2010, which claims the benefit of Provisional U.S. applications 61/252031, filed Oct. 15, 2009, and 61/391640, filed Oct. 10, 2010, both of which are incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Dead-ends on water systems are a constant source of water quality problems. The water is not flowing and therefore becomes stagnant, and flushing is required. This is time consuming and inconsistent. 
     Also, new EPA regulations are calling for a minimum amount of chlorine to be present at all times at dead-ends. This requires flushing. Other new regulations are requiring that all water systems monitor and control the presence of “disinfectant by-products” (DBPs) within their water. These DBPs are potentially cancer-causing remnants of the chlorination process 
     Also, samples need to be taken within all water systems to meet EPA regulations. Many flushing systems have been invented over the years. Simple systems merely utilize a standpipe and a buried valve near the standpipe; workers periodically open the valve and flush the segment of the water system near the standpipe. Others use automatic systems which flush periodically or which flush based on sensed water quality. Still others flush continuously at a low rate. Some flushing systems flush to the ground, while others discharge into a sewer. Some water systems require periodic testing of the water while others do not. Installing a flushing system initially is time-consuming and expensive. The problem, however, is that the user does not know at time of installation what water quality issues may be faced at this location in the future. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention a flushing/sampling device is provided that lets the user be prepared to convert the original device (a manual flushing device) into any of: a continuous flushing device, or an automatic flushing device, or a sampling station, or combinations thereof. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a novel drain for a hydrant is provided, which can be sealed and opened manually by a user from above ground, without digging. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a view in front elevation of a reconfigurable water flushing and sampling device of the present invention, with a cover in place. 
         FIG. 2  is a view in front elevation, of the device of  FIG. 1 , with the cover lifted and disassembled, showing the device in a manual flushing configuration. 
         FIG. 3  is a view in front elevation of the device of  FIG. 1 , with the cover shown in cross-section, attached to a water main through an auxiliary shut-off valve. 
         FIG. 4  is a view taken along the line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 2 , showing a mounting plate of the device and pipes of the device extending through it. 
         FIG. 5  is a view in right-side elevation, partially cut away, of the device of  FIGS. 1-4 , with the cover removed. 
         FIG. 6  is a view in left-side elevation of the device of  FIGS. 1-5 , with the cover removed. 
         FIG. 7  is a view in rear elevation, partially cut away, of the device of  FIGS. 1-6 , with the cover removed. 
         FIG. 8  is a view in front elevation of the device of  FIGS. 1-7 , with the cover removed and a manual flushing blow-off outlet attached. 
         FIG. 9  is a view in right-side elevation, partially cut away, of the device of  FIGS. 1-8 , with the cover removed, showing insertion of a sampling tube into a first access tube of the device. 
         FIG. 10  is a view in right-side elevation, partially cut away, of the device of  FIGS. 1-9 , with the cover removed, showing the sampling tube installed in the first access tube of the device. 
         FIG. 11  is a view in right-side elevation, partially cut away, of the device of  FIGS. 1-9 , with the cover removed, showing a continuous discharge flusher installed in the first access tube of the device and discharging into a sewer drain adapter of the device. 
         FIG. 12  is a view in right-side elevation, partially cut away, of the device of  FIGS. 1-9 , with the cover removed, showing insertion of a rod into a drain access tube. 
         FIG. 13  is an enlarged sectional view of the area indicated by line  13 - 13  of  FIG. 12 , showing one end of the rod screwed into a threaded passage in the drain access tube to block water flow through it. 
         FIG. 14  is an enlarged sectional view corresponding to  FIG. 13 , showing the other end of the rod maintaining flow through the threaded passage. 
         FIG. 15  is a view in rear elevation of the device, partially cut away, showing removal of a stopper and insertion of an automatic flushing device into a second access tube of the device. 
         FIG. 16  is a top plan view of the device, corresponding generally to  FIG. 4 , showing a cover plate removed from the second access tube. 
         FIG. 17  is a view in left-side elevation of the device with the automatic flushing device installed in the second access tube of the device. 
         FIG. 18  is a cross-sectional view of a casting of the device with a plunger rod positioned in the casting. 
         FIG. 19  is a view similar to  FIG. 3 , but wherein the device is mounted on a concrete slab in an installation where a sewer pipe is not available. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The preferred embodiment of a device  1  in accordance with the invention includes a modified Kupferle Mainguard™ manual blow-off hydrant  101 . Kupferle hydrants are available commercially from Kupferle Foundry Company, St. Louis, Mo., US. The modified hydrant  101  includes a vertical outlet pipe  110  and a vertical valve stem pipe  120 . The vertical outlet pipe  110  may, if desired, be stopped by a cap  111  screwed into its upper end when the outlet pipe is not used. A casting  102  of the hydrant  101  is modified to accept a first adapter  130  ( FIGS. 5-7 ,  9 - 12  and  15 ) connected below (upstream of) a valve seat  108  ( FIG. 18 ) and a second adapter  140  (FIGS.  1 , 3 ,  5 , and  8 - 12 ) connected above the valve seat. The first adapter  130  carries a first access tube  150  ( FIGS. 3 and 8 ) and a second access tube  160  ( FIGS. 6 and 7 ); and the second adapter  140  carries a third access tube  170  ( FIG. 8 ), as described hereinafter. A mounting plate  180  ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ), bolted to the valve stem pipe  120  at  181  ( FIGS. 7 and 8 ), has openings for the outlet pipe  110 , valve stem pipe  120 , access tubes  150 ,  160 , and  170 , and a sewer pipe fitting  190 . 
     A molded plastic enclosure  200  rests on the mounting plate  180  and carries a lockable cover  210 . The enclosure  200  and cover  210  may be substantially similar to the enclosure and cover of the Kupferle 9800A automatic flushing device. Internal fins  201  ( FIG. 3 ) of a molded plastic enclosure  200  are seated on the mounting plate  180  and align the enclosure with the mounting plate  180 . The mounting plate is typically at or slightly below ground level, as seen in  FIG. 3 . The lower part of the enclosure  200  is buried, and the upper, inturned margin  202  of the enclosure  200  is somewhat above ground. An out-turned ear  211  ( FIGS. 1-2 ) on a side of the cover  210  engages the inturned margin  202  of the enclosure, and an outwardly extending bracket  212  on the opposite side of the cover  210  aligns with an outwardly extending bracket  203  of the enclosure  200 , to allow locking of the cover  210  as by a padlock or the like extending through aligned holes in the brackets  212  and  203 . The cover  210  is tall enough to accommodate certain elective components such as an automatic flusher or a continuous flusher, which are intended to be used over a long period of time, and not merely while workers are servicing the device. 
     The hydrant  101  casting  102  has an inlet  103 , an outlet  104 , and a manually operated valve plunger  105  ( FIG. 18 ), which is manipulated by an operating nut  106  ( FIG. 3 ) through a rod  107  to raise and lower the valve plunger  105  into and out of sealing engagement with a seat  108 . ( FIG. 18 ) 
     The casting  102  of the present invention is modified from the standard hydrant in having a first female outlet boss  131  ( FIG. 6 ) formed in the inlet upstream of the seat  108 . A first adapter  130  ( FIGS. 5-7 ) is threaded into the outlet boss  131 . The adapter  130  includes a stub pipe  132  threaded into the outlet boss  131 , in fluid communication with the inlet  103 , a T-pipe  133  threaded into the stub pipe  132  (with the stem of the T threaded to the stub pipe, a first elbow  134  connected to one side of the cross-tube of the T, and a first transition  135  having an upwardly facing peripheral flange at its upper end sized to receive the first access tube  150 . The first access tube  150  has a removable cap  151 . The transition  135  also includes a central connection  136  (FIGS.  5  and  9 - 11 ) for various devices that may be threaded onto it. The central connection  136  is illustratively an upwardly-facing male portion of a screw-together fitting. The male portion contains a closure which is opened when a female fitting is threaded onto it. 
     The first adapter  130  also includes a second elbow  137  ( FIGS. 6 and 7 ) threaded into the other side of the T-pipe  133 , and a second transition  138 . The second transition  138  supports the perforated bottom  167  ( FIG. 16 ) of the second access tube  160  and provides an upwardly facing female portion  139  ( FIG. 15 ) of a push-together fitting. To prevent water from discharging through the fitting  139 , a stopper  165  is pushed into the fitting  139 . The stopper  165  is formed of a section of rigid plastic tubing having a plug  166  at its lower end and held at its upper end by a first semi-circular removable hold-down plate  161 , having a cut-out or recess  163  ( FIG. 16 ) sized to engage the upper end of the stopper  165 . The hold-down plate  161  is held to the mounting plate  180  by bolts  166 . A second semi-circular removable plate  162  is releasably hinged to the first hold-down plate  161  as described hereinafter. 
     In many known hydrants, a drain hole is located in the casting above the plunger and drains the outlet to well below frost level when the valve  105  is closed, but is isolated from the flow passage when the valve  105  is open. The Kupferle Mainguard™ hydrant has a particularly elegant arrangement in which o-rings on the plunger  105  isolate the drain hole without ever contacting the drain hole, but the particular arrangement is not critical to the present invention. In accordance with the present invention, the drain hole of the Kupferle Mainguard™ hydrant is replaced by a threaded elbow  141  ( FIGS. 8 and 18 ) into which is threaded the second adapter  140 . The second adapter  140  includes an elbow  142  into which is threaded the third access tube or pipe  170 ; the third access tube having a cap  171  threaded onto its upper end. Near the lower end of the third access tube  170  is a drain hole  172 . At the lower end of the access tube  170  is a threaded passage  173  ( FIGS. 13 and 14 ) communicating with the interior of valve stem pipe  120  through the elbow  141 . Thus, when the threaded passage  173  is open, the drain hole  172  functions as an ordinary drain hole. If, however, it is desired to isolate the interior of the hydrant from the gravel or other material surrounding the drain hole  172 , the threaded passage  173  may be closed. This might be desired if, for example flooding occurs, thereby increasing the chances of backflow from the drain hole into the potable water supply. Blocking the threaded passage is easily accomplished with a rod  174  ( FIG. 12 ) extending to the top of the access tube  170 . One end  174   a  of the rod is formed with a non-circular shape to make it easy to grip, and the other end  174   b  is formed with a male threaded stud having an o-ring at a shoulder at the top of the stud. A user needs merely to remove the cap  171  from the access tube  170 , hold the rod at its non-circular end  174   a , and screw the threaded end  174   b  of the rod  174  into the passage  173  in order to isolate the drain hole from the potable water in the hydrant. When it is desired to open the drain hole, to render the hydrant freeze-proof, the user removes the cap  171 , unscrews the rod  174 , turns it over, and drops it back into the access tube  170 , where the non-circular end  174   a  ensures that water can flow through the passage  173  and out the drain hole  172 . The entire operation can be carried out from above, without digging or reaching down to the level of the hole. This feature is believed to be useable with all hydrants. 
     The device  1  permits numerous types of flushing, depending on the user&#39;s needs at any time. Because the basic unit consists mainly of pipes and a casting, the additional cost to the user is not great in comparison with the cost of digging and installing a flushing hydrant of any sort. Typically the device, as any hydrant, is connected to a water main  220  through an auxiliary shout-off valve  221 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , by digging a pit, filling it with gravel to the desired depth, and bolting the inlet  103  of the device  1  to a flange of the water main. A sewer line  191  is run from the fitting  190 , to a sewer or appropriate discharge point, adding a P-trap if desired. Gravel is then added around the device  1 , and the pit is filled with dirt to ground line. 
     Standard Configuration: 
     In its simplest configuration, no hardware beyond that already described is installed in the device  1 . When a user wishes to flush that portion of the water system, he or she opens the cover  210  of the device  1 , and removes the cap  111  from the outlet pipe  110 . Although not strictly required, an outlet pipe  230  ( FIG. 8 ) can be threaded into the outlet pipe  110 , and the operating nut  106  is turned to move the operating rod  107  and plunger  105  upward. This allows water to flow through hydrant waterway  110  and out hydrant discharge pipe  230 . When the hydrant is closed, o-rings on the plunger  105  move down and allow water to drain from hydrant  1  through drain hole  172 . 
     As desired or needed, the following options may be added to the device of  FIGS. 1-7 : 
     Sampling: 
     Rod  174  can be turned over and screwed into threaded passage  173  to plug the drain. Then water sampling can be performed without cross-contamination risk. As shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , sampling is performed by removing cap  151  from the first access tube  150 , sliding a sampling rod  235  down first access tube  150 , and threading the sampling rod  235  onto connector  136 . The sampling rod is preferably a Kupferle Model  92 . After sampling, the sampling rod  235  and its water will be removed to prevent freezing, and the cap  151  replaced. 
     Continuous Flushing: 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , if continuous flushing is desired, a flushing pipe  240  is threaded onto connector  136 . Water will flow up through flushing pipe  240  and discharge, with air-gap in between, down into sewer pipe fitting  190  and sewer line  191 . The flushing pipe  240  is preferably a modification of the sampling rod  235  with a longer discharge tube. It may also be a modification of the Kupferle Model 5100 with a male threaded connector at its inlet end and a suitably dimensioned outlet tube. 
     Automatic Flushing: 
     As shown in  FIGS. 15-17 , removal of hold down plates  161  and  162  and stopper  165  allows insertion of an automatic flushing assembly  250  including an automatic valve  251 , an automatic drain  252 , and discharge piping  257 . The lower end  255  of the assembly  250  is a push-together o-ring connection which is inserted into the female pipe end  139 . The upper end of the assembly  250  terminates in a quick-disconnect male part  256 . The upper end of the assembly  250  and the quick-disconnect  256  trap between them a semi-circular removable hold-down plate  161 . When the hold-down plate  161  is bolted to the mounting plate  180 , the assembly  250  is held against upward movement by the plate  161 , in a manner similar to that of the first embodiment of McKeague, U.S. Published Application 2007/0075162 A1 which is incorporated herein by reference. Valve controller  253  is programmed and then suspended from hangers  164  in plate  162 . The valve controller is electrically connected to the valve  251  by an appropriate electrical connection  254 . The plate  162  is then hooked into plate  161  and bolted down. A discharge piping assembly  257  ( FIG. 17 ) is then clamped onto the quick disconnect  256 , and arranged to discharge into the sewer pipe fitting  190  and sewer  191 . The automatic valve  251  opens periodically under the control of the controller  253 . An air gap  258  prevents backflow of water. When the valve  251  closes, automatic drain  252  drains water from the piping assembly  257  and the upper parts of assembly  250 , and the water drains out of the device through perforated wall  167 . 
     The automatic valve  251  could be operated remotely by a variety of methods, include SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems, radio devices, or any other system which would allow for remote control of the valve  251 . In this variation, the controller  253  would be signaled from a remote location to initiate a flushing cycle. 
     An alternate embodiment  1 ′ of the device is shown in  FIG. 19 . The device  1 ′ is substantially similar to the device  1 , but is modified to be used in installations where there is no sewer line available. In this embodiment, the device is mounted to concrete pad C with spacers S to provide a gap between the bottom of the enclosure  200  and the concrete pad C. The device  1 ′ does not include the tube  191 , and when water is flushed, the water flows through the tube  190  to be discharged horizontally to ground, as shown by the arrows in  FIG. 19 . 
     All patents, applications, and other documents mentioned herein are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     Numerous variations in the reconfigurable water flushing and sampling device of the present invention will occur to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing disclosure. Merely by way of example, the drain hole female outlet boss  131  could be directly attached to sewer pipe  191 . The first and second adapters  130  and  40  could be arranged in series rather than on either side of the first boss  131 . These variations are merely illustrative. The disclosure of preferred embodiments is therefore not by way of limitation, but by way of illustration.