Protector for sewer cleaning hose

A protector for protecting a cleaning hose inserted into an end of a generally cylindrical sewer pipe and withdrawn therefrom during cleaning with contact against an end of the sewer pipe includes a body having a generally cylindrical insert portion dimensioned to be received in the end of the sewer pipe and a flange portion. The flange has a radial width, relative to a central axis of the pipe, greater than a wall thickness of the pipe. A back surface of the flange portion is held against an end surface of the pipe, thereby retaining the protector in position to prevent the hose from scraping against the pipe end and being damaged. The protector is preferably permanently installed on the pipe.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
 This invention relates to sewer cleaning apparatus and, more specifically,
 to a device for protecting hose which is used in the sewer cleaning
 process.
 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 Sanitary sewer pipes are generally installed underground so that they
 extend nearly horizontally at a depth of, typically, three feet or more
 below the surface which may be a hard-surfaced street or simply beneath
 the ground. Because of the waste material which is carried by such pipes
 and because of the incursion of roots and the like, it is necessary to run
 a cleaning tool through a sewer pipe from time to time. A truck specially
 equipped with a large-volume water tank, a high-pressure water pump and a
 length of high-pressure hose, is used. A nozzle designed to propel the
 hose through the pipe is attached to the hose. The hose is unrolled from a
 reel on the truck through an open manhole and the nozzle end is inserted
 into an open end of the sewer pipe. Water under pressure is then applied
 to the hose and the nozzle is propelled through the pipe, carrying the
 hose with it as the hose unreels from the truck, to the next manhole which
 may be 250 to 400 feet away. The reel is then driven in the opposite
 direction to reel in the hose while water under pressure is passed through
 the hose, accomplishing the desired cleaning.
 While this system works well, a disadvantage is that the hose rubs against
 the edge of the open end of the sewer pipe. This edge can be sharp and
 rough and causes considerable wear of the hose, which is commonly
 rubber-covered. Such hoses are quite expensive and need to be replaced
 frequently at significant cost. In an effort to reduce this cost, rubber
 sleeves or rigid guides have been developed. The intent is that such
 devices are lowered into the manhole around the hose to protect against
 this damage, but they are heavy and/or very cumbersome with the result
 that they are not used, leaving the hoses unprotected.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 Briefly described, the invention comprises a protector for protecting a
 cleaning hose inserted into an end of a generally cylindrical sewer pipe
 and withdrawn therefrom during cleaning with contact against an end of the
 sewer pipe, the protector comprising a body having a generally cylindrical
 insert portion dimensioned to be received in the end of the sewer pipe and
 a flange portion. The flange has a radial width, relative to a central
 axis of the pipe, greater than a wall thickness of the pipe. Fastener
 means holds a back surface of said flange portion against an end surface
 of the pipe.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
 As shown in FIG. 1, a typical sanitary sewer installation includes a
 generally vertical access pipe 10 having a support ring 12 at its upper
 end which normally holds a manhole cover 14, shown partly removed in
 dash-dot lines, to limit access to the sewer. The support ring and manhole
 cover are normally approximately flush with an upper surface of a
 surrounding street or other surface material 16. A generally horizontal
 sanitary sewer pipe 18 lies beneath the surface of the earth a distance of
 three feet or more and has an open end 20 which protrudes through an
 opening in a side of pipe 10. Sewer pipe 18 is typically about 8 inches in
 inside diameter and, in good engineering practice, has a slight slope
 adequate to maintain flow of liquid therethrough in a desired direction to
 limit the growth of bacteria and the like in the pipe.
 As mentioned above, when cleaning is necessary, manhole cover 14 is removed
 and a hose 22, connected to a reel on a cleaning truck (not shown), is
 passed down the access pipe and into the sewer pipe with a special nozzle
 24 at the end of the hose which is inserted into the sewer pipe. Water
 under considerable pressure is then caused to flow into the hose and the
 nozzle propels the hose through the sewer pipe, as discussed above, in the
 direction of arrow 25. The nozzle is allowed to travel a desired distance,
 e.g., several hundred feet., with the reel allowed to turn freely so that
 the hose is payed out along the sewer line.
 When the nozzle has traveled the desired distance, the reel on the truck is
 used to retrieve the hose while water under pressure is forced through the
 hose and forcibly ejected from nozzle outlets 26, impinging on and
 cleaning the interior of the pipe. During this retrieval, the hose is
 pulled upwardly and scrapes against the open end 20 of pipe 18, causing
 wear of the hose. As will be seen from FIG. 1, regardless of the angle of
 extraction of the hose from the access pipe opening, the hose scrapes the
 open end of the sewer pipe, causing considerable and irreparable damage to
 the hose, largely because of the hardness of the material of the pipe,
 generally a vitreous material, and because the pipe end is often sharp and
 rough.
 FIG. 2 shows an end view of sewer pipe 18 with a first embodiment of a hose
 protector indicated generally at 28 in accordance with the invention
 attached thereto. As seen in FIG. 2, and also in FIGS. 3 and 4, hose
 protector 28 comprises an arcuate flange 30 and a cylindrical pipe insert
 31. Insert 31 has an outer surface shaped and dimensioned to approximately
 fit within pipe 18 which, typically, has an inner diameter of about 8
 inches. Flange 30 has a front surface which faces inwardly toward the
 interior of access pipe 10 and a back surface which abuts the open end 20
 of pipe 18. The flange and insert occupy an angle A of about 120.degree.
 of arc and are mounted at the uppermost part of sewer pipe 18 so that they
 cover end 20 of the pipe over about 60.degree. on either side of the top
 of the pipe.
 Flange 30 has a radial width W which is greater than the combined radial
 dimensions of insert 31 and the thickness of the pipe wall so that a lip
 33 protrudes radially beyond the outer surface of pipe 18. Lip 33 is
 penetrated by a plurality of holes 35 for receiving fasteners such as lag
 bolt 37, shown in FIG. 4, which is threaded into the wall of access pipe
 10 to keep protector 28 in the desired position. For an 8 inch pipe,
 thickness W can be about 1.5 inches and the axial thickness of lip 33 is
 about 0.5 inch. The entire axial length of the protector need be only
 about 1.5 inches.
 Flange 30 and insert 31 are preferably made of a material such as a
 moldable polymer which has a hardness about the same as, or less than, the
 hardness of the exterior of the hose to be used for cleaning as described
 above. The hardness can also be greater than that of the hose, but will be
 less than that of pipe 18. In addition, the outer surface of flange 30 is
 preferably made smooth and slightly rounded so that the hose can ride
 across the protector without significant friction and without abrasion.
 The protector can advantageously be molded in a single piece if it is made
 of plastic, but it will be recognized that it can also, for example, be
 made of wood, formed in two pieces, joined by fasteners and adhesive and
 rounded to present a smooth contact surface to the hose.
 A further embodiment of a hose protector 40 in accordance with the
 invention is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and comprises a flange 42 and an
 insert 43. The embodiment of FIG. 5 is the same as that of FIGS. 2-4
 except that the contact surface of the flange and insert, i.e., the corner
 at which the flange and insert join and which is contacted by the hose
 during cleaning, is formed with a plurality of individual radii 45, 46 and
 47 forming a scalloped surface which performs a guiding function for the
 hose. Once the hose enters one of the scalloped regions, it tends to
 remain therein rather than slipping to the side.
 As will be seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, the first embodiment of the hose
 protector has an insert with a single inside radius which is smaller than
 the inside radius of pipe 18. In the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6, the
 three scallops each have a radius which is still smaller, i.e., the
 centers of curvature of the three scallops lie on a circle which is
 between the central axis of pipe 18 and the inner surface of the pipe. The
 radius can be chosen to provide a curvature which approximately matches
 the outer diameter of the cleaning hose to be used.
 It will be recognized that a specific installation could exist in which end
 20 of the sewer pipe protrudes so far beyond a adjacent surface such as
 the inner surface of access hole 10 that mounting in the manner described
 above is not practical. In this case, it is possible to mount a ring
 around the end of the sewer pipe so that it occupies the position of wall
 10 as shown in FIG. 4. The ring can comprise two semi-circular halves
 joined by a circumferential band or any convenient mounting device so that
 threaded fasteners can penetrate lip 33 and the added ring in the manner
 shown in FIG. 4.
 While certain advantageous embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the
 invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various
 modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the
 invention as defined in the appended claims.