Apparatus including a portable hoist and grapples for use in repairing water main meters

Apparatus is provided for assisting in the repair of valves used in water line meters. The apparatus comprises a travel lift mounted on a collapsible frame specifically configured for erection on water line meters. Grapples are included for grappling a valve chamber cover, a pivoted weight and a valve so that elements of the valve can be removed from the meter for repair.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The instant invention relates to apparatus used to facilitate the repair of 
valves utilized in underground water main meters. 
In order to account for and bill for water dispensed by large water 
systems, such as municipal water systems, meters of various sizes are 
distributed throughout the system. One type of meter utilized is the 
Hersey Fire Line meter which comprises a meter inserted into the main 
wherein the meter includes a relatively large, weighted swing-arm valve 
which opens when pressure loss through the bypass meter approaches 4 psi. 
Connected in parallel with the relatively large valve is a domestic bypass 
meter having a relatively small swing-arm valve which responds to domestic 
consumption on the order of one gallon per minute or less. Disposed 
downstream of each valve is a register read by visual inspection. 
It has been found that enormous quantities of water are dispensed without 
being billed for or accounted for due to deterioration of components of 
the swing-arm valves. This is usually due to the rubber seal adjacent the 
periphery of the valve being damaged by periodically closing on pebbles 
and other debris passing through the water main. These valves include a 
weight copivoted with the valve and a roller which rides on the weight. 
From time to time, the roller degrades or jams. This can also cause the 
valve to remain open, allowing quantities of water dispensed without being 
billed for. 
Normally, Hersey Fire Line meters are contained in underground meter vaults 
which are entered through a standard twenty-two inch manhole cover and 
have a floor-to-ceiling height of approximately six feet. The mains to 
which the fire meters are attached are generally eight to twelve inches in 
diameter. Consequently, the valves are quite heavy as are the valve 
covers. For example, the weight of the valve cover on a Hersey ten-inch 
fire meter is approximately two hundred seventy-three pounds, the weight 
of the valve is approximately one hundred fifty-six pounds, while the 
weight itself is approximately ninety-six pounds. Handling equipment of 
this weight is difficult and hazardous for work crews, requiring two or 
three workmen to lift very heavy items in a confined space. Since these 
valves are difficult to maintain, water departments frequently let the 
valves leak which nationwide results in hundreds of millions of gallons of 
water being dispensed unmetered. This, of course, increases the price of 
water to users where the water is metered. 
In view of these considerations, there is a need for apparatus specifically 
for handling valves and valve covers used in large water-metering 
equipment, such as the eight and twelve-inch Hersey Fire Line meters. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the instant invention to provide a new and improved 
hoist specifically for use in servicing fire meters installed in water 
mains wherein the hoist can be readily assembled and disassembled for 
transport and erection in meter vaults. 
In view of the foregoing object and other objects, the instant invention 
contemplates a hoist comprising a pair of vertical struts for supporting a 
horizontal beam in spaced relation to a fire meter. The struts each have 
semi-circular base members for mounting the struts on the meter and 
couplings for detachably retaining the beam thereto. A pair of stabilizing 
struts extend downwardly and laterally from the beam and are attached to 
the domestic bypass portion of the fire meter in order to rigidify the 
frame. The hoist is mounted on the beam for traverse between the two 
supporting struts so as to move the valve cover longitudinally with 
respect to the meter wherein access may be gained into the meter to allow 
removal of the valve for maintenance purposes. 
Preferably, the hoist has a self-activating brake which holds the load 
securely in place whenever the hand crank is released. It has been found 
that a nylon rope is preferable to a steel cable since maintenance 
personnel tend to manually grip the cable when maneuvering the load. 
The invention also includes specifically configured grapples for attachment 
to the valve assembly and weight in order to lift the valve assemblies and 
weight from the meter housing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now mainly to FIGS. 1-3 and 7-9, there is shown a water meter, 
designated generally by the numeral 10, which, for the purposes of 
disclosure, might be a Hersey Model No. MFM-CT, manufactured by Hersey 
Products, Inc., of Dedham, Mass. The meter 10 includes a main line 
measuring chamber, designated generally by the numeral 11, and a domestic 
bypass, measuring chamber, designated generally by the numeral 12. The 
main line measuring chamber 11 includes a valve assembly, designated 
generally by the numeral 13, which, when in the FIG. 9 position, remains 
closed blocking flow of water through the main line measuring chamber in 
the direction of arrows 14. As long as the valve assembly 13 is closed, 
water in the main will flow through the bypass 12 and be metered by meters 
16 and 17 (FIG. 1) therein, which meter water for ordinary domestic 
consumption at relatively low rates. However, if there is a demand for 
flow rates in excess of a relatively large flow rate, then the valve 13 
opens to the dotted line position and water flows through the main line 
valve 13. When this happens, a main line meter 18, which is calibrated to 
read relatively large flow rates, commences operation. Large capacity 
meters, such as the meter 18, cannot measure flow rates below their 
threshold level, for example, if the valve 13 is in disrepair or defective 
for some reason it will allow quantities of water to dispense through 
meters 12 and 13 without being billed for. The valves 13 open and close 
rather abruptly when the downstream demand exceeds the threshold level. 
Frequently, when water is flowing at high rates through the valve 13, 
debris entrained in the water damages the valve by sitting, tearing or 
perhaps even lodging in the annular valve seal 21 (see FIGS. 7 and 9) 
which seats against a aluminum valve seat 22 in order to shut off flow 
when the valve is closed. In a municipal water distribution system, there 
may be hundreds or even thousands of meters such as the meter 10 which 
can, if not properly maintained, leak tens of millions of gallons of water 
per year. While the meters 10 are configured for maintenance without 
removing them from the line, in situ maintenance can be very difficult due 
to the weight of the components of the valve 13 and the weight of an 
access cover 24. The problem is compounded due to the cramped working area 
provided by the underground vault 26 which houses the meter 10. Typically, 
a vault 26 for a meter 10 used with a ten-inch main will be fifteen and 
one-half feet long, nine feet wide and six and one-half feet high. The 
meter assembly 10 itself is approximately five feet wide, nine feet long, 
and has a ceiling from the top of the meter to the ceiling of forty-one 
inches. Generally, the manhole cover 30 for gaining access to the meter 
vault 26 has a diameter in the range of twenty-two to forty-two inches. 
Consequently, the meter vault 26 is a cramped compartment with limited 
access. 
Combined with limited access and cramped working conditions are the 
difficulties workmen encounter in removing the valve assembly 13 for 
maintenance. In eight and ten-inch mains, the valve assemblies 13 have two 
relatively heavy elements. Each valve assembly 13 includes a swing-arm 40 
which mounts a clapper disc 41 to which the annular seal 21 is attached. 
The swing-arm 40 is pivoted in a spindle 43 which spindle passes through 
the housing 42 of the meter 10. The swing-arm 40 and clapper disc 41 weigh 
approximately one hundred fifty-six pounds. Cooperating with the swing-arm 
40 is a pivoted weight 44 which is mounted on a spindle 46 also received 
in the housing 11 of the main line measuring chamber 11. In a meter 10 
used with a ten-inch main, the pivoted weight 44 weighs approximately 
ninety-six pounds and bears against a roller 47 on the swing-arm 40 which 
roller tends to degrade over time and interfere with proper operation of 
the valve 13. When the swing-arm 40 and pivoted weight 44 are in the open 
position (FIGS. 1 and 7), they swing through an opening 51 in the top of 
the housing defining the main line measuring chamber 11. The cover 24 has 
a peripheral flange 52 which mates with a flange 53 on the main line 
measuring chamber 11 and is secured thereto by a plurality of bolts 56. In 
order to gain access to the valve assembly 13, the cover 24 must, of 
course, be removed. However, the cover 24 used with a 10-inch water main 
weighs two hundred eleven pounds. In a cramped environment such as that of 
the meter vault 26, removal and replacement of the cover requires at least 
three maintenance workers. Even after the cover is removed, the 
maintenance workers must somehow reach into the interior of the main line 
measuring chamber 11 and extract the ninety-three pound weight 44 and one 
hundred fifty-six pound valve arm 40. Both the weight 44 and the valve arm 
40 must also be supported while the spindles 43 and 46 on which these 
members are pivoted are removed. According to general practice, the 
manhole opening 30 into the meter vault 26 is in the corner of the meter 
vault. Consequently, the manhole opening 30 is not aligned with the cover 
24 so one cannot utilize currently available equipment to perform the 
aforementioned removal and replacement functions. Accordingly, in the 
United States alone, thousands of main line meters, such as the meter 10, 
are simply left to malfunction, dispensing hundreds of millions of gallons 
of water upon which no revenue is collected. The economic consequences of 
this are felt by everyone who relies on public water systems for their 
water. 
In order to facilitate maintenance and repair of valve assemblies such as 
the valve assembly 13, the instant inventors constructed a travel lift 
assembly, designated generally by the numeral 60, with a plurality of 
interchangeable grapples in order to conveniently remove the cover 24; 
extract the swing-arm clapper assembly 40, 41 and 42 and the pivoted 
weight 44, and thereafter to replace these elements with a refurbished 
valve assembly 13 and then reposition the cover 24. With the hoist 60, 
this task is accomplished quickly and safely with two maintenance workers. 
Considering the travel lift 60 more specifically, it is seen that the 
travel lift comprises a beam 62 which is supported by a pair of vertical 
struts 63 and 64 having U-shaped brackets 65 and 66, respectively, which 
received the beam 62 therein. The beam 62 has a plurality of lateral bores 
67 therethrough which receive bolts or pins 68 that also pass through 
coaxial bores in the U-shaped brackets 65 and 66. The struts 63 and 64 
each have semi-circular bases 70 and 71, respectively, which rest on the 
main line measuring chamber 11 on circular surfaces 73 and 74 (FIG. 7) 
adjacent the inlet and outlet ends of the main line measuring chamber, 
respectively. The chamber 11 has a flange 75 adjacent its inlet and a 
flange 76 adjacent its outlet end, inboard of which the bases 70 and 71 
seat. A pair of obliquely extending lateral struts 78 and 79 are bolted to 
the beam 62 at one end and are bolted to flange bolts 81 and 82, 
respectively, on the domestic bypass meter 12. The semi-circular bases 70 
and 71 and the lateral struts 78 and 79 provide a stable secure frame for 
supporting the travel lift assembly 60. 
As is best seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, a trolley, designated generally by the 
numeral 87, and having first and second pairs of wheels 88 and 89 which 
are received within the beam 62, rolls on a pair of opposed flanges 90 and 
91 adjacent a slot 92. Projecting through the slot 92 are supports 93 and 
94 in which the wheels are journalled and which have leading and trailing 
rollers 95, 96, 97 and 98 which engage the edges of the flanges 90 and 91. 
A bracket 100 receives shanks of bolts 101 and 102 extending from the 
wheel supports 93 and 94, respectively, to form the trolley assembly which 
traverses the beam 62 longitudinally when pushed manually. 
Attached to the bolts 101 and 102 and held securely on the support bracket 
100 by nuts 105 and 106 is a conventional brakewinch, designated generally 
by the numeral 110. A preferable brakewinch is one manufactured by the 
Dutton-Lainson Company Stock No. 4Z082. The brakewinch 110 has the drum 
111 which is turned by a hand crank 112. Wound around the drum 111 is a 
NYLON line 113 having a braking strength of approximately 1,600 pounds. 
The NYLON line 113 has a hook 114 (FIG. 4) attached to the end for 
selectively engaging one of the three grappling devices 120, 121 and 122 
shown in FIGS. 8, 11 and 13, respectively. Brake winch 110 is a 
self-activating brake winch which utilizes a brake-and-clutch mechanism 
125 hold the load securely whenever the hand crank 112 is released during 
the loading or unloading. The drum 111 will not free wheel and requires an 
operating load of seventy-five pounds. By using a NYLON line rather than a 
stranded steel cable, injuries to workers' hands which result from broken 
cable strands are avoided. 
Referring now to FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 there is shown the first grappling device 
120 which is simply a flat, rectangular plate 130 having a central eye 131 
in which the hook 114 attached to the line 113 engages. At the ends of the 
flat rectangular plate 130 are a pair of flanges 133 and 134 which extend 
normal thereto. The flanges 133 and 134 fit outboard of a pair of inverted 
U-shaped handles 135 and 136 on the cover 24 of the main line meter 
chamber 11. In order to remove the cover 24 from over the opening 51 in 
the meter chamber 11, the grapple 120 was simply positioned over the cover 
124 and beneath the handles. Upon cranking up the winch 110, the cover 24 
is vertically displaced so that it can be laterally moved away from the 
opening 51. Generally, the cover 24 is simply moved laterally until it can 
be placed over the meter 18 and is then lowered and rested on the meter 
house 11. The hook 114 is then disengaged from the eye 131 and the trolley 
87 is returned to a position over the opening 51 so that the pivoted 
weight 44 and swing-arm 40 can be removed. 
Referring now to FIGS. 10 and 11, the pivoted weight 44 is removed by 
securing the grapple 121 around the upper surface 141 of the weight 44. 
The grapple 121 has a first plate 143 with a hook 144 at the end thereof, 
which hook fits just inboard of the hole 145 for spindle 46 which supports 
the pivoted weight 44. A link 146 passes through a bore 147 in the plate 
143 and through a bore 148 in a second plate member 149. The second plate 
member 149 has a flared portion 151, and angled portion 152 and a pair of 
spaced flanges 153 and 154 to conform the shape of the second plate to the 
free end portion of the underside 157 of the pivoted weight 44. The 
flanges 153 and 154 define a space 158 therebetween which receives the 
circular roller 47 journalled on the swing-arm 40 of the valve 13. In 
order to remove the pivoted weight 44, the grapple 121 is secured to the 
weight by engaging hook 114 with the link 146 and the line 113 tensioned 
enough to support the pivoted weight. The spindle 46 is then extracted and 
the pivoted weight 44 lifted through the opening 51 in the main line 
measuring chamber 11. The pivoting weight 44 can then be inspected and, if 
maintenance is necessary, transferred to another hoist (not shown) on a 
truck above ground and lifted through the manhole cover so that it can be 
taken back to the shop and refurbished. 
Referring now to FIGS. 12 and 13, the swing-arm 40 and valve assembly 41, 
21 is then removed by engaging it with the grapple 122. Since the pivoting 
weight 44 has been removed, the swing-arm 40 is readily accessible through 
the opening 51. The grapple 122 has a first hook 160 at one end which fits 
over the circular roller 47 and a second hook 161 which is attached to a 
flange 162 by a bolt 163. The hook 161 has a U-shaped end 165 which fits 
around the spindle 43 that supports the swing-arm 40. The spindle 43 is 
disengaged from the housing of the main line measuring chamber 11 by 
unscrewing hinge spindle plugs 168 positioned on both sides of the housing 
after slightly tensioning the NYLON line 113 which is attached to an eye 
164 on the grapple 122. The valve arm 40 and attached clapper assembly 
41-21 can then be removed through the opening 51 by cranking up the NYLON 
line 113 on the drum 111 and thereafter traversing into a position closer 
to the manhole cover where a line from separate hoist (not shown) on the 
service truck (not shown) above ground is attached to the eye 164 so that 
the swing-arm valve assembly can be returned to the shop for refurbishing. 
A new or refurbished assembly, with a new roller 47 and a new annular valve 
seal 21 is then lowered through the opening 51 into the main line meter 
casing 11 using the grapple 122. The spindle 43 is then secured in place 
with hinge spindle plugs so that the swing-arm 40 is pivoted within the 
chamber 11. A refurbished pivotal weight 44 is then lowered through 
opening 51 into the chamber 11 and secured in place by fixing the spindle 
46 in the housing with hinge spindle plugs. The housing 24 is then lifted 
by the grapple 120 of FIG. 5 from its resting position over the meter 18 
and returned to its position over the opening 51 by traversing the trolley 
100. The cover 24 is then lowered in place and secured by nuts and bolts 
56 after being appropriately gasketed. 
The travel lift 60 is then disassembled by removing the lateral struts from 
the bypass meter 12 and the pins from the U-shaped brackets so that the 
travel hoist can be conveniently passed through the manhole cover. 
In this way, the main line meters 10 can be rapidly and conveniently 
serviced so as to avoid leaks which cost water distributing departments 
and commissions enormous lost revenues. 
From the foregoing description, one skilled in the art can easily ascertain 
the essential characteristics of this invention, and without departing 
from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and 
modifications of the invention to adapt it to various usages and 
conditions.