Abstract:
Valve removal tool and method for removing older corporation valves/valves from pressurized lines such as water mains without depressurization. The removal tool is temporarily fastened to a saddle around the water main and includes a valve through which a tool may be inserted to grasp and unscrew the old valve and withdraw the old valve through the valve in the tool. The tool also allows placement of a plug in the opening in the water main left by the removal of the tool. Typically a cap is placed over the opening in the saddle to provide a final seal in the event the plug leaks or is somehow dislodged.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/690,071 filed Jun. 19, 2012. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to the field of removal of brass valves from water mains. 
     2. Prior Art 
     Directly tapped valves were and still are a method of drilling into a pressurized pipe to construct a branch line. The apparatus used for this installation was known as a direct tap tapping machine or tapping machine. The machine was connected directly onto the pipe to be tapped and then drilled and threaded. Without removing the machine, the boring bar of the machine was drawn back and the drill/thread die was removed and a corporation valve was connected in its place. The corporation valve was then directly screwed into the threaded opening in the pipe. Over the years, this method of tapping has been reduced and has been replaced by the use of a saddle to encompass the exterior of the pipe and create a seal against the pipe. The corporation valve is then screwed into the saddle. The newer drilling machines now connect to the corporation valves and drill through the valve and eliminate the need for drilling and die threading the pipe first. 
     Nowadays, various city municipalities and water management agencies are requiring the removal of older directly tapped corporation valves from the water mainline. To accomplish this, the water main must be shut down and partially drained and not under pressure to manually remove the corporation valve from the piping and a “full circle” repair clamp placed over the opening in the pipe to assure a leak proof seal. The water main must then be pressured back up and bacterially re-tested to assure the quality of the water. 
     Other methods of immediate solutions have been to encapsulate the corporation valve by leaving it screwed into the pipe and with the use of a modified, full circle repair clamp that has been modified with an exterior tubular capsule that fits over the valve. This method isolates the valve inside a protruding sealed apparatus. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a pressurized line, such as a water line with a valve therein to be removed, together with a saddle for placing around the line, shown in an exploded illustration. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates the assembly of the saddle of  FIG. 1  on the pressurized line. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates the major components of the valve removal tool of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 4-11  are cross sectional views illustrating an exemplary sequence of operations in using the tool for removal of a valve and plugging the opening in the pressurized line left by that removal. 
         FIG. 12  illustrates the tool ready for disassembly after the plug has been installed. 
         FIG. 13  illustrates disassembly of the tool from the saddle. 
         FIG. 14  illustrates the final plugging and sealing of the opening in the saddle. 
         FIG. 15  illustrates an alternate embodiment for the quick lock adapter assembly. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention provides for the removal of directly tapped corporation valves/valves from a pipe or water main without shutting down, pressuring down and draining the pipe or water main. In accordance with the invention, a pre-manufactured full circle “Tee” saddle with inner female threading on the inside portion of the “Tee” is placed over the corporation valve/valve to be removed ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ) wherein saddle members  20  and  22  are clamped around the pressurized line  24  with the internally threaded opening  26  on saddle member  22  being aligned concentric with the corporation valve  28 . This can be done sufficiently accurately by eye, though a simple alignment accessory (not shown) may be used to avoid the saddle walking off the desired alignment during its clamping. 
     A male threaded Quick Lock adapter  30  is then threaded into the female threaded portion  26  of the tee saddle member, as shown on  FIG. 2 . 
     The inlet side of the tool bearing the female Quick Lock adapter with manual cam locking devices to lock the tool is placed over the male Quick Lock adapter and locked into position ( FIGS. 3-12 ). 
     The end  40  of the tool is then removed and the shaft portion  38  of the tool is slid through the end  40  and the EZ Out (easy out) tip  36  is screwed onto the shaft portion  38 . Then the end  40  is replaced to extend the easy out tip  36  through the body of the tool to insert the easy out tip portion of the shaft  38  into the outlet side of the corporation valve/valve  26  to be removed ( FIG. 6 ). Alternatively, the shaft  38  may be placed in the tool and the easy out tip  36  screwed or otherwise fastened to the shaft  38  before the inlet side of the tool bearing the female Quick Lock  32  is placed over the male Quick Lock adapter  30  and locked into position. 
     The Tee handle  42  connected to the rear of the shaft is then manually turned in a counter clockwise direction to jam the easy out tip  36  into the outlet of the corporation valve/valve being removed and unscrew the corporation valve/valve from the pipe. This is shown on  FIG. 6 . 
     When the corporation valve/valve  28  has become freed from the pipe  24 , the shaft  38  is retracted back towards the operator, bringing the corporation valve/valve  28  beyond the sealing mechanism of the inline valve portion  44  of the tool. The inline valve portion  44  of the tool is turned to the closed position to assure a complete isolation from pressurized fluids now escaping from the corporation valve/valve removal ( FIG. 7 ). 
     The removable back portion  46  of the tool receiving chamber which contains and houses the bushing, seals and the back plate  40  is removed from the tool ( FIG. 8 ) and the corporation valve/valve  28  is removed from the easy out tip  36  of the shaft  38 . 
     A tapered plug  48  or expandable plugging source is then placed on the tip of the shaft  38  ( FIG. 9 ). In one embodiment, the tapered plug  48  is a tapered Teflon plug with threads matching the threads left in the water main or pipe  24  after removal of the corporation valve/valve  28 . The back portion or plate  40  of the tool is then reconnected to the receiving chamber  46  of the tool ( FIG. 10 ), creating a seal, and the inline valve portion  44  of the tool is manually turned to the open position, allowing the pressurized fluids to fill the inner portion of the tool. The operator can then push the shaft  38  in a forward direction toward the opening in the pipe  24  and place (screw) the plugging apparatus  48  securely into the opening ( FIG. 11 ). The plug  48  itself has a shaped depression in the face thereof into which a complementarily shaped end  49  of the easy out tip  36  fits to provide a positive drive for securing the plug. 
     When the plugging apparatus is securely in place, the pressure inside the tool can be released and the tool can be removed ( FIG. 13 ). 
     When the tool has been successfully removed, a male threaded plug  50  of proportional size to the female thread of the “Tee” opening of the saddle can be threaded in and tightened ( FIG. 14 ). 
     In the embodiment disclosed, the easy out tip  36  screws onto the shaft  38 . Since the shaft is turned in one direction to unscrew the valve  28  and turned the other direction to screw in the plug  48 , there is a possibility that the easy out tip  36  will inadvertently come off. This does not in practice happen, though the easy out tip  36  may be locked to the shaft, such as by pinning, for example. 
       FIG. 15  presents an alternate embodiment. In this embodiment, the male threaded Quick Lock adapter is fastened to the valve  44  and the female threaded Quick Lock adapter is adapted to be screwed into the opening in the saddle. This embodiment eliminates one piece of tool in the design disclosed, though is exemplary of the many variations that may be used in the present invention. 
     Thus the tool may be characterized as having an aft or receiving chamber  100  ( FIG. 7  for example) coupled to a valve  44 , preferably a ball valve. The valve  44  is configured to join the opening in the saddle, either directly or through one or more joining members. A quick connect/disconnect fitting for joining the tool to the saddle is desirable, though not a necessity, as the entire tool is perhaps larger than could be easily screwed onto or otherwise fastened to the saddle. The saddle itself is sealed with respect to the pressurize line around the opening in the saddle by a suitable rubber or other seal, preferably but not necessarily supplied already fastened to the saddle (such as by gluing) ready for use. 
     Typically the valve  28  to be removed and the region around the valve to be removed are cleaned well to assure a good seal by the saddle should the plug  48  initially or ultimately leak. In the case of a pressurized water line, one might also disinfect the region with alcohol or some other disinfectant. Further if desired or required, the volume between the valve  44  and the saddle could be provided with a controlled leak or flow rate out of the chamber to assure that there is a flow out of the pipe  24  rather than some possible circulation back into the pipe  24  to further assure no contamination of the water in the pipe. 
     As described herein, the phrase easy out (EZ out) is used to generally refer to tool bits used for removal of broken bolts. Such tool bits have a tapered threaded region having threads of an opposite sense (left hand versus right hand) from those of the broken bolt or other threaded member sought to be removed. The threaded region is normally a coarse, somewhat dull threaded region intended to fit into a hole in the member to be removed and when screwed into the hole in the member to be removed, will wedge or jam in the hole, and because threading the easy out into the hole in the member to be removed, will hopefully unscrew the member to be removed because of the opposite sense of the threads on the tool bit. Obviously the size, proportions, sharpness and other parameters of the tool bit may be varied depending on the specific application of the tool bit. Also in some applications such as in the present invention, such parameters may be selected so the tool bit hangs onto (jams or cuts into) the valve being removed until forcibly removed so that the valve does not inadvertently become dislodged and fall off in the forward chamber or ball valve of the tool. 
     Thus the present invention has a number of aspects, which aspects may be practiced alone or in various combinations or sub-combinations, as desired. While certain preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed and described herein for purposes of illustration and not for purposes of limitation, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the full breadth of the following claims.