Patent Publication Number: US-2007101663-A1

Title: Combination water and radon gas evacuation system

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO PRIOR OR PARENT APPLICATIONS  
      There are no prior or parent applications to which the instant invention relates.  
     FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT  
      There is no federally sponsored research and development to which the instant invention relates.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The invention relates to that grouping of devices serving to remove home basement water and radon gas from the home.  
      2. Related Art  
      The Art Informational Statement filed contemporaneously herewith relates to art that however does not anticipate the instant invention.  
     A SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      1. A Brief Description of the Invention  
      The instant invention consists initially of an electrically driven modified sump pump unit placed within an enclave cut out below the topside planar area of concrete home basement flooring. The sump pump is modified initially by way of cutting therefrom the outwardly jutting side portions thereof and capping the holes left behind after having done so. The pump is further modified by way of tapping a plurality of small holes into the front, back and lateral sides of the pump. It is further modified by cutting a larger hole big enough to accommodate receipt of piping into the topside of the pump. Piping connected to the modified pump through this topside hole is further connected to a vacuum pump located well above the topside of such flooring. Yet more piping connected to the vacuum pump leads upwardly therefrom to an opening in the home to the exterior thereof. The pump is connected at one of its sides with first affixation means in turn connected to one of a plurality of conjoined semi-cylindrically shaped porous channeling components located in the sub flooring of the basement floor and circumscribed by crushed stone pieces. These channeling components are an integral feature of the invention, since, by virtue of the manner in which they are shaped, they are extremely sturdy and much more readily able to withstand weight bearing upon the flooring just above them than are other variants of the same. Perimeter water and radon gas are collected up from below the open bottoms of the channeling components and via porous apertures in sides thereof and then into the channeling units also connected at ends thereof by second affixation means after first passing through the crushed stone pieces. Such water and gas is then channeled via the channeling components into the enclave containing the modified sump pump unit. The water and gas then enter the modified sump pump unit via the tapped holes therein wherefrom the water is conventionally pumped away via piping leading therefrom to and then from the vacuum pump out of the home and the radon is, in turn, also pumped away and out of the home. Optional cove plate units, one of which is connected by third affixation means to a channeling component, are positioned against sub basement floor walling and connected to one another by fourth affixation means to also collect water from above allowing it to also seep into the channeling components.  
      2. Objects of the Invention  
      The instant invention serves the objective of bringing about a ready, safe and highly efficacious dispersal of both basement sub floor waters and potentially deadly radon gas such as would have thereat collected within the basement area of a person&#39;s home. The semi-cylindrically shaped porous channeling components of the invention are characterized by the presence of numerous relatively large porous apertures within each to allow for the ready collection per unit time of relatively larger amounts of water and radon gas from both about and below such components moreso than would be the cases with other variants of such units. Moreover, the semi-cylindrical shape of the channeling components enables them to easily accommodate an objective of easily undergoing a goodly amount of weight bearing from above notwithstanding the relatively large size of the apertures therein. 
    
    
     A DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a top plan view of the instant invention installed below the level of to-be lain basement flooring.  
       FIG. 2  is an isolated top plan view of a modified sump pump unit and channeling components leading thereto.  
       FIG. 3  is an isolated perspective view of the modified sump pump unit and channeling components leading thereto.  
       FIG. 4  depicts in perspective view what is shown in  FIG. 3  but within the depicted presence of basement flooring and walling.  
       FIG. 5  depicts in perspective view the modified sump pump unit connected to a channeling component in turn connected to a cove plate unit of the instant invention.  
       FIG. 6  is a frontal plan view of the modified sump pump unit of the instant invention.  
       FIG. 7   a  is an isolated on end plan view of a channeling component of the instant invention.  
       FIG. 7   b is an isolated lateral plan view of a channeling component of the instant invention.  
       FIG. 8   a is an isolated on end plan view of one of the cove plate units of the instant invention.  
       FIG. 8   b is an isolated lateral plan view of one of the cove plate units of the instant invention.  
    
    
     A DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      The instant invention is depicted in top plan view in  FIG. 1 . There is therein shown an electrically driven modified sump pump unit  2  resting within an enclave F located below basement flooring C as more particularly depicted in  FIG. 3 . Circumscribing the perimeter of a basement below such flooring C and resting on basement wall footings B are a plurality of porous semi-cylindrically shaped channeling components  1  that as can be seen with resort to  FIGS. 1, 2 ,  7   a  and  7   b  are connected near each end of each to near an end of another by way of second affixation means  4 . First affixation means  3  serve to connect one of the channeling components  1  to electrically driven modified sump pump unit  2  as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 5 . Water and radon gas invariably are found leaching into the basement portions of many buildings and homes. The instant system is meant to collect such water and radon gas and expel the same to the exteriors of such buildings and homes. The water and radon gas leach in from earth E and into, about and within crushed stone D located about enclave F and below flooring C. Such water and radon gas is passed into channeling component  1  from, about and within crushed stone D shown in  FIG. 6 . The water and gas are then drawn via the channeling components  1  into enclave F. A plurality of optional cove plate units  12 ; one of which is shown in each of isolated plan views, in  FIGS. 8   a  and  8   b ; are affixed to the lowermost portion of basement walling A, as more particularly visualized in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . Cove plate units  12  serve to more efficaciously collect water breaking through and then trickling down upon the inner side of walling A to be collected within the upper lip tray portions of such units  12  which upper lip tray portion is shown as being the uppermost part of a unit  12  as seen in  FIG. 8   a . Such water so collected then wends it way down behind the units  12  and then through invariably extant minimal spacing as between the base of walling A and the edge facing of flooring C to then meet up with crushed stone D and flow inevitably, to the extent not then evaporated, to and then into channeling components  1 . Third affixation means  13  serve to connect cove plate units  12  near each end of each to near an end of another as can be seen with resort to a viewing once again of  FIG. 1 . Fourth affixation means  14  for connecting a cove plate unit  12  to a channeling component  1  are shows in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . Water and radon gas entering enclave F ultimately enter modified sump pump unit  2  by way of through holes  5  tapped into the sides of modified sump pump unit  2 . The outwardly jutting side portions of a sump pump are cut off with the holes left behind then being capped so as to then relatively minimize the size of an enclave F. Once water and radon gas will have been collected within modified sump pump unit  2 , these substances are expelled to the exterior of a building or home structure. The water is expelled as water is conventionally expelled by way of any sump pump unit. The radon gas is expelled by way of its being sucked upwardly from within modified sump pump unit  2 . A topside through hole  6  is to be found as seen in  FIG. 1  in the topside of a modified sump pump unit  2 . First elongated piping component  7  is affixed at a lowermost end thereof into topside through hole  6 . The uppermost end of first elongated piping component  7  fits into a first through hole  9  in the bottomside of electrically driven vacuum pump unit  8  as can been seen in  FIG. 4 . The lowermost end of second elongated piping component  10  fits into a second through hole  11  in the topside of vacuum pump unit  8  as shown in  FIG. 4 . The uppermost end of piping component  10  is to be found outside the structure containing the system as can be perceived with resort to  FIG. 4 . The radon gas via suction emanating from within vacuum  8  is drawn into piping component  7 , then pump  8  and ultimately out of such a structure via piping component  10 . To the extent that cove plate units  12  are optional for use as elements of the invention, so too would be third affixation means  13  and fourth affixation means  14 . Second affixation means  4  would also be optional to the extent that the channeling components would be positioned to near end at right angles to one another and in contact with one another resting as they would be atop footings B. In respect of the foregoing recitations, the system as hereof described and shown serves to collect a goodly amount more water and radon gas per unit time than do arguably similar systems by virtue of the unique design and configuration of channeling components  1  shown in isolated plan views in  FIGS. 7   a  and  7   b . Channeling components  1  are open at the bottom in addition to being porous. The combination of porousness at the sides thereof and open bottoms thereof greatly facilitate the rate of collection of water and radon gas found below flooring C. Moreover, the semicylindrical shape of channeling components  1  serves to greatly facilitate the weight bearing capacity of such components  1  located below the level of flooring C where not atypically, heavy items are often found stored upon flooring C and up against walling A.  
      In view of the foregoing recitations, respectfully submitted, the instant invention is not merely new, useful and unique but is indeed veritably revolutionary in respect of the art of collecting and dispersing water and radon gas initially found below basement flooring C in structures such as commercial buildings and homes.