Abstract:
A hydrant, comprising in combination an upper portion including a handle, a lower portion to be installed at least in part underground, the lower portion including a reservoir and a piston adapted to be displaced in the reservoir in response to handle manipulation, to displace water from a portion of the reservoir, a first conduit communicating with the interior of the reservoir to receive displaced water, the first conduit having an outlet located above ground to freely discharge water received in the conduit from said chamber, when water is displaced from the reservoir.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to freeze resisting valves, and more particularly to valves installable in such relation to the ground as to resist freeze-up in cold weather. 
     Freezing of water control valves in winter, as for example in remote locations, such as farms, ranches, etc., has been a persistent problem. U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,723 discloses a simple, reliable valve that-does not require heating, as by electricity or other means, and. that will resist, and prevent, freeze-up in normal winter conditions. That valve employs a water reservoir beneath a piston, and water collects in the reservoir. There is need for removal of water from the reservoir, to alleviate stagnant water build-up, and/or to alleviate operational problems. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is a major object of the invention to provide an improved hydrant structure, to meet the above need. Basically, the hydrant assembly includes: 
     a) an upper portion including a handle, 
     b) a lower portion to be installed at least in part underground, 
     c) the lower portion including a reservoir and a piston adapted to be displaced in the reservoir in response to handle manipulation, to displace water from a portion of the reservoir, 
     d) a first conduit communicating with the interior of the reservoir to receive displaced water, 
     e) the first conduit having an outlet located above ground to freely discharge water received in the conduit, when water is displaced from the reservoir. 
     Accordingly, water in the reservoir can be discharged exteriorly of the hydrant in response to hydrant operation, to prevent stagnant water build-up in the reservoir. 
     An additional object is to provide a second conduit having an entrance to receive water discharged from the first conduit, the second conduit having an outlet located underground. 
     A further object is to provide an air gap located between the first conduit outlet and the second conduit entrance. As will be seen, a water collector can be provided at the air gap to collect water discharged from the first conduit, for flow into the second conduit entrance. Also, the air gap is advantageously located above the level of the reservoir, whereby the air gap is. adapted to be located above ground and the reservoir is adapted to be located underground. 
     It is yet another object to provide the hydrant reservoir installed underground, and the air gap located above ground, the second conduit having an upper portion extending above ground and a lower portion extending underground to discharge water received from the first conduit at underground level. 
     A yet further object is to provide the first conduit to have upward extension within the second conduit, at a location proximate the first conduit outlet. 
     The invention also contemplates a hydrant installation method which includes: 
     locating the reservoir underground, and 
     locating the air gap above ground. 
     These and other objects and advantages of the invention, as well as the details of an illustrative embodiment, will be more fully understood from the following specification and drawings, in which: 
    
    
     DRAWING DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1 is a vertical section showing one preferred form of apparatus embodying the invention, and in piston down position; 
     FIG. 2 is a view like FIG. 1 but showing the apparatus in piston up position; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical section showing details of the lower underground portion of the modified apparatus in piston down position; and 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged section showing a modified discharge path from the reservoir. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the drawings, the vertically elongated, hollow body  10  may be cylindrical, as shown. It is adapted to be installed underground, below ground surface level  11 . Heat from the underground formation is conducted to and into the cylindrical body  10 , as via its side wall  10   a  and bottom wall  10   c , which may be metallic. Accordingly, water stored in a reservoir  12  in the lower body does not freeze, despite freezing conditions at and above ground surface level  11 . 
     A piston  13  is shown as received in a bore  14  defined by body  10 , to be movable up and down; and it will be understood that as the piston moves downwardly in FIG. 1, water stored in the reservoir  12  is displaced through porting  110   a  into and upwardly within conduit  110 . 
     As shown, lower portion  15   b  may be integral with the piston; and upper portion  15   a  may comprise a tube connected to the piston at  16 . Tube  15   a  extends upwardly through a closure  17  closing the upper end of the cylinder  10 , and also within a pipe  18  attached to the closure at  19 , and extending upwardly to an above ground location, as at  18   a . Tube  15   a  projects upwardly beyond the upper end of pipe  18  and is movable up and down by an actuator  20 , for stroking the piston  13  up and down. Fitting  100 , connected to the top of tube  15   a , delivers water at outlet  101 , as the tube  15   a  is moved downwardly. 
     Supply means is provided to deliver water from a below-ground source into the tubular means for flow upwardly therein and delivery above the piston and cylinder when the piston is in a down position relative to the cylinder. Such supply means typically has communication with the interior  23  of the tubular means lower portion  15   b  in piston down position (see FIGS. 1 and 3) and is blanked against said communication in piston up position (see FIG.  2 ). Note, for example, the side wall port  26  in the lower tubular extent  10   b  integral with cylinder  10 , and which receives the tubular means lower portion  15   b  projecting downwardly as shown to move within a bore  30  defined by  10   b.    
     An underground water supply pipe appears at  31  and is in communication with port  26 . Lower portion  15   b  of the tubular means  15  has a closed lower end at  15   bb . Lower tubular extent  10   b  may have a drain opening at  32  in its bottom wall  10   bb.    
     Porting is provided in the tubular means lower portion  15   b , as at  34 , to drain water from within the tubular means into a reservoir within the cylinder below the piston, when the piston is moved to an up position relative to the cylinder. Accordingly, any water remaining above ground level in the upper tubular portion  15   a  drains through porting  34 , and into the underground reservoir  12  as indicated in FIG. 2, to prevent freezing of water in  15   a . The hydrant is, therefore, usable in winter as well as other seasons, no water remaining above ground to freeze in  15   a  above ground. 
     Seals  40  and  41  are carried by  15   b  above and below clearance  36 , to engage bore  30 , and a bottom seal  42  below the level of porting  26  also engages bore  30 , as in FIG. 2. A piston seal appears at  43 . 
     Actuator  20  has pivot connection at  105  to the fitting  100 ; and a link  106  pivotally connects the lower arm  20   a  of the actuator to a sleeve  107  attached by set screw  107   a  to fixed pipe  18  when set screw  107   a  is released, pull up of  100  pulls  107  off  18 , after  17  is removed from  10 . As actuator  20  is swung counterclockwise, the tubular means  15  and piston  13  are moved downwardly to enable hydrant water flow; and as  20  is swung clockwise,  15  and  13  move upwardly to stop such flow. 
     FIG. 3 shows one modified form of the FIG.  1  and FIG. 2 apparatus, and wherein corresponding elements bear the same identifying numerals. A through port  51  through the piston  13 , between its upper and lower surfaces  13   a  and  13   b , allows some water under pressure to flow upwardly from reservoir  12  to the chamber  52  above the piston, during the piston down-stroke. Also, port  51  allows water to drain from chamber  52  into the reservoir, at times when the piston is in the up-position, as seen in FIG. 2, to prevent water freezing in chamber  52 . 
     In another form, a slight, annular clearance  53  between the piston periphery  13   a  and bore  14  allows air to pass between  52  and  12  during the piston up-stroke. Note the chevron seal  43   a , which accommodates such air passage, but blocks water flow upwardly through the clearance, during the piston down-stroke. 
     A check valve unit  55  in that other form is then carried within a port  34   a  in portion  15   b  of the tubular means, immediately below the piston. That unit  55  allows water to flow from the reservoir  12  into the bore  56  of the tubing portion  15   b  during the down-stroking of the piston and particularly after seal  41  travels downward in engagement with bore  30 ; however, it blocks reverse water flow from tubing bore  56  into the reservoir  12 . The unit includes a ball check  57  resiliently urged by spring  58  against a seat  59  in a tubular insert  60 . That insert is carried in port  34   a , as shown. When the port  51  is employed, the check valve unit  55  need not be used, and vice versa. 
     In piston up-position, water can flow from pipe  15   a  to the reservoir, via elongated clearance at  36 . 
     The present invention is particularly directed to provision of a discharge path from the reservoir  12 , to alleviate or reduce stagnant water collection in the reservoir, and to provide an additional discharge path of water from the reservoir. As will be seen, a first conduit, as for example is seen at  110 , is provided to be in communication with the interior of the reservoir to receive piston displaced water; and that conduit is provided with an outlet located above ground to freely discharge water received in the conduit from said reservoir, when water is displaced from the reservoir. 
     In the example of FIG. 1, the conduit extends upwardly at  110   b , from an entrance end at  110   a  proximate the reservoir, and to a discharge end  110   c , forming the outlet. The latter is typically located above ground so that water is freely discharged to ambient air pressure, at the hydrant exterior. 
     A second conduit may be provided as at  112  to have an entrance at  112   a  for receiving water discharged from the first conduit, the second conduit having an outlet  112   c  located underground, for drainage of reservoir water into non-frozen soil. The second conduit has downward extent at  112   b , between  112   a  and  112   c.    
     Preferably, there is an air gap located or formed, as at  113  between the first conduit outlet  110   c  and the second conduit entrance  112   a , to assure ambient air pressure conditions at outlet  110   c . A water collector may be provided at the air gap to collect water discharged from the first conduit, for flow into said second conduit entrance. One such collector taken the form of a pan or funnel  114  extending about the entrance  112   a , and carried by the second conduit. The illustrated pan upper surface  114   a  is downwardly convergent to guide water flow into entrance  112   a . The air gap  113  is preferably located above ground, as shown. An upper portion of  112   b  projects above ground, and the lower portion of  112   b  is located underground. Outlet  112   c  is typically located at a level at or below the reservoir level. 
     FIG. 4 shows the upper portion of conduit  110  extending protectively within the upper portion of conduit  112 ; and a cap is provided at  115  to extend over the air gap  113 . The cap is carried by the second conduit, as shown, and may be ported at  115   a  to assure that the air pressure at gap  113  is the same as external ambient pressure conditions. A deflector  116  extends over  110   c  to deflect the flow downwardly into conduit  112 . 
     FIG. 2 also shows water draining back into the reservoir  12  as during upward movement of the piston  13 .