Patent ID: 7350533

Claim:
A method for selectively accessing the inside of a pipe, comprising: (a) providing a pipe having an inside; (b) providing apparatus for accessing said inside of said pipe, said apparatus including: a valve having an input, an output, and a rotating control member which selectively opens or closes said valve; a riser pipe connected to said output; an operating rod connected to said rotating control member, wherein said operating rod may be utilized to rotate said rotating control member thereby selectively opening or closing said valve; attachment means for connecting said input of said valve to the inside of said pipe; a housing having a 5.25 inch diameter, a top portion having a removable cover, and a bottom portion; (c) drilling and tapping a hole in said pipe; (d) using said attachment means to connect said input of said valve to said inside of said pipe, wherein said riser pipe and said operating rod are disposed in a vertical orientation; (e) installing said housing around said valve, said riser pipe and said operating rod, wherein said bottom portion of said housing is adjacent said pipe and said housing surrounds but does not touch said valve, said riser pipe and said operating rod; (f) with said removable cover removed, observing that said valve is visible from said top portion of said housing; and, (f) turning said operating rod to selectively open or close said valve.