Adjustable vacuum relief safety valve system for swimming pools and spas

The present invention generally relates to vacuum relief valves. More particularly, the present invention relates to an adjustable vacuum relief safety valve system for use in swimming pools, spas and the like which causes the pump to lose its prime and be shut off if a pre-determined vacuum level is reached in the pump system, such as when an object obstructs the pool\'s drain.

To maximize enjoyment and maintain proper sanitary conditions, swimming pools must be constantly cleaned of debris, dirt and other contaminants. Pools of various types are known to have one or more suction inlets where pool water is sucked along the line via a pump to filtration, aeration, chemical treatment and other type of equipment prior to being returned to the pool via one or more return outlets.

In more recent pool designs, some of the suction inlets are positioned in the bottom or lower region of the pool. Very recently developed pool systems, known as in-floor cleaning systems, have one or more suction inlets which suck pool water therethrough and any debris of pollutants entrained therein are cleaned from the water by being pumped through a filtration and/or treatment station. As with all pools and spas, a high rate of water flow must be achieved in order to maintain an acceptable level of cleanliness. Consequently, a high capacity pump must be employed to draw the water from the pool, with a relatively larger pump generally being required as the size of the pool increases.

Some of the water inlets of such drains have relatively small opening areas and, when large volumes of water being pumped therethrough, very high suction forces at the inlet can be induced. These forces can be so extreme that if a pool user contacts the inlet by any part of their body, they can be held thereagainst, unable to be dislodged, even by force. Such vacuum forces have become so excessive that there have been cases of disembowelment. When the suction inlet is located at or more adjacent to the bottom of a pool, the user can thus be submerged with the risk of drowning or other grievous injury. When such an incident occurs, the vacuum level in the drain line and pool\'s pump rises sharply.

Occurrences of this type of accident have caused the pool industry to look for solutions that prevent an individual, such as a child, from becoming entrapped at the drain. Some approaches have been by modifying the drain\'s construction. Examples of this approach include U.S. Pat. No. 5,809,587 to Fleischer and U.S. Pat. No. 6,295,661 to Bromley. However, these devices are fairly complex and expensive to produce. Moreover, these approaches are only acceptable for new pool construction, and are not capable of being incorporated as a retrofit into existing pools and spas.

Yet other approaches involve the insertion of a safety valve into a suction line of the filtration and circulation system. Examples of these include, U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,624 to Ciochetti; U.S. Pat. No. 6,591,863 to Ruschell et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,486,052 to McKain et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,687,923 to Dick et al. However, this approach also presents many drawbacks. First, such piping is typically submerged below the ground and often encased in or otherwise positioned below concrete. Thus, access to the pipes is not readily obtained unless the safety valve is incorporated into the system when the swimming pool is built. Otherwise, the valves require that the pipe be cut so that the safety valve device can be inserted therein. Cutting these lines increases the opportunity for air leakage in the suction side. Moreover, such installation typically requires professionals having the appropriate tools and ability to install such safety devices. A problem with all such “in-line” systems is that they are typically not close to the pump. The closer one gets to the pump, the better the safety device responds to emergencies.

Yet other prior art approaches utilize electric controls to monitor and control the amount of suction within a line or within the pump. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,059,536 and 6,342,841 both to Stingl disclose such systems. Other systems include U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,700, U.S. Pat. No. 6,171,073 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,468,052 all to McKain. The systems taught in these Patents electrically sense and analyze negative pressure levels within the system and compare the sensed levels with acceptable norms programmed into the electric circuitry. If the negative pressure norms are exceeded, air is introduced into the system, the pump is deactivated, and/or alarms and the like are activated. However, these systems present several drawbacks. Typically, these systems must be adjusted in the field for the particular pump system. Moreover, these systems are relatively expensive and complex.

Accordingly, there is a continuing need for a pool safety valve system which overcomes the deficiencies described above. The safety valve should be capable of being attached directly to the pump. The safety valve system should also be simple enough in design so as to be manufactured inexpensively and installed by the pool owner. The safety valve system should also be capable of being used in existing pools as a retrofit and adjustable to the pump of the existing pool. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.

The present invention resides in an adjustable vacuum relief safety valve system for human-occupiable pools. As used herein, human-occupiable pool means any residential or commercial swimming pool, wading pool, hot tub, spa, Jacuzzi or the like. Such human-occupiable pools have a water circulation system including an intake line, such as from drains from the pool, and a water output line fluidly connected to a pump. As is well known, the pump serves to circulate the water, such as through a filtration system.

The adjustable vacuum relief safety valve system of the present invention comprises a housing comprised of a first shell portion and a second shell portion which cooperatively define an inner chamber. The first shell portion of the housing has an aperture in fluid communication with the pump and the inner chamber of the housing. An air inlet aperture is formed in the second shell of the housing and open to ambient air. Typically, the housing is directly attached to the pump. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the housing is threadedly attached to a drainage port of the pump.

A sealing element is disposed within the housing inner chamber. Typically, the sealing element includes at least one leg biased against a wall of the inner chamber. A spring may be used to bias the at least one leg against the wall of the inner chamber.

A spring is disposed within the inner chamber and adapted to bias the sealing element against the air inlet aperture of the second shell so as to prevent ambient air from entering the inner chamber and into the pump during normal pressure conditions. However, the spring can be compressed to permit the sealing element to be pushed away from the air inlet aperture of the second shell and permit the flow of ambient air into the inner chamber and into the pump, such that the pump loses its prime during elevated negative pressure operating conditions, such as when a drain of the human-occupiable pool is obstructed.

The first shell and the second shell of the housing are connected so as to be adjustably moved toward and away from one another so as to alter the compression of the spring and adjust for pump characteristics. In one embodiment, the first shell and the second shell are threadedly attached to one another.

In a preferred embodiment, a visually readable pressure gauge is operably connected to the housing so as to read a pressure within the inner chamber. This may be done by connecting the pressure gauge to a port of the housing in fluid communication with the inner chamber of the housing. The first and second shells of the housing are adjustably connected to one another until a reading from the pressure gauge is generally constant. This indicates that the vacuum release safety valve system has been adjusted properly to that particular pump to reflect its normal operating pressure conditions.

In one embodiment, the system includes an electronic circuit, including a switch actuatable by movement of the sealing element, wherein actuation of the switch activates the electronic circuit to shut off power to the pump. Typically, the switch includes a depressable member engageable with a portion or extension of the sealing element so as to actuate the switch. The electronic circuit preferably includes a timer circuit configured to temporarily shut off power to the pump, and after a predetermined period of time restore power to the pump. The electronic circuit may also include delay circuitry configured to delay shutting off power to the pump during a predetermined pump start-up period.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of an adjustable vacuum relief safety valve embodying the present invention, with first and second shells of the housing being completely closed towards one another;

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