Backwater valve assembly and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10240333-B2
Application number	US-201715425718-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2017
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a backwater valve assembly comprising a main valve body, a flapper sub-assembly, and a cap. The main valve body has an inner wall that can define a recess into which the flapper sub-assembly can be removably secured. The flapper sub-assembly includes at least one flapper element that can pivot between an open position, in which the flapper element allows fluid to flow through the backwater valve assembly, and a closed position, in which the flapper element prevents fluid from flowing in the opposite direction. The flapper sub-assembly can be removably coupled to the cap to allow the flapper sub-assembly and cap to be installed in or removed from the main valve body together as a unitary assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A backwater valve assembly, comprising:
a valve body having an inner surface, an inlet, and outlet spaced from the inlet along a flow direction, the inner surface including at least one guide element and a mounting surface spaced from the guide element along the flow direction, the guide element and the mounting surface define a recess therebetween, and the mounting surface is disposed at an angle θ 1 that is offset from a vertical direction, the vertical direction being perpendicular to the flow direction, and
a flapper subassembly removably secured to the valve body within the recess, the flapper subassembly being configured to be inserted into the recess along the vertical direction, the subassembly including a main body portion and a flapper element pivotably attached thereto and movable between an open position and a closed position, the main body portion including a body mounting surface disposed at an angle θ 2 from the vertical direction, such that the body mounting surface seats against the mounting surface of the valve body when the flapper subassembly is disposed in the recess.

2. The backwater valve assembly of claim 1 further including an extension pipe to provide access to the valve body and flapper subassembly.

3. The backwater valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the main body portion of the flapper subassembly includes an opening that is partially defined by the body mounting surface.

4. The backwater valve assembly of claim 3 , wherein:
in the open position, the flapper element uncovers the opening in the body mounting surface, allowing fluid to flow through the valve body along the flow direction between the inlet and the outlet, and
in the closed position, the flapper element covers the opening in the body mounting surface, preventing fluid from flowing through the valve body between the inlet and the outlet.

5. The backwater valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the angle of the mounting surface θ 1 allows the flapper element to maintain the closed position at least by virtue of a gravitational force acting on the flapper element when there is no fluid passing through the valve body.

6. The backwater valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein θ 1 is substantially equal to θ 2 .

7. The backwater valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the flapper element includes at least one seal element that causes the flapper to form a fluid tight seal against the main body portion when the flapper element is in the closed position.

8. The backwater valve assembly of claim 1 further including a body element that is securable to an upper wall of the main body portion, such that the body element and flapper subassembly may be installed in or removed from the recess of the main valve body together as a unitary element.

9. The backwater valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the flapper assumes the open position when fluid flows from the inlet to the outlet along the flow direction, and the flapper assumes the closed position when fluid flows from the outlet to the inlet along a backflow direction that is substantially opposite the flow direction.

10. The backwater valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the main valve body further includes an access at an upper portion thereof, and wherein the flapper subassembly is configured to be inserted through the access and installed in the recess along the vertical direction.

11. A backwater valve assembly, comprising:
a main valve body having an inlet, an outlet spaced from the inlet along a fluid flow direction, an access at an upper portion, an inner surface, an interior space having at least one guide element projecting from the inner surface, and a mounting surface, wherein the at least one guide element partially defines a recess;
a flapper subassembly removably securable within the recess, the flapper subassembly having a main body portion and at least one flapper element pivotably attached thereto, wherein the at least one flapper element is movable between: 1) an open position in which fluid is free to flow along the fluid flow direction, and 2) a closed position in which the flapper element seals against the main body portion and prevents fluid from flowing in a direction opposite the fluid flow direction; and
wherein the flapper subassembly is configured to be inserted through the access and installed in the recess along an installation direction that is substantially perpendicular to the fluid flow direction, and wherein the mounting surface of the main valve body is disposed at an angle θ 1 that is offset from the installation direction.

12. The backwater valve assembly of claim 11 , wherein the main body portion includes a body mounting surface disposed at an angle θ 2 from the vertical direction, such that the main body mounting surface seats against the mounting surface of the valve body when the flapper subassembly is disposed in the recess.

13. The backwater valve assembly of claim 12 , wherein θ 1 is substantially equal to θ 2 .

14. The backwater valve assembly of claim 11 , wherein the flapper subassembly is configured to be removed through the access and completely uninstalled from the recess along a removal direction that is substantially opposite the insertion direction.

15. The backwater valve assembly of claim 11 , wherein the angle of the mounting surface θ 1 allows the flapper element to maintain the closed position at least by virtue of a gravitational force acting on the flapper element when there is no fluid passing through the main valve body.

16. A backwater valve assembly comprising: a valve body having an inlet, an outlet spaced from the inlet along a flow direction, a recess disposed between the inlet and outlet, and an access spaced from the recess along a vertical direction that is perpendicular to the flow direction; a flapper subassembly being configured to be removably installed into the recess along the vertical direction, the subassembly having a main body portion and a flapper pivotably attached to the main body portion that is movable between an open position and a closed position, the main body portion has an opening that is in fluid communication with the inlet of the main body portion and a body mounting surface disposed about the opening at an angle θ that is offset from the vertical direction, the flapper including a flapper body having a generally planar surface that is disposed at the angle 0 from the vertical direction when the flapper is in the closed position,
wherein the angle θ allows the flapper element to maintain the closed position at least by virtue of a gravitational force acting on the flapper element when there is no fluid passing through the valve body wherein the valve body further includes at least one guide element and a mounting surface spaced along, the flow direction, wherein the at least one guide element and the mounting surface cooperate to define the recess.

17. The backwater valve assembly of claim 16 , wherein the mounting surface is disposed at the angle θ with respect to the vertical direction, such that the main body mounting surface seats against the mounting surface of the valve body when the flapper subassembly is disposed in the recess.

18. The backwater valve assembly of claim 16 , wherein the flapper subassembly is configured to be removed through the access and uninstalled from the recess along a removal direction that is substantially parallel to the vertical direction.

Assignees

• Oatey Co

Inventors

• Hull Eric G
• Young Dennis R

Classifications

• F16K27/0227

  with the valve members swinging around an axis located at the edge of or outside the valve member · CPC title

• A01D41/1271

  for measuring crop flow · CPC title

• Y10T137/7903

  Weight biased · CPC title

• F16K15/031

  the hinge being flexible · CPC title

• E03F7/04 Primary

  Valves for preventing return flow {(in gullies, drains or the like E03F5/042)} · CPC title