Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
SYSTEM TO PREVENT BASEMENT
FLOODING FROM SEWER BACKUP
TECHNICAL FIELD
[001] The invention relates to a flood prevention system for controlling
building
basement flooding from sanitary sewers, storm sewers and weeping tile
connections of
a building.
BACKGROUND
[002] Residential buildings typically have drain pipes from showers,
bathtubs, sinks,
toilets and appliances that connect into a main drain pipe that in turn
connects to a
municipal sewer pipe. The basement of a residential building also has a floor
drain
connected to the municipal sewer pipe.
[003] A residential building typically has buried weeping tiles/pipe around
the
perimeter of the basement foundation walls connected to a building storm sewer
line
which in turn connects to a municipal sewer pipe or in some jurisdictions, a
separate
municipal storm sewer. The weeping tiles collect and channel away water from
the
building foundation. Building downspouts may also be connected into the
building storm
sewer line.
[004] The building drain pipe connections to the one or more municipal
sewage lines
terminate within the residential building, and in particular at the basement
floor.
[005] A municipal sewage system comprises a complex infrastructure of
underground pipes, sewers and catch-basins. Municipal sewage systems may
provide
for separate underground sanitary and storm sewer mains that are separately
connected
to sanitary and sewage discharges lines from a building. In older parts of
some
municipalities the underground sanitary and sewage systems lines from a
building
discharge into a single combined sanitary and sewer main.
[006] In older residential areas, many existing municipal sewers are
not adequately
sized to accommodate recent developments in their service area, or, they
become unable
to properly discharge sewage because of aging infrastructure. Increasingly,
more
frequent severe weather events put additional strain on municipal sewer
systems, often
overwhelming municipal sewers resulting in repeated basement flooding of
buildings.
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[007] In an effort to divert discharges to municipal storm sewers, many
municipalities
require homeowners to disconnect building downspouts from sewer connections
and
divert their discharge onto the ground away from the exterior walls of the
building.
[008] Sewage backups occur when sudden and severe rainfall downpours or
excessive spring runoffs overwhelm municipal sewage lines [particularly
combined storm
and sanitary sewers], causing sewage effluent to reverse its flow from the
main municipal
sewer lines back into the building basement often via the basement floor
drain, but also
through basement toilets and sinks.
[009] Sewage backup remedial actions have included installing sump pumps
which
discharge accumulated water from ground water to the outside of the building
and by
installing sewer backflow prevention devices such as backwater sanitary valves
(also
known as "check valves" or "backwater valves"). Backwater valves are
mechanical
devices that are designed to allow the flow of water in one direction only ¨
away from the
building into the municipal sewer line. Problems can arise from these valves
because of
improper installation or because of lack of maintenance. Either problem can
result in
failure of the device resulting in sewer backup through the valve into the
building or sewer
discharge into the house from toilets, showers etc., because a closed
backwater valve
prevents proper sewer discharge from the house.
[0010] Prior attempts to solve basement sewage backup problems have
included
installing a backup/backflow valve, a standard sump pump or battery backup
sump pump
have failed by varying degrees. These attempted solutions often fail because
the building
connections to the sewage lines remain terminated within or under the building
which
means that when backup flow equipment fails, sewage backups into the building.
[0011] Figure 1 is representative of one fairly typical attempt to
reduce the risk of
sewage backup into the basement of a residential building. Figure 1 is a cross
section
depiction of a residential building 1 having an above ground level 5 and a
basement level
10. Drain pipes from a sink 11, bathtub 12, toilet 13 and laundry machine 14
connect to
a 4 inch main building drain 15. The upper section of the building drain vents
to
atmosphere through the building roof 25. Venting prevents the creation of a
vacuum from
draining effluent. The building drain 15 connects into a sanitary sewer
pipe/line 75 located
underneath the basement floor 40. The basement floor is provided with a floor
drain 28
and cleanout drain 29 that also connect into sanitary sewer line 75. The
sanitary sewer
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line 75 is provided with a backup/ backflow valve 31 to prevent backups
through the floor
drain 28 and other basement drains. In above grade homes as depicted, sewage
systems
operate based on gravity, wherein sewage flows downhill through the sanitary
sewer line
and enters a municipal sanitary sewer main typically located underneath a
roadway.
[0012] Effluent from downspouts 104, 185 and weeping tiles 105 adjacent the
building
foundation are connected to the storm water sewage line 115 which may be
located
underneath the basement floor 40. A section of the storm sewage line
discharges into a
sump pit 125 below the basement floor. A submersible sump pump 130 is
installed in
sump pit 125. During higher water effluent flows, the level in the pit may
rise. When the
level in the sump pit reaches a pre-determined level, about 5 to 7 inches, a
vertical float
[not shown] activates the pump. The sump pump 130 is provided with a vertical
discharge
pipe 140 running above the sump pit and then horizontally through the basement
wall 70
into a downspout drain pipe 142 below ground level. The downspout drain pipe
142 in
turn connects to a section of the storm sewer line 115 which connects to the
storm sewer
main 145.
[0013] As depicted in Figure 1, a sanitary sewer main 120 and a storm
sewer main
145 are typically located underneath a roadway. Roadway catch basins 146 also
drain
into the storm sewer main.
[0014] US Patent No. 5,967,759 describes an apparatus for controlling
sewage
backup through the basement drain. The apparatus comprises a main pump unit
which
includes a main pump and a standby pump in a tank is placed on the basement
floor, not
in a sump basin. The tank is sealed with the floor level basement drain,
preventing
reverse sewer water from flowing onto the floor. The pump (main) turns on
before the
sewer water from overflowing the appliances, such as toilet and bathtub. The
system
includes an arrangement for using the customary fresh water supply for testing
the pump.
It also includes means for ventilating the tank to the exterior.
[0015] An object of the invention is to provide an integrated system
that eliminates
sanitary and storm sewer connections from any and all municipal sewer
connections or
gutter downspouts or pool flushing systems etc., from terminating in a
building. Waste
water and sewage from the building is collected and discharged to outside
above ground
sewage pipes.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0016] The present invention is directed to basement flood control
system for a
building having an above ground level, a basement level and serviced by sewer
lines
connected to municipal sewer mains and is characterized by disconnection or
removal of
sewer piping [sanitary and storm] from inside the building to above ground
termination
ends outside the building.
[0017] In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, a building
sanitary waste
drain receiving effluent from fixture drains in the building connects to an
inlet of a sewage
basin installed into the basement floor. The sewage basin has side walls and a
top lid. A
sewage pump is installed in the sewage basin, the sewage pump having an outlet
connected to a vertical sewage discharge pipe rising through the sewage basin
lid. The
discharge pipe extends to and through a basement wall for exterior discharge
above
ground level. A float activator arm with a buoyant ball positioned in the
sewage basin is
arranged to automatically activate and deactivate the sewage pump. A sump pit
is
installed into the basement floor at a second location, the sump pit having
side walls and
a top wall or lid. A sump pump is installed in the sump pit which has an
outlet connected
to a vertical sump discharge pipe rising through the sump basin lid. The
discharge pipe
extends to and through a basement wall for exterior discharge above ground
level. A float
activator arm with a buoyant ball is positioned in the sump pit and arranged
to
automatically activate and deactivate the sump pump. An underground sanitary
sewer
line connected at one end to a sanitary sewer main is installed to run
substantially
vertically adjacent an exterior basement wall to an open end above ground
level. The
sanitary sewer line open end terminates opposite the discharge end of the
sewage
discharge pipe. An underground storm sewer line connected at one end to a
storm sewer
main is installed to run substantially vertically adjacent an exterior
basement wall to an
open end above ground level. The storm sewer line open end terminates opposite
the
discharge end of the storm discharge pipe.
[0018] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a building
sanitary waste
drain receiving effluent from fixture drains in the building connects to an
inlet of a sewage
basin installed into the basement floor at a first location. The sewage basin
has side walls
and a top lid. A sewage pump is installed in the sewage basin. The sewage pump
has an
outlet connected to a vertical sewage discharge pipe rising through the sewage
basin lid.
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The sewage discharge pipe extends to and through a basement wall for exterior
discharge above ground level. A float activator arm with a buoyant ball is
positioned in
the sewage basin and arranged to automatically activate and deactivate the
sewage
pump. A sump pit is installed into the basement floor at a second location.
The sump pit
has side walls and a top wall. A sump pump is installed in the sump pit which
has an
outlet connected to a vertical sump discharge pipe rising through the sump
basin lid. The
sump discharge pipe extends to and through a basement wall for exterior
discharge
above ground level. A float activator arm with a buoyant ball is positioned in
the sump pit
and arranged to automatically activate and deactivate the sump pump. An
underground
sanitary sewer line connected at one end to a sanitary sewer main is installed
to run
substantially vertically adjacent an interior basement wall and horizontally
through the
basement wall to an upward facing open end above ground level. The sanitary
sewer line
open end terminates opposite the discharge end of the sewage discharge pipe.
An
underground storm sewer line connected at one end to a storm sewer main is
installed
to run substantially vertically adjacent an interior basement wall and
horizontally through
the basement wall to an upward facing open end above ground level. The storm
sewer
line open end terminates opposite the discharge end of the storm discharge
pipe.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] Figure 1 is a diagrammatic depiction of an arrangement of
sanitary and storm
sewer connections of a residential building with weeping tiles for the
foundation, a sump
pump pit and a backup/ backflow valve.
[0020] Figure 2 is a diagrammatic depiction of an embodiment of the
invention.
[0021] Figure 3 is a detailed view of the sewage pit and pump of the
sanitary collection
system of Figure 2.
[0022] Figure 4 is a diagrammatic depiction of the storm sewer and weeping
tiles
effluent collection aspect of the integrated system. For drawing clarity, the
sanitary sewer
collection aspect of the system is not shown in this drawing.
[0023] Figure 5 is a detailed view of the sanitary sewer and storm
sewer discharge
lines through the building wall to termination ends above exterior sewage
lines.
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[0024] Figure 6 is a diagrammatic depiction of a disconnection
configuration wherein
the sanitary sewer and storm sewer lines are rerouted vertically adjacent an
interior wall
of the basement and through the building exterior wall to termination ends
above grade
level. For drawing clarity, the sanitary sewer and storm sewer collection
arrangements
and discharge lines to the exterior rerouted lines are not shown.
[0025] Figure 7 is a diagrammatic depiction of a disconnection
configuration wherein
the sanitary sewer and storm sewer lines are rerouted adjacent the exterior
basement
wall of the building to termination ends above grade level. For drawing
clarity, the sanitary
sewer and storm sewer collection arrangements and discharge lines to the
exterior
rerouted lines are not shown.
[0026] Figure 8 is a diagrammatic depiction of an embodiment including
a backup
power/hydro system natural gas generator for operation of the system pumps.
[0027] Figure 9 is a detailed view of the discharge termination points
of the integrated
system within a surrounding enclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] The description, which follows, is provided by way of
illustration of an example,
or examples of particular embodiments of principles and aspects of the present
invention.
These examples are provided for the purposes of explanation, and not of
limitation, of
those principles and of the invention.
[0029] The integrated system of the invention is characterized by
disconnection or
removal of sewer piping [sanitary and storm] from inside the building to above
ground
termination ends outside the building. The sanitary sewer and storm sewer
connections
from the municipality to the building are disconnected before the building
footing and re-
routed vertically above ground adjacent an exterior wall of the building.
Accordingly, there
is no termination of the sanitary sewer and/or storm sewer lines from the
municipality
within the building above floor level or below the building.
[0030] Referring first to Figures 2, 3, 5 and 9, Figure 2 depicts a
residential building 1
having a main floor 5 and a basement 10. For simplicity, only one sink 11,
bathtub 12 and
toilet 13 is shown on the above ground floor level. More than one of each
fixture may be
present in a residential building either on the main level or in the basement
as well as
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other fixtures such as one or more showers, a dishwasher and a washing
machine. Each
fixture has a drain pipe connected to a vertical 4 inch main drain pipe 15.
The main drain
pipe has an upper section 20 that vents to atmosphere through the roof 25 of
the building
and a lower section 30 in the basement. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the lower
drain
pipe 30 connects to a horizontal 4 inch drain line 35 underneath the basement
floor 40
and connects to a sewage basin or pit 45 installed below the basement floor.
The drain
line 35 is about 10.5 inches from the top lid 37 of the sewage basin. A
submersible
sewage pump 50 is installed at the lowest point of the sewage basin. Sewage
pumps
may be provided with an integrated vertical float [not depicted]. The sewage
pump may
optionally have legs attached to the pump housing, which keeps the pump a few
inches
above the bottom of the basin. Automatic sewage pumps have a floating switch,
which
turns the pump on and off whenever sewage in the basin reaches a certain
(usually pre-
set) level. Sewage pumps are centrifugal pumps, with special design
considerations
enabling solids to pass without clogging the pump. When the pump is turned on,
the
motor starts to rotate an impeller, creating the pressure that pushes water
into the impeller
and from there into the discharge pipe. The sewage pump is powered through an
electrical line. Depending on the model, the voltage can be 120 or 240 volts.
[0031] Referring to Figures 2, 5, and 9 the sewage pump outlet 55
connects to a 2
inch vertically installed sewage discharge pipe 60 rising above the sewage
basin lid 37.
A check valve may optionally be installed in the sewage discharge pipe to
prevent back
flow into the sewage basin. A vent pipe [not shown] is connected to a vent
hole in the
basin lid and piped to a plumbing vent pipe. The sewage discharge pipe 60 is
routed
towards an interior basement wall 65 to a point above ground level where the
pipe 60
exits through the basement wall 70 to the exterior side of the building 1. The
sanitary
sewer line 75 connecting to the sanitary sewer main 120 is re-routed adjacent
the
basement exterior wall 85 to terminate above ground level below the
termination end 90
of the discharge sewage pipe 60. Sewage from the sewage discharge pipe
discharges
into the sanitary sewer line 75.
[0032] The sewage basin and sewage pump are sized according to the
building size
and sewage effluent flow.
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[0033] As concerns Figures 2 and 3, although storm sewer line 100 is
shown as
ending at each side of sewage pit 45 for drawing clarity, sewer line 100
remains
connected.
[0034] The described sewage collection system may optionally use an
installed pre-
plumbed sewage pump/basin system consisting of a submersible sewage pump, a
corrosion-resistant sewage basin with a lid, a float and back flow valve. One
example is
an EverbiltTM 1/2 HP Submersible Pre-Plumbed 18 inch by 30 inch Sewage Basin
System.
[0035] Referring to Figure 3, a shutoff valve 95 is installed in the
municipal water line
97 in the building and is provided with a signal receiver for receiving
signals transmitted
from the sewage pump 50. The shutoff valve is remotely closed if sewage pump
50
signals that the sewage pump basin 45 is not emptying. This prevents the
sanitary system
in the building from flooding into the building basement.
[0036] Storm sewer lines 100 and weeping tiles 105 from around the
building footing
are disconnected from the building storm sewer line 115 and connected to a
pipe 120
discharging below the basement floor into a sump pit or basin 125 installed
below the
basement floor adjacent to an internal basement wall. The sump pit is of a
sufficient size
to collect water, based on the square footage of the building. Although a
pedestal style
sump pump 130 is depicted in Figure 2, a submersible sump pump may optionally
be
used. A vent pipe [not shown] may be connected to a vent hole in the sump lid
and piped
to a plumbing vent pipe. The sump pump outlet side 135 connects to a 2 inch
vertical
discharge pipe 140 adjacent the basement interior wall. The discharge pipe 140
exits
horizontally through the basement wall 70 and terminates above ground level.
When the
level in the sump pit reaches a pre-determined level, about 5 to 7 inches, a
vertical float
[not shown] activates the pump. The storm sewer line section 115 connecting to
the storm
sewer main 145 is disconnected from the building sewer line 100 and is re-
routed
adjacent the basement exterior wall 85 to terminate above ground level below
the
termination end 155 of the sump discharge pipe 60. The effluent from the sump
discharge
pipe 60 discharges into the storm sewer line 115 as shown in Figures 5 and 9.
[0037] The arrangement in Figure 2 depicts a second sump pit 155 and a
second
pump 160 as a backup to the first to handle any overflow that the first pump
cannot
handle. The second sump pump utilizes the same discharge configuration as the
first
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sump pit pump. There can be a number of these pits and pumps as necessary
depending
on the size of the area being drained.
[0038] The described sump collection system may optionally use an
installed pre-
plumbed sump pump/basin system consisting of a submersible sump pump, a
corrosion-
resistant sump basin with a lid, float and a back flow valve. One example is
an EverbiltTM
Pre-Plumbed 18 inch by 30 inch Sump Pump System.
[0039] Figure 4 depicts alternate re-routed sanitary and storm sewer
lines 75, 115
externally the building wall. For drawing clarity, the sump pit and sewage pit
details are
not shown.
[0040] Figure 6 depicts another alternate re-routing of the sanitary and
storm sewer
line connections from the municipality. Again for drawing clarity, the sump
pit and sewage
pit details are not shown. The sewer lines 75, 115 are disconnected inside the
basement
of the house/building at the footing under the floor and installed vertically
adjacent an
inside basement wall to above ground level and exit horizontally through the
basement
wall to the outside of the building.
[0041] In the systems described herein, the sewer discharge pipes do
not directly
connect to the outside sewer lines within the building. Preferentially there
will be at least
air gap or air break separations between sewer discharge pipes 60, 140 and the
outside
sewer lines 75, 115 to avoid any possible backup and basement flooding from
the
municipal sewer lines into the building discharge pipes.
[0042] The re-routing of the sewer lines and termination above ground
adjacent the
building also reduces the risk of sanitary or storm sewer backup through those
lines
because the sewer lines are at least 8 to 10 feet above the level of the
sanitary and storm
mains. A very substantial sewage back flow would be needed to have sewage rise
an 8
to 10 feet vertical height.
[0043] Bypass outlets 175, 180 may be installed in each of the outside
sewer lines
75, 115 proximate their open ends so that if the outside sewer lines were to
overflow, the
overflow would be expelled onto the ground and not in the building.
[0044] As depicted in Figure 8, the building downspouts 104, 185 for
roof runoff water
may be disconnected from the sewer system and rerouted to discharge onto the
ground
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away from the building. The downspout connections into the ground are capped
off and
sealed.
[0045] As depicted in Figure 9, a backup hydro or natural gas generator
195 may be
installed to operate the sewage pump 50 and sump pump 130 in the event of a
power
outage. The generator may be operated by natural gas supplied by gas line 205
from gas
meter 210. The generator is set to automatically start when a power outage
occurs and
automatically stops after power is restored.
[0046] Figure 9 depicts an optional insulated enclosure 200 surrounding
the above
ground discharge pipes 60, 140 and sewer lines 75, 115 to prevent freezing of
the sewage
in the pipes/lines. The enclosure is preferably airtight to ensure no sewer
gas escapes
the enclosure into the atmosphere. The enclosure may be lockable.
[0047] While the principles of the invention have been shown and
described in
connection with specific embodiments, it is to be understood that such
embodiments are
by way of example and are not limiting As is evident from the foregoing
description,
certain aspects of the present invention are not limited by the particular
details of the
mobile stand illustrated in the drawings. Other modifications and
applications, or
equivalents, will occur to those skilled in the art. The terms "having",
"comprising" and
"including" and similar terms as used in the foregoing specification are used
in the sense
of "optional" or "may include" and not as "required". Many changes,
modifications,
variations and other uses and applications of the present construction will,
however,
become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the
specification and
attached drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses
and
applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention
are deemed
to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims that
follow. The scope
of the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown
herein, but is to
be accorded the full scope consistent with the claims, wherein reference to an
element
in the singular is not intended to mean "one and only one" unless specifically
so stated ,
but rather one or more.
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-11-24
