CA1316521C

CA1316521C - Cover for water supply service box

Info

Publication number: CA1316521C
Application number: CA 581061
Authority: CA
Inventors: Jacques R. Ruest; Regis G. Ruest
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-10-24
Filing date: 1988-10-24
Publication date: 1993-04-20
Anticipated expiration: 2010-04-20

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE:

A cover for protecting a water supply service box sur-rounds the upper end of the box. The cover is a hollow sleeve provid-ed with a flange peripherally projecting outside the sleeve. A remov-able lid closes the upper end of the sleeve. The bottom of the sleeve is partly opened to allow the passage of the top of the service box.
The sleeve is adapted to be supported by its flange which rests on surrounding granular material. The upper edge of the sleeve remains flush with the surface of the surrounding ground in spite of thaw and frost.

Description

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TITLE OF THE INVENTION:
COVER FOR WATER SUPPLY SERVICE BOX
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:
Field of the invention:
The invention relates to a protecting cover for a servi-ce box and more particularly for a water supply service box adjacent the level of the ground.
Prior art:
It is the usual practice to install a control valve bet-ween the municipal water supply pipes and each domestic water piping system, The control valve which is located at about six to eight feet below the surface of the ground can be reached by a tubular service box which ends up, at the top, flush with the level of the ground.
Considering that the level of the ground varies in height relative to the top of the service box, due to the earth settling or the freezing and the thaw of the ground, to top end of the service box exceeds abo-ve the surface of the ground. Such tubular projection hinders the pro-per operation of lawnmowers and snow-ploughs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
According to the invention, the service box ends up be-low the level of the ground and is covered by a sleeve supported by the surrounding ground. The sleeve is a tubular member partly opened at its lower end for allowing the insertion of the top of service box. The top end of the sleeve is provided with a removable plate for tightly closing that end. A flange extends around the outer periphery of the sleeve and is located along a section intermediate between both ends for resting on the surrounding ground, the latter remaining flush with the upper periphery a the sleeve.

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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
Figure 1: is a schematic cross-sectional view of a co-ver according to the invention mounted over a service box, Figure 2: is a perspective view of the cover according to the invention;
Figure 3: is a vertical sectional view of the cover shown in figure 2, and Figure 4: is a cross-sectional view of the cover along line A-A of figure 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
Figure 1 illustrates the general environment in which the present invention is used. A service box 10 having a valve 12 located approximately between six and eight feet below the level of the ground 14 is installed between a main water supply 16 coming from the municipal water system and going through the pipe 18 towards a re-sidence or a building. A long rod is used to operate the valve 12 by introducing it through the top of the service box 10. In the past, the top of the service box was flush with the level of the ground 14.
According to the invention, the top end 20 of the service box 10 is made to recede below of the surface of the ground 14 ancL is surround-ed by a cover 22. The installation of the cover 22 will be described latter.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the cover 22 which comprises a tubular sleeve 24 having a square cross-section closed at the top by a plate 26. The lower end of the sleeve 24 is partly clos-ed and leaves an opening 28 sufficiently wide to allow the introduc-tion of the top end 20 of the service box 10. A peripheral flange 30 is secured to the sleeve 24 by bolts 32 which are threadedly mounted in the belt portion 34 of the flange 30 for tightening the latter on :~ ... 3 ~ ' , ~' the sleeve 24.The flange 30 may be permanently secured to the sleeve 24 but is preferably vertically adjustable by screwing and unscrewing the bolt 32.
The lid 26 ;s intended to close the upper part of the sleeve 24. In the embodiment shown in Eigures 3 and 4, a pair of brac-kets 36, located in diametrically opposed directions are welded insi-de the sleeve 24 adjacent the upper edge of the latter. A plate 38 which closes completely the inner periphery of the sleeve 24 rest on the upper part of the brackets 36 which act as shoulder members. The lid 26 is held to the sleeve 24 by a pivoting blade or cross-bar 40 rotatably suspended from the plate 38 by a bolt 42 and held by ~he nut 44. The lid 26 is put in position over the brackets 36 when the blade 40 does not overlap them. The blade 40 is then rotated to span over both brackets 36. The bolt 42 is then tightened to squeeæe the brackets 36 between the plate 38 and the blade 40. A stopper 45 is welded to the plate 38 to stop the blade 40 from rotating when the bolt 42 is unscrewed for releasing the plate 38. When the blade 40 abuts against the stopper 45, it is out of the way of the brackets 36.
The lower part of the sleeve 24 is partly closed with spaced plates 46 providing an elongated opening 28. The si7e of the opening 28 is sufficiently wide to allow the passage of the pipe 20 therethrough. The length of the opening 28 is foreseen in case the pi-pe 20 is not perfectly vertical, that is, in the case it is slightly tilted relative to the level of the ground.
In general, the sleeve 24 is six inches square in cross-section with a height of about 12 inches. The flanges 30 as illus-trated in the drawings are right angular brackets having dimensions .

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of two inches by two inches by six inches. The bolts 32 have a diame-ter of 3/8 of an inch. If the sleeve 24 has a thickness of 1/4 of an inch, the blade 38 has a dimension of 5 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches and a thickness of 3/16 of an inch. The blade 40 is one inch wide and 5 in-ches in length with a thickness of 1/4 of an inch. The brackets 36 are orthogonally shaped with dimensions of 1 inch x 1 inch x 2 1/2 inches. These brackets 36 are preferably welded inside ~he sleeve 24 at a level so that the plate 38 is flush with the upper edge of the sleeve 24. The lower end of the sleeve 24 is partly closed with two lateral parallel plates 46 having an 1 1/2 inch in width to leave an elongated opening of about three inches wide. The elongation of the opening allows the cover 22 to rest on the ground having a slope up to 20 degrees relative to the horizon while the pipe 10 is vertical.
The installation of the cover is made as follows: the pipe 10 is usually set in a hole of about six feet deep having a dia-meter of about 2 feet at the bottom and whidening towards the top.
This hole is filled with granular material such as stone screenings up to about 12 inches from the level of the ground which is the height of the cover 22. This material is compacted. The cover 22 is then seated over the pipe 10 so that the spaced plates 46 rest on the surface of the compacted material while the upper edges of the sleeve 24 will be approximately level with the surrounding ground 14. More granular materiql is added and compacted so that the flanges 30 rest firmly on the granular material. The granular material is further compacted when it has reach the level of the flanges 30. A filling ma-terial is afterwards added to reach the top level of the sleeve 24.
Such filling material may be earth topped with grass. The lid 26 is then installed.

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The top part 20 of the pipe 10 being below the level of ground can expend without projecting above the level of the ground and the cover 22 which rests on the surrounding ground by the flanges 30, will vertically move with the latter even if frost or rain causes movement of the surrounding foundation.

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Claims

1-. A protecting cover for a water supply service box, said cover comprising a tubular sleeve partly opened at one end, for allowing the passage of an upright pipe a removable plate fixed at the other end for closing said sleeve, a flange member peripherally extending outwardly around said sleeve; said flange being spaced from both ends of said sleeve.

2-. A protecting cover as recited in claim 1, wherein said one end is provided with an elongated opening for allowing the passage of an upright pipe which is slightly tilted.

3-. A protecting cover as recited in claim 1, wherein the sleeve is provided with two diametrically opposed shoulder mem-bers fixed to said sleeve and extending inside the latter, said shoul-der members being located adjacent said other end, said removable plate adapted to sit on said shoulder members and means for tighten-ing said plate on said shoulder members.

4-. A protecting cover as recited in claim 3, wherein said tightening means comprises a cross-bar and a bolt pivotally mounted through the center of said plate, said cross-bar adapted to extend inside said sleeve below said shoulder, whereby the tightening of the bolt secures the plate to the sleeve.

5-. A protecting cover as recited in claim 1, wherein the said flange member comprises a rigid peripheral belt and a lip projecting outwardly from said belt, and means for fixing said flange member to said sleeve.

6-. A protecting cover as recited in claim 5, wherein said fixing means comprises a plurality of bolts threadedly engaged in said belt for securing said flange member to said sleeve.