GB2559749B - Fluid supply overflow control apparatus - Google Patents

Description

FLUID SUPPLY OVERFLOW CONTROL APPARATUS

Technical Field

The present invention relates to fluid supply overflow control apparatus for preventing overflow into a receptacle such as a bath, sink or the like, the fluid supply may, for example, be a tap, hose, tube, cannula and so on.

Background Art

The overfilling of baths and sinks has been a longstanding problem in households, care homes, hospitals, schools and so on. While many baths and sinks include an overflow waste outlet to a drain, the flow of water from a fully open tap is often significantly greater than the capacity of the overflow system, with the result that the bath or sink will continue to fill and overflow until the tap is turned off by the user.

It is known to provide a stop valve within the pipework leading to a bath, sink or similar receptacle. Although such a stop valve system can work effectively, it is not straightforward to install, particularly in an existing room, and is not necessarily easily accessible for maintenance or replacement.

Similar problems can be experienced when filling receptacles from other fluid supplies, an example being a hose used to fill, for instance, a vat or bucket.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention seeks to provide an improved tap or other inlet overflow system.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided outlet control apparatus for controlling the operation of a fluid supply, the fluid supply including an outlet member, the apparatus including: a housing member providing a chamber therewithin; a coupling for attachment to a fluid outlet member; a fluid conduit extending through the chamber to an outlet of the apparatus; at least one valve element disposed in the chamber and configurable between a first state in which the conduit is open and a second, closed, state in which the at least one valve element at least partially obstructs the conduit; and at least one actuator operatively coupled to the at least one valve element, the actuator being operable on the basis of fluid level relative to the chamber, such that when the level of fluid rises above a threshold the actuator causes the at least one valve element to change state to its closed configuration, the actuator being decoupled from the at least one valve element, whereby the at least one valve element is able to remain in the closed configuration when the level of fluid drops below the threshold.

The coupling may be integrally attached to or integral with the fluid supply outlet member.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided fluid supply apparatus including: an outlet member; outlet control apparatus disposed in the outlet member, the outlet control apparatus including: a housing member providing a chamber therewithin; a coupling member for coupling to the fluid supply outlet member; a fluid conduit extending through the chamber to an outlet of the apparatus; at least one valve element disposed in the chamber and configurable between a first state in which the conduit is open and a second, closed, state in which the at least one valve element at least partially obstructs the conduit; and at least one actuator operatively coupled to the at least one valve element, the actuator being operable on the basis of a level of fluid relative to the chamber, such that when the level of fluid rises above a threshold the actuator causes the at least one valve element to change state to its closed configuration, the actuator being decoupled from the at least one valve element, whereby the at least one valve element is able to remain in the closed configuration when the level of fluid drops below the threshold.

The fluid supply may be a tap, hose, tube, cannula and so on. The apparatus taught herein provides flow control at the fluid supply outlet itself. In some embodiments this may be by way of a replacement or alternative tap, while in others it is by way of a fitting to an existing tap; for instance. The mechanism provides for direct closure of the flow of water when the water level rises too much. As the apparatus is visible to the user, the user can see the device in operation. Moreover, the apparatus remains readily accessible for maintenance and repair. The apparatus is also easy to fit and does not, in most cases, necessitate any significant building works.

In the preferred embodiment, the at least one actuator includes a float. The mechanism can be entirely mechanical. For this purpose, the housing member may include an actuator chamber disposed outside the fluid conduit, the float being disposed in the actuator chamber. In a preferred embodiment, the actuator chamber extends circumferentially around the fluid conduit and the float has an annular shape with a central passage in which the conduit resides. The actuator chamber preferably includes at least one inlet port for the passage of fluid therethrough.

The preferred shape of float will typically be able to rise uniformly in the chamber, avoiding possible jamming of moving parts.

The arrangement is such that the apparatus can allow substantially uninterrupted flow of water through the tap assembly when the apparatus is open.

Preferably, the at least one valve element is pivotally connected to the housing chamber. The at least one valve element may include a first portion which cooperates with the actuator and a second portion which acts as a valve leaflet for closing or substantially closing the fluid conduit.

Advantageously, the apparatus includes first and second opposing valve elements, the first and second valve elements coming together to close or substantially close the fluid conduit. Preferably, the first and second valve elements laterally abut one another in the closed state in an angled configuration pointing in a direction against fluid flow through the apparatus. As is described in further detail below, this arrangement allows the valves to be constructed such that when in the closed configuration the valve leaflets are pressed in the closed configuration by water pressure.

In an embodiment, the at least one valve element provides for reduced fluid flow through the apparatus when in the closed configuration. Typically, the reduced flow, which can moderate pressure build up in the system, will be significantly less than the capacity of any overflow system.

In another embodiment, the at least one valve element completely stops fluid flow through the apparatus when in the closed configuration.

There may be provided an alarm device coupled to generate an alarm when the actuator has been activated. Such an alarm may be configured to sense one or more of: operation of the at least one actuator; configuration of the at least one valve element to a closed configuration; water level in the chamber.

Other aspects and advantages of the teachings herein are described below in connection with the preferred embodiments disclosed herein.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention are described below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic view in perspective of a domestic bath showing an embodiment of tap assembly including an embodiment of tap outlet control apparatus according to the teachings herein;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view in perspective of a preferred embodiment of tap outlet control apparatus according to the teachings herein;

Figure 3 is a front elevational view in cross-section of the tap outlet control apparatus of Figure 3; and

Figure 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the tap outlet control apparatus of Figures 2 and 3 taken along line B-B of Figure 3.

Description of the Preferred Embodiments

It is to be understood that the drawings are schematic only and not to scale. Often, only the principal components relevant to the teachings herein are shown in the drawings, for the sake of clarity.

The embodiments described below focus on a tap outlet control apparatus for a domestic environment, for instance a bath. It is to be understood though, that the apparatus can be used to control the filling of a wide variety of receptacles, including but not limited to baths, basins, sinks, in domestic and commercial environments including, by way of example only, care homes, hospitals, schools, hotels, industrial units and so on. The fluid supply need not be a tap and could, for instance, be a hose, a tube, a cannula and so on. The nature of the fluid supply device is not material, and the apparatus taught herein can either be formed as an integral part of the fluid supply device or as an attachment thereto.

The described embodiments focus on flow control apparatus which may be integral with a tap, such that the tap and flow control apparatus are a single unit, or as a separate component to a tap, such that the flow control apparatus can be provided as an aftersales item.

Referring first to Figure 1, this shows in schematic form an example of domestic bath 10 to which the inventive features disclosed herein can be applied. The bath 10 includes a conventional bath tub 12 with, in this example, a tap assembly 14 located at one end of the tub 12. The tap 14 is typically connected to hot and cold water supplies (not shown). There is typically also provided a waste assembly, coupled to a waste outlet in the bottom of the bath tub 12. As is conventional in the industry, the tub 12 may also be provided with an overflow 16 close to the top of the bath tub 12 and which is connected to a waste system for removing excess water from within the bath tub 12, for example when it is overfilled.

The overflow 16 is typically of reduced flow capacity compared to the main bath waste outlet (this is not shown in Figure 1) and also compared to the capacity of the water inlets passing through the tap assembly 14. As a result, the rate of fluid flow through the tap 14 when fully opened is typically greater, and in some case significantly greater, than the maximum amount of water which can flow via the overflow. In light of this, it is possible to overfill a bath if the tap 14 is turned fully on and not switched off once the bath tub 12 has been adequately filled.

In accordance with the teachings herein, the tap assembly 14 includes outlet control apparatus 20 designed and configured to close off the flow of water through the tap assembly 14 when the level of water within the bath tub 12 exceeds a threshold, in order to stop overflowing of the bath tub 12. The outlet control apparatus 14 may, as described in further detail below, be in the form of an attachment to a conventional tap, in which case it connects to the tap outlet, or it may be formed integrally as part of a tap assembly. The outlet control apparatus 20 extends downwardly from the tap spout 22 and is sized and/or configured to extend to a depth at the deemed acceptable maximum fill-height or threshold of the bath tub 12. This may be from a few centimetres to 10-20 centimetres from the top rim of the bath tub 12.

In practice, as is described in further detail below, the outlet control apparatus 20 will be at least partially submerged in bath water when it is activated.

The outlet control apparatus 20 may or may not be at the level of the overflow 16 and this will be dependent upon the preferences of the fitter or of the tap or bath designer. In some instances it may be preferable to have the tap control apparatus 20 positioned such that when the apparatus 20 is activated, the level of water in the bath tub 12 exceeds the level of the overflow 16, so as to allow natural drainage of excess water until the lower level of the overflow 16. In other cases, the outlet control apparatus 20 may be located below the level of the overflow 16, so as to become effective to close off the supply of water into the bath tub 12 before the level of water reaches the height of the overflow.

As is described in further detail below, the outlet control apparatus 20 may be designed to be effective to close off all water from the tap assembly 14 when the level of water in the bath tub 12 exceeds the threshold. However, in other embodiments, the outlet control apparatus 20 will allow a certain amount of escape water to flow through the tap 12, at a substantially reduced flow rate and one that is significantly less than the capacity of the overflow 16, thereby ensuring that the bath tub 12 cannot be overfilled with water to spilling point.

Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, these show two views of the preferred embodiment of overflow control apparatus 20. As explained above, the apparatus 20 may be an integral part of the spout 22 of a tap 14 or may otherwise be a separate component designed and structured to fit onto the end of a spout 22 of a tap 14. In either case, the principal components of the apparatus 20 are the same, the only difference being in the design and structure of the upper section 22 of the apparatus, as described in further detail below.

The apparatus 20 includes a housing 24, which in this embodiment is a cylindrical tube, typically made of metal, metal alloy, resin, plastics material, ceramic or other suitably rigid material. The housing 24 has a chamber 26 therein and in this embodiment disposed within the chamber there is a cartridge 30, which comprises the major components of the flow control apparatus. The cartridge 30 has a circular cylindrical form and preferably, but not necessarily, an outer diameter the same as or just smaller than the inner diameter of the chamber 26.

In order to provide a fluid tight seal into the cartridge 30 the apparatus may include one or more seals, in this example O-ring seals 32, 34, disposed at the top and bottom of the cartridge 30. The outer surfaces of the cartridge 30, at the location of the seals 32, 34 may be provided with a circumferential groove (not shown) for accommodating a part of the seals 32, 34.

At the top end of the cartridge 30 there is provided a tubular conduit 40, which may be part of a tap assembly 14 or may be an integral part of the apparatus 20, in which case the conduit 40 would be fixed to, preferably, the housing 24, for example by means of one or more struts, radial walls or the like.

At the bottom of the housing 26 there is provided a removable base panel 50, which was in the form of a disc with a central aperture 52 therein. The base 50, which could be described as a disc with a central aperture 52, may have a screw thread 54 on its outer lateral surface, designed to engage an internal screw thread 56 in the housing wall 24. The base 50 includes, in this embodiment, one or more apertures 60, for the passage of water, as described in further detail below. At the aperture 52, the panel 50 may also be provided with an internal screw thread 58 engageable with an outer screw thread of an outlet element 70, which may be of simple tubular form as shown in Figures 2 and 3 (and of round cross-section) or may in other embodiments be a filter or other flow controller, of a type known in the art.

The base 50 enables easy assembly of the apparatus 20 and in particular insertion of the cartridge 30 into the housing 24, both during manufacture of the apparatus 20 but also for servicing and maintenance purposes.

The cartridge 30 includes a plurality of apertures 80 in its lower wall and these may or may not be aligned with the aperture 60 in the base panel 50. In the views of Figures 2 and 3, the bottom wall of the cartridge 30 is spaced from the upper surface of the base panel 50 by the O-ring seal 34, so as to have a gap between the two, allowing for water to flow between the two sets of apertures 60 and 80. In embodiments where the bottom of the cartridge 30 is designed to sit in abutment against the base 50, it is preferred that the apertures 60 and 80 can be radially aligned with one another, thereby allowing for the flow of water from the bottom of the apparatus 20, through the apertures 60, then through the apertures 80 into the float chamber 36 of the cartridge 30.

Disposed within the chamber 36 is a float element 42, which in this embodiment is in the form of an annular hollow structure preferably made of a plastics or other buoyant material. It is to be understood, though, that since the float 42 has an internal void 44, it could be made of non-buoyant material, relying instead on the air inside the space 44 for buoyancy.

The cartridge 30 has an internal wall 62, which forms a fluid conduit in the chamber 26, such that water can flow through the housing 24, from the upper conduit 40 all the way to and through the outlet element 70. In this embodiment, the internal wall 62 preferably includes a frusto-conical section 64, which will act to increase flow velocity to the outlet of the apparatus 20. In line with this, the float 42 has a tapering shape, so as to be narrow at the top end relative to its bottom end.

The skilled person will appreciate that the internal wall of the cartridge 30 and therefore of the fluid conduit through the apparatus need not have this tapering shape.

Connected to the internal wall of the cartridge 30, at pivot pins 84, are first and second valve elements 86, 88. The valve elements 86, 88 each include a lower flange 90 adjacent the top end of the float 42 and a valve leaflet 92 within the space of the internal wall 62 of the cartridge 30. In the embodiment shown, each flange 90 is generally perpendicular to its respective valve leaflet 92. As will be apparent in particular from Figure 3, each valve element 86, 88 will move between an upright, open, position, as shown in full in Figure 3, with the flanges 90 lying substantially horizontally, in this embodiment, and the valve leaflets 92 disposed substantially vertically and protected within recessed areas 94 defined by the internal wall 62 of the cartridge 30. In this configuration, the valve elements 86, 88 are disposed so as not to be in the way of the fluid path 100 through the apparatus 20. The valve elements 86, 88 can be naturally biased into this configuration, either by suitable weighting of the flanges 90 relative to the valve leaflets 86, 88 or by a suitable biasing mechanism, such as one or more springs or the like.

The valve elements 86, 88 are able to pivot to the configuration shown in dotted outline in Figure 3, that is in this embodiment to abut one another at their top edges, which will occur when the float 42 rises up within the cartridge 30 so as to push against the flanges 90 and cause the valve elements 86, 88 to pivot around the pivot pins 84. It will be appreciated, having regard to the dotted outline form of the valve elements 86, 88 shown in Figure 3, that when pivoted the valve leaflets 90 will move into the path of fluid 100, in practice to close off or substantially close off fluid flow through the apparatus 20. The valve elements 86, 88 will remain closed, as described in further detail below, while the float 42 is in a raised position, but also when there is continued fluid pressure from the tap assembly 14 through the upper part of the conduit 100.

Referring now to Figure 4, this shows a cross-sectional view across line B-B of Figure 3, that is across the valve elements 92. What can be seen in Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the housing 24, of the outer wall of the cartridge 30, of a section of the internal cartridge wall 62, and of the valve leaflets 92 of the valve elements 86 and 88. The portion of the internal wall 62 of the cartridge 30 that can be seen in Figure 4 includes a generally rectangular wall section 96 which has a width about the same as that of the width of the valve leaflets 92. These widths are preferably as closely matched as possible. In this embodiment, though, along the long sides of this wall portion there are protruding or widened sections 98 which have the effect of increasing the width of the internal wall of the cartridge 30 at this location. With reference also to Figure 3, these widened wall portions 98 will provide a small gap around the valve leaflets 92 when these are in the closed configuration, such that water can still flow through the assembly 20 even when the valve elements 86, 88 are in their closed configuration. It will be appreciated, however, that the cross-sectional area of the conduit 100 will be very substantially reduced, and in practice such that there would only be a trickle of water through the assembly 20 when the valve leaflets 86, 88 are in their closed configuration. This trickle of water will act to moderate pressure build up within the tap assembly 14 and apparatus 20, and can also, if desired, maintain a trickle of water into the receptacle, in this example bath 10, even when the apparatus 20 has closed off fluid flow. Any residual trickle of water is preferably at a flow rate far less than the flow capacity of any overflow system 16 provided in the fluid receptacle.

The skilled person will appreciate that in other embodiments the internal wall 62 of the cartridge 30 and valve leaflets 92 may be shaped and sized to prevent substantially all flow of the fluid through the apparatus 20 when the valve leaflets 92 are in their closed configuration.

The structure and shape of the internal wall 62 of the cartridge 30 is such as generally to stop any water flowing through the apparatus 20 from entering into the internal chamber 36 of the cartridge 30. In the embodiments shown there is a gap in the wall to accommodate the valve elements 86, 88. Even if there is some water seepage into the internal space of the cartridge, the provision of the apertures 80 in the lower wall, and also the apertures 60 in the base plate 50, are such as to allow any such water to escape. This will ensure that the float 42 remains in its lowermost position during normal operation of the system.

With reference now particularly to Figures 1 and 3 in combination, while a bath or other receptacle 10 is being filled normally with water through the tap assembly 14, the float 42 will remain in a lowermost position, typically resting on the lower wall of the cartridge 30, and the valve elements 86, 88 will be in an open configuration as shown in Figures 2 and 3. In this way, when the taps 14 are opened, water can flow normally into the bath or other receptacle. Should it happen that the tap 14 is kept on too long, the level of water within the bath tub 12 will rise sufficiently to reach the lower edge 72 of the apparatus 20 and over the course of time that water level will continue to rise both outside and inside the apparatus 20 from the bottom up. As the water level rises to and above the level of the base panel 50, water will begin to pass through the apertures 60 into the gap between the base 50 and the bottom chamber wall, and then through the apertures 80 of the chamber 30. As the water passes through the apertures 80 and as a result into the inner space 36 of the cartridge 30, the float 42 will begin to rise by its own buoyancy, which will in turn cause the top surface of the float 42 to push against the flanges 90, causing the valve elements to pivot about the pivot pins 84. Typically, once the water level has reached the threshold level depicted by the line 94 in Figure 3, the float 42 will have risen sufficiently to push the flanges 90 to the dotted line position shown in Figure 3 and as a result causing the valve elements 92 to pivot into their closed configuration and in abutment as shown in Figure 3. When so positioned, the valve elements 92 will close or substantially close the fluid path through the apparatus 20.

The reader will appreciate that with the tap 14 kept open, the effect of fluid pressure will continue to push the valve leaflets 92 to their closed position, irrespective of any further action by the float 42, that is even if the float 42 were to drop down again, for example as a result of drainage of water from the bath 10, for instance because the bath outlet has been opened or water has been able to pass through the overflow 16 to reduce the level of water in the bath sufficiently. Thus, once the flow control apparatus has been activated it will remain in the closed position until the taps 14 have been switched off and water pressure reduced or stopped, thereby allowing valve elements 86, 88 to pivot back by their natural biasing force to their open positions shown in Figures 2 and 3. This provides an important safety measure, ensuring that the tap assembly 14 and therefore filling of the bath 10 can only resume once control of the taps has been re-established, that they have been switched off. This ensures that there is no continued or repeated refilling of the bath until there has been manual intervention by a user.

In the case that the apparatus 20 is an integral part of the tap assembly, the chamber 24 and upper conduit 40 can be formed integrally with the spout 22 of the tap. The housing 24 could therefore be considered a part of the spout 22. The cartridge 30 and base panel 50, as well as the outlet conduit 70, can therefore be fitted within the spout housing portion 24.

On the other hand, when the apparatus 20 is configured to fit to an existing tap, the upper part of the housing 24 and the upper fluid conduit 40 can be configured to have a shape and connector elements suitable for connecting to a spout 22 of a tap assembly 14. These may include a screw fitting of a type analogous to that of the base panel 50, a bayonet fitting or any other suitable fitting between a tap and the apparatus 20. In some instances, the apparatus 20 could be made small enough to fit within the volume normally taken by an outlet filter or flow control element found in many existing tap spouts.

In the case where the apparatus is designed to fit to another type of fluid outlet, the apparatus will have a suitable coupling member. For instance, in the case of a hose, the apparatus may be provided with a push-fit coupling at its upper (upstream) end, of the type commonly used to connect hoses to spray head, mains supplies and so on. The design and type of fitting will depend on the particular application and is something which is part of common general knowledge in the relevant art.

In order to ensure that the valve leaflets 86, 88 will naturally move to their open configuration, in some embodiments there may be provided a weight coupled to the upper surface of the flanges 90 to act as biasing members. In alternative embodiments, as described above, there could be a spring mechanism which may, for example, be a coil spring or other suitable spring located within the volume of the cartridge 30.

The apparatus may include an alarm to provide an audible and/or visual indication of operation of the apparatus 20 and therefore overfilling of the bath or other receptacle. An alarm could include a position sensor, such as a microswitch, a magnetic switch or other similar sensor to detect the movement of one or both of the valve elements 86, 88, or of the float 42, or could include electrical terminals disposed either within the cartridge 30 or within the chamber 26 of the housing 24 to detect rising water level within the apparatus 20, for instance around the level of the threshold 94 depicted in Figure 3. Such electrical terminals will, when wetted, close an electrical circuit thereby providing the indication of overfilling. Any alarm could be battery powered and in this regard could also be retained in an open circuit configuration until the sensor has been closed. The alarm can be configured to warn when the apparatus changes configuration, for instance on movement of the float and/or the valve elements; or could be configured to issue a warning irrespective of operation of the apparatus, in which case it will warn even should the apparatus fail to operate properly.

In some embodiments, the apparatus can be designed to fit in place of a conventional aerator or filter at the outlet of a tap, for example, with the aerator or filter being connectable to the outlet of the apparatus in place of the tube portion 70.

It will be appreciated that the cartridge is optional and that in some embodiments the housing acts as the cartridge.

The shape of the components shown is entirely optional. They could be round, square, rectangular, oval and so on. It is the function of the components which is relevant.

All optional and preferred features and modifications of the described embodiments and dependent claims are usable in all aspects of the invention taught herein. Furthermore, the individual features of the dependent claims, as well as all optional and preferred features and modifications of the described embodiments are combinable and interchangeable with one another.

The disclosure in the abstract accompanying this application is incorporated herein by reference.

Claims (15)

1. Outlet control apparatus for controlling the operation of a fluid supply, the fluid supply including an outlet member, the apparatus including: a housing member providing a chamber therewithin; a coupling for attachment to a fluid outlet member; a fluid conduit extending through the chamber to an outlet of the apparatus; at least one valve element disposed in the chamber and configurable between a first state in which the conduit is open and a second, closed, state in which the at least one valve element at least partially obstructs the conduit; and at least one actuator operatively coupled to the at least one valve element, the actuator being operable on the basis of fluid level relative to the chamber, such that when the level of fluid rises above a threshold the actuator causes the at least one valve element to change state to its closed configuration, the actuator being decoupled from the at least one valve element, whereby the at least one valve element is able to remain in the closed configuration when the level of fluid drops below the threshold.

2. Outlet control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coupling is integrally attached to or integral with the fluid supply outlet member.

3. Fluid supply apparatus including: an outlet member; outlet control apparatus disposed in the outlet member, the outlet control apparatus including: a housing member providing a chamber therewithin; a coupling member for coupling to the fluid supply outlet member; a fluid conduit extending through the chamber to an outlet of the apparatus; at least one valve element disposed in the chamber and configurable between a first state in which the conduit is open and a second, closed, state in which the at least one valve element at least partially obstructs the conduit; and at least one actuator operatively coupled to the at least one valve element, the actuator being operable on the basis of a level of fluid relative to the chamber, such that when the level of fluid rises above a threshold the actuator causes the at least one valve element to change state to its closed configuration, the actuator being decoupled from the at least one valve element, whereby the at least one valve element is able to remain in the closed configuration when the level of fluid drops below the threshold.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1,2 or 3, wherein the at least one actuator includes a float.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the housing member includes an actuator chamber disposed outside the fluid conduit, the float being disposed in the actuator chamber.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the actuator chamber extends circumferentially around the fluid conduit and the float has an annular shape with a central passage in which the conduit resides.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the actuator chamber includes at least one inlet port for the passage of fluid therethrough.

8. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the at least one valve element is pivotally connected to the housing chamber.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the at least one valve element includes a first portion which cooperates with the actuator and a second portion which acts as a valve leaflet for closing or substantially closing the fluid conduit.

10. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, including first and second opposing valve elements, the first and second valve elements closing together to close or substantially close the fluid conduit.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first and second valve elements laterally abut one another in the closed state in an angled configuration pointing in a direction against fluid flow through the apparatus.

12. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the at least one valve element provides for reduced fluid flow through the apparatus when in the closed configuration.

13. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the at least one valve element stops fluid flow through the apparatus when in the closed configuration.

14. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, including an alarm device coupled to generate an alarm when the actuator has been activated.

15. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the alarm is configured to sense one or more of: operation of the at least one actuator; configuration of the at least one valve element to a closed configuration; water level in the chamber.