FR2741287A1 - DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CLEANING ROOF SURFACES - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for cleaning roof surfaces (1), in particular for cleaning roof surfaces which are made of asbestos-cement, for example asbestos-cement sheets, the cleaning being carried out by means of pressurized water under a cover (18) of a cleaning device (3) whose edge is essentially sealed with respect to the roof (1) against splashing water, the water s' flowing on the roof being collected and filtered in at least one filter (6, 7). The invention is characterized in that the filtered water is supplied to a tank (9), from where it is brought back to working pressure by a pump (10) and returned to the cleaning device (3). A further configuration is characterized in that the filter sludge from the filter (6, 7) is supplied through a closed system of pipes to a mixer (13), in which it is mixed with cement and then hardened in molds (17). .

Description

DESCRIPTION

  The present invention relates to a device and a method for cleaning roof surfaces, in particular for cleaning roof surfaces

  which consist of asbestos cement, for example asbestos sheets-

  cement, the cleaning device comprising a cover whose edge is essentially sealed with respect to the roof with respect to water splashes, nozzles being also provided inside the cover for pressurized water producing cleaning and a pressurized water pipe connecting the hood to a pump, a collecting device also collecting the water flowing on the roof, the collecting device being connected by a closed pipe to at least one filter. According to the method, the cleaning is carried out by means of pressurized water in a region sealed from the roof vis-à-vis water projections, the water flowing on the roof being collected and filtered. in at least one filter. A device of this type and a method of this type are known from the advertising brochure <OERTZEN cleaning systems =, dating from 1992. The waste water is introduced there into the sewer system after separation by filtration of the asbestos mud and other impurities detached from the roof. Naturally, this filtered wastewater also contains a certain residual content of impurities, in particular asbestos-cement, so that this process could not be imposed. After drying, the roof is provided with a suitable vitrification product, to prevent any further

detachment of asbestos fibers.

  The rest of the state of the art, which concerns the use of water

  for cleaning floor surfaces, is as follows.

  Document US Pat. No. 4,164,055 discloses a floor cleaning device with a suction cover which can be moved over the floor and a nozzle, installed outside this cover, by which a cleaning or dissolving product is sprayed on the ground. The contaminated cleaning product is filtered in the engine part of the device, and the filtered cleaning product is returned to the nozzle. This document therefore does not relate either to a device for cleaning roof surfaces, or to cleaning by pressurized water; similarly, the cleaning liquid supplied is not applied to the surface to be cleaned under a cover essentially sealed relative to the ground

vis-à-vis water splashes.

  Document US Pat. No. 4,168,562 discloses a large, cumbersome and heavy cleaning device for roads, which has a suction hood for the dirty cleaning liquid, and according to which the cleaning is carried out at pressurized water and pressurized water actually also arrives below the cover, which is essentially sealed with respect to the environment vis-à-vis water projections. Also for this cleaning device, which is preferably mounted in a truck or transported by the latter, filtration and reuse of the contaminated water is provided. None of these devices can be used for cleaning

  roofs, in particular roofs made of materials containing asbestos.

  Finally, we know from document DE 37 18 000 A1 that waste containing asbestos can be coated in cement mortar, and the

  wrap in such a way that they can be landfilled.

  Roof surfaces need to be cleaned periodically to increase their service life. Over the years a lichen lining forms on roof surfaces, and as a result moss and the like, and as a result of the activity of the roots of this vegetation, water can penetrate at least into the layers. outermost of the roof covering and freeze there in winter, so that flat pieces of the roof covering are lost. If these problems mainly concern cement or clay roofs, metallic or vitrified roofs are also not free from such vegetation, and generally from fouling

  which, in the case of sheet metal roofs, accelerates corrosion.

  One problem with roof cleaning is the soiling that has to be borne in a large radius when cleaning with compressed air, steam jet, high pressure water jet and the like. This nuisance is absolutely intolerable when cleaning asbestos-cement roofs, because it has been found that, following the weathering decomposition processes, the asbestos fibers present in the cement structure are detached and disintegrated so that , during cleaning, and already partly during heavy rain or storms, a large number of asbestos fibers are

  released and transported through the air.

  The object of the present invention is to solve these problems, and for this purpose it proposes a device and a method of the type defined in the introduction, a method according to which the waste water collected and filtered is brought to a tank, from which it is delivered at working pressure by a pump and returned to the cleaning device. The device according to the invention is characterized in that a pipe leads from the filter or filters to a tank, and that this tank is connected by a pipe to the pump. This eliminates the very important problem, even if the asbestos fiber content, posed by the introduction into the sewage network of waste water containing fibers

  asbestos, and water consumption is also considerably reduced.

  According to an additional configuration of the invention, which is particularly advantageous when cleaning roofing materials containing asbestos fibers, provision is made to bring the filtration sludge, directly and in a closed system of pipes, from the filter to a mixer in which this sludge is mixed with cement in weight proportions from 1: 1 to

  1: 5 (mud / cement), then hardened in molds.

  The cement product thus obtained can be safely stored in landfills for building materials, and it does not

  therefore does not require special disposal.

  According to an additional characteristic of the cleaning method according to the invention, the water flowing from the roof surface is collected in a downspout which is blocked, for example, by an inflatable rubber balloon, and it is supplied. to the filter possibly using

of a pump.

  The invention will now be described in more detail using the appended drawings, in which: FIG. 1 represents a schematic functional diagram of the method according to the invention, FIGS. 2a and 2b represent, respectively in horizontal projection and in elevation , an embodiment of the device which is housed in the body of a truck body, and FIG. 3 represents a cleaning device as used on

roofs.

  FIG. 1 schematically represents a roof 1 to be cleaned and a treatment device 2 according to the invention, designed for implementing the method according to the invention. A cleaning device 3 is placed on the roof. The ability to move can be obtained by cables or guy lines not shown. The important thing is that the device 3 is, by means

  aprons, brushes or the like, sealed against the roof 1 screw-

  vis-à-vis the water projections, so that the pressurized water used to clean the roof 1 and the water discharged in projection by brushes in the cleaning device 3 cannot be transported in the environment. but run off on the interior walls of the cleaning device housing and then arrive, along the slope of the roof, in a

  gutter 4 and in a terminal pipe 5.

  It is possible, for example, to close the water pipe, not shown usually provided on the gutter 4, in water-tightness with an inflatable balloon, and to pump the waste water into the outlet 5, by means of a submerged pump. of the cleaning process that builds up. The important thing is that there is no water arriving in the sewage network, in infiltration wells or the like, but that the water is on the contrary supplied to the treatment device 2. The waste water from the cleaning operation, which arrives by the evacuation in the treatment device 2, is filtered and purified therein by a process which can comprise several stages, the impurities detached from the roof as well as the possibly released asbestos fibers being separated and going into the filtration mud. The purified water finally arrives, discharged by a pump 8, into a water tank 9. From this water tank 9, the water is, by means of a pump 10 at high pressure and by a pipe of pressurized water 11,

  returned to the cleaning device 3, where the cycle begins again.

  This closed water circuit prevents any introduction of contaminated water into the sewage system or into sumps, treatment plants or the like. The quality of the filtration of the water before its reintroduction into the tank 9 is solely determined by the need to protect the pumps 8 and 10 from abrasion by asbestos fibers and the like.

dirt.

  The filtration sludge which is produced in filters 6 and 7 can be removed in the usual way; preferably, however, in particular if it contains asbestos fibers, it is brought on site, in a closed system, in a harmless form, as shown

  also the schematic functional diagram of Figure 1.

  For this purpose, the filtration mud is removed from the filter 6 by a mud discharge 12 and, in a mixing device 13 which also has a balance 14, mixed with cement which is brought in the dry state from 'a hopper 15 through a pipe 16, and the mixture is allowed to harden in molds 17 (piping or closed pipe system (e) 12). It has been found that by using common construction cement in a weight ratio of the filtration sludge to the cement from 1: 1 to 1: 5, hardened blocks are obtained which can be definitely safe.

  stored in landfills for building materials.

  In practice, the arrangement of the various elements which are schematically represented in FIG. 1 can be carried out in the manner shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b, the whole of the treatment device preferably being housed in a box which is mounted on a truck. We can thus move from one place of use to another, the energy necessary for the pumps and the mixer coming either from the engine of the truck or, preferably, from a generator with engine Diesel, housed in the cash register. Since the water consumption of the device according to the invention can be kept low by guiding water in a closed circuit, the device is effectively autonomous and can be used in any

  where the vehicle on which it is mounted can access.

  Curing agents can be added to the cement, so that the available number of molds will not be a problem even when large quantities of filtration sludge are produced. To this is added that the molds are preferably made nestable in the state

  empty and stackable when filled, so that the space is small.

  Figures 2a and 2b show by way of example an actual configuration, provided with the same numerical references as in Figure 1. It is obvious that the practical configuration is not limited to the variant shown, but can be modified in different ways . In particular, it is thus possible to use different filters, filters with rotation, with cyclone, with bag, with flotation or with sedimentation, or mechanical filters with bottom in sieve with slits, insofar as only these filters are capable of separating by

  filtration of asbestos fibers from aqueous solutions.

  Preferably, as shown in FIG. 1, there is a fine filter after the main filter, preferably in the form of a cartridge or refill filter, according to which the entire cartridge or refill filtration is replaced following the constitution of a corresponding filter cake and, therefore, a pressure drop in the filter which becomes excessive. The filter cartridge can then be disposed of in an appropriate manner. If the main filter is adequately sized, the fine filter may need to be replaced sufficiently rarely so that this operation does not have to be carried out daily during work, but

  only at significantly larger intervals.

  In the example shown, a single main filter 6 has been shown, but it is of course possible, in order to obtain optimal filtration performance, to provide several filters of the same type in series, or even

different structures.

  The work according to the method according to the invention is simple. The vehicle provided with the treatment device is parked in a suitable place, the pressurized water pipe provided with the cleaning device 3 is connected by quick couplings corresponding to outlet sockets on the vehicle body, as is the evacuation 5. Corresponding electrical lines are put in place to supply the pump, if necessary, to evacuate the contaminated water by pumping from the gutter, and the cleaning device 3 is fixed to a transport system.

  suitable, for example on two cables passing through the ridge of the house.

  The roof outlet is then closed appropriately just below the gutter 4, for example by means of an inflatable rubber bellows, and the high pressure pump 10 is started and the cleaning device 3 directed at the roof by appropriate movement of the cables. Due to the sealing by aprons or brushes all around the housing of the cleaning device 3, there are practically no projections of water and dirt which penetrate into the surrounding atmosphere, these dirt being on the contrary transported with the water flowing along the roof towards the gutter 4, then flowing in the gutter 4 towards the evacuation. Since the latter is closed, the water collects in the region of the evacuation of the gutter and is there, by means of a submerged pump or the like, directed into the evacuation 5 and pumped into the filter 6 Dirt accumulates there in the filtration mud, on the bottom of this filter, while the filtrate is brought to the fine filter 7 and returned by means of the pump 8 to the water tank, where the

cycle begins again.

  The filtration sludge arrives, with a corresponding quantity of washing water, through a closed system of pipes in the mixer 13 o, being weighed, it is mixed in predefined proportions with cement which is brought from the hopper 15 When mixing is complete, the

  mixture is poured into molds 17, where it is allowed to solidify.

  The invention is not limited to the example shown of an evacuation system. It is thus possible to provide more pumps than what has been described, in particular if a particularly fine fine filter is used, which works under a higher pressure. The regulation of the different flows by means of solenoid valves and by means of a processor control is part of the technical field of regulation and will not pose any problem to the specialist having knowledge of the invention. We therefore gave up a more detailed explanation. Likewise, the choice of cleaning pressure is not directly part of the invention and can be adapted by the specialist.

  circumstances and equipment.

  Various safety devices, such as fill level indicators or leakage alarms to prevent contaminated cleaning water from leaving the system into the environment, are in and of themselves part of the condition. technique in the handling of hazardous substances, and do not require a more detailed explanation in

  the scope of this description.

  We will now describe in more detail the cleaning device 3 proper using the embodiment shown in Figure 3; however, as described in the introduction for similar purposes, there are already cleaning devices of this type for cleaning roofs, so

  that the following detailed description is made only for the purpose of the disclosure

  full. The cleaning device 3 is a closed roof trolley, and it has a cover which moves on wheels 19 or rollers, or again on skids. The cover is sealed towards the roof 1 by brush edges 20 or rubber aprons or the like. This seal is preferably replaced, cable and corresponds, on the roof side, to the profile of the latter.

  (undulations of different dimensions for example).

  Inside the cleaning device 3, nozzles 21 are provided for the cleaning product supplied under high pressure. These nozzles are arranged on one or more carrier bars 22. The bars 22 can

  be fixedly or movably mounted in the casing 18, for example by rotation.

  It is also possible to provide in the casing 18, fixedly or rotationally by pressurized water, brushes which aid in cleaning and, in certain cases, in

  moving the cleaning device 3.

  The nozzles are supplied by means of the pressurized water pipe 11 and a corresponding passage or else a

  appropriate connection on the cover 18.

  Obviously, it is possible to produce the automobile cleaning device 3, either electrically or by a hydraulic drive jointly supplied by the pressurized water pipe 11. A drive adapted to the slope of the roof is, for example, a cable drum which winds or unwinds the fixing cables to which the device is attached. The invention is not limited to the embodiment shown and described above. A cleaning product can thus be added to the pressurized water to speed up or improve cleaning of the roof. The important thing here is that the cleaning product does not tend to foam, so as not to release asbestos fibers with the foam, that filtration is not compromised,

  and that the vitrification or the subsequent coating is not hampered.

Claims (6)

  1.- Device for cleaning roof surfaces (1), in particular for cleaning roof surfaces which consist of asbestos-cement, by   example of asbestos-cement sheets, the cleaning device (3) includes   nant a cover (18) whose edge is essentially sealed relative to the roof (1) vis-à-vis water projections, nozzles (21) being further provided inside the cover (18) to pressurized water producing cleaning and a pressurized water pipe (11) connecting the cover (18) to a pump (10),   a collecting device also collects the water flowing on the roof, disposing it   collector sitive being connected by a closed pipe (5) to at least one filter (6, 7), characterized in that a pipe leads from the filter (s) (6, 7) to a tank   (9), and in that this reservoir is connected by a line to the pump (10).   2.- cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that the filter (6, 7) is connected, by means of a closed pipe (12), to a   mixer (13) in which the filtration mud is mixed with cement.   3.- Method for cleaning roof surfaces (1), in particular for cleaning roof surfaces which are made of asbestos-cement, for example asbestos-cement sheets, the cleaning being carried out by means of water under pressure in a sealed region with respect to the roof (1) vis-à-vis water projections, the water flowing on the roof being collected and filtered in at least one filter (6, 7), characterized in that that the filtered water is brought to a reservoir (9), from where it is returned to working pressure by a pump (10) and   returned to the cleaning device (3).   4.- A cleaning method according to claim 3, characterized in that the filter sludge of the filter (6, 7) is brought by a closed system of pipes (12) to a mixer (13), in which it is, d 'a way in itself   known, mixed with cement and then hardened in molds (17).   5.- A cleaning method according to claim 4, characterized in that the filter sludge of the filter (6, 7) is mixed with cement in   mixing ratios from 1: I to 1: 5 (filtration sludge: cement).   6.- Cleaning method according to any one of   Claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the water flowing from the surface of   roof (1) is collected in a downspout (5) which is blocked, for example, by an inflatable rubber balloon, and it is brought to the filter   (6, 7) possibly using a pump.