GB2356119A

GB2356119A - Drainage apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2356119A
Application number: GB9919028A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Roger Hinchliffe
Original assignee: NORTH STAFFS IRRIGATION Ltd
Current assignee: NORTH STAFFS IRRIGATION Ltd
Priority date: 1999-08-13
Filing date: 1999-08-13
Publication date: 2001-05-16
Also published as: GB9919028D0

Abstract

Drainage apparatus for removing excess water from a sports facility includes a suction pump 12, connected by a network of pipes, to various locations 10 on the sports facility. Valves are provided which enable pipes within the network to be opened and closed individually. This allows water to be drawn from selected locations 10 or all locations 10, as required.

Description

2356119 Drainage A Maratus The invention relates to a drainage apparatus

particularly for a golf course of other sports facility.

The conventional way of draining land is to dig trenches across the fall of the terrain, taking advantage of any slope, so that water is drained off into a nearby ditch or water course. However, there are many occasions where there is no sympathetic slope to take advantage of or where, having taken advantage of a slope, the ensuing collection point has no escape. A large saucer shaped area is a typical example of this.

Many golf courses suffer from inadequate drainage because of the above problem. Often lakes are formed on undulating golf courses and these may remain for many weeks, killing the grass in the area and resulting in the necessity to re-turf or re-seed when the water has evaporated.

According to the invention there is provided a drainage apparatus for installation in a sports facility, the drainage apparatus including: a suction pump; a network of pipes for providing a fluid communication path between the pump and each of a plurality of locations remote from the pump; a valve associated with each fluid communication path, for selectively opening and closing a pipe within that path, to allow the pump to selectively draw water along the respective fluid communication paths thereby to selectively remove water from the respective locations.

According to the invention there is also provided a drainage apparatus installed at a sports facility, the drainage apparatus including: a suction pump; a network of pipes for providing a fluid communication path between the pump and each of a plurality of locations remote from the pump; a valve associated with each fluid communication path, for selectively 2 opening and closing a pipe within that path, to allow the pump to selectively draw water along the respective fluid communication paths thereby to selectively remove water from the respective locations.

The sports facility may be a golf course. Preferably the locations represent areas on the golf course where standing water collects. Preferably each fluid communication path is made up of a closed series of one or more pipes, a pipe remote from the suction pump being open to its respective location.

The pipes are preferably between about 20mm and 100mm in diameter and are most preferably between about 30mm and SOmm in diameter. The pipes may be of plastics material or metal.

The apparatus preferably includes at least eight fluid communication paths opening to respectively different locations. The network of pipes may include main pipes connected directly to the suction pump and branch pipes branching off the main pipes, or off other branch pipes.

An additional pump or pumps may be provided between a location and the suction pump. This is appropriate if the location is more than about 8m lower than the suction pump.

Each fluid communication path may include a perforated length of pipe, in the pipe remote from the suction pump, where the fluid communication path terminates at its respective location. The perforations may extend along the last 1m to 4m of the pipe, depending upon the area over which water collects in the respective location. The perforated portion of the pipe may be wrapped in a water permeable material to minimise the ingress of dirt into the pipe. The water permeable material may comprise a fine meshed material provided with holes having a diameter of between O.Imm and 3mm and preferably of about O.5mm.

3 In one or more of the locations, a herringbone arrangement of pipes may be provided.

One or more of the pipes preferably includes a valve which closes automatically when air is sucked through the pipe. The valve may be a 24 volt electric valve.

Preferably a valve is provided to open and close each fluid communication path.

Valves may be provided at junctions between pipes, the valves selectively allowing or preventing communication between the joined pipes.

Alternatively or in addition, valves may be provided at the locations. Each valve may include a float member for automatically closing the valve when the water falls below a predetermined level.

Preferably the apparatus includes means for sequentially opening and closing the valves in the respective fluid communication paths, thereby to sequentially draw water along the respective fluid communication paths, to remove water from all of the respective locations.

Timing means may be provided for activating the suction pump and/or opening or closing the valves at predetermined times or after predetermined time intervals.

The apparatus preferably includes means for pumping water drawn from the locations to a storage tank, or a water course or pond.

Preferably means are provided for reversing the action of the suction pump, to pump water from the suction pump along the pipes to the locations, to clean the pipes.

4 The apparatus may include additional hydrant chambers to which pipes may be attached to quickly draw water from selected locations.

According to the invention there is also provided a method of removing standing water from a sports facility, using a drainage system according to any of the previous definitions, the method including the steps of activating the suction pump and sequentially drawing water down the respective fluid communication paths to remove water from all the respective locations.

Preferably valves within the pipes are opened sequentially to draw water down the respective fluid communication paths in turn. Preferably the valves close automatically when air is drawn down a pipe.

According to the invention there is also provided a drainage system installed at a sports facility, the drainage system including a suction pump; a pipe extending from the pump to a selected location remote from the pump, the pipe being open to the selected location and closed between the selected location and the pump, such that the pump may be used to remove water from the selected location.

Preferably a plurality of pumps and pipes are provided.

Preferably the sports facility is a golf course.

According to the invention there is also provided a method of removing water from a sports facility using a drainage system as defined in any of the preceding three paragraphs, the method including the steps of activating the suction pump to draw water from the selected location along the pipe.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described for the purpose of illustration only, with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a diagrammatic plan view of a golf course incorporating apparatus according to the invention.

Referring to the drawing, a golf course is situated on undulating terrain, which includes a number of locations 10 at which water tends to collect. An apparatus according to the invention is installed, to remove standing water from these locations 10.

The apparatus includes a suction pump 12 and a network of pipes 14 extending from the pump to the locations 10. The network of pipes includes three main pipes 16 which are connected directly to the pump 12 and a number of branch pipes 18 which extend from the main pipes 16 to the locations 10. The branch pipes 18 may be provided with further branches such as that labelled 18a towards the left of the drawing.

The network of pipes provides a plurality of fluid communication paths extending from each respective location 10 to the pump 12.

The pipes 14 terminate at the respective locations 10 in perforated end portions, which enable water to be drawn through the perforations into the pipe for conveying along the fluid communication path to the pump 12 and then on to a storage facility, lake, via a pipe 19.

The perforations in the ends of the pipes extend along perhaps the last 2m to 3m of each pipe, depending upon the area over which standing water tends to collect in the respective location 10. The perforations may be between Imm and 5mm in diameter. The perforated portion of each pipe is wrapped in a water permeable hessian type material to prevent dirt from entering the pipe.

The network of pipes includes a series of electrically operated valves 20, located at the junctions between main pipes 16 and branch pipes 18 or between two branch pipes 18. The valves may close the pipes completely or may establish a fluid communication path from the vacuum pump to either of the two branches which intercept at the valve.

A sequence controller provided at the vacuum pump house is able to 6 control each valve independently, thereby to determine which of the fluid communication paths is open at any one time. The valves may be opened and closed sequentially to open each respective fluid communication path in turn. If a valve detects that air is being drawn through the pipe, the valve can switch from the branch of the pipe currently open to the alternative branch of the pipe, or if this branch also draws air, close completely. In this way, water is drawn sequentially from each location in turn until no standing water remains in any of the locations 10.

There is thus provided an apparatus for removing standing water from a golf course or other sports facility.

Various modifications may be made to the above described embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention. The apparatus may include additional hydrant chambers to which pipes may be attached to quickly draw water from selected locations. Instead of, or in addition to, using valves, a plurality of independently controllable pumps may be provided around the golf course, each connected by a pipe to their own location where water tends to gather.

Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

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Claims

1. Drainage apparatus for installation in a sports facility, the drainage apparatus including: a suction pump; a network of pipes for providing a fluid communication path between the pump and each of a plurality of locations remote from the pump; a valve associated with each fluid communication path, for selectively opening and closing a pipe within that path, to allow the pump to selectively draw water along the respective fluid communication paths thereby to selectively remove water from the respective locations.

2. Drainage apparatus installed at a sports facility, the drainage apparatus including: a suction pump; a network of pipes for providing a fluid communication path between the pump and each of a plurality of locations remote from the pump; a valve associated with each fluid communication path, for selectively opening and closing a pipe within that path, to allow the pump to selectively draw water along the respective fluid communication paths thereby to selectively remove water from the respective locations.

3. Drainage apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sports facility is a golf course.

4. Drainage apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the locations represent areas on the golf course where standing water collects.

5. Drainage apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 4, wherein each fluid communication path is made up of a closed series of one or more pipes, a pipe remote from the suction pump being open to its respective location.

6. Drainage apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 5, wherein the apparatus includes at least eight fluid communication paths opening to respectively different locations.

7. Drainage apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 6, wherein the network of pipes includes main pipes connected directly to the suction pump and branch pipes branching off the main pipes, or off other branch pipes.

8. Drainage apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 7, wherein an additional pump or pumps is provided between a location and the suction pump.

9. Drainage apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 8, wherein each fluid communication path includes a perforated length of pipe, in the pipe remote from the suction pump, where the fluid communication path terminates at its respective location.

10. Drainage apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the perforations extend along the last Im to 4m of the pipe.

11. Drainage apparatus according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the perforated portion of the pipe is wrapped in a water permeable material to minimise the ingress of dirt into the pipe.

12. Drainage apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the water permeable material comprises a fine meshed material.

13. Drainage apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the fine meshed material is provided with holes having a diameter of between 0. 1 mm and 3 mm.

14. Drainage apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the fine meshed material is provided with holes having a diameter of about 0. 5 mm.

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15. Drainage apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 14, wherein in one or more of the locations, a herringbone arrangement of pipes is provided.

16. Drainage apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 15, wherein one or more of the pipes includes a valve which closes automatically when air is sucked through the pipe.

17. Drainage apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the valve is a 24 volt electric valve.

18. Drainage apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 17, wherein a valve is provided to open and close each fluid communication path.

19. Drainage apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 18, wherein valves are provided at junctions between pipes, the valves selectively allowing or preventing communication between the joined pipes.

20. Drainage apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 19, wherein valves are provided at the locations.

21. Drainage apparatus according to claim 20, wherein each valve includes a float member for automatically closing the valve when the water falls below a predetermined level.

22. Drainage apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 22, wherein the apparatus includes means for sequentially opening and closing the valves in the respective fluid communication paths, thereby to sequentially draw water along the respective fluid communication paths, to remove water from all of the respective locations.

23. Drainage apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 22, wherein timing means are provided for activating the suction pump and/or opening or closing the valves at predetermined times or after predetermined time intervals.

24. Drainage apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 23, wherein the apparatus includes means for pumping water drawn from the locations to a storage tank, or a water course or pond.

25. Drainage apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 24, wherein means are provided for reversing the action of the suction pump, to pump water from the suction pump along the pipes to the locations, to clean the pipes.

26. Drainage apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 25, wherein the apparatus includes additional hydrant chambers to which pipes are attached to quickly draw water from selected locations.

27. Drainage apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the pipes are between 20 mm and 100 mm in diameter.

28. Drainage apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the pipes are between 30 mm and 50 mm in diameter.

29. Drainage apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the pipes are made of plastics material.

30. Drainage apparatus according to any of claims I to 28, wherein the pipes are made of metal.

31. A method of removing standing water from a sports facility, using a drainage system according to any of the previous definitions, the method including the steps of activating the suction pump and sequentially drawing water down the respective fluid communication paths to remove water from all the respective locations.

32. A method of removing standing water according to claim 31, wherein valves within the pipes are opened sequentially to draw water down the respective fluid communication paths in turn.

33. A method of removing standing water according to claim 32, wherein the valves close automatically when air is drawn down a pipe.

34. A drainage system installed at a sports facility, the drainage system including a suction pump; a pipe extending from the pump to a selected location remote from the pump, the pipe being open to the selected location and closed between the selected location and the pump, such that the pump may be used to remove water from the selected location.

35. A drainage system according to claim 34, wherein a plurality of pumps and pipes are provided.

36. A drainage system according to claim 34 or claim 35, wherein the sports facility is a golf course.

37. A method of removing water from a sports facility using a drainage system as defined in any of claims 34 to 36, the method including the steps of activating the suction pump to draw water from the selected location along the pipe.

38. A drainage system substantially as herein described with reference to the drawing.

39. A method of removing water from a sports facility the method being substantially as herein described with reference to the drawing.

40. Any novel subject matter or combination including novel subject matter disclosed herein, whether or not within the scope of or relating to the same invention as any of the preceding claims.