Universal pneumatic-snake apparatus & method

Abstract

A pneumatic-snake like appratus and method for routine clearing of clogged plumbing-drain lines in buildings and marine installations, employing an air-supply of 80-120 psi at a nozzle-generated velocity sufficient to virtually disintegrate obstructions logged within the plumbing-drain system. Owing to direct-impact infusion of high-velocity air exiting the special ball-shaped fracturing-nozzle positioned at leading-end of the snaking air-hose, the “Pwr / Clogbuster™” is more effective at breaking-up plumbing-line clump-obstructions than conventional mechanical coiled-metal snake devices. Passed-into a drain-line to point of obstruction, the pneumatic-snake operator opens a control-valve positioned between the air-hose and air-supply unit (a conventional portable air-compressor / reservoir rig);—whereupon a few thrusting blasts at point-blank are sufficient to clear an obstruction. An annular drain-cup device is slip-fitted on the air-hose, and held near the drain-entry point, as to provide splash-deflection protection during the procedure;—plus, generic-variant nozzle configurations are also set forth.

Description

I.) BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of Invention [0002] This invention relates to plumbing-snake like apparatus employed to clear clogged plumbing-line drains, and more specifically it relates to those types of snake like devices introducing air only (not water) as a clog / obstruction clearing medium. [0003] 2. Relevant Prior-Art [0004] Background research discovery provides some prior patent-art regarded as germane to this disclosure, chronologically for example U.S. Pat. No. 1,498,446(filed: February 1924) teaches a sewer-line cleaner apparatus which was essentially incapable of turning an internal pipeline corner, but employed a plurality of water-nozzles serving to irrigate the pipeline wall as a cutting-disk is advanced forward through the problematical pipeline; however, there is no contemplation of using air as a fluid blasting medium. [0005] In U.S. Pat. No. 1,510,212(filed: November 1922) is shown a special concentric-dublet / airhose-snaking device involving a thr...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0032] The prime object of my invention is to therefore provide a more effective and efficient tool and method for unclogging a blockage within drain-pipes of all the various types found in domestic, institutional, and mobile (such as marine and motorhome) plumbing systems. For example, the disclosed invention is quite adaptable and convenient aboard even the largest of sea-going vessels, owing to the ready availability of 80-120 psi air-pressure service-outlets; and my preferably rubber based air-hose pneumatic-snake body is virtually immune to the adverse effects of saltwater environment, which corrosiveness is a constant enemy to the traditional coiled plated-steel plumber's-snake. Moreover, the more resonate effect (being a compressive fluid medium) of pressurized-air actually exerts a more fragmenting blast effect, which more readily cuts through and loosens most of the usual foul and tenacious materials which are found to be the major cause of problematical blockages in drain-pipes.

[0033] Furthermore, it has been found that the exceptional flexibility of my simple pneumatic-snake apparatus, functions to be much more easily forced into the drain-pipe and around the various S-bends, U-bends, and L-bends, which often pose a difficult task to the manipulator of a conventional coiled-wire & wire-core snake, or steel-tape snake, that can barely probe around some simple 90-degree elbow type L-bends commonly found on an enclosed vacuum-type sewer-drain pipe utilized on most modern marine ships. Hence, the pneumatic-snake of my invention actually demands less operating skill, yet is more easily deployed, and is easily cleaned-up after usage—simply by purging the interior of the withdrawn hose & nozzle with air-pressure, and rinsing-off its exterior.

Problems solved by technology

Advantageously, on-going injection of pressurized-air merely back-flows up into the ambient-air proximal the drain-pipe entry point;—while by way of comparison, the on-going injection of any additional water can only back-flow into the clogged-sink or toilet, which invariably adds still more of a dirty-water mess (before the stubborn drain clog finally gives away).

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