Condensate pump

Claim 2

In a condensate pump having a sump with inlet and outlet passages, an impeller for pumping condensate from the interior of the sump through the outlet passage and motor means for driving the pump, a pump structure comprising: a circular impeller well constituting an integrally conformed portion of a bottom wall of the sump, a circular impeller disposed in said well, a closure structure for said well comprising a circular disc means fitting into the well to close off the same and form a pumping chamber for the impeller; vertically extending pillar means attached to said disc means and extending up substantially to the level of said top opening of the sump; a driving shaft extending from coupling engagement with the impeller upwardly into driving engagement with said motor; and a cover means for the sump supporting said motor and having at least partial supporting engagement with said pillar means.

Claim 3

A construction according to claim 1 further characterized in that said well includes a circular lip and a circular ledge subjoining said lip and said closure disc seats upon said ledge and is provided with circumambient sealing means sealingly engaging the inner periphery of said circular lip so as to be sealingly engageable therewith or separable therefrom as a function of insertion or withdrawal of the closure disc from seated condition on said ledge.

Claim 4

A construction according to claim 2 wherein said closure disc is provided with an over-sized hole for said shaft and affords the sole condensate inlet to the pump and the pump has a discharge passage through a sidewall portion of the well and a wall portion of the sump which is integrally conformed with said well.

Claim 5

A pump construction according to claim 1 wherein said cover plate is attached to said pillar means and said motor is mounted on said cover plate, together with means for removably attaching the cover plate to the sump with said impeller assembly in aligned disposition in said well.

Claim 6

The construction of claim 4 further characterized in that said cover plate has an opening for a condensate receiving hose which can be entered into the sump, and said sump structure includes a vertical baffle formed on the interior of the sump in the region subjoining a corner of the sump adjacent said hose opening and of a width to deflect the end of the entered hose from working beyond the baffle in at least one direction toward said pump well.

Claim 7

The construction defined in claim 1 wherein said pillar means comprises at least two upright post elements integrally conformed with said closure disc at one end on opposite sides of said motor shaft and extending upwardly substantially to the level of said top opening of the sump for supporting engagement as aforesaid with the underside of said cover means.

Claim 8

The construction of claim 6 further characterized in that the upper end regions of said post elements are provided with enlarged lands upon which said cover means has seating engagement, and said post elements are joined adjacent said upper end regions by an integral cross member including a passage for said motor shaft.

Claim 9

The construction of claim 7 wherein said cover means comprises a plate fitting upon the margins of the sump to close off the open top thereof and also having seating engagement with the post elements as aforesaid and the cover plate is attached to said enlarged lands.

Claim 10

In condensate pumps and the like, an integrally molded sump structure including a bottom wall, sidewall formations upstanding therefrom and subjoining a top opening; a cover member closing said top opening; a pump motor carried on the upper side of said cover member and having shaft means extending therethrough vertically downward into the sump; a circular impeller well formed as an integral configuration of said bottom wall concentrically of said shaft means; a circular impeller disposed in said well and having driving connection with said shaft means; a circular sealing closure for closing said well to provide a pumping chamber in which said impeller can operate in pumping action; means affording passage for liquid into said chamber, means for guiding the pumped liquid from said well and through a wall portion of the sump structure; and means attaching said sealing closure to said cover member comprising integrally conformed portions of the closure member flanking said shaft means and extending vertically into supporting engagement with said cover member for the sump.

Claim 11

In condensate pumps and the like, an integrally molded sump structure including a bottom wall, sidewall formations upstanding therefrom and subjoining a top opening; a cover member closing said top opening; a pump motor carried on the upper side of said cover member and having shaft means extending therethrough vertically downward into the sump; a circular impeller well formed as an integral configuration of said bottom wall concentrically of said shaft means; a circular impeller disposed in said well and having driving connection with said shaft means; a circular sealing closure for closing said well to provide a pumping chamber in which said impeller can operate in pumping action; means affording passage for liquid into said chamber, means for guiding the pumped liquid from said well and through a wall portion of the sump structure; and means attaching said sealing closure to said cover member comprising integrally conformed portions of the closure member flanking said shaft means and extending vertically into supporting engagement with said cover member for the sump.

Claim 12

The construction defined in claim 9 further characterized in that said attaching means comprises at least two post elements spaced apart to flank the shaft means as aforesaid and having integral attachment with the sealing closure at one end and integrally conjoined at opposite ends subjacent to portions thereof engaging with said cover member.

Claim 13

A combination sump and pump construction wherein the sump is a reservoir molded from plastics materiAl with a bottom wall bordered by upstanding side walls terminating in a top opening overlying said bottom wall and adapted to be closed by a top cover plate, and wherein the pump comprises a pendent well portion integrally formed in said bottom wall with an open top facing the top opening of the sump and having a discharge passage leading therefrom through a side wall portion of the sump; a removable closure member for the open top of the well closing the latter to define a pump chamber, said closure member including integral conformations extending upwardly therefrom into attachment with the underside of said top cover plate so as to fit in closing relation with the well in the sump-closing condition of the top cover plate; motor means carried on the exterior side of said top cover plate above said well; and impeller means rotatable in the pump chamber defined by said well and closure member; shaft means depending from driving connection with said motor and freely penetrating said closure member into driving engagement with the impeller.

Claim 14

A combination sump and pump construction wherein the sump is a reservoir molded from plastics materiAl with a bottom wall bordered by upstanding side walls terminating in a top opening overlying said bottom wall and adapted to be closed by a top cover plate, and wherein the pump comprises a pendent well portion integrally formed in said bottom wall with an open top facing the top opening of the sump and having a discharge passage leading therefrom through a side wall portion of the sump; a removable closure member for the open top of the well closing the latter to define a pump chamber, said closure member including integral conformations extending upwardly therefrom into attachment with the underside of said top cover plate so as to fit in closing relation with the well in the sump-closing condition of the top cover plate; motor means carried on the exterior side of said top cover plate above said well; and impeller means rotatable in the pump chamber defined by said well and closure member; shaft means depending from driving connection with said motor and freely penetrating said closure member into driving engagement with the impeller.

Claim 15

The construction set forth in claim 11 further characterized in that said sump has an integrally-conformed pendent skirt formation operative to space said bottom wall and the bottom of said well from a supporting surface, and said well has internal ledge means subjoining said open top thereof and upon which said closure member seats in the top-closing condition of the top cover plate on the sump.

Claim 16

In condensate pumps and the like having a sump body to receive liquid and a motor driven pump for exhausting said liquid situated close to a bottom part thereof, a sump and pump structure comprising a body of molded synthetic plastics material defining a liquid-receiving tank having a bottom wall with side wall portions upstanding therefrom and terminating in an open top portion adapted to be closed; said bottom wall having as an integrally-conformed part thereof a shallow pump impeller chamber lying close to the plane of said bottom wall and consisting in a well recessed downwardly from said bottom wall with a top opening disposed close to the upper surface of the bottom wall, said chamber well being adapted to receive an impeller rotatable about an axis substantially normal to the plane of the bottom wall; further integrally-conformed portions of the material of said bottom wall and sump body defining a discharge duct for the pump communicating through one of said side wall portions; a pump impeller rotatable in said chamber well; first closure means for closing said open top portion of the sump body; second closure means operative to close said top opening of the chamber well; drive shaft means extending upwardly from said impeller through said second closure means; means providing for inlet of liquid from within said tank to said chamber well; support means comprising an integrally-conformed part of said second closure means extending upwardly therefrom in approximate parallelism with said shaft means to an upper end portion lying substantially at the level of said first closure means for attachment to the latter; a driving motor having support on said first closure means and driving connection with said shaft means; and means attaching said upper end portion of the support means to said first closure means such that removal of the latter from closing relation with the sump body will carry with it said second closure means, said shaft means and said impeller.

Claim 17

In condensate pumps and the like having a sump body to receive liquid and a motor driven pump for exhausting said liquid situated close to a bottom part thereof, a sump and pump structure comprising a body of molded synthetic plastics material defining a liquid-receiving tank having a bottom wall with side wall portions upstanding therefrom and terminating in an open top portion adapted to be closed; said bottom wall having as an integrally-conformed part thereof a shallow pump impeller chamber lying close to the plane of said bottom wall and consisting in a well recessed downwardly from said bottom wall with a top opening disposed close to the upper surface of the bottom wall, said chamber well being adapted to receive an impeller rotatable about an axis substantially normal to the plane of the bottom wall; further integrally-conformed portions of the material of said bottom wall and sump body defining a discharge duct for the pump communicating through one of said side wall portions; a pump impeller rotatable in said chamber well; first closure means for closing said open top portion of the sump body; second closure means operative to close said top opening of the chamber well; drive shaft means extending upwardly from said impeller through said second closure means; means providing for inlet of liquid from within said tank to said chamber well; support means comprising an integrally-conformed part of said second closure means extending upwardly therefrom in approximate parallelism with said shaft means to an upper end portion lying substantially at the level of said first closure means for attachment to the latter; a driving motor having support on said first closure means and driving connection with said shaft means; and means attaching said upper end portion of the support means to said first closure means such that removal of the latter from closing relation with the sump body will carry with it said second closure means, said shaft means and said impeller.