Pump-out valve

1 . A pump-out valve for a structure, wherein the pump-out valve comprising:

a valve body including a seal;

a plug assembly comprising:

a plug corresponding to the seal of the valve body; and

a vacuum gauge coupled to the plug; and

an operator that removably couples to the valve body, wherein the operator includes:

a housing;

an actuator coupled to the housing;

a piston that is removably coupled to the plug of the plug assembly; and

an outlet passage;

wherein:

the actuator is actionable to:

couple the piston to the plug assembly in a first position to allow for a user to use the actuator to:

set the pump-out valve to a sealed state by moving the plug assembly such that the plug assembly engages the seal of the valve body; and

set the pump-out valve to an open state by removing the plug from the seal of the valve body; and

decouple the piston from the plug in a second position to allow the operator to be removed from the valve body while the pump-out valve is in the sealed state.

2 . The pump-out valve of claim 1 , wherein the plug assembly further includes:

a vacuum-gauge-tube holder that houses a tube of the vacuum gauge;

a spring retainer that covers the vacuum-gauge-tube holder; and

a spring that surrounds the tube of the vacuum gauge within the vacuum-gauge-tube holder and is disposed between the vacuum-gauge-tube holder and the spring retainer.

3 . The pump-out valve of claim 2 , wherein:

the plug includes an opening; and

the spring:

biases the vacuum-gauge-tube holder to cover the opening of the plug when no outside force is placed upon the vacuum-gauge-tube holder; and

allows the vacuum gauge and the vacuum-gauge-tube holder to be pushed into the plug such that the opening of the plug allows pressure from outside the plug assembly to enter the plug assembly, which places the pump-out valve in a pressure-reading state.

4 . The pump-out valve of claim 3 , wherein:

the operator includes a compressor such that when the compressor acts upon a wall of the operator when the pump-out valve is set to the open state, the compressor pushes the vacuum gauge and the vacuum-gauge-tube holder to place the pump-out valve in the pressure-reading state.

5 . The pump-out valve of claim 3 , further comprising a cap that removably couples to the valve body to enclose the plug assembly while the operator is removed from the valve body.

6 . The pump-out valve of claim 5 , wherein the cap is a threaded cap and couples to the valve body via a threaded portion of the valve body.

7 . The pump-out valve of claim 6 , wherein the threaded cap pushes the vacuum gauge to place the pump-out valve in the pressure-reading state, when the threaded cap is coupled to the valve body.

8 . The pump-out valve of claim 3 , wherein a user manually pushes the vacuum gauge and the vacuum-gauge-tube holder to place the pump-out valve in the pressure-reading state.

9 . The pump-out valve of claim 3 , wherein the vacuum gauge includes a transmitter that transmits a reading of the vacuum gauge.

10 . The pump-out valve of claim 9 , further comprising a threaded cap that removably couples to the valve body via threads on the valve body to enclose the plug assembly while the operator is removed from the valve body; wherein the threaded cap pushes the vacuum gauge and the vacuum-gauge-tube holder to place the pump-out valve in the pressure-reading state, when the threaded cap is coupled to the valve body.

11 . The pump-out valve of claim 10 , wherein the transmitter is a wireless transmitter that wirelessly transmits the reading of the vacuum gauge over a wireless network.

12 . The pump-out valve of claim 9 , wherein the transmitter is a wireless transmitter that wirelessly transmits the reading of the vacuum gauge over a wireless network.

13 . The pump-out valve of claim 1 , wherein the seal resides in a recess of the valve body.

14 . The pump-out valve of claim 1 , wherein the seal resides in a recess of the plug.

15 . The pump-out valve of claim 1 , wherein the seal comprises two seals.

16 . The pump-out valve of claim 15 , wherein the two seals each reside corresponding recesses in the plug.

17 . A pump-out valve for a structure, wherein the pump-out valve comprising: a valve body including a seal; a plug assembly comprising: a plug corresponding to the seal of the valve body, wherein the plug includes an opening; a vacuum gauge coupled to the plug, wherein the vacuum gauge includes: a wireless transmitter that wirelessly transmits a reading of the vacuum gauge over a wireless network; and a tube; a vacuum-gauge-tube holder that houses the tube of the vacuum gauge; a spring retainer that covers the vacuum-gauge-tube holder; and a spring that surrounds the tube of the vacuum gauge within the vacuum-gauge-tube holder and is disposed between the vacuum-gauge-tube holder and the spring retainer, wherein the spring: biases the vacuum-gauge-tube holder to cover the opening of the plug when no outside force is placed upon the vacuum-gauge-tube holder; and allows the vacuum gauge and the vacuum-gauge-tube holder to be pushed into the plug such that the opening of the plug allows pressure from outside the plug assembly to enter the plug assembly, which places the pump-out valve in a pressure-reading state; a cap that removably couples to the valve body via threads on the valve body to enclose the plug assembly, wherein the cap pushes the vacuum gauge and the vacuum-gauge-tube holder to place the pump-out valve in the pressure-reading state, when the cap is coupled to the valve body; and an operator that removably couples to the valve body, wherein the operator includes: a housing; a piston that is removably coupled to the plug of the plug assembly; an actuator coupled to the housing, wherein the actuator is actionable to: couple the piston to the plug assembly in a first position to allow for a user to use the actuator to: set the pump-out valve to a sealed state by moving the plug assembly such that the plug assembly engages the seal of the valve body; and set the pump-out valve to an open state by removing the plug from the seal of the valve body; and decouple the piston from the plug in a second position to allow the operator to be removed from the valve body while the pump-out valve is in the sealed state; and a compressor such that when the compressor acts upon a wall of the operator when the pump-out valve is set to the open state, the compressor pushes the vacuum gauge and the vacuum-gauge-tube holder to place the pump-out valve in the pressure-reading state; an outlet passage; and wherein the cap couples to the valve body when the operator is not coupled to the valve body.

18 . A pump-out valve for a structure, wherein the pump-out valve comprising:

a valve body including a seal;

a plug assembly comprising:

a plug corresponding to the seal of the valve body, wherein the plug includes an opening;

a vacuum gauge coupled to the plug, wherein the vacuum gauge includes a tube;

a vacuum-gauge-tube holder that houses the tube of the vacuum gauge;

a spring retainer that covers the vacuum-gauge-tube holder; and

a spring that surrounds the tube of the vacuum gauge within the vacuum-gauge-tube holder and is disposed between the vacuum-gauge-tube holder and the spring retainer, wherein the spring:

biases the vacuum-gauge-tube holder to cover the opening of the plug when no outside force is placed upon the vacuum-gauge-tube holder; and

allows the vacuum gauge and the vacuum-gauge-tube holder to be pushed into the plug such that the opening of the plug allows pressure from outside the plug assembly to enter the plug assembly, which places the pump-out valve in a pressure-reading state;

a cap that removably couples to the valve body to enclose plug assembly;

an operator that removably couples to the valve body, wherein the operator includes:

a housing;

a piston that is removably coupled to the plug of the plug assembly;

an actuator coupled to the housing, wherein the actuator is actionable to:

couple the piston to the plug assembly in a first position to allow for a user to use the actuator to:

set the pump-out valve to a sealed state by moving the plug assembly such that the plug assembly engages the seal of the valve body; and

set the pump-out valve to an open state by removing the plug from the seal of the valve body; and

decouple the piston from the plug in a second position to allow the operator to be removed from the valve body while the pump-out valve is in the sealed state; and

a compressor such that when the compressor acts upon a wall of the operator when the pump-out valve is set to the open state, the compressor pushes the vacuum gauge and the vacuum-gauge-tube holder to place the pump-out valve in the pressure-reading state; and

an outlet passage.