GB2291395A

GB2291395A - Liquid collecting tray

Info

Publication number: GB2291395A
Application number: GB9414047A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ronald Joseph Patrick Gilby
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-07-12
Filing date: 1994-07-12
Publication date: 1996-01-24
Anticipated expiration: 2014-07-12
Also published as: GB2291395B; GB9414047D0

Abstract

A liquid collecting open topped, tray shaped vessel 100, such as for use when draining a radiator, has a peripheral wall 165 formed with a lateral inwardly projecting elongate slot 140. The slot allows the tray to be placed around the supply pipe 40 of the radiator. The walls surrounding the slot are at least the same height as the walls 165 of the remainder of the tray. An inclined portion 160 is preferably provided adjacent the slot for directing the liquid into the vessel, and a directing ramp (200, Figure 5) lies against the underside of the radiator valve and has curved end portions (260, 270 Figure 6) matching the curvature of the side portions 260' and 270' of the inclined portion 160, a fastener (230, Figure 7) serving to hold the ramp against the valve. The tray is of moulded plastics material and may include handles 110, a pouring spout 120 and strengthening ribs 130. <IMAGE>

Description

LIQUID COLLECTING VESSEL This invention relates to liquid collecting vessels.

Liquid collecting vessels such as drip trays are used when liquid is drained from articles such as central heating radiators. A vessel of this type is conventionally a rectangular tray, having a capacity of about 5 to 10 litres. In use, the vessel is placed as near as possible to a position underneath the drain point of the radiator, and serves to catch a proportion of the liquid draining from the radiator.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings illustrates a problem which occurs when a vessel of the type described above is used to collect liquid draining from a central heating radiator.

Referring to Figure 1, a radiator 10 is attached by a mounting bracket 20 to a wall 30. Hot water is supplied to the radiator 10 by a generally vertical supply pipe 40 connected to underfloor pipework (not shown). The supply pipe 40 is connected to a control valve 50, which in turn is connected to the radiator 10.

When the radiator is drained (for maintenance or removal), the threaded connection between the control valve 50 and the radiator 10 is loosened or disconnected to allow water within the radiator to drain out. A drip tray 60 is positioned to catch at least some of the water, to reduce the likelihood of damage to floor coverings beneath the radiator. However, the pipe 40 prevents the drip tray from lying completely underneath the junction of the control valve 50 and the radiator 10 (from which the water is draining) and so not all of the drained water can be caught by the drip tray.

This invention provides a liquid collecting vessel having a peripheral wall formed with an inwardly projecting elongate slot.

A vessel according to the invention has a slotted peripheral shape, the slot preferably extending over substantially the full height of the vessel. This allows the vessel to be placed so as to project either side of obstructions such as a radiator supply pipe 40. This can reduce the amount of liquid which is spilled when the radiator is drained.

Although the vessel could assume many different shapes, it is preferred that the vessel is a generally rectangular tray.

The vessel is useful for collecting liquid from a variety of sources. However, in a preferred application the vessel is suitable to be used to collect liquid from a drain outlet of a central heating radiator. In order that the slot can accommodate commonly used radiator supply pipes, it is preferred that the slot is at least 20mm wide.

In order to reduce the amount of spillage of liquid when the vessel is used, it is preferred that there is also provided directing means for directing liquid from the outlet into the vessel. Preferably the directing means comprises an inclined directing ramp.

Preferably means are provided for fastening the directing means to the radiator.

Viewed from a second aspect this invention provides a pair of liquid collecting vessels according to any one of the preceding claims, one vessel of the pair having a greater liquid holding volume than the other vessel of the pair. Preferably the two vessels have generally laterally reversed structures, to accommodate the opposite ends of a radiator to be drained.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, throughout which like parts are referred to by like references, and in which: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the use of a conventional drip tray during drainage of a central heating radiator; Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of a liquid collecting vessel according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the vessel of Figure 2 in use as a drip tray during drainage of a central heating radiator; Figure 4 is a schematic side elevation of the vessel of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a schematic plan view of a liquid directing ramp; Figure 6 is a schematic end elevation of the ramp of Figure 5; Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a fastener; Figure 8 is a schematic plan view of a second liquid collecting vessel; and Figure 9 is a schematic side elevation of the vessel of Figure 8.

Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of a liquid collecting vessel or tray 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vessel 100 is a generally rectangular tray having a capacity of about 5 to 10 litres. The tray is formed of a moulded plastics material and has carrying handles 110, a pouring spout 120 and strengthening ribs 130.

A slot 140, preferably at least 20mm wide, is formed at one side of the tray 100 to fit around the pipe 40 (shown in broken line). The slot 140 is surrounded by walls 150 to at least the same height as the walls 165 of the remainder of the tray 100. At the side of the slot 140 is a sloped portion 160, described in greater detail below.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the vessel 100 in use as a drip tray during drainage of a central-heating radiator 10. The radiator 10 and associated pipework and control valve are identical to those illustrated in Figure 1.

When the vessel 100 is used as a drip tray, the vertical pipe 40 fits into the slot 140 to allow the vessel to project to either side of the pipe 40, and so to catch a large proportion of the water draining from the junction of the control valve 50 and the radiator 10 either in front of or behind the pipe 40.

Figure 4 is a schematic side elevation of the vessel 100 showing the slot 140, the sloped portion 160, the pouring spout 120 and the carrying handle 110.

When the tray 100 is use as a drip tray during drainage of a central-heating radiator, a greater proportion of liquid draining from the junction of the radiator 10 and the control valve 50 can be directed into the tray 100 by using a directing ramp of the type shown in Figures 5 and 6. In particular, Figure 5 is a schematic plan view of a directing ramp 200, and Figure 6 is a schematic end elevation of the directing ramp 200.

The directing ramp 200 is intended to lie against the underside of the valve 50 (or the joint between the valve 50 and the radiator 10) and to hang onto the sloped portion 160. The directing ramp has an indentation 210 shaped to match the curvature of a typical valve.

Holes 220 are formed in the ramp 200 to cooperate with a fastener 230 (shown schematically in Figure 7). The fastener 230 serves to hold the ramp 200 against the underside of the valve. In particular, the fastener 230 comprises a series of alternate wide and narrow crosssection formations. The fastener 230 is passed through wider, lower portions 240 of the holes 220 and pulled to hold the ramp 200 tightly against the valve. The fastener 230 is then slid upwards in the holes 220 so that one of the wider formations of the fastener 230 is locked by a narrowed slot 250.

Figure 6 is a schematic end elevation of the ramp 200, showing the form of the ramp in cross-section. The curved end portions 260, 270 match the curvature of side portions 260' and 270' of the sloping portion 160 of the tray 100.

Figure 8 is a schematic plan view of a second liquid collecting vessel 300. This type of vessel is smaller than the vessel 100, and is suitable for use at the liquid outlet side of a central heating radiator. (By way of explanation, when a central-heating radiator is drained, conventionally the junction between the control valve at the liquid inlet (right hand) side of the radiator and the radiator itself is loosened and the great majority of water drained from that junction.

However, a small amount of water may remain in the radiator and may emerge when the left hand side junction between the liquid outlet of the radiator and the associated pipework is loosened. Accordingly, a smaller, but otherwise similar, vessel 300 is appropriate for use when the second of the junctions is loosened or disconnected. The vessels have generally laterally reversed structures, so that the direction of the sloped portion in each case is appropriate for the right-hand and left-hand sides of the radiator.) Figure 9 is a schematic side elevation of the vessel of Figure 8, showing similar (but laterally reversed) features to the side elevation shown in Figure 4.

Although the embodiments described above relate to radiator drip trays, it will be apparent that the invention is applicable to other liquid draining applications.

Claims

1. A liquid collecting vessel having a peripheral wall formed with an inwardly projecting elongate slot.

2. A vessel according to claim 1, the vessel being a generally rectangular tray.

3. A vessel according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the slot is at least 20mm wide.

4. A vessel according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising directing means for directing liquid from a liquid outlet into the vessel.

5. A vessel according to claim 4, in which the directing means comprises an inclined liquid directing ramp.

6. A vessel according to claim 5, in which the liquid outlet is a drain outlet of a central heating radiator, the vessel comprising means for fastening the directing means to the radiator.

7. A pair of liquid collecting vessels according to any one of the preceding claims, one vessel of the pair having a greater liquid holding volume than the other vessel of the pair.

8. A liquid collecting vessel substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.