EP2305907A1

EP2305907A1 - A method of replacing a drain water stem

Info

Publication number: EP2305907A1
Application number: EP09171569A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Bertil Eriksson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-09-29
Filing date: 2009-09-29
Publication date: 2011-04-06

Abstract

A replacement of a drain water stem in a building having at least two floors takes place by expanding a first room (1), on each floor, provided with units generating drain water and located next to an external wall (2) of the building by forming a new room (8) outside the external wall and connecting the new room to the first room. A new drain water stem part (11) is arranged in the new room. Drain conduits from at least some of said units generating drain water are connected with the new drain water stem part. Drain water stem parts located under each other are interconnected for forming a new drain water stem.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART

The present invention relates to a method of replacing a drain water stem in a building having at least two floors.
It may be the question of any type of building provided with at least one drain water stem to which units generating drain water are connected, such as water closets, wash basins, bathtubs, showers, washing machines, kitchen drains and the like. However, the case of replacing a drain water stem in dwelling houses will hereinafter mainly be discussed so as to illuminate but not in any way restrict the invention.
It happens primarily in older dwelling houses that drain water stems, i.e. drain water pipes extending from the upper floor of the building through the floors of the building to the ground and collecting drain water from said units in the building, start to leak as a consequence of fissures in joints, holes in the pipe wall and the like. Such leakage can of course not be accepted, since it results in very costly damages of the building. Such drain water stems are for that sake replaced, and this is hopefully done before any greater damage is caused to the building.
The replacement is nowadays carried out by breaking walls and also partially ceilings and floors in rooms, such as bathrooms, connecting to the existing drain water stem so as to make the drain water stem to be replaced accessible, so that it may be replaced by a new drain water stem. The room in question is restored after the replacement has taken place, inter alia by providing it with new wall coverings. It also happens that the old drain stem is left in place and a new drain water stem is placed in pre-manufactured cassettes or the like inside a bathroom, in which sometimes the cassettes are designed so that a water closet may be mounted hung on the wall.
A number of inconveniences are the result of carrying out these methods. During the period of time in which the work with the replacement of the drain water stem takes place it will not be possible to use the rooms in question and the different units generating drain water connected to the drain water stem, but the people living in the dwelling will be directed to temporary solutions, such as dry closets placed in the cellar of the house or outdoors, so as to satisfy different needs. This is of course very troublesome, since the works of the replacement of drain water stem may continue over a longer time, well in the order of months.
Another inconvenience is that in certain cases will most of value in the present rooms, such as bathrooms, in question be broken, which means that the replacement of drain water stem will be very costly, in which the cost for the very drain water stem constitutes a disappearing small part of the total cost for the replacement. This means in its turn that it will be necessary to raise the rent substantially in apartments in which such a replacement of the drain water stem has taken place, in spite of the fact that no real raise of the standard of the apartment has been achieved. By carrying out the method it has principally only been achieved that drain water does not damage the building any longer. This means that the lodgers have difficult to accept such rent raises.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide a method for replacement of a drain water stem in a building having at least two floors, which finds a remedy to at least some of the inconveniences mentioned above associated with such methods already known.
This object is according to the invention obtained by providing such a method, which has the following steps:

expanding, on each floor, a first room, such as kitchen, bathroom or the like, provided with units generating drain water next to an external wall of the building, by forming a new room outside the external wall and connecting the new room to the first room,
arranging a new drain water stem part in the new room,
connecting drain conduits from at least one of said units generating drain water to the new drain water stem part, and
interconnecting new drain water stem parts located under each other in said new rooms located under each other for forming a new drain water stem, which extends in said new rooms outside the former external wall and assumes the tasks of the old drain water stem thereby replaced, in which the latter is left inside the building without any units generating drain water still used connected thereto.

By this totally new approach for replacing a drain water stem through such an expanding of a room outside the external wall of the house and arranging the new drain water stem in this expanded structure a number of advantages with respect to such methods already known are obtained. The very drain water stem replacement will be experienced as considerably less disturbing than described above by the people living or staying in the house, since the stem replacement may be carried out while simultaneously allowing the persons access to bathrooms, kitchens and the like functioning, since these may be utilised as before until the method is over and the new drain water stem may assume the task of the old drain water stem. Thus, the old drain water stem will function until it has no function to fulfil any longer and then remain untouched in the building without any units generating drain water still used connected thereto. However, the old drain water stem may be utilised for accommodating it-technique, for instance broadband or alarm technique.
However, even more important are the purely financial advantages resulting from this method with respect to methods already known. Only fractions of the old drain network, in principle only connection sleeves, have to be removed, which means that it will get considerably less expensive to carry out the replacement of drain water stem in the form of said expansion, at the same time as a new room giving the apartment in question an additional value will be provided. Thanks to the new room and to localisation thereof outside the external wall of the building it will also be possible to achieve a saving of heating costs, especially in older houses, through a better heat insulation towards the exterior then achievable through the external wall. The new external wall and new windows will be superior to the old ones with respect to low heat transmission losses. A number of other advantages may also be obtained through this new method, in which these will be mentioned further below in connection with discussion of different possible embodiments of the invention. Thus, objective financial facts recommend the installation of plus surfaces before any damages occur as a consequence of leakage of present drain stem. However, it is to be pointed out that the method may not be applied in city centres where the buildings are interconnected at the gables, if there is no free space for the expansion in a lift shaft of the building. An expansion may neither be carried out at the ground level of a building if sidewalks are present in the immediate vicinity of the longer side of the building. A so-called "traditional stem replacement" is then to be carried out for the floor next to the ground level and space is to be provided in the lower floor for the new drain conduits of the upper floors.
It should also be mentioned that it is already known through the Japanese patent application JP 2006083691 to connect sanitary equipment and a drain water stem outside the existing rooms in the building in connection with mounting of a lift in a building so as to by that provide the building with wet rooms. It is here not the question of any replacement of a drain water stem, but it is here a building having no wet rooms but being provided with new such wet rooms.
According to an embodiment of the invention at least some of the units generating drain water are removed from said first room and moved out to said new room or are replaced by corresponding new units in said new room, so that said new room at least partially replaces the first room with respect to provision of said units. This facilitate the connection of the units generating drain water to the new drain water stem, and in this way it gets also possible to utilise the first room to something completely different, such as a store room, bedroom or the like according to another embodiment of the invention. This does of course increase the value of the apartment.
According to another embodiment of the invention it is a first room in the form of a wet room, such as a bathroom, a shower room and/or a toilet room, that is at least partially expanded. It may then be a first room having a water closet, wash basin and shower and/or bath tub that is at least partially expanded. According to an embodiment of the invention all the units generating drain water except for the wash basin may be removed from the first room and moved out to the new room or be replaced by new corresponding units which are arranged in the new room. Another possibility is to leave for example a wash machine in the first room, but all units generating drain water may of course also be moved out if this is desired.
According to another embodiment of the invention it is a first room in the form of a kitchen that is expanded, in which the drain water stem to which the kitchen drain is connected is arranged in said new room, which then also advantageously may be designed for enabling provision of a dining place with dining table and chairs in connection with the original kitchen space.
According to another embodiment of the invention said expansion is carried out for each floor of the building by arranging a pre-manufactured structure on the external wall of the building, and the pre-manufactured structures located under each other are then interconnected. The method is substantially simplified by this, since it gets easy to interconnect the structures pre-manufactured. These, i.e. the new rooms, may at the same time be provided to a considerably lower cost, so that also a saving of material costs may be achieved as addition to the great saving of labour costs. Pre-manufactured structures containing said drain water stem parts are then advantageously arranged onto the external wall of the building.
According to another embodiment of the invention a said new room having an area exceeding 2 m², exceeding 5 m² or exceeding 8 m², such as having an area of substantially 2, 6, 8 or 12 m², is arranged on the external wall of the building. How big the new room is made is dependent upon the situation outside the building and the desires of the lodger, and a considerable raise of the standard may accordingly be provided to an attractive cost would that be desired.
According to another embodiment of the invention a prolongation of said new room is formed along the external wall of the building by arranging a balcony adjacent to the new room. This makes it possible to provide apartments having no balcony with a balcony to a low cost, and it is also possible to provide the balcony with solar energy cells on a suitable location, which are then connected to means arranged in the new room for receiving a medium heated by energy from these solar energy cells, so that the energy costs of the building may be reduced in this way.
Such solar energy cells may also be arranged on the roof of the building and then heat media received by means arranged in said new room for the uppermost floor of the building.
According to another embodiment of the invention a plurality of said new drain water stem parts are arranged in said new room, and units generating drain water of different degree of contamination are connected to different determined such new drain water stem parts. By carrying out the method according to the invention for drain water stem replacement a more efficient treaty of drain water may easily be achieved in this way, since for example water closets may be connected to a drain water stem part for water contaminated in a comparatively high degree and for example wash basins, drain gutters, wash machines and dish washers may be connected to a drain water stem part for water contaminated in a lower degree. These different types of drain water may by this be taken care of in a suitable way, such as for producing fertilizer, taking care of energy or the like, for example in a cellar space of the building. It is of course also possible that a division into more than two drain water stems is carried out. A division of faeces and urine may take place in water closets for conducting these to different drain water stems.
According to another embodiment of the invention said new rooms are provided with a partition for hiddenly receiving said new drain water stem part. The provision of such a partition means that the presence of a drain water stem part does not in any way influence disturbingly upon the appearance of the interior of the new room. It is then advantageous that the new drain water stem part is arranged accessible from said new room by being hidden by a removable wall or a similar member restricting the partition from the rest of the new room. The drain water stem part may by this be accessed without any requirement to destroy any wall or the like for carrying out possible work, such as connecting any new said units thereto at a later stage.
According to another embodiment of the invention means are arranged for conducting rain water into drain water conducting pipes in said partition. Problems with corrosion on rain water conduits outside present buildings may by this be avoided.
According to another embodiment of the invention said first room is arranged under the roof of the building above the uppermost floor in which a said first room is arranged, directly over the first room last mentioned, and while creating a penthouse the units generating drain water located in the uppermost first room so created are connected to the new drain water stem. By the fact that the method according to the invention may be utilised to create a penthouse having a said first room, such as a bathroom, with connection to a drain water stem of the house by simple means, a considerable financial additional value may be created by carrying out the method according to the invention for drain water stem replacement.
According to another embodiment of the invention it is a room with an external wall facing an inner yard of the building or a lift shaft that is at least partially expanded by forming a said new room. This constitutes advantageous alternatives for expansion of a said first room.
According to another embodiment of the invention the new room is arranged in a lift shaft of the building and the new drain water stem is arranged in said new room in the lift shaft. This is possible in the case the building has a lift shaft with sufficient space for a said new room, and it appears from this that "external wall" in this disclosure is to be interpreted as a wall located outside the rooms of the building, in which people may stay, so that such an external wall may also restrict a said first room of the building with respect to a lift shaft located inside the building or an inner yard of the building.
According to another embodiment of the invention the method is combined with a construction of a lift shaft outside on a building having no lift, in which the lift shaft is arranged on the external wall of the building externally to said first room and is designed to be able to receive said new room, and the expansion of said first room and the arrangement of said new drain water stem are made inside the lift shaft .
Further advantages as well as advantageous features of the invention will appear from the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

With reference to the appended drawings, below follows a description of preferred embodiments of the invention cited as examples.
In the drawings:

Fig 1: is a schematic view from above of a part of a bathroom in a building to be subjected to a replacement of drain water stem,
Fig 2: is a view corresponding to Fig 1 illustrating how the building has changed by carrying out a replacement of drain water stem through a method according to a first embodiment of the invention,
Fig 3: is a very simplified side elevation of a building in which a drain water stem replacement according to the method illustrated in Fig 2 has been carried out,
Fig 4: is a view corresponding to Fig 2 illustrating the result of drain water stem replacement in connection with a kitchen by carrying out a method according to a second embodiment of the invention,
Fig 5: is a view corresponding to Fig 3 illustrating the result of a drain water stem replacement according to a method according to a third embodiment of the invention, and
Fig 6: is a view corresponding to Fig 2 illustrating the result of a drain water stem replacement according to a method according to a fourth embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Fig 1 illustrates in a very simplified manner a first room 1 in the form of a bathroom in a building having at least two floors, in which the bathroom is located next to an external wall 2 of the building. The bathroom has in this case units generating drain water in the form of a bath tub 3, water closet 4 and wash basin 5, which are connected to a drain water stem 6 schematically indicated, which extends through the entire building from floor to floor. When there is a need of replacing this drain water stem for for example any of the reasons described above it may according to an embodiment of a method according to the present invention be proceeded in the way now to be explained with reference made to Fig 2 and 3. An opening 7 is made in the external wall and a new room 8 is formed outside the external wall. The new room is preferably formed by a pre-manufactured structure containing new units receiving drain water, such as here in the form of a water closet 4' and a shower cabinet 9. A new drain water stem part 11 is arranged in a separate partition 10 and a water closet 4' as well as the drain gutter of the shower cabinet are connected to this part.
The original bathroom 1 may during the work with the expansion of the new room 8 still remain in function, such as shown in Fig 1, for use by the person living in the apartment in question. In the case shown a wash basin 5' and a washing machine 12 are installed in the former bathroom 1 and connected to the new drain water stem 11. The first room 1 is for the rest transformed into a store room with wardrobes, shelves and the like 13.
A pipe 14 for conducting a media for absorbing energy delivered by solar energy cells, such as explained further below, is also arranged in the partition 10. The partition 10 is preferably restricted for hiding the drain water stem 11 and the pipe 14 through a removable wall 15 so as to enable easy access to these conduits when needed. The partition may be placed in any suitable position inside the new room.
The wall 16 and the window 17 defining the new room 8 are preferably made of material with excellent heat insulating values, so that the amount of energy required for heating or cooling the apartment therebehind may be reduced through this expansion.
It is also shown how it is possible to prolong the new room 8 by a balcony 18, which may be advantageously provided with solar cells on a suitable location, which is indicated by 19. These solar cells may deliver energy for heating a media flowing in the pipe 14. Such a balcony may be located on an optional side of the expansion or on both sides thereof.
It appears from Fig 3 how a number of pre-manufactured structures 20, 20' and 20" may be interconnected in this way. Such structures may advantageously contain so-called bathroom cubes having said units and walls provided with tiles and manufactured by robots in a factory. The possibility to build a new roof 22 onto the old roof and by that raise the space thereunder is also illustrated. 20-40 m² living area may in this way often be won for the penthouse. A spiral staircase 60 from the floor thereunder is then advantageously built so as to avoid a new stairwell. A said first room 1' in the form of a bathroom 1' may then be arranged under the new roof 22 of the building above the uppermost floor 23 in which a said first room is arranged, directly over the first room last mentioned. Solar energy panels 21 are arranged on the new roof 22 and connected to the pipe 14. A balcony may possibly be built in front of the new room 17.
It is illustrated in Fig 3 how the pipe 14 and the new drain water stem 11 are led to a cellar space 24 of the building, where the content thereof may be taken care of in a suitable way. It would also be possible to lead the media in the pipe 14 straight down into the ground 25 surrounding the building for warming up this ground so as to then be utilised by a ground-source heat pump.
The new room 8 produced in this way may have any suitable dimension and has typically an area of 2, 6, 8 or 12 m².
It is illustrated in Fig 4 how according to another embodiment of the invention the drain water stem replacement has taken place by expanding a kitchen 30 located next to an external wall 2 of the building by forming a new room 31. A new drain water stem 11' has been arranged in a said partition 10' in the new room and the kitchen drain 32 has been connected thereto. The replaced drain water stem 6 is also indicated. A dining place with place for a dining table 33 and chairs 34 is provided through the new room 31 at the same time as it was possible to replace the drain water stem 6 without any destroying breaking of walls and a longer shut down time of the function of the kitchen.
The result of carrying out a method according to a third embodiment of the invention is schematically illustrated in Fig 5. In connection with creation of a new room 8 outside the respective first room 1 two drain water stems 40, 41 have been arranged in the new rooms, namely a first 40, to which units generating drain water of a high degree of contamination in the form of water closets 4 are connected, and a second 41, to which units generating drain water of a lower degree of contamination are connected, here illustrated by a drain gutter 42. It gets by this possible to collect and efficiently take care of nutritive value, heat and the like in these different drain waters, for example in the cellar 24 of the building. In connection with this it would here also be possible, as already known as such, to design some of the units generating drain water, such as drain gutters, as exhaust air members, which means a drier environment with less risk of moisture damages, odours and the like in the wet room in question. A separate pipe 43 for rain water (surface water) has been arranged in the new rooms 8 obtained in Fig 5 and has been connected to the gutter 44 of the building for leading the water to the cellar 24 and taking care thereof. A connection to a pump for ground-source heat is also illustrated through the line 45, which pump may advantageously be arranged in the so-called technical space that will be formed by the cellar space 24.
Finally, the result of carrying out a replacement of drain water stem in a building according to a method according to a fourth embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Fig 6. The building has in this case been externally provided with an expansion in the form of a lift shaft 50 so as to provide the building with a lift 51. The lift shaft has in connection therewith been made that large that outside the former bathroom 4 a new room 8 in the form of a bathroom may be produced, and the new drain water stem 11 has been arranged in this new room 8. A replacement of drain water stem is by this obtained in a simple way without destroying measures having been taken and while considerably increasing the value of the apartment in question. It would also be possible to surround the very lift shaft with the lift by a bathroom or a kitchen in an expansion of this type.
The invention is of course not in any way restricted to the embodiments described above, but many possibilities to modification thereof would be apparent to a person with skill in the art without departing from the basic idea of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
When arranging a said new room outside a bathroom it is for example of course possible to also connect the kitchen drain to the new drain water stem thus arranged and conversely when making an expansion in connection to a kitchen.
In connection with producing the so-called plus areas through said expansions it is also possible to take the opportunity and insulate the external walls between these expansions so as to save further energy. This makes the method financially even more attractive. Many parts thereof and other additional works are already paid, so that they may be carried out to a low cost.

Claims

A method of replacing a drain water stem (6) in a building having at least two floors, characterized by the following steps:
• expanding, on each floor, a first room (1, 30), such as kitchen, bathroom or the like, provided with units (3-5) generating drain water next to an external wall (2) of the building, by forming a new room (8, 31) outside the external wall and connecting the new room to the first room,

• arranging a new drain water stem part (11, 40, 41) in the new room,

• connecting drain conduits from at least one of said units generating drain water to the new drain water stem part, and

• interconnecting new drain water stem parts (11, 40, 41) located under each other in said new rooms (8, 30) located under each other for forming a new drain water stem, which extends in said new rooms outside the former external wall (2) of the building and assumes the task of the old drain water stem (6) thereby replaced, in which the latter is left inside the building without any units generating drain water still used connected thereto.
A method according to claim 1, characterized in that at least some of the units (3-5) generating drain water are removed from said first room (1) and moved out to said new room (8) or are replaced by corresponding new units in said new room, so that said new room at least partially replaces the first room with respect to provision of said units.
A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is a first room in the form of a wet room, such as a bathroom (1), a shower room and/or a toilet room, that is at least partially expanded.
A method according to claim 3, characterized in that it is a first room (30) in the form of a kitchen or a first room (1) having a water closet, a wash basin and a shower and/or a bath tub that is at least partially expanded.
A method according to claim 4, characterized in that for a first room (1) having a wash basin all said units generating drain water except for the wash basin are removed from said first room and moved out into the new room (8) or are replaced by new corresponding units which are arranged in said new room.
A method according to any of claims 2-5, characterized in that said first room (1) is at least partially rebuilt to become a store room and/or a bedroom.
A method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said expanding is carried out for each floor of the building by arranging a pre-manufactured structure (20, 20', 20") on the external wall of the building, and that the pre-manufactured structures located under each other are then interconnected.
A method according to claim 7, characterized in that it is pre-manufactured structures (20, 20', 20") containing said drain water stem parts (11) that are arranged onto said external wall (2).
A method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is a said new room (8, 31) having an area exceeding 2 m², exceeding 5 m² or exceeding 8 m², such as having an area of substantially 2, 6, 8 or 12 m², that is arranged.
A method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a prolongation of said new room (8) is formed along the external wall of the building by arranging a balcony (18) adjacent to the new room.
A method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a plurality of said new drain water stem parts (40, 41) are arranged in said new room (8), and that units (4, 42) generating drain water of different degree of contamination are connected to different determined such new drain water stem parts.
A method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said new room (8, 31) is provided with a partition (10, 10') for hiddenly receiving said new drain water stem part (11, 40,41).
A method according to claim 12, characterized in that said new drain water stem part (11, 40, 41) is arranged so as to be accessible from said new room by being hidden by a removable wall (15) or a similar member restricting the partition from the rest of the new room.
A method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is a room (1, 30) having an external wall (2) facing an inner yard of the building or facing a lift shaft that is at least partially expanded by forming a said new room.
A method according to claim 14, characterized in that the new room is arranged in a lift shaft of the building and the new drain water stem is arranged in said new room in the lift shaft.
A method according to any of claims 1-13, characterized in that it is combined with a construction of a lift shaft (50) outside on a building having no lift, in which the lift shaft is arranged on the external wall (2) of the building externally to said first room (1) and is designed to be able to receive said new room (8), and that the expansion of said first room and the arrangement of said new drain water stem (11) are made inside the lift shaft (50).