GB2114435A - Heating baths and/or bathrooms - Google Patents

Abstract

A bath 10 comprises a vessel 12 having taps 14, 16 and a water jacket or radiator 38 connected by pipes 50, 52 to a conventional domestic central heating system. When bath 10 is not in use, the inner surface of vessel 12 heated by radiator 38 functions as a room heater. When the bath is in use for bathing purposes the water jacket reduces the rate of loss of heat from the bath water. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Method of heating This invention relates to a method of heating, applicable particularly but not exclusively to domestic baths and bathtubs. The invention is also applicable to analogous appliances such as basins sinks tubs and the like.

The fittings in most modern bathrooms include at least one wall-mounted central heating radiator and a bath with tabs for the delivery of hot and cold water. The radiator is designed to maintain a comfortable air temperature in the bathroom.

However, several problems arise in relation to this conventional arrangement.

Firstly, when hot water is run into the bath, there immediately commences a rapid heat transfer process from the bath water to the body of the bath itself, thereby rapidly cooling the bath water and correspondingly rapidly heating the body of the bath itself. As a result, the bath water becomes significantly cooled and some steps have to be taken to compensate for this either by selecting a higher initial water delivery temperature or by subsequently running in a further supply of hot water. Furthermore, there is the related problem that the body of the bath itself, after it has been heated by the bath water, commences to function in the manner of a radiator or space heater and the air temperature of the bathroom, already at a comfortable level, becomes unnecessarily and wastefully high - in contrast to the temperature of the bath water.Further problems arise from excessive condensation which occurs in the bathroom during use of the bath and arises in part at least from the necessity to use the hot water supply to compensate for the cooling of the bath water.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method of heating and apparatus therefor offering improvements in relation to one or more of the problems identified above.

According to the invention there is provided a method of heating and apparatus therefor, such apparatus including a bath as defined herein, as defined in the accompanying claims.

The invention also provides any concept or feature or combination of features defined and/or described and/or illustrated in this application.

By the term "bath" as used in this specification and claims there is meant a vessel for bathing in, including a basin, tub or sink. The invention is particularly applicable to baths as used in domestic bathrooms but is also applicable to specialist baths of the kind used in hospitals, clinics and the like.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a plan view of a domestic bath; Figure 2 shows a section through the bath of Figure 1 on line ll-ll therein; and Figure 3 shows a section on the line Ill-Ill in Figure 1.

As shown in the drawings, a bath 10 comprises a vessel 12 and taps 14, 16. Vessel 12 is of the conventional kind used in domestic bathrooms for bathing, and the taps 14, 16 are for the delivery of hot and cold water respectively. Vessel 12 has the usual plughole 18 and an overflow orifice (not shown).

Vessel 12 is formed of cast iron or steel or an acrylic or other suitable plastics material or a composite metal/plastics material.

Vessel 12 is provided with a top flange 20, side panels 22, 24 and end panels 26, 28. Screw threaded adjustable support feet 30 co-act with a pair of transverse support beams 32, 34 to support the bath 10 on the bathroom floor 36.

Bath 10 is provided with its own source of heat whereby the bath can not only act as a room heater when not being used for bathing, but which has the result that the rate of loss of hoal lroryl warm or hot bathing water placed in the bath can be reduced - or cold water placed therein could even he warmed-up.

The source of heat for bath 10 is in the form of a heating element or radiator 38 positioned below vessel 12 and formed integrally therewith as a water jacket connected to a conventional domestic central heating system.

Thus, radiator 38 is in the form of a water jacket in intimate contact with the bottom surface 40 of the bath and extending along the full length and across the full width thereof and having side portions 42,44 and end portions 46, 48 whereby the sides and ends of vessel 12 in addition to the lower surface thereof can be heated by the radiator 38.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, radiator 38 forms the lower surface of vessel 12 and serves to support the bath on beams 32, 34. The radiator is connected by pipes 50, 52 and associated valves 54, 56 to the hot water circulation system of the central heating system. Valves 54, 56 allow the radiator 38 to be turned on and off and also allow the rate of flow of fluid through the radiatorto be controlled.

Thermal insulation means in the form of a glass fibre jacket 58 is provided around the lower and side surfaces of radiator 38 to reduce the loss of heat therefrom in the outward direction to the atmosphere - as opposed to inward flow of heat to the body of vessel 12. A series of lugs 60 are cast or moulded or welded onto vessel 12 and support straps 62 extend between the lugs on opposite sides of the vessel to hold jacket 58 against radiator 38.

As shown in Figure 2 control valve 54 is positioned adjacent or in the region of taps 14, 16 and (not shown in the drawings) the air bleed valve for radiator 38 is sited in the overflow orifice of vessel 12. A heated towel rail (not shown) can be connected to pipes 50, 52 at the end or side of bath 10 using the same supply of hot water from the central heating system.

In use, valves 54, 56 are adjusted to set the water jacket or radiator 38 at the desired temperature and, when bath 10 is not in use for bathing purposes, the radiator functions as a room heater and maintains the bathroom at a desired temperature.

When the bath is to be used for bathing purposes, a quantity of water is run into vessel 12 from the taps 14, 16. The temperature of this water is chosen by the user according to the desired bath temperature without the need to make an allowance for substantial cooling of the bath water.

Because the bath water enters a vessel which is already warm, the rate of cooling of the bath water is substantially lower than usual and indeed, depending on the setting of valves 54,56, it may be possible to arrange matters so that no significant cooling of the bath water occurs throughout use of the bath.

Furthermore, during use of the bath the temperature of the vessel 12 itself does not change to the same extent as in the case of a conventional bath and therefore the supply of heat to the bathroom itself is not so greatly increased as is the usual case, with the result that the air temperature in the bathroom is not increased so excessively. Moreover, due to the reduced loss of heat from the bath water there is less need to supply further hot water during bathing and this is likely to cause less condensation in the bathroom.

The principal advantages of the embodiment described above include reduced loss of heat from the bath water during bathing, avoidance of excessive heating of the air of the bathroom itself and reduction in condensation in the bathroom. Moreover, since the radiator 38 serves as a room heater the conventional wall-mounted radiator or other heating unit can be dispensed with and the cost thereof can be set against the cost of radiator 38 itself.

Among modifications which could be made in the above embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention are the use of a non-integral radiator below the bath. Indeed, it might be suitable for certain applications to mount a fairly conventional central heating radiator directly below the vessel 12 of a bath so as to effect heating thereof in the manner of the invention. Clearly, considerable variation in the arrangement of the pipes 50, 52, valves 54, 56 and the details of the structure of the water jacket of radiator 38 are well within the scope of the designer skilled in the art. Moreover, alternative sources of heat are also envisaged for the purpose of the invention including, for example, heaters employing an oil-type heat distribution medium.

Radiator 38 can be welded to vessel 12.

Claims (16)

1. A bath having its own source of heat whereby the bath can act as a room heater when not being used for bathing.

2. A bath having its own source of heat whereby the rate of loss of heat from warm or hot bathing water placed in the bath can be reduced.

3. A bath according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the source of heat comprises a heating element or radiator connectible to a source of hot fluid such as a central heating system.

4. A bath according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the source of heat is adapted to be positioned directly below the bath.

5. A bath according to claim 3 wherein said heating element is integral with the bath.

6. A bath according to claim 5 wherein said heating element is in the form of a water jacket.

7. A bath according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said heating element is positioned to heat the lowermost surface of the bath.

8. A bath according to claim 7 wherein the heating element is adapted also to heat the sides and/or the ends of the bath.

9. A bath according to any one of the preceding claims wherein thermal insulation means is provided to reduce heat loss from said source of heat to the atmosphere.

10. A bath having a central heating radiator mounted below the bath to heat the latter.

11. A bath according to claim 10 wherein the central heating radiator is integral with the bath.

12. A bath according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said source of heat is constructed and arranged substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

13. A bath substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

14. A method of heating comprising providing a bath having its own source of heat and using the bath to act as a room heater when not being used for bathing.

15. A method of heating comprising providing a bath having its own source of heat and causing said source of heat to reduce the rate of loss of heat from warm or hot bathing water placed in the bath.

16. A method of heating substantially as described herein.