GB2173096A

GB2173096A - Improvements in or relating to baths

Info

Publication number: GB2173096A
Application number: GB8508547A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Steven Bentley
Original assignee: AQUAKRAFT Ltd
Current assignee: AQUAKRAFT Ltd
Priority date: 1985-04-02
Filing date: 1985-04-02
Publication date: 1986-10-08
Also published as: GB2173096B; GB8508547D0

Abstract

A domestic bath 10 has an air supply pipe 12 through which air under pressure is supplied from a pump for agitating the water in the bath. The air from the pipe 12 is admitted to the bath through a plurality of openings 14. In one embodiment a small bore pipe 16 leads to a venturi 18 in the air supply pipe 12, and the reduction in air pressure in the venturi causes water to be sucked through the pipe 16 into the air stream to form a particulate suspension within the air stream. Thus, as the air bubbles are formed within the water in the bath, these bubbles themselves contain the moisture provided by the water flowing through the pipe 16. Other embodiments are described which also provide a water suspension in the air stream. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to baths The invention relates to baths, and more specifically to the kind of bath which has means for blowing air through a plurality of openings into the bath below water level. The airwhich is thus blown into the bath agitates the water, and has a massaging effect on the skin of the person using the bath. Sometimes, this kind of bath is referred to as a "spa" bath.

A disadvantage of the "spa" bath is that sometimes when the tiny bubbles of air reach the user, they feel cold to the skin. Heating the air introduced into the bath has been tried as an obvious way of overcoming this disadvantage, but in fact, this has been found to makethe problem worse, and it is believed that heating the air actually causes a rapid evaporation of waterfrom the bather's skin, which feels cold, because the latent heat of evaporation is extracted from the skin ofthe bather. An increase in the volumetric airflow at a given temperature or in the air temperature supplied to the bath has actually been found to increase the cooling effect.

According to a first aspect ofthe invention, a method of creating agitation of water in a bath comprises blowing air under pressure into the bath below the water level, through a plurality of openings into the bath, and supplying moistureto the air before it blows into the bath. The moisture which is supplied to the air is preferably water.

It has been found that by blowing in a mixture of air and moisture, the "cooling effect" referred to above is minimised or obviated, to the comfor of the bather. No particular theory has as yet been adduced to explain the advantage which is obtained by use of the invention.

It is preferred thatthe moisture is supplied to the air in the form of a suspension, vapour or aerosol.

Preferably the moisture is supplied to the air at a temperature in the range of 30" to 60"C and for best results, it is preferably supplied between 40 and 47"C, i.e. at a similartemperature to water used for personal bathing.

According to a second aspect ofthe invention a bath ofthe kind which has means for blowing airthrough a plurality of openings into the bath is provided with meansforsupplying moisture to the air before it is admitted through the said openings into the bath.

Other preferred features of this aspect ofthe invention, will appear from the four exemplary methods of carrying outthe invention, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings by way of examples only, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a bath and a meansforsupplying humidified air toe bath, Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view similarto Figure 1 but showing an alternative method oisupplying humidified air to the bath, Figure 3 is a diagrammatic representation of another means for supplying humidifiedairto a bath, and Figure 4 is a diagrammatic representation of yet another means for supplying humidified airto a bath.

In Figure 1,there is illustrated a domestic bath 10 and an air supply pipe 12 through which air under pressure is supplied from a pump for agitating the water in the bath. The air flowing through the pipe 12 under pressure, is admitted to the bath through a plurality of openings in the bottom ofthe bath, as indicated bythearrows 14. Itwill be appreciated, that as the airflows through the multiplicity of openings in the bottom of the bath, into the water, itagitatesthe water before the air escapes from the top surface of the water. When the bath is being used, the very large number of small bubbies passing through the water not only agitate the water, they also create a massaging effect on the skin ofthe bather. Baths supplied with airinthisway are known.

For the purpose of the present invention, a small bore pipe 1 6fitted with a removable grid filter, leads to aventuri 1 8 in the air supply pipe 12. As a resultofthe reduction in air pressure in the venturi, water is sucked through the pipe 16, and drawn into the air stream. Of course, the suction effect causes the water to form a particulate suspension within the airstream, and consequently, as the air bubbles are formed within the water in the bath, these bubbles themselves contain the moisture provided bythewaterflowing through the pipe 16.

It will be appreciated,thatthe moisturising ofthe airstream in this way causes the bubbles to have a temperature approximating to that of the temperature ofthe water in the bath. It has been found that a water flow rate of between 0.5 and 6 pints per minute is effective in a typical bath. The water supply through the pipe 16 should be regulated so thatthe air supply is partially saturated, and indeed, in some instances, the air may be completely saturated as it flows into the bath through the openings.

With this particular method, it is preferred that the initial airtemperature should be between 30"C and 60 C before it is supplied through the pipe 12 to the venturi 18.

Figure 2 illustrates an arrangementsimilarto Figure 1, excepting that an available source of hotwater is used to supply water droplets to the airflow through the pipe 12 through a control valve. The essential difference between this arrangement and that shown in Figure 1, is that instead of using waterfrom the bath itself to moistu rise the air supply, an independent water supply is used.Typically,thewaterflowthrough the pipe 20 which feeds into the air pipe 12 is 0.5 to 3.5 pints per minute at a temperature of say 50"C.

In Figure 3, there is illustrated another air feed system which includes an airflow pipe 12 and a steam generator22, with a thermostatic regulator 24 on the output side of the steam generator and a control mechanism 26 in the bathroom for controlling operation of the steam generator 22. The steam from the steam generator passes through the thermostatic regulator and then through a pipe 28 intothe air supply passing through the pipe 12, so thatwith this arrangement, the moisture is supplied in the form of vapour.

In Figure 4, there is shown another method of supplying moisture to the air. In this arrangement, the airflowsfirstthrough afeed pipe 30 and outthrough a multiplicity of openings into a watertank 32, in which the supply of waters is maintained by a ball valve 34. A heater 36 raises the temperature ofthe water in the tank 32, and as the air bubbles out through the water in the tank 32, it picks up moisture, and carries it out through an outlet pipe 38 on its way to the bath. This method differs from the otherthree, in that instead of supplying the moisture in droplets or vapour into the airstream, the airstream is first broken down into a multiplicity of bubbles, u hich pick up moisture before reforming into the airstream flowing to the bath.

Claims

1. A method of creating agitation of water in a bath comprising blowing air under pressure into the bath below the water level through a plurality of openings into the bath, and supplying moisture to the air before it blows into the bath.

2. A method as claimed in Claim 1 in which the moisture which is supplied to the air water.

3. A method as claimed in either preceding claim in which the moisture is supplied to the air in theform of a suspension.

4. A method as claimed in any preceding claim in which the moisture which is supplied to the air is in the form ofvapour.

5. A method as claimed in any preceding claim in which the moisture which is supplied to the air is in the form of an aerosol.

6. A method as claimed in any preceding claim in which the moisture is supplied to the air at a temperature in the range of 30to 60"C.

7. A method as claimed in Claim 6 in which the moisture is supplied to the air at a temperature in the range of 40 Cto 47'C.

8. A method ofcreating agitation ofwaterin a bath substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in Figure 1 or Figure 2 or Figure 3 or Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.

9. A bath ofthe kind which has means for blowing airthrough a plurality of openings into the bath provided with a means for supplying moisture to the air before it is admitted th rough the openings into the bath.

10. A bath substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in Figure 1 or Figure 2 or Figure 3 or Figure4 ofthe accompanying drawings.

11. A bath as claimed in Claim 9 or Claim 10 in which the water is agitated according to the method of any of Claims 1 to 8.