GB2259646A - Multi-sink waste fitting - Google Patents

Abstract

A universal multi-sink waste fitting comprises a one-piece elongate unit having on its underside a common sump outlet (17) communicating with four inlets on its top side, three of which (13, 15, 16) are aligned on a longitudinal axis of the unit and one of which (14) is offset transversely from this axis. Auxiliary connections (18, 19) e.g. for a washing machine or dishwasher, are provided at respective ends of the fitting. Preferably the main body of the fitting is rigid although adjustability may be provided by means of a bellows arrangement (203, 204). <IMAGE>

Description

" " c c A t, 6 Multi-Sink Waste Fitting is This invention relates to a

multi-sink waste fitting, that is to a fitting adapted for connection to the drain outlet of each basin of a multiple sink assembly, for example standard 1.5 bowl or 2 bowl assemblies for kitchens.

It is existing practice, as illustrated for example in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, to connect each sink basin outlet by separate piping to a common outlet which is then plumbed to a waste outlet. This is an expensive and time consuming process. Moreover, each different type of multi-sink assembly, and each size within that type, requires a different set of pipes and joints, requiring a fitter to carry a wide range of such components and to select from that range using his judgement and experience. The purpose of the invention is to mitigate these problems and to reduce the overall fitting cost.

The invention provides a universal multi-sink waste fitting comprising a one-piece elongate unit having on its underside a common sump outlet communicating with four inlets on its top side, three of which are aligned on a longitudinal axis of the unit and one of which is offset transversely from this axis.

The unit fits beneath the multi-sink assembly with an inlet aligned with each sink drain outlet, avoiding the need for extra plumbing.

Preferably, the transversely offset inlet is adjacent the middle one of the other three inlets on the top side. Conveniently, two of the inlets are at respective ends of the top side of the unit, and preferably are equally spaced from the middle one; in this case, it is preferred that the transversely-offset inlet is rather nearer one end inlet than the other end inlet.

In order to make provision for fine adjustment of the positions of the inlets, at least one inlet, and preferably at least the middle inlet and the transversely-offset inlet, are annular and are mounted eccentrically for rotational adjustment about a vertical axis in respective sealed traps of larger diameter in the top side of the unit, so that the precise horizontal position of their centres is correspondingly adjustable.

The elongate unit preferably has a floor which slopes downwardly towards the common sumpil which conveniently is positioned in a central portion of the unit. Theunit is preferably broader in the middle than at each end, to accommodate the transversely-offset inlet; preferably, the inlets lie in a common horizontal plane, allowing the top side to be generally flat, but this is not essential.

A major advantage of the invention, other than its universal usage for multiple sink combinations, is its ease of manufacture, preferably from plastics material. The one-piece unit may be formed integrally as a blow moulding, or it may be moulded or cast in two halves, f or example. Although in some cases all four inlets would be used, it is usual to use only two or three, corresponding to the number of sinks. Thus a plug or plugs would normally be provided for the inlet or inlets which are to be blanked off. The waste fitting could be provided with such plugs and other f ittings such as seals as a kit of parts, with instructions on which combination of inlets to use for each type of multi- sink assembly likely to be encountered.

An example of the invention will now be described and compared with existing fittings, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is an exploded side view of te waste fitting for a standard 1.5 bowl assembly; Figure 2a is a top plan view of a universal multi-sink waste fitting embodying the present invention; Figure 2b is a perspective view of the waste fitting of Figure 2a; Figure 3a is an axial section through an eccentrically rotatable inlet with its corresponding trap in the top side of the waste fitting of Figures 2a and 2b; Figure 3b is a top plan view of the inlet of Figure 3a; and Figures 4a to 4h illustrate the universal applicability of the multi-sink waste fitting of Figures 2a and 2b, in the form of plan views and corresponding elevations of several different multi-sink assemblies.

As described above with reference to Figure 1, a standard 1.5 bowl kitcAen sink assembly consists of one large bowl and one small bowl, and in the example shown in Figure 1 there is also a waste disposal unit which effectively forms part of the multi-sink assembly. The three drain outlets are plumbed using conventional plastics piping and joints to unite at an outlet. This arrangement is shown schematically in plan view in Figure 4a, in which the conventional piping and joints have been replaced by a one-piece waste unit, which will now be described with reference to Figures 2a and 2b.

The universal multi-sink waste fitting 10 is an elongate unitary plastics moulding with a transverse projection 11 from a major elongate portion 12 defining a longitudinal axis. The un-it 10 is hollow and watertight, with a flat upper side 20 on which are provided four inlets 13,14,15,16. Side walls of the unit 10 communicate with a part-conical shaped floor which slopes downwardly to a centrally-disposed sump outlet 17. Auxiliary connections 18 and 19 are provided at respective ends of the unit 10, as shown in Figure 2b, for example for connection to a washing machine or dishwasher.

End inlets 13 and 16 and an intermediate middle inlet 15 are aligned along the longitudinal axis, and in this example they are equally spaced from each other: the spacing of inlets 13 and 15 is 1 3 the spacing of inlets 15 and 16 is 1 2P and 1 2 = 1 3 A fourth inlet 14 is offset transversely from the longitudinal axis, and is disposed rather nearer to one end inlet 13 than to the other end 4 - inlet 16. The spacing of the offset inlet 14 from the furthest other inlet 16 is 1 4 which is different from 1 2 (and 1 3), and is also different from the spacing between the end inlets 13 and 16, which is 1 1 It is this variety of separations of the four inlets, together with the geometric arrangement, which provides for the universality of its fitting to the waste outlets of multi-sink assemblies, as illustrated in Figures 4a to 4h, and described in greater detail below.

The waste unit 10 is intended to be placed directly below a multi-sink assembly, so that each waste outlet of the multi-sink assembly is aligned precisely in the vertical direction with a corresponding inlet 13, 14, 15 or 16. With this vertical alignment, no pipework is required, simply an appropriate seal.

In the example shown in Figures 2a and 2b, the inlets all lie in a common horizontal plane, although inlets 14 and 15 have a bellows arrangement 201,202 respectively, which accommodates a range of heights for the inlets. An alternative, advantageous arrangement (not shown) is one in which the end inlets 13 and 16 are also provided with bellows.

In order to provide a fine adjustment of the horizontal separation 1 11 12 13 and/or 14 between the various inlets, the two innermost inlets 14 and 15 are arranged as shown in greater detail in Figures 3a and 3b. An inlet 24 sits rotatably in a circular trap opening 21 formed in a raised circular portion of the top side 20 of the waste unit 10. A toroidal seal 22 allows for this rotational movement of the inlet 24 while ensuring a watertight seal. An annular extension 25 of smaller diameter is mounted eccentrically over the inlet 24, and is adapted for fitting to the sink waste outlet. By rotating the inlet 24, the axis of the extension piece 25 moves in a circular locus with a radius 23 defining the eccentric offset. In this way, the ef f ective axis of the inlet 14 or 15 is adjustable in a horizontal plane.

In the example shown, the eccentric adjustment allows the separation 1 2 or 1 3 to be varied between 215mm and 222mm; and the separation 1 4 to vary between 278mm and 279mm. Also in this example the inlets 14 and 15, defined by the upper annular surf ace of the extension piece 25, lie about 55mm above the flat top side 20 of the waste unit 10.

If it is pref erred that the main body of the waste unit 10 should be rigid, but adjustability of the distances 1 1 to 1 4 may alternatively be provided by bellows arrangements 203,204 shown schematically in Figs.

2a and 2b between the end portions and the middle portion of the elongate unit.

In the example of Figure 4a, the waste outlets of a standard 1.5 bowl assembly are joined to inlets 15 and 16 spaced by 215mm, and optionally a waste disposal unit is connected to the other end inlet 13. The elevation of Figure 4b shows the heights of the bowls to be 180mm and 125mm, and the difference in height is accommodated by the 6 - 1 waste unit 10, optional 1 ly with an extension piece 40, but preferably by extending the bellows 202.

In the example of Figure 4b, a dif f erent 1. 5 bowl assembly requires the larger spacing of 279mm between the waste outlets, and this is accommodated using the distance 4 between inlets 14 and 16. The elevation shows the bowl heights to be 180mm and 150mm.

In the example of Figure 4c, which is a standard 2.5 bowl assembly, the end inlets 13 and 16 are connected directly to the waste outlets of the main bowls (180mm high) and the centrally disposed inlet 15 is connected to the intermediate half bowl waste outlet, which is only 125mm below the work surface level. The separations involved here are each 215mm, i.e. 1 2 and 1 3 are both 215mm.

In Figure 4d, the arrangement is the same as in Figure 4c, except that the multi-sink unit is longer.

In Figure 4e, the waste unit can be fitted in way, since only one outlet from the basin is connected.

In Figure 4f, the waste fitting 10 is used accommodate a larger distance between outlets, exploiting the separation 1 4 between the offset inlet any to by 14 and the further of the two end inlets 16, adjusted by the eccentric mounting of the inlet 14 so that 1 4 = 278mm.

The examples shown in Figures 49 and 4h are of 25 circular multi-sink units, and separations between waste outlets of 222mm and 434mm respectively are accommodated by the separations 1 2 between inlets 15 and 16 and 1 1 between the end inlets 13 and 16 respectively.

Claims (12)

1. A 'Universal multi-sink waste fitting comprising a one-piece elongate unit having-on its underside a common sump outlet communicating with four inlets on its top side, three of which are aligned on a longitudinal axis of the unit and one of which is offset transversely from this axis.

2. A fitting according to claim 1, in which the transversely offset inlet is adjacent the middle one of the other three inlets on the top side.

3. A f itting according to claim 2, in which two of the inlets are at respective ends of the top side of the unit.

4. A fitting according to claim 3, in which the said end inlets are equally spaced from the middle one.

5. A fitting according to claim 4, in which the transversely-offset inlet is rather nearer one end inlet than the other end inlet.

6. A f itting according to any of claims 1 to 5, in which at least one inlet is annular and is mounted eccentrically for rotational adjustment about a vertical axis in respective sealed traps of larger diameter in the top side of the unit, so that the precise horizontal position of its centre is correspondingly adjustable.

7. A f itting according to any of claims 1 to 6, in which the elongate unit has a floor which slopes downwardly towards the common sump.

8. A fitting according to any of claims 1 to 7, in which the inlets lie in a common horizontal plane, allowing the top side to be generally flat.

9. A f itting according to any of claims 1 to 8, in which at least one of the inlets has a bellows arrangement for vertical adjustability.

10. A kit of parts comprising a fitting according to any preceding claim, plugs for closing the inlets, and instructions on which combination of inlets to use f or each type of multi-sink assembly likely to be encountered.

11. An installation comprising a multi-sink assembly with its outlets connected to correspondingly positioned inlets of a fitting according to any of claims 1 to 9.

12. A waste fitting substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.