GB2274700A - Pipe bracket - Google Patents

Abstract

Pipe brackets are described which are generally moulded integrally from plastics material. The brackets have an upright web 1 pierced with one or more holes 10 for securing the web 1 to a support 3 and a pipe-supporting member 4 extending generally at right-angles to the upright web 1. Pipe clips 5, 6 are moulded into the pipe-supporting member 4. <IMAGE>

Description

PIPE BRACKET This invention relates to pipe brackets and, in particular, provides a pipe bracket for securing pipe work in floor or ceiling spaces.

In the installatoon cf central heating pipes or other pipe work services, it is convent i onal to run the pipe work alongside a support such as a floor joist. In order to give support for the pipes, the plumber normally cuts lengths of timber which he wedges between adjacent joists to form the support into which he nails- or screws appropriately-sized pipe clips. A difficulty with this system is that the lengths of timber are not accurately positioned so that there is a variation in the height of the pipe clips along the length of the pipe run. As a consequence, the length of the pipe may rise or fall and this can cause problems such as air locks when the system is operating.

The present invention seeks to provides a solution to these problems and to provide a convenient and easy way of fixing pipe work in roof or floor spaces.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plastics pipe fixing bracket for securing pipe work beneath a floor or within a roof space, said bracket comprising a fixing member for attachment to a longitudinal support by nailing or screwing, and a clipsupporting member extending at right-angles thereto and bearing a plurality of pipe clips which are integrally moulded with the fixing and clip-supporting members.

Preferably, the fixing member has a top surface which provides a gauge for aligning the bracket with the top surface of a joist or similar longitudinal support. The clip-supporting member is spaced from the top surface of the fixing member by a distance which allows space for placing heat insulation material between the under-surface of the floor and the top of the pipe brackets.

Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pipe bracket in accordance with the invention, Figure 2 is a plan view showing two pipe brackets attached to a-joist#and supportin#g a run of pipe work, Figure 3 is a side elevation of a second embodiment of the invention, Figure 4 is a view in the direction of the arrow X in Figure 3, and Figures 5 and 5A are respectively a side elevation and plan view of an adaptor.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, the bracket comprises an upright fixing member having a flat upper surface 2, intended for alignment with the top surface of a joist or other support to which the bracket is intended to be fixed. Extending substantially at right-angles from the fixing member 1 is a clip support member 4 and which includes integrally moulded pipe clips 5 and 6. Pipe clips 5 and 6 may be of the kind which grip the surface of a pipe by the resilience of a pair of clipping legs 7 and 8. Although in the drawing, clips 5 and 6 are shown as being of the same size, the moulded pipe clips may be sized for different pipe dimensions.

In practice, the most commonly used pipe sizes for central heating installations are 15 and 22 mms, and the bracket may be moulded with a plurality of pipe clips of different dimensions so that the plumber can select the appropriate clips when installing his pipe work. The bracket may be strengthened by an integrally moulded web 9 extended between the fixing member 1 and the supporting member 4.

The whole clip may be moulded integrally from a suitable plastics material such as nylon, polyacetal, ABS or polypropylene. Preferably, the plastics material is a thermoplastics resin. The brackets are conveniently fixed to the joist 3 by a single nail or screw, fitted to a hole 10 in the upper portion of the fixing member 1.

Preferably, the fixing hole 10 is angled for ease of nailing the bracket into the joist 3. Where nails are used, these may be inserted in their corresponding holes immediately the bracket is ejected from the mould, so that, on cooling, the nail is retained within the bracket.

Figure 2 shows the way in which the brackets of the invention may be used in a typical pipe run. It will be seen that the pipe clips 5 and 6 are spaced sufficiently far from the joist 3 to allow space for a bend or appropriate soldered fitting where the pipes are taken through a notch in the joist.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the construction of this pipe bracket is similar to that shown in Figures 1 and 2. Thus, the bracket shown in Figures 3 and 4 has an upright fixing member 31 which incorporates apertures for securing the bracket to a joist. A clip support member 34 extends substantially at right angles from the fixing member 31 and the bracket is strengthened by a web 39, which is integrally moulded with the fixing member 31 and clip-supporting member 34. However, in the case of the second embodiment, pipe clips 35 and 36 are moulded within the web so that the pipes are held securely below the upper surface of the clip-supporting member 34.Although in this embodiment the top of the fixing member 31 is coplanar with the top surface of the clip-supporting surface 34, the bracket can be moulded with a short upper extension to the upright fixing member, in order to provide a gauge for attaching the pipe bracket to a joist where it is intended to install insulation between the bracket and the underside of the floor. Such extension piece may be moulded with a weak connection to the fixing member, so that the extension can be snapped off when not required.

As can be seen from Figure 3, the pipe clips 35 and 36 incorporate flexible fins moulded into the recesses of the pipe clip and which are adapted to grip a pipe when possible into the clip. The pipe clips 35 & 36 are dimensioned to suit a particular pipe size, e.g. 22 mm or 15 mm. However, in order to reduce the number of different brackets which a plumbers merchant would be required to stock, pipe adaptors may be provided so that a bracket designed for one size of pipe may be used for a smaller bore pipe. The adaptor is illustrated in Figures 5 and 5A. An adaptor has the general shape of a bobbin and is moulded from a thermoplastics material. As shown in Figure 5, the adaptor is moulded in two halfcylindrical sections 51 & 52, which are joined by a plastics hinge 53 and include a peg and corresponding hole 54 & 55 which engage.When the two half sections are closed together around a pipe, as can be seen from Figure 5A, the bobbin has a central portion with an external diameter which corresponds to the diameter of a pipe for which the clip 35 or 36 is designed. Central portion 56 also has an internal bore which is dimensioned to suit the outer diameter of the smaller pipe, which is intended to secure to the pipe bracket.

Instead of moulding the fixing member 3 and the clip support member integrally from a plastics material, these components may be formed separately. In such a case, the fixing members may be attached to a support and the clip support members subsequently secured to the fixing members e.g. by means of interengaging projections on the two components In another modification, the means for securing pipes within the recesses 35 and/or 36 may include a hinged securing member. As shown in Figure 3, this may comprise a strip 61 attached to the pipe clip by a plastics hinge 62 so that in its closed position, the strip 61 lies across the mouth of one or both of the recesses 35 and 36.

The free end of strip 61 may include a projection 63 shaped to be lockable into recess 64. An individual hinged strip may be provided for each pipe clip recess.

Claims (6)

CLAIMS:

1. A plastics pipe fixing bracket for securing pipe work beneath a floor or within a roof space, the bracket comprising a fixing member for attachment to a longitudinal support by nailing or screwing and a clip supporting member extending at right angles thereto and bearing a plurality of pipe clip integrally moulded with the fixing and clip supporting members.

2. A bracket as claimed in claim 1 wherein the fixing member has a top surface which provides a gauge for aligning the bracket with the top surface of the longitudinal support.

3. A plastics bracket according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the fixing member and clip-supporting member are mutually engageable so that the fixing member can be fixed to a support member and the clip-supporting member engaged with the fixing member.

4. A plastics bracket according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the fixing and clip-supporting members are moulded integrally.

5. A plastics bracket according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the fixing member includes a hole for receiving a screw or nail in the upper part of the fixing member.

6. A plastics bracket according to claim 5 in which the hole extends obliquely through the fixing member to facilitate hammering or screwing said fixing member to a support.