GB2279561A - Overflow prevention device for bath,basin or sink - Google Patents

Abstract

An overflow prevention device for a bath, basin or sink comprises a plug (3) for sealing an outlet (4) from said bath, basin or sink, the plug being attached to a float (6) such that when the float rises above a pre-determined level (10) the plug will rise and release water into the outlet until said pre-determined level is re-established when the plug will re-seal said outlet. <IMAGE>

Description

TITLE:- A MEANS OF CONTROLLING UNWANTED OVERFLOW OF LIQUIDS.

This invention relates to method and apparatus for effectively redirecting overflowing liquids, principally water, either hot or cold, or such mixtures as may be found in domestic situations, hotels, or public places where baths or washbasins may overflow.

Manufacturers of sanitary-ware may be very familiar with their products ani attempt, by careful design and workmanship, to prevent accidental overflows other than by the inbuilt routes their wares provide. And yet unwanted overflows continue to cause serious damage in homes and hotels, that is, if the reports of Insurance companies, Solicitors, and Hotel-keepers are to be accepted as factual.Water overflows top edges of baths & basins.

Examination of the possible causes of such damaging overflows reveals some interesting facts: (a) on the inadequacy of existing overflow systems when compared to the input of water from only one tap. When two taps are operational - as in hot and cold requirements the combined volumes are found to be vastly in excess of the many available overflow orifice.dimensions. Even when care has been exercised in the filling of some baths to what may be considered safe and reasonable levels it has been found that the bather frequently underestimates the displacement of water a body, or bodies, will create:(b) inadequacy of an existing overflow system is quickly and often expensively realized as floor coverings and often ceiling plasterwork or decor, and sometimes electrical installations may be rendered unsafe or unusable for some considerable time.In multi-storey buildings,such as hotels, it is reported that water damage has frequently rendered several rooms below the overflow location unsuitable for occupation. Guests have been displaced and hotel revenues lost in consequence. Inconvenience and substantial insurance claims appear to be the norms accepted, and expensive oft-prolonged litigation is not unknown. in cases of bathroom overflow situations. Insurance premiums will reflect the severity of the damage sustained as measured by actuarial calculations, thus increasing the costs of living in passed-on charges. Now major British insuring institutions (Lloyds & Royal) report losses, Many overflow incidents are not the fault of sanitary-ware manufacturers.They sell their products to others, not all of whom are competent to calculate sufficiently-well the flow restrictions occasioned by pipe walls, bends, or junctions with other piping to give common outlets to drains: a sometimes very complex matter to resolve efficiently when installations are new.

The blocked drain soon becomes the attention of those concerned, but the blocked or restricted overflow situation is found to be either ignored completely until something drastic happens or is accepted as a fact of life. Fouling of overflows by human detrius such as hair, scum, or mixtures of soap residues or cleaning agents is found to be a common occurrence. To resolve such situations requires the services of skilled people with the necessary tools and chemicals; such people are not always readily available.

It is found that many overflow situations in hotels are occasioned by guests who, while in the process of running a bath in one room are distracted by either telephone calls, hotel service staff, other guests and children in particular,in another room. The overflowing bath goes unnoticed in many cases as a result of some distraction. Cases have been mentioned of accidental falls and even death being the cause of overflowing water in bathrooms, either in showers, at washbasins, or in baths. High-rise flats are vulnerable.

The invention seeks to remedy this situation by ensuring that the water container, either bath, shower, or wash-basin will simply not overflow. The benefits of this resolution would appear to be self-evident in the light of the evidence examined. But with the current boom in1Do It Yourself' practices, coupled to the wide variety of bathroom fittings now available for selection by lay-men or lay-women more interested in aesthetics rather than in physics or mathematics of water or liquids-flows, the invention would appear to meet a growing need.

While the invention is aimed to meet needs of a generally domestic nature its use in a variety of industrial applications is forseen e.g. in the chemical and energy industries where liquid levels must not exceed specified levels. Fun-shapes may emerge.

The invention in its simplest form is a float device which is connected to å plug at the outlet point of the bath, basin, or container, and which may be'anchored'or'free' as preferred. As water level rises so does the float to the level of water set or required, preferably to a level below that of any existing water overflow fitting. Beyond that set level the float lifts the plug from its seating in the drain point, generally placed at the lower level of such containers. The rising float and plug will allow the excess water to go down the drain until the float displacement is balanced once more. The vacuum effect of draining water will assist the plug to re-seat itself in the plug-hole in spite of the vortex or vorteces created by running taps & drains.

Floats', incorporating means of attachment, may be of semi-rigid plastics,or similar'bathroom friendly' rubbers. Alternatively they may be of any materials such as expanded polystyrene,wood,or, polyurethane given any appropriately boyant shape and surface texture commensurate with hygenic requirements..Floats may be tubular, either of the single or multiple kind; either generally cylindrical with suitably rounded ends,typically torispherical, semi-ellipsoidal, or hemispherical.Alternatively the floats mgybe spheroids or frustum-conical,acting singly or in multiples,positioned'vertically' or positioned'horizontally'to act upon the plug to give the lift and re-seating characteristics found to be optimum amongst the variables created by differing tap-water pressures and temperatures plus the volumetric deliveries of the many disparate tap-orifice shapes and impingement-patterns of delivered water at differing depth.

The plugs may be of the standard patterns established throughout plumbing industries,of varying degrees of hardness,bouyancy or density. and with anchor-eyes for attachment to chains, ropes, cables or arms. Preferably the plugs may be spheroid or part-spheroid so as to effectively seat within the range of known outlet orifi.ces.

An-6ppropriately functional chain, cable, or'rod' connects float to plug, The downwards projecting guide is inserted into. the underflow centre-boss hole. Experimental results show vortex-breakers effective.

Such vortex-breakers may be mechanically attached to the plug guide by tube and-ball-chain compression means, or be integrally motlded in mass-production rubber/plastics fabrications. Plug guide length is sufficient to ensure plug re-seating after levitation by float.

Another feature of the invention is that it lcan automatically create alarm that water is running away. The high energy costs in areas of water shortages has significance. One type of plug will, upon release under water pressure on the float, give off a banging sound which under test conditions ranged from four to fourteen 'clangs' on the metal seat of the plug-hole before finally seating.

Another type of plug gave off a more frequent noise exceeding one hundred'bangs'before reseating. Such sounds could be heard within an entire household and for a considerable distance outside.

This kind of alarmwsound proved quite effective upon those with normal hearing capability. The noise levels created will be variable depending on the material. used in constructing baths & plugs: metal, plastics, and the degree of sound insulation within rooms, but it is a matter of common record that the'banging on pipes'is used as a means of communication by people in prisons, oil men, and school children still.One prototype test resulted in noise levels: at the door of the bathroom 78 to 82 dB (C Scale & Fast R.) : in the room below 68 to 71 dB (C " " " ) : in another bedroom 70 to 73 dB (C " " " ) : in another downstairs room 65 to 70 dB (C " > " ) The duration of the 'alarm period' or're-seating period'varied('mins) from O'-jO" to 0'-44". Input rate of the taps may be variables.

The invention seeks to provide: (1) an improved safety precaution against bathroom overflows: (2) use of the principle of- underf lows (3) eliminate the need to remove existing baths for modifications.

There would appear to be other applications in the fluids handling industries;there appropriate materials selection and similarly important factors are considerations; tiajor features of the invention will appear from the drawings of an exemplary embodiment.

FIGURE t. Illustrates a typical bath section with guides to the float - plug cable or chain.

Figure 2. Illustrates a vertical lift and inclined lift range of floats and plugs and corresponding combinations arising.

Figure 3. Illustrates a simple float and direct plug lift on chain or cable.

Figure 4. Illustrates a guided - sleeved plug - float support.

Claims (11)

1. A MEANS OF CONTROLLING UNWANTED OVERFLOW OF LIQUIDS.

   WHAT I CLAIM IS:1. A bouyancy-lifted liquids release plug comprising (a) a plug with means of attachment to a chain, cable, arm, or tube; (b) a float or floats which,when attached to () the chain, cable, arm, or tube will rise as liquids enter the container. At the required liquids level the bouyancy of the float overcomes the liquids pressure on the plug thus releasing liquid into the drain at the container's lower level. As the liquid level falls the plug re-seats itself or may be re-seated manually.
2. 2. A bouyancy-lifted liquids release plug as claimed in Claim 1 wherein means are provided to give an audible alarm of excess liquids draining away.
3. 3. A bouyancy-lifted liquids release plug as claimed in Claims 1 and 2 which many children will find as a bath toy and a useful educational tool four adults alike.
4. 4. A bouyancy-lifted liquids release plug as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3 which, in confined areas,guiders may be fitted for chains or cables to obtain optimum spatial use: e.g. in very short baths found in some homes.
5. 5. A bouyancy-lifted liquids release plug as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4 which may be installed by unskilled persons capable of using simple hand tools, or fitted by skilled personnel such as hotel maintenance crews. Texturai surface finishes and colours may vary according to preferences and application: e.g. metallic 'gold' or 'chrome'with identification logos in hotels, or strident oZanges or reds for children or partially sighted people.
6. 6. A bouyancy-lifted liquids release plug as claimed in Claims 1 to 5 of 'bathroom friendly materials which, if vandalised or stolen may be readily replaced.
7. 7. A bouyancy-lifted liquids release plug as claimed in Claims 1 to 6 incorporates robust non-rusting fasteners at anchor points to the plug, float, or container walls if preferred. Any rotation of the spherical or cylindrical floats induced by high water pressure from taps permits free float movement without 'winding' on the chain or cable to the plug when located in its plug-hole.
8. 8. A bouyancy-lifted liquids release plug as claimed in Claims 1 to 7 incorporating a centrally positioned self locating -guide as an integral part of the plug acting upon the central hole found in bath/sink traps. Levitation of plug occasioned by rising water acting upon the float will, upon surplus water evacuation, enable the plug a sure and swift location.
9. 9. A bouyancy-lifted release plug as claimed in Claims 1 to 8 incorporating a vortex breaker to further speed the flow of surplus liquid to volumes approaching or above those volumes were a locating guide,as set out in Claim 8, not so fitted.
10. 10. A bouyancy-lifted release plug as claimed in Claims 1 to 9 which may be removed manually at will for cleaning or other maintenance and stored if so required:without need of skills: is easily replacable.
11. 11. A bouyancy-lifted release re-seating plug generally in accordance with the accompanying drawings.