GB2522220A - Improvements in or relating to valve assemblies - Google Patents

Abstract

A toilet may leak at the valve between the cistern and the toilet bowl or pan or the float-regulated fill valve, traditionally having been a ball valve, where a ball float closes a valve once the cistern has filled to a pre-determined level. According to the present invention there is provided a leak detector for an item of sanitary ware, the detector comprising a planar body having first and second major surfaces, the first surface having a finish operable to indicate a flow of water arising from a sanitary leak, the second surface having an adhesive operable to be placed upon a surface of sanitary ware; the first surface being operable to guide water arising from a leak such that it passes over a surface portion such that any flow from a leak is more readily identified.

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO VALVE ASSEMBLIES

FIELD OF INVENTION

0001 This invention concerns improvements in or relating to valve assemblies such as water closet cisterns and similar assemblies where a defective valve can cause a leak to occur. In particular, the present invention relates to leak detection system for valve assemblies, especially those relating to plumbing fixtures.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

0002 Water saving measures are increasingly being implemented in several regions around the world, including the United Kingdom.

Although it may well be questioned why saving water is important in the United Kingdom, as it appears to residents that there is hardly a day without rain, with wet summers and wetter winters. However, despite having a seemingly wet climate, some parts of the UK are experiencing water shortages. For example, the South East of England has less water available per person than Sudan and Syria.

0003 Climate change impacts are already being felt in the UK.

Water is scarce in parts of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as in England -large scale drought is already occurring in the UK, with the lowest rainfall, groundwater and reservoir levels for decades. Twelve water company areas have been designated as areas of serious water stress. Several regions of the UK are already under serious water stress as a result of increasing population density, demographic change, increasing demand due to more intensive lifestyles and a climate in which extreme rainfall events and drought are becoming more and more prevalent. Future climate scenarios and population predictions suggest that more areas will be affected in the future.

0004 Coupled with the climate phenomenon, household water use in the United Kingdom is steadily rising, driven by a growing population, an increase in single-person households, and behavioural changes.

It has been calculated that each person in the UK uses 150 litres of water a day. This takes into account cooking, cleaning, washing and flushing. This has been rising by 1% a year since 1930. This consumption level is not sustainable in the long-term. It is a generally held view that the key to water management is reducing waste, not restricting use. About one third of the water each person uses on a daily basis is wasted -it runs straight down the plughole or down the toilet without being used. Progressing water efficiency will not only depend on technical innovation but on customers both accepting and progressing this with behavioural change.

0006 The United Kingdom governmental agencies for water, Ofwat and Scottish Water have introduced Water Efficiency Targets. As a way of setting the industry on the road to achieving these targets, Ofwat, the water industry economic regulator for England and Wales, in 2009 set minimum water efficiency targets for the water industry equivalent to reducing consumption by 1 litre per property per day from 2010 onwards.

0007 As these trends continue, the balance between supply and demand will be a growing challenge. Water use is in danger of becoming unsustainable. Improving water efficiency is key to the sustainable use of water resources in the UK, as well as being a key tool in adaptation to climate change (making less water go further) and climate change mitigation (reducing emissions from heating water in homes and buildings and from reduced pumping and treatment of water and wastewater).

0008 It is not only a national matter in the UK; the European Union has introduced legislation to assist in a reduction of wastage of water. In a simplistic view of the situation, flow rate targets have been set, with a requirement that a maximum flow will be allowable in houses.

0009 One of the greatest causes of wasted water in a typical building is the toilet. Some estimates have suggested that of the water consumed in a typical house, toilet leakage will account for between 5% and l3%, depending on how conservation-conscious the residents are. A toilet may leak at the valve between the cistern and the toilet bowl or pan or the float-regulated fill valve, traditionally having been a ball valve, where a ball float closes a valve once the cistern has filled to a pre-determined level. In the event that the float valve is faulty, then an overflow pipe was traditionally present, although modern float valve assemblies have an overflow that is directed into the pan, whereby no external overflow pipework is necessary.

Depending on the nature of the leak, especially with modern toilets, it is very likely to be silent and invisible. A typical toilet has a multiplicity of flush water holes just beneath the rim, and the slow, or not-so-slow, draining of leaked water down the porcelain bowl of the toilet will not be detected in the ordinary course of toilet use. Even on close inspection slow leaks may not be observable and a household bill may not indicate a small trickle if a number of the tenants of the house frequently have baths, showers and etc. However, the cumulative amount over a population can amount to a considerable loss, bearing in mind that ti is not only homes where toilets are situate; offices and other business places will also be susceptible to leaks; a slow leak running every hour of every day, multiplied times millions of premises can become quite significant.

00011 Except in the unlikely event that water is dripping onto the floor through the toilet tank, if a toilet is leaking, the flush water must run through the manifold and exit through the flush holes and the trap, as there is no other path for the water to take. Therefore, traditionally the manner of checking for leaks in a toilet involved putting a tablet of soluble blue dye in the toilet tank and waiting for blue streaks to show up in the bowl. This technique however suffers from the drawbacks of the relatively long time period the test requires, and results that may be erratic. It may take 10 to 20 minutes for the dye to dissolve adequately to run an accurate test. This by itself renders the test subject to inaccuracy, inasmuch as an impatient householder could well walk away prematurely believing there was no leakage.

00012 Additionally, if the toilet or bowl has been using the cosmetic, sanitizing or disinfectant blue (or other colour) dye that is popular in some circles, it is not possible tell if the blue dye of the tablet is coming through or not. It is necessary to actually drain the toilet tank, remove the colouring agent, flush the bowl once or twice with clear water and then put in the dye tablet. Even then, the blue dye from the tablet becomes so diluted because of its small volume compared to the voluminous water supply in the toilet tank that a small leak may not be detected. And in a large hotel setting, for example, it can be imagined how this technique would not be very popular amongst maintenance personal, who want to be able to go in, check for a leak quickly, fix it if exists, and move on the next installation. Return trip sequencing and delays are only frustrating to overworked maintenance staff.

00013 Other methods of silent leak detection exist: Leaky Loo' is a product that comprises of a strip of paper akin to blotting paper which product is placed upon the back of a toilet bowl overnight. If the strip is in the bowl in the morning then you have a silent leak. U56715i.65 teaches of a five-second leak detection technique is used to test for invisible leaks in toilets and similar fixtures. Checking is performed by applying a swath of liquid with a high colour density across the porcelain surface just below the rim drain holes in the toilet. If the a toilet is leaking, tiny rivulets of water draining from these holes will immediately cause white streaks in the dense coloured swath, alerting the operator to the presence of a leak.

00014 In US8310369, water loss by way of, for example a silent leak, is determined by detecting unintended inflow of water into the tank of a flush toilet. A sensor coupled to the flush toilet detects sound and/or vibration generated due to turbulence in water flowing into the toilet tank.

An electronic circuit analyses the sensor output to detect cyclical water inflow not intended by a user. The electronic circuit generates an alert such as an audible and/or visual indication that the toilet is leaking.

OBJECT TO THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to provide a solution to the problems addressed above. The present invention seeks to provide an improved valve assembly and, in particular, provides an improved leak detector, especially a detector of the type of leak that is silent. It is of becoming of increasing importance to have an inexpensive, quick, accurate and sensitive test for leakage for toilets primarily, but also for urinals, bidets and any other kind of fixture where a porcelain surface area is rinsed by a number of small overlying holes, laying the foundation for invisible and silent leakage to begin as valve seats and valves wear, warp, or stiffen with age.

STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION

00016 According to the present invention there is provided a leak detector for an item of sanitary ware, the detector comprising a planar body having first and second major surfaces, the first surface having a finish operable to indicate a flow of water arising from a sanitary leak, the second surface having an adhesive operable to be placed upon a surface of sanitary ware; the first surface being operable to guide water arising from a leak such that it passes over a surface portion such that any flow from a leak is more readily identified. Conveniently, the patch provides a channel to provide a greater amount of flow per unit of width, whereby to enable said any flow to become more noticeable.

00017 Preferably, the patch can comprise a generally triangular shaped patch which is positioned, in use, upon an inside face of an item of sanitary ware such as a toilet bowl and is arranged such that one side of the triangle is arranged uppermost upon fitment and substantially horizontally. In the alternative, the patch comprises a generally rectangular shaped patch which is positioned, in use, upon an inside face of an item of sanitary ware such as a toilet bowl and is arranged such that one side of the rectangle is arranged uppermost upon fitment and substantially horizontally. Other shapes are possible.

00018 Preferably, the patch is shaped or treated to concentrate the flow of any water arising from a leak to move toward an area of surface, whereby the flow is more readily indicated. The patch can be shaped or treated to concentrate the flow of any water arising from a leak to move toward an area of surface, whereby the flow is greater across a reduced width indicator portion of patch. Preferably, upper edge portion of the patch is provided with a lip whereby to reduce any impediment to flow by reason of the thickness of the patch. Ideally, the upper edge portion of the patch is treated with a wetting agent, whereby to reduce any impediment to flow by reason of surface tension effects.

00019 The patch can also incorporate a surface pattern comprising a series of chevrons, downwardly directed (in use) and comprising a wetting agent whereby to assist in the channelling of any trickle of water which passes over the patch arising from any leak.

Conveniently, the leak detector is manufactured from a plastics material, such as Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC).

00021 The patch can have a smooth surface finish selected to create a surface where water passing over it becomes either visible or more pronounced. In the alternative, the patch can have a rough surface finish selected to create a surface where water passing over it becomes either visible or more pronounced. Conveniently, the patch has a message or an indicator pattern surface finish selected to create a surface where water passing over it becomes either visible or more pronounced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the Figures as shown in the accompanying drawing sheets, wherein:-Figure shows a typical modern toilet as used in business or household premises; Figures 2 & 3 illustrate first and second embodiments of the invention; Figure 4 illustrates the second embodiment with arrows indicating water travel in use of the invention; Figure 5 shows an example of the invention within a toilet pan.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

00022 There will now be described, by way of example only, the best mode contemplated by the inventor for carrying out the present invention. In the following description, numerous specific details are set out in order to provide a complete understanding to the present invention.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art, that the present invention may be put into practice with variations of the specific.

00023 The toilet shown in FIG. 1 is a typical residential household toilet 10. It has a water closet 12 and a discharging opening 14 which is covered by a cistern valve, commonly referred to as a "flapper valve" or just a "flapper", 16. When the toilet is flushed by rotating the handle 18, typically the flapper will be lifted off of its seat in the discharge opening through a connecting mechanism 20 which includes a rod and a chain.

Once flipped up, the flapper will not seat again until the water is nearly completely drained, due to a floatation factor built into the flapper. An inlet for fresh water, which is not shown in the drawings, is typically controlled by a floating ball which terminates the flow of refill water when the level is appropriately high in the toilet tank for the next flush.

00024 The water will leak out of the toilet tank either around the flapper 16 or through the overflow standpipe 22. Either way, it is introduced to the toilet through the annular manifold 24 around the rim of the bowl. From the rim, the water drains through the rim wash holes 26, swirling around the toilet bowl and out the trap 28. When there is a leak, the slow trickle of water running down the side of the bowl as drawn in FIG. 1 at 30, is undetectable. By the nature of the design of the toilet trap, the water level in the bowl does not increase. If the leak occurs at the fresh water inlet into the toilet tank, it will probably be noiseless. If the flapper has become brittle or warped, permitting water to leak around its edges, there may be the sound of the periodic refilling of the toilet as the ball cock valve float drops lower in the toilet tank to the point where inflow begins again. However, even this is not necessarily significant if the inhabitants are apartment tenants or hotel who either do not care about water leaks, or are so used to them they assume that this is the normal way for a toilet to sound.

The present invention shall now be described with reference to Figures 2 -4, which show a generally triangular shaped patch which is positioned, in use, upon a face of a toilet bowl and is shaped and treated to urge any water travelling over the surface to move toward the centre, whereby to increase the visual effect. The generally triangular shape, arranged such that one side of the triangle is arranged uppermost upon fitment and substantially horizontally, conveniently the top edge is manufactured with a lip whereby not to impede downward flow of any trickle of water arising from any leak. Additionally, the upper edge or lip is conveniently treated with a wetting agent, whereby to reduce any impediment to flow arising from surface tension effects. The design and shape of the patch help channel any water which passes over the patch over it towards the centre. A series of chevrons, downwardly directed (in use) comprising or defined by a wetting agent can also assist in the channelling of any trickle of water which passes over the patch arising from any leak. Preferably the device is placed upon the rear face of the bowl, below an outlet from the flush apertures of the bowl, ideally an aperture which is last to flow -this can be confirmed by flushing the toilet -there is typically one aperture which empties last; this will likely be the aperture which provides a flow for any silent leak, since it is the easiest escape path for a small amount of fluid flow from the cistern. Obviously, if the toilet bowl is designed such that a leak would flow in an alternative position, then the patch should be placed wherever appropriate.

00026 The patch can be manufactured from a number of plastics, such as Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) is a plastics material which finds widespread use in building, transport, packaging, electrical/electronic and healthcare applications. PVC is a very durable and long lasting construction material which can be used in a variety of applications, rigid or flexible, white or black and a wide range of colours in between. PVC has a compatibility with many different kinds of additives -PVC can be clear or coloured, rigid or flexible, due to a specific formulation of such a compound. The thickness of the patch can conveniently be between 0.5mm and 3mm -whilst it could be thinner, the surface effects may be reduced; too thick and the surface is likely to provide an impediment to disposal of solid waste.

00027 The appearance of the patch is dependent upon a number of factors; the texture can be smooth or rough; the colour can be distinct or one to match the colour of the bowl. The finish of the material used, is selected to create a surface where water passing over it becomes either visible or more pronounced. Research has shown that, following a flush, although water will flow after each flush, this will typically dry within five to fifteen minutes; any continuing presence of water thereafter will indicate the presence of a leak.

00028 For example, the finish can be smooth or dimpled; the colour can be configured with glitter or mirrored chrome effects. In particular, the channel defined by the patch can flow either side of two transparent domes overlaying a message or an indicator pattern, whereby when a leak flow is channelled between the acrylic domes, the message becomes legible or the indicator pattern becomes uniform (or vice versa). Such domes can be provided as an acrylic transparent resin that is applied using a dispensing gun, as is known in the field of PVC applicators. Such features can provide a relatively hardwearing domed finish to any application. The acrylic may be coloured or translucent. It will also be understood that a message or pattern could become illegible or non-uniform. Other types of raised portions can be envisaged to enable a ready determination of any leak. With regard to the colour of the patch, it has been shown that chrome or silver patches work particularly well in indicating the presence of any water flow and were not found to be particularly intrusive. Notwithstanding this, by the use of coloured patches in keeping with the colour of the sanitary ware of a water closet or bathroom, the presence of leaks could still be easily identified.

00029 With reference to Figure 5, the patch can be applied to the rear surface of the bowl, once it has been cleaned, preferably including the removal of any calcium carbonate deposits, which arise in hard water areas. A heat gun could be employed to ensure that the area where the patch is applied is also dry and sufficiently warm to ensure good adhesion.

Many types of adhesive are available. Conveniently, the patch can be attached using double coated tapes, such as certain 3M high performance tapes which comprise a modified acrylic adhesive with a PVC carrier. Such adhesives combine a very high level of adhesive peel and shear performance and resistance to solvents and cleaning fluids. Indeed, the adhesive system used on these products provides good adhesion to porcelain substrates and the excellent initial tack ensures that a bond of good integrity is achieved soon after application.

An initial design was configured as being generally triangular -heart or shield shape -and has been found to be aesthetically pleasing in situ and has performed sufficiently well to channel any water in leak situations, whilst allowing users of the toilet a chance to spot any leaks, whether only upon raising the seat or whilst standing in the vicinity. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the patch may be of other shapes; however, by guiding any water that passes upon an upper ledge of the patch such that it is channelled to provide a greater amount of flow per unit of width, the flow becomes more noticeable.

00031 The present invention thus provides a body having a surface area within a toilet bowl to indicate a silent leak by making any water arising from such visible as it flows or runs over it. In the event, the leakage of water down the open bowl of the toilet, bidet or urinal is the logical place to check in this class of fixtures. It will be appreciated that the patch may be made from a number of suitable plastics, of which poly-vinyl chloride is but one type and other materials.

Claims (14)

1. CLAIMS: 1. A leak detector for an item of sanitary ware, the detector comprising a planar body having first and second major surfaces, the first surface having a finish operable to indicate a flow of water arising from a sanitary leak, the second surface having an adhesive operable to be placed upon a surface of sanitary ware; the first surface being operable to guide water arising from a leak such that it passes over a surface portion such that any flow from a leak is more readily identified.
2. 2. A leak detector according to claim 1, wherein the patch provides a channel to provide a greater amount of flow per unit of width, whereby to enable said any flow to become more noticeable.
3. 3. A leak detector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the patch comprises provides a generally triangular shaped patch which is positioned, in use, upon an inside face of an item of sanitary ware such as a toilet bowl and is arranged such that one side of the triangle is arranged uppermost upon fitment and substantially horizontally.
4. 4. A leak detector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the patch comprises provides a generally rectangular shaped patch which is positioned, in use, upon an inside face of an item of sanitary ware such as a toilet bowl and is arranged such that one side of the rectangle is arranged uppermost upon fitment and substantially horizontally.
5. 5. A leak detector according to any one of claims 1 -4, wherein the patch is shaped or treated to concentrate the flow of any water arising from a leak to move toward an area of surface, whereby the flow is more readily indicated.
6. 6. A leak detector according to any one of claims 1 -4, wherein the patch is shaped or treated to concentrate the flow of any water arising from a leak to move toward an area of surface, whereby the flow is greater across a reduced width indicator portion of patch.
7. 7. A leak detector according to any one of claims 1 -6, wherein an upper edge portion of the patch is provided with a lip whereby to reduce any impediment to flow by reason of the thickness of the patch. ii
8. 8. A leak detector according to any one of claims 1 -7, wherein an upper edge portion of the patch is treated with a wetting agent, whereby to reduce any impediment to flow by reason of surface tension effects.
9. 9. A leak detector according to any one of claims 1 -8, wherein a pattern comprising a series of chevrons, downwardly directed (in use) and comprising a wetting agent can is provided whereby to assist in the channelling of any trickle of water which passes over the patch arising from any leak.
10. 10. A leak detector according to any one of claims 1 -9, wherein the patch is manufactured from a plastics material, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
11. 11. A leak detector according to any one of claims 1 -10, wherein the patch is has a smooth surface finish selected to create a surface where water passing over it becomes either visible or more pronounced.
12. 12. A leak detector according to any one of claims 1 -10, wherein the patch is has a rough surface finish selected to create a surface where water passing over it becomes either visible or more pronounced.
13. 13. A leak detector according to any one of claims 1 -12, wherein the patch has a message or an indicator pattern surface finish selected to create a surface where water passing over it becomes either visible or more pronounced.
14. 14. A leak detector substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to any one or more of Figures 1 -5 as shown in the accompanying drawing sheets.