IE84829B1 - Soil pipe fitting - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT Oifig Na bPaitinni The Patents Office A soil pipe fitting for connection to 21 WC outlet comprises a first end for connection to a WC outlet, a second end for connection to a soil stack, and a waste inlet located on a sidewall of the fitting and having an axis that is inclined to the axis of the soil pipe fitting. And additional appliance may be connected to the waste inlet and thus to a soil pipe fitting forming part of a soil stack.

Description

The present invention relates to a soil pipe fitting for use with toilet or WC outlets. In particular, the invention relates to a soil pipe fitting including an inlet to which additional plumbing components may be attached.

The installation and creation of additional bathroom facilities within private homes has become more common in recent years. where homeowners or property developers may previously have been content with a single bathroom, the inclusion of two or three bathrooms within a single home is no longer unusual. Additional bathrooms may be-built with just a WC and washbasin, or may include other pieces, such as bathtubs, showers, bidets, and the like.

However, the conversion of an existing home to include additional bathrooms, or the conversion of an existing bathroom or cloakroom to include additional pieces, may present difficulties. In particular, the availability of water waste outlets may be limited, such that it is necessary to plumb several appliances into a single waste outlet.

It is known to make use of soil manifolds for this purpose, which permit several appliances to be connected to a WC soil waste. These manifolds typically comprise a relatively large diameter pipe for fitting into a soil stack of a WC, a portion of the pipe being formed into a collar having a larger diameter than the soil stack. The collar carries a number of inlets, which can be used to receive smaller diameter waste pipe sections. The pipe sections are received in the manifold generally vertically, whereas the waste pipes themselves will typically extend horizontally from the other fittings, such that it is necessary to incorporate swivel bends on the ends of the pipes.

Such manifolds are typically relatively large, and will have the ability to receive perhaps three or four waste inlets. The size of the manifold means that it must be incorporated into the soil stack above floor level. This in turn means that the waste inlets are raised above floor level, which limits the range of appliances, which may be connected to the manifold due to drainage requirements. In particular, showers typically have waste outlets that begin near floor level from a shower tray; with the connection to the manifold being made above floor level, the gradient along the waste pipe may be insufficient to create sufficient water flow.

Further, the location of the collar of the manifold limits the adjustability of the waste inlets, since the collar must be located spaced from adjacent walls to provide sufficient space to attach the waste inlets.

However, not every use of such manifolds requires three or four connections. Indeed, many users require only a single waste connection, such as for a shower or the like. Further, the raised height of the connections may be inconvenient for certain applications.

It is among the objects of embodiments of the present invention to obviate or alleviate these and other disadvantages of conventional manifolds.

According to the present invention, there is provided a soil pipe fitting for connection to aa WC outlet, the fitting comprising: a first end for connection to a WC outlet, a second end for connection to a soil stack, a waste inlet located on a sidewall of the fitting and having an inlet axis that is inclined to a main axis of the soil pipe fitting, and a baffle located within the fitting adjacent the waste inlet, the baffle comprising a partition adapted to prevent access to the waste inlet from upstream.

Thus, the present invention allows an additional appliance to be connected to a soil pipe fitting forming part of a soil stack. The soil pipe fitting may be largely of conventional soil pipe form, with the exception of the additional waste inlet, and so can be incorporated into existing soil stacks with little difficulty, unlike conventional waste manifolds. The soil pipe fitting construction also permits additional wastes to enter the soil stack at a lower level than conventional manifolds, thereby improving flow into the stack.

Preferably the soil pipe fitting is generally cylindrical. The two ends of the fitting may be of slightly different diameters, and the fitting may taper or be stepped between the two ends. This will allow, for example, a WC outlet to be received within the first end of the fitting, and the second end of the fitting to be received within the soil stack. The soil pipe fitting may have a diameter of up to 110 mm.

Preferably the first end of the fitting includes a lip for receiving a seal, within which a WC outlet will be received in use.

Preferably the waste inlet is suitable for connection to a waste outlet of a plumbing appliance; conveniently a shower. Preferably the waste inlet comprises a threaded portion for engaging with a correspondingly threaded coupling portion of a plumbing appliance, plumbing pipes, or the like. Preferably the waste inlet extends substantially perpendicularly from the main axis of the fitting. This allows waste pipe connections to be made as low as possible on the fitting, since there is no requirement to introduce a bend to the waste pipe in order to couple the waste to the soil pipe fitting, to permit suitable head heights to allow drainage. In certain embodiments of the invention, the waste inlet may include a slight vertical incline, to allow an angle to be incorporated into any waste connections. Preferably the waste inlet has a connection to take a pipe of 40 to 43 mm nominal diameter. Preferably only one waste inlet is provided; this allows users who do not require multiple inlets to make use of the present invention. The provision of only a single waste inlet reduces the space needed for installation of the soil well as pipe fitting, as permitting a range of positions to be selected for installation.

Preferably the alignment of the waste inlet may be adjusted by rotation of the fitting. This provides a simple means of adjustment whereby the fitting may be used in a range of positions without requiring complex alignment or the like, as may be the case with conventional manifolds.

The baffle also serves to separate flow of fluid along the soil pipe fitting from fluid flow along the waste inlet and to prevent unwanted mixing of the flows. The baffle preferably comprises a partition within the fitting, forming a chord of the fitting. The baffle preferably extends at least across the length of the union of the inlet and the fitting, and more preferably extends a distance beyond this region. Preferably the baffle extends in the direction of fluid flow within the fitting.

Preferably also the upstream portion of the baffle includes a portion extending outwardly from the sidewall of the fitting, to further prevent fluid flow from entering the waste inlet.

Preferably the soil pipe fitting comprises plastics material; conveniently polypropylene, although other materials such as polyvinylchloride (PVC) or the like may be used.

These and other aspects of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a front View of a soil pipe fitting in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 2 shows a side view of the soil pipe fitting of Figure 1.

Referring to the Figures, these shour a soil pipe fitting in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The fitting 10 consists of a generally cylindrical body 12 for connection to pipe of 90 or 110 mm nominal diameter, having upper 14 and lower 16 openings.

The body‘ 12 is stepped, in that the upper opening 14 includes a flared collar 18, for receiving an elastomeric seal 32, while within the upper portion of the body 12 is received a corresponding 90 or 110 mm pipe section in the form of a WC bowl outlet 30. The lower portion of the body 12 is of slightly reduced diameter, and may be provided with a further elastomeric seal 34 allowing the lower opening part of the body 12 to be received within a 90 or 110 mm pipe section in the form of a soil stack inlet 32.

The body 12 includes a flange 20 on the lower portion thereof, to restrict the length of the body 12 which can be received within a pipe section. The flange 20 also serves to locate the body 12 at an appropriate height with regard to the floor level, indicated by dashed lines 36. The soil stack inlet 32 is located below floor level.

On one side of the body 12, and extending substantially perpendicularly to the body, is a waste inlet 22 having a threaded portion 24 for connection to correspondingly threaded pipe coupling sections of 40 to 43 mm nominal diameter. within the body 12 of the fitting, and adjacent the waste inlet 22, is a baffle 26 extending across the body 12. An upper portion 28 of the baffle 26 is angled to extend between the remainder of the baffle 26 and the sidewall of the waste inlet 22, In use, the fitting 10 may be incorporated into a soil stack and connected to a WC. The fitting 10 may be oriented simply by rotating the fitting on the stack, to align the waste inlet 22 in a desired direction. The waste inlet 22 may then be connected to a waste pipe from, for example, a shower tray. Waste water from the shower tray will drain into the inlet 22 and thence into the body 12, while the baffle 26, 28 serves to maintain the shower waste and the soil waste separate, to prevent mixing and backflow of waste. invention may be used to allow Thus, the present installation of additional plumbing appliances in a room having only one soil outlet. The compact nature of the soil pipe fitting 10 allows its installation in relatively restricted spaces, while the location of the waste inlet 22 on the body 12 allows a waste pipe to be connected at a lower location within the soil stack than with conventional manifolds.

Claims (20)

1. A soil pipe fitting for connection to a WC outlet, the fitting comprising: a first end for connection to a WC outlet, a second end for connection to a soil stack, a waste inlet located on a sidewall of the fitting and having an inlet axis that is inclined to a main axis of the soil pipe fitting, and a baffle located within the fitting adjacent the waste inlet, the baffle comprising a partition adapted to prevent access to the waste inlet from upstream.

2. The fitting of claim 1, wherein the fitting is generally cylindrical.

3. The fitting of claim 1 or 2, wherein the ends of the fitting are of slightly different diameters.

4. The fitting of any of the preceding claims, wherein the fitting tapers or steps between the ends thereof.

5. The fitting of any of the preceding claims, wherein the fitting has a diameter of up to ll0 mm.

6. The fitting of any of the preceding claims, wherein l5 the first end of the fitting includes a lip for receiving a seal, within which a WC outlet will be received in use.

7. The fitting of any of the preceding claims, wherein the waste inlet is adapted for connection to a waste outlet of a plumbing appliance.

8. The fitting of any of the preceding claims, wherein the first end of the fitting is adapted for connection to a waste outlet of a shower.

9. The fitting of any of the preceding claims, wherein the waste inlet comprises a threaded portion for engaging with a correspondingly threaded coupling’ portion of a plumbing appliance, plumbing pipes, or the like.

10. The fitting of any of the preceding claims, wherein the waste inlet extends substantially perpendicularly from the main axis of the fitting.

11. The fitting of any of the preceding claims, wherein the waste inlet includes a slight vertical incline, to allow an angle to be incorporated into any waste connections.

12. The fitting of any of the preceding claims, wherein the waste inlet has a connection to take a pipe of 40 to 43 mm nominal diameter.

13. The waste fitting of any of the preceding claims, wherein only one waste inlet is provided.

14. The fitting of any of the preceding claims, wherein the alignment of the waste inlet is adjustable by rotation of the fitting.

15. The waste fitting of any of the preceding claim, wherein the baffle forms a chord of the fitting.

16. The baffle of any of the preceding claim, wherein the baffle extends at least across the length of the union of the inlet and the fitting.

17. The baffle of claim 16, wherein the baffle extends a distance beyond the length of the union.

18. The fitting of any of the preceding claim, wherein the baffle extends in the direction of fluid flow within the fitting.

19. The fitting of any of the preceding claim, wherein an upstream portion of the baffle includes a portion extending 12 outwardly from a sidewall of the fitting, to further prevent fluid flow from entering the waste inlet.

20. The fitting of any of the preceding claims, wherein the fitting comprises polymeric material.