NO345772B1

NO345772B1 - Method for mounting a floor drain assembly and a floor drain assembly

Info

Publication number: NO345772B1
Application number: NO20190401A
Authority: NO
Inventors: Jonas Halili; Øyvind Skarning Hansen
Original assignee: Bls Ind Ab
Priority date: 2019-03-25
Filing date: 2019-03-25
Publication date: 2021-07-26
Also published as: NO20190401A1

Description

METHOD FOR MOUNTING A FLOOR DRAIN ASSEMBLY AND A FLOOR DRAIN ASSEMBLY

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure pertains to a method for mounting a floor drain assembly in a concrete floor and a floor drain assembly for use in the method.

BACKGROUND

Floor drains may be installed during construction of for example residences, industrial facilities or sport facilities and typically just before the concrete is poured. When a drain pipe has been installed and the location of the intended floor drain has been reached, the drain pipe is arranged to extend in an essentially vertical direction to enable draining of fluid from the floor drain. In the field of floor drains, there are many different types of floor drains and therefore also different ways of installing the floor drains. In installation methods comprising only one molding step, a mold may be provided around the end portion of the drain pipe and arranged such that its upper edge is arranged at level with the intended floor height. In a subsequent step, concrete may be poured around the mold until it is at height with the upper edge of the mold and in the intended height of the floor. To facilitate attachment of a drain body to the concrete in a later step molding plugs may be arranged in the concrete at predetermined locations along the circumference of the mold and matching the locations of screw openings in the drain body. After the concrete is set, the mold is removed from the concrete providing a cavity in the concrete adapted to fit a lower part of the drain body. Prior to connecting the drain body to the drain pipe and to the concrete floor, the drain pipe is cut to an appropriate height, if needed. The drain body may subsequently be connected to the drain pipe and secured to the concrete in the screw holes provided by the plugs arranged in the concrete. The step of arranging the screw plugs in the concrete may be a cumbersome step as precision is needed to match the screw holes provided in the drain body and as further size adaptation of the holes made in the concrete to fit the plugs may be needed.

EP 3031990 A1 relates to floor drain for a sanitary area and a method for installing the floor drain in a floor. JP S6393949 relates to a method for installing a floor drain assembly in a concrete floor. JP S63143642 discloses a method for mounting a sleeve in a concrete floor. KR 20080042327 discloses a floor drain sleeve with a cover for preventing foreign materials from entering while concrete mortar is poured and cured.

Efficiency and economy are often important factors during such installations and it is an advantage if the steps needed during the installation of floor drains are as simple and as few as possible. It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide a simple and efficient method for mounting a floor drain assembly and a floor drain assembly adapted to be installed by the method.

SUMMARY

The above and other objects may be achieved with a method for mounting a floor drain assembly in a concrete floor according to claim 1 and a floor drain assembly according to claim 13. Further embodiments are set out in the dependent claims, in the following description and in the drawings.

A method for mounting a floor drain assembly in a concrete floor as set out herein and according to a first aspect comprises the floor drain assembly. The floor drain assembly comprises a drain fixture and a drain body. The drain body comprises a drain body opening and is adapted for connection with the drain fixture. The method comprises the steps of;

a) installing the drain fixture around a drain pipe for draining fluid from the drain body, the drain fixture comprising a bottom section having a horizontal extension and a wall section having a vertical extension and defining an internal space of the drain fixture, a drain pipe opening being provided in the bottom section of the drain fixture allowing the drain pipe to extend there through, the wall section having an inner side and an outer side and an upper edge, the drain fixture comprising two or more attachment member receivers arranged in the wall section or in the internal space of the drain fixture and being adapted for coupling to a respective attachment member;

b) providing concrete around the drain fixture such that the concrete is at level with the upper edge of the drain fixture;

c) optionally adjusting the height of the drain pipe, such as by cutting away superfluous material;

d) applying the drain body on top of the drain fixture; and

e) connecting the drain body to the drain fixture by securing an attachment member to each of the two or more attachment member receivers thereby forming the floor drain assembly.

In the method according to the present disclosure, the floor drain is installed with only one moulding step, i.e. the drain fixture is mounted around the vertically extending drain pipe and the concrete is subsequently provided around the drain fixture and at level with the upper edge of the drain fixture. The drain fixture is thus arranged directly at level with the concrete floor, that is to be finished using for example tiles, and is adapted to remain in the concrete. The fact that the drain fixture does not need to be removed from the concrete saves times and the step of cleaning the cavity otherwise provided in the concrete has been eliminated. Moreover, as the drain fixture comprises attachment member receivers arranged in the wall section or in the internal space of the drain fixture, such as in proximity to the wall section inner side, and as the attachment member receivers are adapted for coupling to a respective attachment member, the step of applying separate attachment member receivers in the concrete has been eliminated. The connection between the drain fixture and the drain body is thus simple and secure.

The drain fixture may comprise a horizontally extending flange arranged along the outer side of the wall section at a lower end thereof, i.e. the flange may extend along the outer side of the wall section and in the same level as the bottom section. As the drain fixture is intended to remain in the concrete, the provision of a horizontally extending flange arranged along a lower edge of the drain fixture wall section provides stabilization, both when pouring concrete around the drain fixture and generally when positioned in the concrete.

The drain fixture may comprise three or more attachment member receivers, optionally four or more attachment member receivers, such as from three to ten attachment member receivers, or four to seven attachment member receivers.

The attachment member receivers may be in the form of bore holes, such as in the wall section, or screw plugs arranged at an inner side of the wall section, such as at the inner side of the wall section. The attachment member receiver may also be in the form of one of two components forming a snap-fit connection, with the other one of the two components being arranged at a matching location on the drain body, such that when correctly applying the drain body onto the drain fixture, the two or more snap-fit connections are formed between the respective components.

The two or more attachment member receivers may be connected to the inner side of the wall section, such as two or more screw plugs being connected to the inner side of the wall section. The attachment member receivers may alternatively be separate from the wall section. The attachment member receivers may be connected to the bottom section and have essentially the same height as the wall section, or at least 75 % of the height of the wall section. The attachment member receivers may thus be screw plugs made in the same material as the drain fixture, such as integrated screw plugs, separate and extending from the bottom section, or connected to the inner side of the wall section.

Step e) may include connecting the drain body to the drain fixture via screws fastened in each of the two or more attachment member receivers, in the form of screw plugs, or in each of the two or more screw holes. The fact that the drain body is connected via screws and to attachment member receivers provided in the drain fixture, i.e. on an inner side of the wall section, on predefined locations simplifies the connection step between the drain fixture and the drain body.

The drain body may be provided with through holes corresponding in number and location to the two or more attachment member receivers, and step e) may include adjusting the positioning of the drain body such that the through holes are arranged directly above the two or more attachment member receivers. The size of the through holes should correspond to the size of the screws intended for fastening of the drain body and thus also to the size of the screw holes/openings in the screw plugs of the drain fixture.

The method may comprise a step a2), subsequent to the step a), comprising to apply a drain fixture lid to the drain fixture and step b2), subsequent to the step b), of removing the drain fixture lid. This is to prevent concrete to enter the drain fixture during provision of concrete around the drain fixture and prior to setting of the concrete, which otherwise necessitate cleaning of the drain fixture prior to installing and fastening the drain body to the drain fixture.

The bottom section of the drain fixture may be weakened by means of weakening means provided in the bottom section and encircling the drain pipe opening, the weakening means may be arranged in the bottom section to enable removal of a portion of the bottom section to provide a larger drain pipe opening and step a) may include removal of the removable portion of the bottom section, if needed, to adjust the diameter of the drain pipe opening to the diameter of the drain pipe. The weakening means may be in the form of perforations in the bottom section or continuous elongated openings and with the removable portion being connected to the surrounding portion in connection portions which are narrow enough to allow breaking of the connecting portions for adjusting the drain pipe opening in the bottom section.

The bottom section of the drain fixture comprises an inner side, the inner side being provided with two or more drain pipe securing elements arranged at the drain pipe opening and configured to allow securing of the drain pipe securing elements to the drain pipe and wherein step a) comprises securing the drain pipe securing elements to the drain pipe by means of screws or the like. The drain pipe securing elements may for examples be vertically extending rectangular projection, each provided with a through hole allowing a screw to secure the rain pipe securing elements to the drain pipe.

Step d) may comprise simultaneously cutting the drain pipe and the drain pipe securing elements for adjusting the height of the drain pipe to a desired height, such as substantially at level with the bottom section.

The bottom section of the drain fixture may comprise an outer side, the outer side being arranged to face the concrete floor and being provided with three or more perpendicularly extending ribs. The fact that the bottom section outer side comprises three or more perpendicularly extending ribs reduces the risk of undesired rotation in a horizontal plane during installation of the drain fixture.

In a second aspect, the present disclosure relates to a floor drain assembly for use in the method for mounting the floor drain assembly in a concrete floor according to the first aspect. The floor drain assembly comprises a drain body and a drain fixture comprising a bottom section having a horizontal extension and a wall section having a vertical extension and defining an internal space of the drain fixture, the drain fixture comprising a drain pipe opening provided in the bottom section for allowing a drain pipe to extend there through, the wall section having an inner side and an outer side and an upper edge, the drain body comprising a drain body opening and being adapted for connection with the drain fixture wherein the drain fixture comprises two or more attachment member receivers arranged in the wall section inner side or in the internal space of the drain fixture.

The drain fixture optionally comprises a horizontally extending flange arranged along the outer side of the wall section at a lower end thereof.

The two or more attachment member receivers may be in the form of two or more bore holes in the wall section and/or two or more screw plugs. Optionally the two or more attachment member receivers are in the form of two or more screw plugs being connected to the inner side of the wall section.

The drain body may be provided with through holes corresponding in number and location to the two or more attachment member receivers when the drain body is applied on top of the drain fixture.

The attachment member receivers may be in the form of bore holes, such as in the wall section, or screw plugs.

The bottom section of the drain fixture comprises a bottom section inner side, the inner side may be provided with two or more drain pipe securing elements arranged at the drain pipe opening and configured to allow securing of the drain pipe securing elements to the drain pipe. The drain pipe securing elements may for examples be vertically extending plates, each provided with a through hole allowing a screw to secure the rain pipe securing elements to the drain pipe.

The bottom section of the drain fixture may comprises a bottom section outer side, the outer side may be arranged to face the concrete floor and being provided with three or more perpendicularly extending ribs. The fact that the bottom section outer side comprises three or more perpendicularly extending ribs reduces the risk of undesired rotation in a horizontal plane during installation of the drain fixture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig.1 shows a vertically extending drain pipe prior to mounting of a floor drain assembly according to a method disclosed herein;

Fig. 2 shows the first step of installing the drain fixture around the drain pipe according to a method disclosed herein;

Fig. 3 shows a second step of providing concrete around the drain fixture such that the concrete is at level with an upper edge of the drain fixture, the drain fixture being protected with a lid;

Fig. 4 shows the drain fixture after the concrete is set and the drain fixture lid, has been removed;

Fig. 5 shows a third step of adjusting the height of the drain pipe by cutting away superfluous material;

Fig. 6 shows a fourth step, in which the drain body has been applied on top of the drain fixture and wherein the drain body has been secured to the drain fixture by securing attachment members to the attachment member receivers;

Fig. 7a illustrates a drain fixture according to the present disclosure as seen from an outer side of a bottom section; and

Fig. 7b is a perspective view of the drain fixture from fig.7a.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is to be understood that the drawings are schematic and that individual components are not necessarily drawn to scale. The floor drain assembly shown in the figures is provided as examples only and should not be considered limiting to the invention. Accordingly, the scope of invention is determined solely by the scope of the appended claims.

Figs.1 to 6 illustrate a method for mounting a floor drain assembly 1 in a concrete floor 20. Prior to mounting the floor drain assembly 1 (shown in fig.6), a drain pipe 3 is provided at the location where the floor drain assembly 1 is to be installed. The drain pipe 3 is arranged to extend in an essentially vertical direction to enable draining of fluid from the floor drain. As illustrated in fig.2, a drain fixture 2 is installed around the drain pipe 3. The drain fixture 2 comprises a bottom section 4, here a circular bottom section, having a horizontal extension X and a wall section 5 having a vertical extension Y and extending along an outer edge of the bottom section 4, thereby providing the drain fixture 2 with an internal space. The drain pipe 3 extends through an opening 6, illustrated in figs.7a and 7b, provided in the bottom section 4 of the drain fixture 2. The drain pipe opening 6 may have a diameter of approximately 110 mm or 160 mm, corresponding to conventional drain pipe diameters. The wall section 5 has an inner side 7 and an outer side 8 and an upper edge 9. The drain fixture 2 comprises five attachment member receivers 11 arranged at the wall section inner side 7, the attachment member receivers are here in the form of screw plugs connected to the inner side 7 of the wall section 5 and are adapted for coupling to a respective attachment member 12, shown in fig.6, such as screw. In the figures herein, the drain fixture comprises five attachment member receivers, however this is only an exemplified number of attachment member receivers and the drain fixture could instead for example comprise two, three, four, six, seven or eight attachment member receivers.

The drain fixture 2 furthermore comprises a horizontally extending flange 18 arranged along the outer side of the wall section 5 at a lower end thereof. The drain fixture 2 is arranged with the upper edge 9 at level with the intended floor level. To secure the drain fixture 2 to the pipe 3, the drain fixture 2 is provided with drain pipe securing elements 16 arranged at the drain pipe opening 6 to allow securing of the drain pipe 3 to the drain pipe securing elements 16. The drain pipe securing elements 16 are in this figure rectangular and flat pieces of plastic material extending from and being connected to the bottom section 4, the drain pipe securing elements 16 are each provided with a screw hole for facilitating connection of the drain pipe securing elements 16 to the drain pipe 3. However, the drain pipe securing elements may have other designs and be attached to the drain pipe by other means than screws, such as for example adhesive tape.

In fig.3, the concrete 20 has been provided around the drain fixture 2 such that the concrete 20 is at level with the upper edge 9 of the drain fixture 2. The drain fixture 2 is preferably provided with a drain fixture lid 19 to prevent concrete to enter the interior space of the drain fixture 2 when providing concrete around the drain fixture 2. The lid 19 applied over the internal space of the drain fixture and is a removable lid 19 which may easily be removed after setting of the concrete 20.

In fig.4, the drain fixture lid 19 has been removed and the drain fixture 2 is fixed in the concrete 20. Fig.5, illustrates the drain fixture 2 with the drain pipe opening 6. The drain fixture 2 comprises the attachment member receivers 11 being connected to the inner side 7 of the wall section 5. The drain pipe 3 has been cut to an appropriate height to fit in the floor drain assembly 1, an appropriate height may be at level with the bottom section 4, or for example from 0 to 20 mm above the bottom section. When cutting the drain pipe 3, the drain pipe securing elements 16 (shown in fig.4) are simultaneously cut. The height adjustment of the drain pipe 3 and the removal of the drain pipe securing elements 16 may be done with a special cutting tool adapted to cut drain pipes in narrow spaces.

In fig.6, the drain body 10 comprising a drain body opening 21 has been connected to the drain fixture 2 by securing attachment members 12, in the form of screws, through holes 17 in the drain body 2 outer edge portion and thereby performing the final step in the installation of the floor drain assembly 1. The holes 17 in the drain body 10 are provided to match the openings in the attachment member receivers 11. Hence, the only adjustment needed before inserting and driving the screws 12 through the drain body 10 and into the screw plugs 11 is the matching of the holes 17 in the drain body 2 outer edge portion with the screw plugs 11 (shown in fig.4) in the drain fixture 2.

Figs.7a and 7b illustrate a drain fixture 2 comprising the bottom section 4 having a horizontal extension X and a wall section 5 having a vertical extension Y providing the drain fixture 2 with a bowl-shape. The drain fixture 2 comprises a drain pipe opening 6 provided in the bottom section 4 of the drain fixture 2. The wall section 5 has an inner side 7 and an outer side 8 and an upper edge 9. The drain fixture 2 comprises five attachment member receivers 11, here in the form of screw plugs, arranged at and connected to the wall section inner side 7. In the embodiment shown in the figures, the drain fixture 2 comprises a horizontally extending flange 18 arranged along the outer side of the wall section 5 at a lower end thereof. The flange 18 is an optional element of the drain fixture set out in here. The flange 18 serves to stabilize and promote firm anchoring of the drain fixture 2 in the concrete 20. A flange, such as that shown in the figures may be supplemented with, or replaced by vertically extending anchoring ribs provided in the outside of the wall section 5 of the drain fixture 2. In the embodiment shown in the figures, the outer side 17 of the bottom section 4 is provided four perpendicularly extending ribs 22. The ribs 22 are optional elements of the drain fixture set out in here.

The bottom section 4 of the drain fixture 2 is weakened by means of weakening means 13 provided in the bottom section 4 and encircling the drain pipe opening 6, the weakening means 13 being arranged in the bottom section to enable removal of a portion 14 of the bottom section 4 to provide a larger drain pipe opening 6. The weakening means 13 is provided in the form of four elongated openings in the bottom section 4 with four connecting portions which are to be broken upon removal of the removable portion 14. The bottom section 4 of the drain fixture 2 comprises an inner side 15 and the inner side 15 is provided with eight drain pipe securing elements 16 arranged at the drain pipe opening 6. The drain pipe securing elements 16 are configured to allow securing of the drain pipe 3 (not shown) to the drain pipe securing elements 16.

Claims

1. A method for mounting a floor drain assembly (1) in a concrete floor (20), the floor drain assembly (1) comprising a drain fixture (2) and a drain body (10) comprising a drain body opening (21) and being adapted for connection with the drain fixture (2), the method being characterized by the steps of;

a) installing the drain fixture (2) around a drain pipe (3) for draining fluid from the drain body (10), the drain fixture (2) comprising a bottom section (4) having a horizontal extension (X) and a wall section (5) having a vertical extension (Y) and defining an internal space of the drain fixture (2), a drain pipe opening (6) provided in the bottom section (4) of the drain fixture (2) allowing the drain pipe (3) to extend there through, the wall section (5) having an inner side (7) and an outer side (8) and an upper edge (9), the drain fixture (2) comprising two or more attachment member receivers (11) arranged in the wall section (5) or in the internal space of the drain fixture (2) and being adapted for coupling to a respective attachment member (12);

b) providing concrete around the drain fixture (2) such that the concrete is at level with the upper edge (9) of the drain fixture (2);

c) optionally adjusting the height of the drain pipe (3), such as by cutting away superfluous material;

d) applying the drain body (10) on top of the drain fixture (2); and

e) connecting the drain body (10) to the drain fixture (2) by securing an attachment member (12) to each of the two or more attachment member receivers (11) thereby forming the floor drain assembly (1).

2. The method for mounting a floor drain (1) according to claim 1, wherein the drain fixture (2) comprises a horizontally extending flange (18) arranged along the outer side of the wall section (5) at a lower end thereof.

3. The method for mounting a floor drain (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the two or more attachment member receivers (11) are in the form of two or more bore holes or two or more screw plugs.

4. The method for mounting a floor drain (1) according to claim 3, wherein the two or more attachment member receivers (11) are two or more screw plugs being connected to the inner side (7) of the wall section (5).

5. The method for mounting a floor drain (1) according to any one of claims 2 - 4, wherein step e) includes connecting the drain body (10) to the drain fixture (2) via screws fastened in each of the two or more screw plugs or in each of the two or more screw holes.

6. The method for mounting a floor drain (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the drain body (10) is provided with through holes (17) corresponding in number and location to the two or more attachment member receivers (11), and wherein step e) includes adjusting the positioning of the drain body (10) such that the through holes (17) are arranged directly above the two or more attachment member receivers (11).

7. The method for mounting a floor drain (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the drain fixture (2) comprises four or more attachment member receivers (11), such as four to seven attachment member receivers (11).

8. The method for mounting a floor drain (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the method comprises a step a2), subsequent to the step a), comprising to apply a drain fixture lid (19) to the drain fixture (2) and step b2), subsequent to the step b), of removing the drain fixture lid (19).

9. The method for mounting a floor drain (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bottom section (4) of the drain fixture (2) is weakened by means of weakening means (13) provided in the bottom section (4) and encircling the drain pipe opening (6), the weakening means (13) being arranged in the bottom section to enable removal of a portion (14) of the bottom section (4) to provide a larger drain pipe opening (6) and wherein step a) includes removal of the removable portion (14) of the bottom section (4), if needed, to adjust the diameter of the drain pipe opening (6) to the diameter of the drain pipe (3).

10. The method for mounting a floor drain (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bottom section (4) of the drain fixture (2) comprises an inner side (15), the inner side (15) being provided with two or more drain pipe securing elements (16) arranged at the drain pipe opening (6) configured to allow securing of the drain pipe (3) to the drain pipe securing elements (16) and wherein step a) comprises securing the drain pipe (3) to the drain pipe securing elements (16) by means of screws or the like.

11. The method for mounting a floor drain (1) according to claim 10, wherein step d) comprises simultaneously cutting the drain pipe (3) and the drain pipe securing elements (16) for adjusting the height of the drain pipe (3) to a desired height, such as substantially at level with the bottom section (4).

12. The method for mounting a floor drain (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bottom section (4) of the drain fixture (2) comprises an outer side (17), the outer side being arranged to face the concrete floor (20) and being provided with three or more perpendicularly extending ribs (22).

13. A floor drain assembly (1) for use in the method for mounting a floor drain assembly (1) in a concrete floor (20) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a drain body (10) and a drain fixture (2) comprising a bottom section (4) having a horizontal extension (X) and a wall section (5) having a vertical extension (Y) and defining an internal space of the drain fixture (2), the drain fixture (2) comprising a drain pipe opening (6) provided in the bottom section (4) for allowing a drain pipe (3) to extend there through, the wall section (5) having an inner side (7) and an outer side (8) and an upper edge (9), the drain body (10) comprising a drain body opening (21), characterized in that the drain body (10) is adapted for connection with the drain fixture (2), and in that the drain fixture (2) comprises two or more attachment member receivers (11) arranged in the wall section (5) or in the internal space of the drain fixture (2).

14. The floor drain assembly (1) according to claim 13, wherein the drain fixture (2) comprises a horizontally extending flange (18) arranged along the outer side of the wall section (5) at a lower end thereof.

15. The floor drain assembly (1) according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the two or more attachment member receivers (11) are in the form of two or more bore holes in the wall section (5) or two or more screw plugs, optionally the two or more attachment member receivers (11) are in the form of two or more screw plugs being connected to the inner side (7) of the wall section (5).

16. The floor drain assembly (1) according to any one of claims 13-15, wherein the drain body (10) is provided with through holes (17) corresponding in number and location to the two or more attachment member receivers (11) when the drain body (10) is applied on top of the drain fixture (2).