US3406409A

US3406409A - Outlet connection for water closet

Info

Publication number: US3406409A
Application number: US530156A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert F Burns
Original assignee: HOFFMAN SPECIALTY Mfg CORP
Current assignee: HOFFMAN SPECIALTY Mfg CORP
Priority date: 1966-02-25
Filing date: 1966-02-25
Publication date: 1968-10-22
Anticipated expiration: 1985-10-22

Description

Oct. 22, 1968 R. F. BURNS OUTLET CONNECTION FOR WATER CLOSET Filed Feb. 25. 1966 po ims TORN E Y5 United States Patent 6 M 3,406,409 OUTLET CONNECTION FOR WATER CLOSET Robert F. Burns, Indianapolis, Ind., assignor to Hoffman Specialty Mfg. Corp., Indianapolis, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed Feb. 25, 1966, Ser. No. 530,156 4 Claims. (Cl. 4-252) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A connection between the annular horn of a watercloset bowl and a sleeve-like element communicating with a drain line and having a counterbore receiving the horn comprises a gasket of relatively soft rubber-like material having an annular body disposed between the end of the horn and the base of said counterbore, and an integral annular flange projecting axially from said body into the space between the horn and the circumferential wall of the counterbore. Means are provided for axially compressing the gasket-body to such an extent that some of the material thereof will be displaced into the flange to thicken it radially and thereby effect a seal between the horn and the counterbore wall.

This invention relates to means for connecting a watercloset bowl to a drain line. The invention is primarily, although not necessarily, concerned with a connecting means adapted for use with wall-hung closet bowls.

The outlet opening in a conventional closet bowl intended for mounting on a wall is located in the vertical rear face of the bowl and is surrounded by an annular groove providing between the groove and the outlet an annular flange or horn adapted to be received in the counterbored outer end of a rigid, fixedly mounted sleevelike connector which communicates with the drain line. Horn dimensions vary somewhat from manufacturer to manufacturer and, in any event, since the bowls are made of porcelain, it is impossible to hold horn dimensions to close tolerances. Accordingly, the outlet-surrounding groove in the bowl must receive the rim of the connector with considerable clearance on all sides, and the effecting of a water-tight seal between the horn and the connector therefore presents a problem for the installer. The more common sealing means used have included a compressible gasket of O-ring type positioned between the outer end of the horn and the base of the counterbore in the connector and a thick, soft gasket of impregnated felt, asbestos, or like material positioned in the horn-surrounding groove of the bowl. Another way used to create a seal is to fill or partially fill the annular horn-surrounding groove with a mastic-like material such as plumbers putty or wax into which the rim of the connector is pressed when the bowl is mounted. None of these expedients has proven completely satisfactory.

A connecting means in accordance with my invention includes a soft, resiliently compressible gasket having an annular body portion for reception between the end of the horn and the bottom of the counterbore in the connector provided with an integral peripheral flange extending axially from the body into the clearance between the horn and the wall of the counterbore. The dimensions of such gasket and the nature of the material forming it are important. The body should have an axial thickness in the neighborhood of /2 inch or somewhat more and should be elastically compressible to about one-half that thickness under an axially applied effort. In the unstressed condition of the gasket, its body portion and integral flange should have an outer diameter enabling the gasket to be rather snugly received within the counterbore of the connector, the interior diameter of the gasket-body should be somewhat greater than the interior diameter of the 3,406,409 Patented Oct. 22, 1968 ice horn on the closet bowl so that compression of the gasketbody when the bowl is installed will not result in any substantial reduction in the size of the opening into the connector, and the inner diameter of the flange should be such as will permit it to receive, without undue stretching, the horn of largest diameter apt to be encountered in practice. When such a gasket is positioned between the horn and the connector and the bowl, in the process of its mounting, is forced toward the connector to effect a substantial compression of the gasket-body, the material of the gasket will flow to provide an effective seal, not only between the end of the horn and the base of the counterbore in the connector but also between the opposed cylindrical surfaces of the horn and counterbore-wall.

Other features of the invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description and from the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view illustrating a wall-hung closet bowl;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section on an enlarged scale taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an elevation, in partial section, of the gasket on a still larger scale.

The arrangement shown by way of example in FIG. 1, includes an outlet fitting 10 adapted, as at 11, for connection to a generally horizontal drain line. Mounted for vertical adjustment on the face of the outlet fitting 10 is a face plate 11 carrying studs 12, through which the closet bowl 13 is mounted, and also carrying an adjustable foot 14 providing floor support within the limits of a wall facing 15. A flange 16 on the bowl 13 is clamped between nuts 17 on the studs 12 to support the bowl with its rear face spaced a slight distance from the wall-facing 15. A coupling 18 received in an opening through the face plate 11 in turn receives an axially adjustable connector 19. Referring to FIG. 2, it will be seen that the outlet opening 21 in the vertical rear face of the closet bowl is surrounded by an annular groove 22 to leave an annular horn 23 which extends, with considerable radial clearance, partially into a counterbore in the outer end of the connector 19.

As so far described, the structure illustrated in the drawing is more or less conventional. As is readily apparent, the effecting of a water-tight connection between the bowl and the connector 19 requires the provision of some form of sealing means. Such a sealing means, to be effective, must accommodate for lack of exact concentricity of the horn and the connector, for irregularities in the dimensions and surfaces of the horn, and for some variation in the relative axial positions of the horn and the connector. In addition, the sealing means should be elastically yieldable to the extent required to maintain an effective seal even in the event of some movement between the connector and the closet bowl after the installation has been completed.

A sealing means meeting these requirements is indicated at 24 in FIG. 2 and shown on an enlarged scale in FIG. 3. Such means is in the form of an annnular gasket having a body portion 25 and a peripheral, axially extending flange 26 integral with the body portion. The outer surface of the body portion and the flange 26 are flush with each other and preferably have a diameter such as will permit the gasket to be snugly, although not tightly, received in the counterbored end of the connector 19. The inner diameter of the body portion 25 is somewhat greater than the inner diameter of the horn 23, while the inner diameter of the flange is such that, without undue stretching, it will receive the largest horn liable to be encountered by the installer. The axial dimension of the body portion 25 should be substantial, preferably on the order of /2 inch or somewhat more, and the axial dimension of the flange 26 is preferably less than that of the horn 23. The edges of the gasket are desirably rounded, as indicated in FIG. 3, the outer rear edge of the body portion 25 preferably being rounded on a radius greater than that existing at the base of the counterbore.

As a material for the gasket 25, I employ an elastic material in the nature of soft rubber. A preferred material is neoprene giving a durometer reading of about 50. With the gasket made of such a material, the body portion 25 can be compressed to half its thickness without opposing undue resistance to tightening of the front set of nuts 17 against the front face of the bowl-flange 16. In fact, when the bowl reaches the ultimate position determined by the rear set of nuts, the increase in the resistance to farther tightening of the front nuts will be immediately apparent to the installer.

Horns 23 on closet bowls as commonly made have a nominal external diameter of about 3% inches and an internal diameter of about 2% inches; but as indicated above some variations from those nominal dimensions can be expected. I therefore prefer that the gasket body 25 have an internal diameter of about 2 /8 inches and that the gasket flange have a thickness of about inch and an internal diameter of about 3 ,4 inches. The outer diameter of the gasket may be about 4 inches and the same as the diameter of the counterbore in the outer end of the connector 19. The gasket may have an overall axial extent of 1 inch, while the axial dimension of the body portion 25 may be W inch.

In installing a closet bowl, the rear set of nuts 17 on the studs 12 are adjusted, as is common practice, to locate the rear face of the bowl spaced at short distance from the wall-facing 15. If the gasket 24 has the dimensions above indicated, the connector 19 is adjusted axially in the coupling 18 to a position such that the base of the counterbore in the connector will be spaced about inch rearwardly from the rear end of the horn 23 when the bowl-flange 16 is clamped against the rear set of nuts 17. The gasket 24 may be positioned on the horn 23 or, more desirably, in the connector-counterbore, and the bowl is then mounted on the studs 12. Tightening of the outer set of nuts 17 forces the bowl rearwardly, first compressing the body portion of the gasket and then clamping the flange 16 securely against the nuts 17. With the gasket formed of the material and with the dimensions above indicated, the axial compression of the body portion of the gasket will cause its material to flow and assume the general form indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 3, some of the material displaced from between the end of the horn and the base of the counterbore in the connector flowing radially inwardly and the remainder flowing into the flange 26 to thicken it in effect and provide a seal between the horn and the annular counterbore-wall.

I claim: 1. In combination with a water-closet bowl having an outlet opening within an annular horn, a sleeve-like connector communicating at one end with a drain line and provided at its other end with a counter-bore having an annular wall and a base extending inwardly therefrom, said counterbore receiving said horn with considerable clearance both axially between the end of the horn and the base of the counterbore and radially between the wall of the counterbore and the circumferential surface of the horn, a gasket having an annular body disposed between the end of the horn and the base of said counterbore and an integral annular flange of substantially uniform radial thickness projecting axially from said body into the space between the side of the horn and the peripheral wall of the counterbore, and bowl-mounting means acting to compress said gasket-body axially and including means for limiting the extent of such compression, said gasket being formed of elastically yieldable material and having its body compressed axially to about one-half the thickness it possessed prior to being compressed to cause displacement of some gasket material from the base into the annular flange to tend to thicken the flange and provide sealing engagement thereof with both the wall of the counterbore and the circumferential surface of the horn.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 with the addition that said gasket is of rubber-like material giving a durometer reading of about 50.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1 with the addition that said gasket is of neoprene material giving a durometer reading of about 50.

4. The combination set forth in claim 1 characterized in that said bowl is wall-hung and has at its rear a vertically extending mounting flange, said horn projecting rearwardly, said mounting means including horizontal studs extending through openings in said bowl-flange and provided with nuts both in rear and in front of said flange, the nuts in rear of the flange constituting the means for limiting compression of the gasket-body.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,709,132 4/1929 Hinsdale 4-252 2,280,183 4/ 1942 Bennett 285-291 2,424,225 7/ 1947 Dick.

2,882,073 4/1959 James 285-291 2,982,569 5/1961 Miller et a1. 285-291 3,015,510 1/1962 Bates.

3,195,150 7/1965 Schmid 4-252 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

H. ARTIS, Assislant Examiner.