Floor drain

Abstract

The invention relates to a floor drain comprising a drain compartment having a bottom, at least one side and an open upper portion. The bottom and the at least one side together define a space to collect waste water. The bottom comprises an opening for a drain trap. The floor drain further comprises a heat exchanger element, receivable in the space of the drain compartment, for transferring heat present in the waste water to fresh water. The heat exchanger element is provided with a first connection and a second connection. The first connection and the second connection are arranged inside the space of the drain compartment. A first conduit is connected to the first connection and a second conduit is connected to the second connection.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a U.S. National Stage patent application of International Patent Application No. PCT / SE2015 / 050528, filed on May 12, 2015, which claims priority to Swedish Patent Application No, 1450630-7, filed on May 27, 2014, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in the present disclosure in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to a floor drain according to the preamble of claim 1.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Usually, hot water discharge from appliances where hot and cold water are to be mixed just before use, for example showers and bath tubs, is led directly into floor drains without a substantial drop of temperature in the water. The accumulated heat in the water is thus not exploited completely before it is led out into a floor drain and thereby a significant amount of unused energy is lost. In terms of efficient use of energy it is undesirable to discharge hot waste water witho...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention provides a floor drain system that is easier to install, reduces energy consumption, and reduces the risk of water leakage. It achieves this by connecting two separate conduits for hot and cold water, respectively, to a water valve or mixer valve / heater. The recovered heat from the hot water is then reused, reducing energy costs and improving environmental benefits. The system also allows for easy inspection of the connections and eliminates the risk of water leakage in the floor or walls of the building.

Problems solved by technology

The accumulated heat in the water is thus not exploited completely before it is led out into a floor drain and thereby a significant amount of unused energy is lost.

In terms of efficient use of energy it is undesirable to discharge hot waste water without recovering the energy present in the waste water.

One drawback is that it is impossible to inspect the connection between the heat exchanger tube's feed for cold mains water and the conduit for cold mains water and the connection between the tube's discharge and the mixer tap when the floor drain is installed in a floor of a building.

Yet another drawback is that if these connections get damaged it results in water leakage in the floor in which the floor drain is installed.

A further drawback is that it is difficult and time consuming to install the floor drain in a floor because it is needed to make room for the connections in the floor, for example by removal of a section of the floor.

It is thus difficult to clean the whole heat exchanger and it is not possible to clean all parts comprised in the floor drain, for example not the outlet pipe under the heat exchanger.

Due to the fact that fouling agents, for example lime, from the waste water are easily gathered on the heat exchanger and that it is difficult to clean the whole heat exchanger, the thermal efficiency of the heat exchanger is easily deteriorated.

Because hair and other impurities from the waste water tend to accumulate in the floor drain and because it is not possible to clean all parts comprised in the floor drain the risk of clogging of the floor drain is high.

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