Method for installing sanitary fixtures, method for reducing water leaks in the bowl, kit, and installation

Abstract

The kit for installing a sanitary fixture comprises a water supply pipe with an inlet and an outlet and a discharge pipe with an inlet and an outlet. A connection tube is also provided between the supply pipe and the discharge pipe. In mounted arrangement, the tube establishes a connection between the water supply path to the sanitary fixture, for example coming from a cistern or directly from a filling pipe, and the discharge path. The connection established by the tube bypasses the sanitary fixture, and more precisely the bowl of the sanitary fixture, so that any water leaking from the cistern or from the water supply duct is diverted directly into the discharge pipe. Any smells rising from the discharge pipe are prevented by the siphon configuration of the bypass tube.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of pipe fittings used in the installation of sanitary fixtures, such as traps or water discharge pipes, and water supply pipes. The invention relates in particular to kits and methods for installing sanitary fixtures, such as, in particular, toilets or bidets.BACKGROUND ART

[0002] A toilet is connected to a supply pipe to supply clean water coming from a cistern, and to a trap, or discharge pipe, for waste water removal.

[0003] The supply pipe is normally a straight plastic pipe that places the water cistern in communication with the toilet. After passing through the supply pipe, water flows out along the walls of the toilet generally by means of the rim, in toilets provided with one, or through rimless flow systems. From the walls, the water is conveyed to the siphon of the sanitary fixture and from here sent to the waste stack by means of the discharge pipe.

[0004] WO2021 / 072174 discloses a toilet with a flushing system, i.e., a system for removing water and waste from the toilet bowl, in which a connection that bypasses the toilet bowl is provided between a water supply pipe and a water discharge pipe. This bypass is configured to form a jet of water in the discharge duct of the sanitary fixture, directly downstream of the siphon bend, to generate suction at the inlet of the siphon and facilitate removal of the water and of the waste from the bottom of the bowl. A similar arrangement is disclosed in CA2777081. In this known toilet the incoming flow of water is divided into a first partial flow that washes the inner surface of the bowl, and a second partial flow that, through a bypass duct, is fed directly into the bottom of the bowl, at the inlet of the discharge siphon, to facilitate emptying the bowl from its bottom.

[0005] CN104712044 discloses a sanitary fixture made of monobloc ceramic material, in which various water supply ducts are provided, including a bypass between a water supply duct and a discharge duct. The supply duct, the discharge duct and the bypass are formed in one piece in ceramic, together with the bowl.

[0006] CH10222 discloses a toilet with a discharge siphon in the lower part of the bowl, and with an overflow discharge in the upper part of the bowl. The purpose of the overflow discharge is to prevent spillages in case of clogging of the discharge siphon. In this case, the flush water is not discharged through the discharge siphon but can be discharged through the overflow discharge when the water in the bowl reaches the level of the overflow. The latter is also siphoned, to avoid fumes. A direct connection between the water supply duct and overflow discharge, made in the ceramic material of which the sanitary fixture is formed, ensures that the siphon of the overflow discharge is filled, preventing fumes.

[0007] It has been found that in some cases, for example due to incorrect operation of the seal in the water cistern or incorrect installation of the sanitary fixture, and also due to defects intrinsic to the ceramic, there can be small leakages in the supply pipe, which then flow down the walls of the bowl of the toilet even when it is not being used. These small leakages can give rise to defects on the walls of the bowl of the sanitary fixture, as the constant flow of rivulets of water and the calcium carbonate component present therein cause erosion of the enamel and hence a change of colour in the areas with these rivulets.

[0008] Similar problems can occur, in addition to toilets, also in other sanitary fixtures, such as bidets.

[0009] The object of the present invention is to eliminate or mitigate the aforesaid problems of sanitary fixtures.SUMMARY

[0010] According to one aspect, a kit for installing a sanitary fixture is provided, comprising: a water supply pipe with an inlet, an outlet and a lateral hole between the inlet and the outlet; a discharge pipe with an inlet, an outlet and a lateral hole between the inlet and the outlet; and a connection tube between the supply pipe and the discharge pipe. Preferably, the kit also has a first connector to connect the tube to the water supply pipe and a second connector to connect the tube to the discharge pipe.

[0011] In mounted arrangement, the tube establishes a connection between the water supply path to the sanitary fixture, for example coming from a cistern or directly from a fill pipe, and the discharge pipe. The connection established by the tube bypasses the sanitary fixture, and more precisely the bowl of the sanitary fixture, so that, when the discharge pressure drops, any water leaking from the cistern or from the water supply duct, and any water remaining stagnant in the supply pipe or in the ceramic ducts upstream of the inlet to the bowl, is diverted directly into the discharge pipe, preventing damage to the ceramic of the sanitary fixture, caused by the formation of a trickle of water that continuously runs down the inside of the bowl. To collect leaks along the water supply pipe and transfer them through the tube toward the discharge pipe, advantageously the hole of the water supply pipe in mounted arrangement is oriented downward.

[0012] Preferably, the tube has a siphon bend between a first end and a second end, so that, in mounted arrangement, the water coming from the supply duct forms a hydraulic seal of the tube, preventing bad smells from rising from the discharge duct.

[0013] Advantageously, the water supply pipe, the discharge pipe and the tube are made of plastic material, i.e., of polymeric material. The tube can be flexible to easily form a loop that defines the siphon that prevents the passage of fumes from the discharge pipe to the supply pipe and from this to the outside of the sanitary fixture through the water supply duct formed in the sanitary fixture and to which the water supply pipe is connected.

[0014] In particular, the sanitary fixture can be a toilet, although the kit could also be applied to other types of sanitary fixtures which may have similar problems.

[0015] According to a different aspect, the invention relates to a method for installing a sanitary fixture comprising a water supply duct, a discharge duct and a bowl in fluid connection with the water supply duct and with the discharge duct; wherein the method comprises the following steps: connecting a discharge pipe to the discharge duct of the sanitary fixture; connecting a water supply pipe to the water supply duct of the sanitary fixture, orienting the water supply pipe so that a lateral hole of the water supply pipe is oriented downward, toward the discharge pipe; and making a fluid connection between the lateral hole of the water supply pipe and a lateral hole of the discharge pipe by means of a connection tube.

[0016] According to a further aspect, the invention relates to an installation comprising: a sanitary fixture comprising a bowl, a water supply duct toward the bowl, and a water discharge duct from the bowl, wherein the bowl, the supply duct, and the discharge duct are formed in a monolithic block; a water supply pipe, with an inlet and an outlet, the supply pipe being adapted to be placed in fluid connection with the water supply duct toward the bowl of the sanitary fixture; a water discharge pipe, with an inlet and an outlet, the discharge pipe being adapted to be placed in fluid connection with the water discharge duct; and a tube adapted to place the supply pipe and the discharge pipe in fluid connection with each other forming a siphon bend. An inlet end of the tube is connected to a lateral hole of the supply pipe located in the part oriented downward of the supply pipe, so as to efficiently collect any leaks that run into the bottom of the cross section of the water supply pipe. In some embodiments, an outlet end of the tube is connected to a lateral hole of the discharge pipe located in the part oriented upward of the discharge pipe, to reduce the backflow of waste water from the discharge pipe into the tube.

[0017] Further features and embodiments are described below and set forth in the appended claims.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The invention will be better understood by following the description and accompanying drawings, which illustrate a non-limiting example of embodiment of the invention. More in particular, in the drawing: Fig. 1 shows an axonometric sectional view of a toilet and related connecting pipes, in a first embodiment; and Fig.2 shows a sectional view along a vertical plane of the toilet of Fig. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] In the description below specific reference is made to the application of the present invention to a toilet, but it must be understood that the invention can also be applied to other sanitary fixtures in which similar problems can occur, such as bidets or wash hand basins.

[0020] The accompanying figures show a toilet with wall discharge pipe. However, it must be understood that the invention can be applied to any type of toilet, also with floor discharge pipe.

[0021] With initial reference to Figs. 1 and 2, the reference number 1 generically indicates a toilet, comprising a bowl 3, a water supply duct 5 which leads into the bowl 3, and a discharge duct 7. The discharge duct 7 is connected to the bottom of the bowl 3 by means of a siphon 9.

[0022] Typically, the water supply duct 5, the discharge duct 7, the siphon 9 and the bowl 3 are usually formed in a single block of ceramic material.

[0023] The toilet is connected to a cistern containing clean water for washing and flushing the toilet after use. The cistern is schematically indicated only in Fig.2 with the reference 11. The cistern 11 is connected to the supply duct 5 by means of a water supply pipe, indicated with reference 13. The supply pipe 13 is connected in a sealed manner to the supply duct 5. A seal is indicated with 13A. The discharge duct 7 is connected to a waste stack (schematically shown in Fig.2 and indicated with 8) by means of a bend or discharge pipe 15.

[0024] The discharge pipe 15 is connected in a sealed manner to the discharge duct 7, downstream of the siphon 9.

[0025] To prevent any leaks from the cistern 11, and / or installation errors and / or defects in the ceramic, from forming a trickle along the inner wall of the bowl 3, in the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 the supply pipe 13 comprises a lateral opening, or hole, located upstream (with respect to the direction of flow of the water supplied to the sanitary fixture 1) of the outlet of the supply pipe 13, to which a first end of a tube 21 is connected, by means of a connector 23. A second connector 25 connects the second end of the tube 21 to a lateral opening or hole provided in the discharge pipe 15 downstream (with respect to the direction of the flow of water discharged) with respect to the inlet of the discharge pipe 15.

[0026] In particular, in mounted arrangement the lateral hole of the supply pipe 13, connected to the tube 21, is positioned in the lower part of the supply pipe 13, facing the discharge pipe 15. In this way, if there is a leakage of water from the cistern 11, or water remains stagnant in the supply pipe 13, this is collected in the lower part of the supply pipe 13 and then flows into the tube 21, which conveys the water into the discharge pipe 15.

[0027] Preferably, the lateral hole or opening of the discharge pipe 15 is positioned in the upper part of the discharge pipe 15, i.e., it is facing the supply pipe 13. In this way, the risk of any backflow of waste water from the discharge pipe 15 toward the supply pipe 13 and from this into the bowl 3, is prevented. Moreover, the risk of the tube 21 being clogged due to solid or semi-solid waste in the water that is discharged through the discharge pipe 15 is prevented.

[0028] To prevent bad smells from escaping from the discharge pipe 15 through the tube 21, it is shaped so as to form a siphon bend 21A. In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 the siphon in the tube 21 is formed by an intermediate loop or bend, between the connector 23 and the connector 25. For this purpose, the tube 21 is advantageously made of a flexible plastic, i.e., polymeric, material which is thus easily deformable.

[0029] Advantageously, the cross section of the tube 21 is much smaller than the cross section of the water supply pipe 13. The dimension of the cross sections is such that, during normal use of the sanitary fixture, i.e., when the bowl 3 is washed with flush water supplied through the supply pipe 13, the flow rate of water that bypasses the bowl 3 is negligible. For example, the ratio between the area of the inner cross section of the tube 21 and the area of the inner cross section of the supply pipe 13 can be between 5% and 50%, or between 5% and 30%, or between 5% and 20%, or between 8% and 15%. The much smaller cross dimension of the tube with respect to the cross dimension of the water supply pipe, together with the fact that the axes of the through section are oriented at 90° with respect to one another, ensures that during cleaning of the bowl, a negligible flow rate of water passes into the tube 21. The cross dimension of the tube 21 is in any case sufficient to intercept the flow of leakages (regardless of their origin) when the sanitary fixture is not used. For this purpose, an inlet hole of the tube 21, for example with a circular section having a diameter between 4 mm and 20 mm, preferably between 5 mm and 15 mm, even more preferably between 6 mm and 10 mm, is sufficient. Vice versa, the inner diameter of the supply pipe 13 is typically of the order of 40-55 mm.

[0030] In the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2 all the elements of the system or kit that allows reduction or elimination of the formation of a trickle along the inner surface of the bowl 3, due to water leakages or leaks from the cistern 11, are external to the sanitary fixture 1 and can be applied to any sanitary fixture, without requiring to modify it to allow installation of the tube 21 that forms the connection between the supply pipe 13 (and hence between the supply duct 5) and the discharge pipe 15 (and hence the discharge duct 7). The kit comprising the supply pipe 13, the discharge pipe 15, the tube 21 and optionally the connectors 23, 25, can thus be used for a plurality of sanitary fixtures. By means of this kit it is also possible to replace the supply and discharge pipes of sanitary fixtures already installed, to improve their operation.

[0031] If necessary, the kit can be adapted to one or more models of sanitary fixtures. For example, a kit for floor mounted sanitary fixtures with wall discharge pipe and a kit for wall-hung sanitary fixtures can be provided.

[0032] With the kit described above it is possible to implement a method for installing a sanitary fixture, said method comprising the following steps: connecting the discharge pipe 15 to discharge duct 7 formed in the sanitary fixture 1; connecting the water supply pipe 13 to the water supply duct 5 formed in the sanitary fixture 1, orienting the supply pipe 13 so that the lateral hole of the water supply pipe 13 is oriented downward, i.e., toward the discharge pipe 15; and producing a fluid connection between the lateral hole of the water supply pipe 13 and the lateral hole of the discharge pipe 15 by means of the connection tube 21; a siphon preferably being formed between the inlet end of the tube 21, connected to the water supply pipe 13, and the outlet end of the tube 21, connected to the discharge pipe 15.

[0033] Any water leaks are conveyed through the connection formed by the tube 21. The connection is produced with the tube 21, which is placed in fluid connection respectively: with the water delivery or supply path, comprising the supply pipe 13 and the supply duct 5; and with the water discharge or removal path, comprising the discharge pipe 15 and the discharge duct 7.

[0034] The method further comprises the steps of: connecting the supply pipe 13 to the cistern 11 for storing the flush water of the sanitary fixture or other water source; and connecting the discharge pipe 15 to a waste stack.

[0035] In the embodiments described above the connection to the tube for collecting water leaks is made on the water supply pipe and on the water discharge pipe inserted into the water supply duct formed in the sanitary fixture and on the discharge duct formed in the sanitary fixture, adjacent to the sanitary fixture in a portion of the pipes that can be outside the wall against which the sanitary fixture is mounted. However, it would also be possible to produce the mutual connection between supply pipe and discharge pipe at a distance from the sanitary fixture and / or in a position that is covered, i.e., incorporated in a wall or under a cladding of a wall, inside which, for example, a water cistern can be installed.

[0036] In some embodiments, for example in the case of wall-hung sanitary fixtures, the sanitary fixture can be constrained to a frame that is wall mounted, optionally behind a cladding of the wall. The frame supports the sanitary fixture by means of projecting pins and can integrate or accommodate a water cistern for washing the sanitary fixture. In this case, the frame can also comprise components for fixing the water supply pipe to the sanitary fixture and / or for the water discharge pipe of the sanitary fixture. The tube can in this case be connected to the supply and discharge pipes in an area adjacent to, or inside, the frame and hence can be inside the structure (wall) in which it is housed and fixed to the frame. A frame of this type into which a kit as described herein can be inserted, or which can become part of a kit as described herein, is illustrated, for example, in EP2662502.

[0037] While the invention has been described in terms of various specific embodiments, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that many changes, variations and omissions are possible, without departing from the spirit and from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for installing a sanitary fixture, wherein, the sanitary fixture comprises a water supply duct (5), a discharge duct (7) and a bowl (3) fluidly connected to the water supply duct (5) and to the discharge duct (7); wherein the method comprises the following steps: connecting a discharge pipe (15) to the discharge duct (7) of the sanitary fixture (1), connecting the water supply pipe (13) to the water supply duct (5) of the sanitary fixture (1), orienting the water supply pipe (13) so that a lateral hole of the water supply pipe (13) is oriented downward, toward the discharge pipe (15); and making a fluid connection between the lateral hole of the water supply pipe (13) and a lateral hole of the discharge pipe (15) by means of a connection tube (21).

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of forming a siphon bend in the connection tube (21) between an inlet end of the connection tube (13), connected to the water supply pipe (12), and an outlet end of the connection tube (21), connected to the discharge pipe (15).

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the sanitary fixture is a toilet or a product with similar needs.

4. The method of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising the following steps: connecting the water supply pipe (13) to a water source, connecting the discharge pipe (15) to a waste stack.

5. A kit for installing a sanitary fixture, comprising: a water supply pipe (13) with an inlet, an outlet and a lateral hole between the inlet and the outlet; a discharge pipe (15) with an inlet, an outlet and a lateral hole between the inlet and the outlet, and a connection tube (21) for forming a connection between the lateral hole of the water supply pipe (13) and the lateral hole of the discharge pipe (15).

6. The kit of claim 5, wherein the connection tube is configured to form a siphon bend between a first end and a second end.

7. The kit of claim 5 or 6, comprising a first connector (23) and a second connector (25) adapted to connect the connection tube (21) to the lateral hole of the water supply pipe (13) and the lateral hole of the discharge pipe (15).

8. The kit of one or more of claims 5 to 7, further comprising a sanitary fixture; wherein the sanitary fixture has a water supply duct (5) adapted to be placed in fluid connection with the water supply pipe (13), and a discharge duct (7), adapted to be placed in fluid connection with the discharge pipe (15).

9. The kit of claim 8, wherein the sanitary fixture is a toilet.

10. The kit of one or more of claims 5 to 9, comprising a frame to support a wall-hung sanitary fixture, wherein the frame preferably comprises a seat for a cistern for flush water of the sanitary fixture, and members for housing the supply pipe and the discharge pipe.

11. The kit of any one of claims 5 to 10, wherein the water supply pipe (13), the discharge pipe (15) and the connection tube (21) are made of polymeric material or plastic.

12. The kit of any one of claims 5 to 11, wherein the connection tube (21) has an internal cross section smaller than the internal cross section of the water supply pipe (13); preferably, the area of the internal cross section of the connection tube (21) is between 5% and 50%, or between 15% and 30% of the area of the internal cross section of the water supply pipe.

13. An installation comprising: a sanitary fixture (1) comprising a bowl (3), a water supply duct (5) for supplying water toward the bowl (3); and a water discharge duct (7) to discharge water from the bowl (3); a water supply pipe (13), with an inlet and an outlet, the supply pipe being adapted to be placed in fluid connection with the water supply duct (5); a discharge pipe (15), with an inlet and an outlet, the discharge pipe being adapted to be placed in fluid connection with the discharge duct (7); and a tube (21) adapted to place a lateral hole of the water supply duct (13) and a lateral hole of the discharge pipe (15) in fluid connection with each other.

14. A method for reducing water leaks in the bowl of a sanitary fixture, wherein the sanitary fixture comprises: a water supply duct (5) connected to a water source by means of a water supply pipe (13); a discharge duct (7), connected to a waste stack by means of a discharge pipe (14); and a bowl (3) in fluid connection with the water supply duct (5) and with the discharge duct (7); wherein the method comprises the following steps: collecting water leaks from the water source (11) along the bottom of the water supply pipe (13); conveying the water leaks through a lateral hole placed in a lower area of the water supply pipe (13) and through a connection tube (21) toward the discharge pipe (15), the connection tube (21) being connected to a lateral hole of the discharge pipe (15).

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of forming a blockage to prevent fumes from rising from the discharge pipe (15) toward the water supply pipe (13) by means of a siphon bend formed in the connection tube (21).

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