Battery-Powered Trap Primer Valve Eliminates External Wiring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional trap primer valve systems require external power connections, necessitating the presence of electricians and increasing installation costs, as they rely on electrical mains for operation.
Innovation Solution
A self-contained trap primer valve assembly powered by a battery pack, including eight 3-volt batteries wired in series and parallel, connected to a timer mechanism that operates a solenoid to meter water to the trap without external power sources, allowing for automatic water delivery to sewer line traps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If external power connections are used to operate the trap primer valve, then the solenoid can be reliably actuated by the control box, but the installation requires electricians and increases installation costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the power connection requirement from the system by using a battery-powered timer instead of requiring external electrical power connections. The timer unit contains an internal battery that provides power to actuate the solenoid, eliminating the need for electricians to connect building power to the trap primer valve assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The timer unit serves itself by containing an internal battery power source, eliminating the need for external power infrastructure. The system becomes self-contained, with the timer independently providing both timing control and power actuation for the solenoid without requiring building electrical systems.
2Use of energy by stationary object
If electricians are required to hook up power to the timer, then the control box can receive power from the building's electrical main, but labor costs and installation time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the requirement for building electrical power connections by incorporating a self-contained battery-powered timer. This extraction of the external power dependency allows installation personnel to complete the installation without waiting for or coordinating with electricians, significantly reducing installation time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a battery-powered timer instead of a hardwired electrical connection. The battery is a replaceable, finite-power source that eliminates the need for permanent electrical infrastructure installation, trading the longevity of hardwired power for the installation simplicity and flexibility of a disposable power source.
3Ease of operation
If a cabinet is mounted onto stud walls and connected to water supply and power lines, then the trap primer valve can be housed and operated, but the installation becomes more complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the power connection requirement from the cabinet installation by using a battery-powered timer. This allows the cabinet to be mounted and connected only to water supply lines without requiring additional electrical wiring, simplifying the overall installation process while maintaining full operational capability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Eliminates the need for external power connections, reducing installation costs and labor, while effectively maintaining trap priming to prevent sewer odors from entering building water lines by delivering a metered amount of water at preselected intervals.
Implementation Method 1
a solenoid which is operable for delivering a metered amount of water to the trap
Data Source
AI summary
A self-contained trap primer valve assembly is housed in a cabinet and includes a conduit for connection to a building's water main to carry water under pressure, a valve is operatively mounted in the conduit and a solenoid is operable for selectively opening and closing the valve, wherein a low voltage battery and a timer mechanism connected to the battery and preset for selectively actuating the solenoid, opens and closes the valve for preselected durations.