Biodegradable Shower Drain Gasket Preventing Weep Hole Clogging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for installing shower drains often clog weep holes, making it difficult to prevent materials from entering and requiring significant effort to unclog them, with no effective solution for preventing clogging altogether.
Innovation Solution
A biodegradable, porous ring-shaped gasket is used during installation to cover the weep holes, composed of materials like corn starch or biodegradable paper that dissolves with moisture, ensuring the gasket disintegrates and allows water to pass through, preventing clogging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a gasket is used to cover weep holes during installation, then material clogging is prevented, but the gasket itself may block water flow if it does not dissolve
Solution Approach 1:
The gasket material's chemical composition is changed to be biodegradable and water-soluble, allowing it to transition from a solid blocking state during installation to a dissolved state during normal operation. This parameter change ensures the gasket provides temporary protection while automatically eliminating itself to prevent permanent blockage.
Solution Approach 2:
The biodegradable gasket acts as a temporary intermediary substance that mediates between the need for installation protection and the need for long-term water flow. It performs its protective function temporarily, then dissolves to allow normal water flow, serving as a self-eliminating intermediary solution.
2Strength
If traditional non-biodegradable materials are used for the gasket, then the gasket maintains structural integrity, but it creates permanent clogging of weep holes
Solution Approach 1:
The material parameters of the gasket are fundamentally changed from traditional non-biodegradable materials to biodegradable, water-soluble materials. This parameter change transforms the gasket from a permanent structural component into a temporary protective element that automatically degrades after serving its purpose, eliminating the harmful effect of permanent clogging.
Solution Approach 2:
The gasket is designed as a disposable, short-living component made from inexpensive biodegradable materials. It performs its protective function during installation and then naturally dissolves, eliminating the need for removal or replacement and preventing permanent clogging of the weep holes.
3Speed
If the gasket dissolves quickly, then water flow is restored, but the gasket may not provide sufficient protection during installation
Solution Approach 1:
The gasket's dissolution rate is made dynamic rather than static. It maintains structural integrity during the installation period, then progressively dissolves as exposed to water during normal shower operation. This dynamic behavior allows the gasket to adapt its properties over time, providing protection when needed and allowing flow when appropriate.
Solution Approach 2:
The gasket is pre-configured with biodegradable properties that will activate under specific conditions (exposure to water over time). This preliminary action ensures the gasket automatically transitions from a protective state to a dissolving state, providing installation protection while guaranteeing future water flow restoration without manual intervention.
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
The gasket effectively prevents clogging by dissolving and allowing water to flow through the weep holes, simplifying the installation process and ensuring the shower drain functions without the need for complex unclogging methods.
Implementation Method 1
the gasket is comprised of a dissolving porous ring shaped material that covers the shower drain weep holes during floor installation
Implementation Method 2
the gasket decomposes by action of moisture seeping through the adjacent floor covering once the drain is in use
Implementation Method 3
The gasket is comprised of a dissolving porous ring shaped material
Implementation Method 4
moisture seeping through the adjacent floor covering
Data Source
AI summary
A ring-shaped biodegradable shower drain weep holes gasket is disclosed that slips over the top of the shower drain. The gasket fits tightly over the top of the drain to solve the problem of material clogging the shower drain weep holes and additionally preventing any deck mud or debris from entering and clogging the weep holes during installation. Approximately ⅞ths inch high by 5/2ths inch wide at an inner diameter of 31/5ths inch, the biodegradable shower gasket then surrounds the shower drain's top flange and weep holes. Over a short period of time, the moisture in the cement along with any moisture that seeps through the tile or grout will dissolve the biodegradable gasket creating a permanent opening for water to drain out through the weep holes.