Toilet Flush Sleeve Actuator for Silent Leak Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional toilet flushing systems suffer from significant water loss due to leaks, primarily caused by the deterioration of the flapper valve, which forms an ineffective watertight seal over time, leading to silent leaks that can result in substantial water wastage, estimated at up to 300 gallons annually.
Innovation Solution
The proposed toilet flushing system incorporates a flush sleeve and actuator mechanism that can be raised to prevent fluid from entering the reservoir drain, featuring a weighted sleeve collar and detent system to control fluid flow, along with a float collar and inner sleeve tube to guide the flush sleeve and manage fluid levels, ensuring efficient flushing while minimizing leaks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a flapper valve is used to regulate water flow in the reservoir, then the flushing mechanism can control fluid flow, but the flapper valve deteriorates over time causing leaks and water loss
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the flapper valve from the system entirely and replaces it with a flush sleeve mechanism. The flush sleeve is a simple cylindrical component that can be raised or lowered to control water flow, eliminating the complex sealing surfaces and moving parts of the flapper valve that were prone to deterioration and leakage.
Solution Approach 2:
The flush sleeve is designed as a simple, inexpensive component with no moving parts or sealing surfaces that wear out. It can be easily replaced if needed, but its simple design means it rarely fails, dramatically reducing water loss from leaks compared to traditional flapper valves.
2Loss of substance
If the flush sleeve is raised above the fluid level to prevent fluid entry, then water loss is minimized, but the flushing action cannot be initiated
Solution Approach 1:
The flush sleeve is designed to be dynamically positionable between two states: raised above the fluid level to prevent leakage during normal operation, and lowered below the fluid level to initiate flushing. This dynamic positioning capability allows the system to optimize for both water conservation and flushing functionality as needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator mechanism serves as an intermediary between the user's flush action and the flush sleeve position. When the user activates the flush, the actuator moves the flush sleeve from its raised position to a lowered position, allowing fluid to enter and initiate the flushing action, then returns it to the raised position to prevent leakage.
3Ease of manufacture
If a simple flush sleeve design is used, then manufacturing is easier and cost is reduced, but control over fluid flow becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The flush sleeve design allows the fluid pressure itself to control the positioning. When the flush sleeve is lowered, fluid pressure naturally pushes it back to the raised position, eliminating the need for complex springs, weights, or motorized mechanisms to control its position. The system uses the fluid it controls to control itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The flush sleeve can be made from simple flexible materials that allow it to be easily manufactured while still providing effective fluid control. The flexibility of the material allows the sleeve to respond naturally to fluid pressure while maintaining its structural integrity and sealing 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
This solution reduces water wastage by preventing leaks and optimizing fluid flow, enhancing the efficiency of the flushing process while maintaining the structural integrity of the flush sleeve under pressure, thus addressing the issue of silent leaks and water loss in traditional systems.
Implementation Method 1
a float collar configured around the flush sleeve such the float collar is configured to float on the fluid in the toilet reservoir
Implementation Method 2
The water in the toilet bowl (104) is connected to a hollow drain pipe (106) through a channel (110) shaped like an upside-down U commonly referred to as a 'trap'. One side of the U channel (110) is configured longer than the bowl (104) is high so that as water fills the longer side of the U channel (110) its creates a syphoning action as the water flowing toward the drain (106) draws the water (along with any waste) out of the bowl (104) and down the drain (106)
Data Source
AI summary
Toilet flushing systems installed in a toilet reservoir. A toilet reservoir stores a fluid that pours into a toilet bowl for carrying waste away from a toilet. Exemplary toilet flushing systems may include a flush sleeve having a sleeve bottom and sleeve top. The exemplary sleeve bottom may connect to a bottom of the toilet reservoir around a reservoir drain. The flush sleeve may be capable of being raised in a raised orientation such that the sleeve top is above the fluid in the toilet reservoir to prevent the fluid from entering the reservoir drain. Exemplary toilet flushing systems may include a flush sleeve actuator that lowers the sleeve top of the flush sleeve below a fluid level in the toilet reservoir to allow the fluid to flow through the flush sleeve into the reservoir drain.