Hinged Removable Strainer Basket for Pop-Up Drain Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drain assemblies for bathtubs, sinks, and basins struggle to prevent hair strands and other articles from clogging the drainage pipes, as previous strainers are difficult to clean and often become clogged themselves, requiring chemical cleaners, plumbing snakes, or professional plumbers for unclogging.
Innovation Solution
A drain assembly with a removable strainer basket that fits within the flange assembly, allowing water to flow through while capturing hair strands and other articles, and is easily removable for cleaning, featuring a hinge mechanism for easy disengagement from the lift rod and stopper, ensuring the stopper can still be moved between open and closed positions without disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a flexible plastic strainer is inserted into the drain assembly, then hair strands are captured, but the strainer becomes difficult to clean and clogs over time
Solution Approach 1:
The strainer is divided into a permanent flange-mounted portion and a removable basket portion. The basket can be easily detached and cleaned separately, solving the cleaning difficulty while maintaining hair capture effectiveness through the flange-mounted structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The strainer basket is extracted as a separate removable component from the drain assembly. This allows the basket to be easily removed for cleaning without disassembling the entire drain system, addressing the cleaning difficulty while preserving hair capture function.
2Reliability
If a drain strainer assembly is engaged over the existing drain, then hair strands are stopped from flowing into pipes, but the strainer itself becomes clogged and requires chemical cleaners or plumbing snakes
Solution Approach 1:
The drain system is segmented into a permanent flange assembly with integrated strainer and a removable basket. This segmentation allows the strainer to remain fixed and effective at preventing hair entry while the basket can be easily removed for cleaning, eliminating the need for chemical cleaners or plumbing snakes.
Solution Approach 2:
The strainer basket is extracted as a removable component that can be easily taken out for cleaning. This solves the unclogging difficulty by allowing direct access to and cleaning of the strainer without requiring chemical cleaners, plumbing snakes, or professional assistance.
3Ease of operation
If a removable strainer basket is positioned within the bore of the drain assembly, then the strainer can be easily cleaned, but the stopper movement may be interfered with
Solution Approach 1:
The removable strainer basket is nested within the bore of the drain assembly, fitting inside the space between the flange and the stopper. This nesting arrangement allows the basket to be easily removed for cleaning without interfering with the stopper's movement, as the basket occupies the internal bore space rather than the stopper's path.
Solution Approach 2:
The strainer basket is designed with dynamic positioning capabilities, allowing it to be easily inserted and removed from the bore. This dynamic design enables convenient cleaning access while maintaining proper positioning during normal operation to avoid interfering with stopper functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A removable strainer basket, a drain assembly incorporating the basket and a method of using the same. The drain assembly includes a flange assembly mounted in an aperture in a bottom wall of the receptacle. The flange assembly defines a bore therein and a stopper is engaged with the flange assembly and is selectively movable between open and closed positions. A strainer basket is removably positionable within the bore between a part of the stopper and a part of the flange assembly. The strainer basket defines a plurality of apertures therein and through which water is able to flow when the stopper is in the open position. The strainer basket captures hair strands and other articles entrained in the draining water. The basket is selectively removable from the flange assembly for cleaning.