Prefabricated shower pan
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shower pan installations are labor-intensive and costly due to fixed waste fitting locations, often requiring complex plumbing modifications, especially when subfloor plumbing is embedded in concrete or at angles, making it difficult to align new shower pans with waste outlets.
Innovation Solution
A prefabricated modular shower pan with a slanted surface and accommodation space below the drain hole, allowing for flexible connection to waste outlet holes without needing direct alignment, using support structures and adjustable drain assemblies to accommodate varying plumbing configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a fixed waste fitting location is used in the shower pan, then the shower pan structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but plumbing modifications are required and installation becomes complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The shower pan is divided into modular sections with standardized waste fitting locations. The pan floor is segmented to allow different configurations while maintaining standard connection points, enabling manufacturers to produce standardized units that simplify plumbing requirements on-site.
Solution Approach 2:
The shower pan waste fitting is designed with universal adaptability to accommodate multiple plumbing configurations. The fitting can connect to waste outlets at various positions and angles through integrated extension features, making the same shower pan model suitable for different installation scenarios without requiring plumbing modifications.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the waste outlet is not directly under the tub, then the existing plumbing layout is maintained, but alignment between the shower pan drain and waste outlet becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The waste fitting incorporates three-dimensional adjustment capabilities, allowing connection at different heights, angles, and horizontal positions. Extension pieces can project in multiple directions (front, back, left, right) and at various angles, transforming a single-point alignment problem into a multi-dimensional connection solution that accommodates offset waste outlets.
Solution Approach 2:
An intermediate extension mechanism is introduced between the shower pan drain and the waste outlet. This extension piece acts as a mediator that bridges the gap between misaligned connection points, allowing the shower pan to connect to offset waste outlets without requiring precise alignment or plumbing modifications.
3Reliability
If plumbing modifications are made to accommodate the shower pan, then proper drainage alignment is achieved, but installation time and cost double
Solution Approach 1:
The waste fitting is pre-configured during shower pan manufacturing with extension pieces and adjustment mechanisms already in place. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for on-site plumbing modifications, as the fitting is designed to accommodate various waste outlet positions without requiring additional cutting, drilling, or plumbing work during installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The shower pan waste fitting is designed to be self-adjusting and self-aligning during installation. The fitting automatically accommodates different waste outlet positions through its built-in extension and adjustment features, eliminating the need for external plumbing modifications or coordination between multiple trades, thereby maintaining installation speed while ensuring proper drainage alignment.
Data Source
AI summary
A prefabricated shower pan for installation on an installation site having a waste outlet hole includes a drain hole configured to communicate with the waste outlet hole of the installation site via a drain assembly, a shower pan floor having a slated surface towards the drain hole, at least one side wall surrounding and supporting at least a portion of the circumference of the shower pan floor, and an accommodation space disposed below the drain hole and configured to accommodate the drain assembly for connecting the drain hole in the shower pan floor and the waste outlet hole at the installation site, and the accommodation space extends to the at least one side wall, and an optional side wall opening is disposed at the at least one side wall.