Removable Drain Trap Assembly for Easy Cleaning and Inspection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional plumbing drain traps are difficult to clean, obstruct fluid flow with large objects, and lack easy inspection, leading to slow drainage and difficulty in identifying obstructions.
Innovation Solution
A drain trap assembly with a removable access fitting and integrated inlet and outlet pipes, allowing easy installation, service, and replacement, featuring a transparent access fitting for inspection and a design that prevents gas entry while allowing free fluid flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional S-type or P-type traps are used to create a gas-obstructing compartment, then sewer gases are blocked from entering the basin, but cleaning the trap requires removal of the whole trap and often necessitates the use of tools
Solution Approach 1:
The trap assembly is divided into separate components: a removable access fitting that can be detached from the trap body. This segmentation allows the access fitting to be removed for cleaning purposes without needing to remove the entire trap assembly, thereby maintaining gas blocking functionality while improving cleaning ease.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional traps are designed without quick clean-out provisions, then the gas-obstructing compartment is maintained, but cleaning requires removal of the whole trap
Solution Approach 1:
The trap assembly is segmented into a trap body and a removable access fitting. This segmentation adds a simple clean-out provision without complicating the overall gas obstruction function, as the access fitting is designed to be easily removable for maintenance while maintaining the sealed gas barrier when attached.
3Device complexity
If large objects are introduced into traditional traps, then the trap structure remains simple, but the flow of fluids is significantly obstructed resulting in slow upstream drainage
Solution Approach 1:
The access fitting is designed to be removable, allowing dynamic adjustment of the trap configuration. When removed, it provides a wide opening for introducing large objects without obstructing the trap's internal flow path, thereby maintaining high drainage flow rates while keeping the trap structure relatively simple.
4Device complexity
If traditional traps are used without easy inspection provisions, then the trap assembly is simple, but it is difficult to determine if and/or where an obstruction is present
Solution Approach 1:
The access fitting is made of transparent or translucent material, allowing visual inspection of the trap interior without disassembly. This enables easy detection of obstructions while adding minimal structural complexity, as the transparent material simply replaces the traditional opaque trap body or access cover.
5Ease of operation
If the access fitting is removably attached to the main body, then easy cleaning and inspection are enabled, but the connection structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The trap assembly is segmented into a removable access fitting and a main body, connected through a simple threaded or snap-fit interface. This segmentation enables easy removal for cleaning and inspection while keeping the connection structure straightforward and minimal, avoiding excessive complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A drain trap assembly comprises an upper housing and an access fitting removably attached thereto. The upper housing includes a main body defining an open bottom end, an inlet pipe extending through the main body in a vertical direction and exiting through the open bottom end, and an outlet pipe extending from an annular sidewall of the main body. The access fitting is removably attached to the main body for selectively covering the open bottom end and defines a fluid reservoir in communication with the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe.