Swivel-Nut Tee Fitting for Rotatable Expansion Tank Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plumbing systems for water heaters often require complex and cumbersome installations of pressure relief mechanisms, limiting flexibility and increasing the risk of inadvertent shut-offs that can damage the water heater.
Innovation Solution
A prefabricated tee fitting with a swivel nut that allows 360-degree rotation and secure locking, enabling flexible orientation and installation of thermal expansion tanks without the need for external brackets or check valves, ensuring continuous water flow and compliance with plumbing codes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple fittings and pipe sections are combined to install pressure relief mechanisms, then plumbing code compliance is achieved, but installation complexity increases and flexibility is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate fittings and pipe sections into a single integrated prefabricated tee fitting assembly. This assembly includes the tee fitting, check valve, and external bracket pre-assembled as one unit, eliminating the need to combine multiple components in the field and reducing installation complexity while maintaining code compliance
Solution Approach 2:
The check valve and external bracket are pre-installed on the tee fitting during manufacturing rather than during field installation. This preliminary action ensures plumbing code compliance is built into the product itself, eliminating the need for complex field assembly and reducing the risk of installation errors
2Ease of operation
If fixed orientation fittings are used, then installation is simplified, but adaptability to different environments is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The external bracket is designed with rotational capability, allowing the tee fitting assembly to be rotated to any orientation (horizontal, vertical, or angled) during installation. This dynamic feature provides adaptability to different environmental configurations while maintaining ease of installation through a single flexible component
3Reliability
If check valves are included in the fitting, then flow direction is controlled, but device complexity and potential for shut-off damage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The check valve is integrated directly into the tee fitting assembly rather than being a separate component. This merging reduces the overall number of parts and simplifies the system while maintaining flow control functionality, as the check valve is pre-positioned and pre-configured during manufacturing
Data Source
AI summary
The present application relates to a water system that includes a prefabricated fitting tee for use with a water heater. The prefabricated fitting tee includes a fitting tee body that has a first port, a second port, and a third port. The first and third ports can be aligned along a main axis and the second port can be aligned along an axis angled relative to the main axis. The fitting tee body defines an interior passageway that is in fluid communication with the first, second, and third ports. One of the first and second ports is configured for connecting to a water inlet conduit for supplying water from an external source, the other one of the first and second ports is configured for connecting to a pressure relief or pressure absorption mechanism. The prefabricated fitting tee does not include a check valve for preventing flow from the first port to the third port and no check valve for preventing flow from the second port to the third port. A swivel nut can be rotatably mounted at the third port of the prefabricated fitting tee to provide an interconnection to the water heater. When the swivel nut is in a first condition, the swivel nut allows the prefabricated fitting tee to be rotated relative to the water heater about the main axis to allow a rotational orientation of the second port to be established. When the swivel nut is in a second condition, the swivel nut clamps the prefabricated fitting tee in the established rotational orientation.