Water seal for a washing stand

The invention relates to a water seal, i.e. a water trap for a washing stand, wherein one ore more base valves, each of which being arranged under a sink of its own in the washing stand, are connected to a water trap by means of a flexible pipe enabling flexible positioning of the water trap under the washing stand.

From US patent specification No. 4, 165, 110 a solution of above-mentioned type is known, wherein a flexible pipe is installed between a sink and a water trap.

From CH patent publication No. 628 722 a solution is known wherein a water trap is mounted directly to the outlet in a sink, and the water trap is then connected to a outlet pipe via a flexible pipe. According to an alternative solution, flexible pipes are connected to the outlet of a sink and to its water taps, the pipes being, in turn, connected to the respective stationary pipe system of the house.

Also constructions are known, wherein two base valves provided with horizontal outlets are connected to a common water trap through a T-shaped branch pipe mounted on the top of the water trap and a bent pipe of their own telescopically connected between the branch pipe and the respective base valve. Said constructions enable a certain flexibility concerning the distance between the two base valves and the distance of the base valves from the back wall of the washing stand. The object of this earlier known construction is to provide a water trap which takes the smallest possible space under the washing stand.

A drawback in these previously known solutions is, however, that either a relatively restricted flexibility with respect to the locating of a water trap and a sink is achievable with them or that they consist of a great number of separate components to be assembled in a house. A drawback in the use of flexible corrugated pipes is that various impurities easily stick on their walls which in the course of time result in their complete clogging.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the aforesaid problems which is achievable with a water trap characterized in that the base valves are provided with substantially horizontal outlets having stationarily connected flexible pipes provided with a dirt-repellent layer, said flexible pipes being connectable to a common water trap. This solution enables flexible positioning of the water trap under the washing stand, whereby the assemble will take the smallest possible space under the washing stand and neither the mutual positioning of various sinks of the washing stands nor the deep of said sinks is restricted. This construction enables even separate embedding of several sinks in desired positions in a desk top of the washing stand. By the fact that the flexible pipes are provided with a dirt-repellent layer, forming of dirt collecting pockets can be avoided which pockets could cause odour problems and could disturb the flow of water through the flexible pipe causing with time completely clogging of said pipe, particularly on the sections having no or minor inclination.

In order to enable such a flexible adaptation of the water trap to different embodiments of a washing stand and connection of the base valves to an actual water trap located according to the sewerage system of the building (the house), the flexible pipes can preferably be provided with such a connection to the water trap which enables desired cutting of said flexible pipes. This results in a simplification of stock keeping of water traps, since the base valves are delivered with stationarily connected flexible pipes of equal length, whereby the flexible pipes, when mounted, are cut in a right length before they are coicuαeGteά to the branch piece of the water trap using the connection of aforesaid type.

Preferably the outlet of the base valve forms with the vertical centre axis of the base valves an outlet angle α = 85° ± 5° in order to take the smallest possible space in a board under the washing stand, but still to guarantee the flow of water between the sink and the actual water trap.

Due to the flexible pipes the base valves can be mounted turned in a desired position around its vertical centre axis.

At the top of the water trap proper, a turnable branch piece having a connecting branch for the flexible tube of each base valve is mounted. Moreover, the branch piece comprises preferably connection nipples for a dishwasher and a washing machine, said connection nipples being arranged on a level above the connection branches for the flexible pipes.

In the following the invention is described in more detail with reference to the attached drawing wherein fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an example of a water trap according to the invention, and fig. 2 shows a detail view of a base valve for the water trap according to fig. 1 , viewed from the side.

The water trap shown in fig. 1 is mounted under a washing stand 1 having two sinks 2, 2a. To the outlet opening in each sink 2, 2a, a base valve 3 has been mounted. In order to take the smallest possible space, the base valves 3 are provided with substantially horizontal outlets 3 a. The outlet angle α between outlet 3 a and the vertical center axis 4 of the base valve 3 is suitably of a magnitude of 85° ± 5°. The outlet of the base valve 3 is stationarily connected to a flexible pipe 5, by means of which the base valve 3 is connected to the branch piece 6 of the water trap, said branch piece being provided with a connection branch for each flexible pipe 5.

Said branch piece 6 is mounted to the top of the water trap 7 proper turnable around the common centre axis 8 of the water trap 7 and the branch piece so that the mutual positioning of the sinks 2, 2a and desired orientation of a water trap outlet 7a to the sewerage system of the building can be selected freely and independently of each other.

The connection of the flexible pipes 5 to the respective connection branch on the branch piece 6 is carried out by means of a connection 8 enabling an arbitrary cutting of the flexible pipe 5 and a sealed clamping of the ends of the shortened pipe 5 around the actual con- nection branch of the branch piece 6. In the shown case, such a connection 8 comprises a

conical seal between the connection branch and the flexible pipe 5 and a clamping ring screwed around said flexible pipes.

Moreover, the branch piece 6 comprises connection nipples 9, for instance for a dish- washer und a washing machine or optionally for an overflow conduit in one of the sinks 2 or 2a.

Fig. 2 clearly shows the level difference between the sinks 2 and 2a, wherein the base valve 3 under the smaller and more shallow sink 2a has been drawn in its entirety.