U.S. patent application number 12/205427 was filed with the patent office on 2010-01-07 for plumbing supply boxes.
Invention is credited to Matthew L. Schmidt, Terry L. Zahuranec.
Application Number | 20100000614 12/205427 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41463421 |
Filed Date | 2010-01-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100000614 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Zahuranec; Terry L. ; et
al. |
January 7, 2010 |
PLUMBING SUPPLY BOXES
Abstract
Plumbing supply boxes may be made of a thermoset plastic
material that will not melt or permit the boxes to collapse inside
a wall if subjected to flames or high temperatures resulting from a
fire. If the thermoset plastic boxes have a drain opening, a
thermoplastic tubular drain adaptor may be connected thereto that
can be solvent welded. Relatively small intumescent pads may be
installed in close proximity to the drain opening which, if
subjected to flames or high temperature caused by a fire, will
expand and form an insulating char that seals off the drain
opening. The boxes may be slidable in opposite directions along
adjustable support brackets to permit the boxes to be mounted in
any desired position in stud bays having different spacings between
the stud walls for ease of alignment of one or more openings in the
box with in-wall plumbing.
Inventors: |
Zahuranec; Terry L.; (North
Olmsted, OH) ; Schmidt; Matthew L.; (Avon,
OH) |
Correspondence
Address: |
RENNER OTTO BOISSELLE & SKLAR, LLP
1621 EUCLID AVENUE, NINETEENTH FLOOR
CLEVELAND
OH
44115
US
|
Family ID: |
41463421 |
Appl. No.: |
12/205427 |
Filed: |
September 5, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61077671 |
Jul 2, 2008 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
137/360 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D06F 39/08 20130101;
F16L 5/00 20130101; D06F 39/088 20130101; E03C 1/021 20130101; A62C
2/065 20130101; Y10T 137/698 20150401 |
Class at
Publication: |
137/360 |
International
Class: |
F16L 5/00 20060101
F16L005/00 |
Claims
1. A plumbing supply box installable in a wall recess for
connecting one or more water shut-off valves and/or drain openings
to in-wall plumbing, the box having a bottom wall and a top wall,
at least one opening in the bottom wall and/or top wall for
mounting a conduit fitting for a shut-off valve inside the box or
for connection of a drain line to the box, wherein the box is made
of a thermoset plastic material.
2. The box of claim 1 further comprising at least one pair of
adjustable support brackets along which the box is slidable to
permit the box to be mounted in a stud bay between stud walls
having different spacings therebetween and allow the box to be
moved along the support brackets in opposite directions within the
stud bay for aligning the at least one opening with in-wall
plumbing.
3. The box of claim 2 wherein there are two pairs of vertically
spaced adjustable support brackets on which the box is slidable in
opposite directions within the stud bay.
4. The box of claim 2 which has laterally spaced oppositely facing
aligned channels in which the at least one pair of support brackets
is slidably received.
5. The box of claim 1 wherein the at least one opening is for
mounting a conduit fitting for a shut-off valve inside the box.
6. The box of claim 1 wherein the at least one opening is a drain
opening, and a tubular adaptor is connected to the drain opening,
the adaptor being made of a thermoplastic material that can be
solvent welded.
7. The box of claim 6 further comprising a test cap that is
insertable into an inner end of the adaptor for sealing off the
adaptor when connected to a drain pipe for pressure testing of a
sanitary drainage system to which the drain pipe is connected.
8. The box of claim 6 further comprising intumescent material
installed in close proximity to the drain opening which when
exposed to enough heat to cause the adaptor to melt, expands and
forms an insulating char that seals off the drain opening.
9. The box of claim 8 wherein the adaptor has a stop flange at an
inner end that engages an interior surface of the bottom wall
surrounding the drain opening.
10. The box of claim 9 wherein the adaptor has an external groove
containing an O-ring seal for establishing a fluid seal with the
drain opening.
11. The box of claim 6 wherein the intumescent material is
installed in an enclosure attached to an exterior surface of the
bottom wall of the box around the drain opening.
12. The box of claim 11 wherein the enclosure has an axial opening
through which the adaptor extends when the enclosure is attached to
the bottom wall.
13. The box of claim 1 which has a back wall to which an insulation
pad is attached.
14. The box of claim 13 wherein the insulation pad has a foil
backing.
15. The box of claim 13 wherein ends of the insulation pad are
taped to sides of the box.
16. The box of claim 1 wherein the bottom wall has first and second
openings for mounting conduit fittings for hot and cold water
shut-off valves inside the box and a third opening that provides a
drain opening, further comprising a tubular adaptor connected to
the drain opening, the adaptor being made of a thermoplastic
material that can be solvent welded.
17. The box of claim 16 further comprising an enclosure attachable
to an exterior surface of the bottom wall around the drain opening,
the enclosure containing intumescent material which when exposed to
enough heat to cause the adaptor to melt, expands and forms an
insulating char that seals off the drain opening.
18. The box of claim 16 wherein the top wall also has first and
second openings for mounting conduit fittings in the top wall for
hot and cold water shut-off valves inside the box, and plugs for
plugging any of the first and second openings in which conduit
fittings for hot and cold water shut-off valves are not
mounted.
19. The box of claim 18 wherein the first and second openings in
the top wall are substantially in line with the first and second
openings in the bottom wall, and the top wall has a third opening
substantially in line with the third opening in the bottom wall
that provides a drain opening for receipt of the adaptor when the
box is mounted upside down to accommodate a different drain
arrangement, and another plug for plugging the third opening that
is not used as the drain opening.
20. The box of claim 19 further comprising an enclosure attachable
to an exterior surface of the wall having the third opening that
forms the drain opening to which the adaptor is connected, the
enclosure surrounding the drain opening and containing intumescent
material which when exposed to enough heat to cause the adaptor to
melt, expands and forms an insulating char to seal off the drain
opening.
21. A plumbing supply box installable in a wall recess for
connecting one or more water shut-off valves and/or drain openings
to in-wall plumbing, the box having a bottom wall and a top wall,
at least one opening in the bottom wall and/or top wall for
mounting a conduit fitting for a shut-off valve inside the box or
for connection of a drain line to the box, and at least one pair of
adjustable support brackets along which the box is slidable to
permit the box to be mounted in a stud bay between stud walls
having different spacings therebetween and allow the box to be
moved along the support brackets in opposite directions within the
stud bay for aligning the at least one opening with in-wall
plumbing.
22. The box of claim 21 which has laterally spaced oppositely
facing aligned channels in which the at least one pair of support
brackets is slidably received.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/077,671, filed Jul. 2, 2008.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to plumbing supply boxes that
are installable in wall recesses for connecting one or more water
shut-off valves and/or drain lines to in-wall plumbing.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Plumbing supply boxes are commonly used to connect hot
and/or cold water supply lines and/or one or more waste drains to
appliances and plumbing fixtures such as washing machines,
icemakers, water softeners, sinks, toilets and the like. Oftentimes
these boxes are molded out of a suitable thermoplastic material to
enable any drain outlets to be solvent welded to thermoplastic
drain pipes.
[0004] If these thermoplastic supply boxes are to be recess mounted
in walls that are fire rated, the boxes must be similarly fire
rated to insure that the original fire rating of the walls is
maintained even though the boxes may melt and collapse inside the
walls when subjected to flames or high temperatures caused by a
fire. Heretofore one known way to obtain the requisite fire rating
for thermoplastic supply boxes was to make the walls of the boxes
thicker to better withstand heat and attach a relatively large
intumescent pad to the back side of the boxes. Accordingly, should
the boxes be subjected to sufficient heat to cause the boxes to
melt and collapse inside the walls, the heat will also cause the
intumescent material to expand sufficiently to form a hard char to
seal off the wall opening previously occupied by the boxes and
thereby restore the walls to the original fire rating.
[0005] A major disadvantage in using such intumescent pads to
achieve the requisite fire rating for thermoplastic supply boxes is
the relatively high cost of the intumescent pads and poor
structural integrity of the supply boxes at high temperatures.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention provides fire rated plumbing supply
boxes that are less costly than previous known fire rated
thermoplastic supply boxes and have a higher degree of structural
integrity at high temperatures. Also the plumbing supply boxes of
the present invention may easily be mounted in any desired position
in stud bays having different spacings between the stud walls and
also be easily aligned with in-wall plumbing.
[0007] In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the plumbing
supply boxes may be made of a thermoset plastic fire rated material
that will not melt or collapse inside a fire rated wall when
subjected to flames or high temperatures caused by a fire.
[0008] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the
themoset plastic supply boxes may include one or more drain
openings containing a thermoplastic tubular drain adaptor to which
thermoplastic drain pipes can be solvent welded.
[0009] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a
relatively small amount of intumescent material may be installed in
close proximity to the thermoplastic drain adaptor, whereby if the
boxes are exposed to enough heat to cause the drain adaptor to
melt, the intumescent material will expand and form an insulating
char that seals off the associated drain opening.
[0010] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the
supply boxes may be field convertible to different valve and drain
outlet options.
[0011] In accordance with another aspect of the invention,
adjustable support brackets may be used to mount the supply boxes
in stud bays having different spacings between the stud walls.
[0012] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the
supply boxes may be slidable along the support brackets within stud
bays to allow the boxes to be aligned with in-wall plumbing.
[0013] These and other objects, advantages, features and aspects of
the invention will become apparent as the following description
proceeds.
[0014] To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the
invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter more fully
described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following
description and the annexed drawings setting forth in detail
certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being
indicative, however, of but several of the various ways in which
the principles of the invention may be employed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] In the annexed drawings:
[0016] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of one form of plumbing
supply box of the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the plumbing supply box
of FIG. 1.
[0018] FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse section through
the plumbing supply box of FIG. 1.
[0019] FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the plumbing supply box
similar to FIG. 2 but showing an enclosure containing a small
quantity of intumescent material removed from the bottom of the
box.
[0020] FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective longitudinal section
through the supply box of FIG. 4.
[0021] FIG. 6 is an enlarged side elevation view of a test cap for
sealing off a drain outlet in the bottom of the plumbing supply box
during pressure testing of a sanitary drainage system to which the
drain outlet is connected.
[0022] FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of another form of
plumbing supply box of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of the plumbing supply box
of FIG. 7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0024] Referring now in detail to the drawings, wherein the same
reference numbers are used to designate like parts, and initially
to FIGS. 1-5, there is shown one form of plumbing supply box 1 of
the present invention that may be installable in a wall recess (not
shown) for connecting one or more water shut-off valves and/or
drain lines to in-wall plumbing in a manner well known in the art.
The box includes bottom and top walls 2, 3, rear wall 4 and side
walls 5, 6. One or both of the top and bottom walls may include
alternately rearwardly and forwardly facing aligned channels 8, 9,
10 for receipt of respective pairs of adjustable metal support
brackets 11, 12 that may be telescopically connected together as
shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. This permits the support brackets to be
moved in or out relative to one another for securely mounting the
box between stud walls in a stud bay having different spacings
therebetween (for example, 16 inch to 24 inch spacing). In
addition, this permits the box to be slid along the support
brackets in opposite directions within the stud bay for aligning
the box with in-wall plumbing (not shown). The outer ends of the
support brackets may be securely mounted to stud walls made of
wood, composite or metal using suitable fasteners such as nails or
screws.
[0025] Any number of openings may be provided in the bottom wall 2
of the box for connecting one or more shut-off valves mounted
inside the box to one or more water supply lines and/or for
connecting the box to a sanitary drain line. In the embodiment
shown in FIGS. 1-5, two openings 15, 16 are provided in the bottom
wall for mounting conduit fittings 17, 18 to which shut-off valves
19, 20 are connected inside the box to open and close off hot
and/or cold water supply lines 21, 22 extending from the conduit
fittings (see FIG. 5). Also a third opening 23 is provided in the
bottom wall adjacent one side of the box for connection to a drain
line (not shown). Corresponding openings 25, 26 may also be
provided in the top wall 3 of the box (see FIG. 5) for mounting the
conduit fittings for the shut-off valves for connection to top
water supply lines. Likewise the top wall may have a third opening
27 substantially in line with the third opening 23 in the bottom
wall 2 that may provide a drain port if the box is mounted upside
down to accommodate either a right hand drain arrangement or a left
hand drain arrangement as desired. The third opening 23 or 27 that
is not used as a drain port may be plugged, as may the other
openings 15, 16 or 25, 26 to which conduit fittings for water
shut-off valves are not connected as described hereafter.
[0026] In accordance with the present invention, the box 1 is
desirably made out of a suitable thermoset plastic fire-rated
material such as fiber reinforced bulk molding compound (BMC) or
phenolic that will not melt or collapse inside the wall when
exposed to flames or high heat. Similarly, the plugs that are used
to close off the openings to which the conduit fittings for the
water shut-off valves and water supply lines are not connected and
the drain outlet or outlets to which the drain line is not
connected may be made of a similar type thermoset plastic material
or other material that will not melt or collapse when subjected to
flames or high temperatures resulting from a fire. Moreover, the
adjustable support brackets 11, 12 may be made of a suitable metal
or other material that will withstand the flames or high
temperatures resulting from a fire.
[0027] If needed to obtain the required fire rating for the boxes,
a suitable insulation pad 28 may be attached to the back wall 4 of
the boxes in any suitable manner, for example, by taping both ends
of the pad to the sides of the boxes using a suitable tape such as
foil tape 29 to hold the insulation pad in place as shown, for
example, in FIGS. 2 and 4. Other suitable fasteners including
screws, snap fasteners, or adhesives and the like could also be
used to secure the insulation pads in place if desired. The
insulation layer 28 may have a foil backing to reflect heat and
hold the insulating material together.
[0028] A tubular drain adaptor 30 made out of a suitable
thermoplastic material may be inserted into the drain opening 23 in
the bottom of the box from inside the box to permit solvent welding
or otherwise attaching a thermoplastic drain pipe to the outer end
of the adaptor for establishing fluid communication with the drain
pipe through the adaptor. Such adaptor may be retained in place as
by providing a stop flange 31 on the inner end of the adaptor for
engagement with an interior surface of the bottom wall 2
surrounding the drain opening and a split wire retaining ring 32 in
an external groove 33 in the adaptor for engagement with the bottom
edge 34 of the drain opening (see FIGS. 3 and 5). Turning of the
adaptor in the drain opening may be prevented as by providing a
straight edge 35 on the side of the stop flange 31 that is in close
proximity to and substantially parallel with the interior surface
36 of the back wall 4 of the box when the adaptor is inserted into
the drain opening as best seen in FIG. 5. An O-ring seal 37 in
another external groove 38 in the adaptor establishes a fluid seal
with the drain opening 23.
[0029] A thermoset plastic plug 40 may be used to close off the
unused drain opening 27 in the top wall of the box as by inserting
the plug into the drain opening from inside the box. The plug may
be held in place as by providing a stop flange 41 on the inner end
of the plug for engagement with the inner surface of the top wall 3
and a split wire retaining ring 42 in an external groove 43 in the
plug for engagement with an outer edge of the opening 27 similar to
the way the tubular drain adaptor 30 is held in place. Likewise,
another external groove 44 may be provided in the snap-in plug 40
containing an O-ring seal 45 for establishing a fluid seal with
that particular opening. The other openings 25, 26 in the top wall
(or openings 15, 16 in the bottom wall) to which conduit fittings
for the shut-off valves and water lines are not connected may be
closed using similar type thermoset plastic plugs 46 retained in
place as by lock nuts 47. Also the plugs 46 may be sealed in the
respective openings by O-ring seals 48 contained within external
grooves 49 in the plugs as shown in FIG. 5.
[0030] A test cap of any suitable type may be used to temporarily
seal off the drain opening to permit pressure testing of the
sanitary drainage system to which the drain pipe is connected for
any leaks. However, preferably a test cap of the type disclosed for
example in U.S. Pat. No. 7,270,144 (the entire disclosure of which
is incorporated herein by reference) is used, since it has the
advantage that it may be quickly and easily installed and just as
quickly and easily removed without having to destroy the test cap.
This eliminates the risk of any portion of the test cap falling
into the drain opening and possibly blocking flow therethrough and
also permits the test cap to be reused.
[0031] One such test cap 50 is shown in FIG. 6 and includes a
flange portion 51 and cylindrical portion 52 extending downwardly
therefrom sized to closely fit within the drain opening 53 in the
adaptor 30. Protruding outwardly from the cylindrical portion 52
are two or more tabs 54 sized and oriented to pass through
corresponding notches 55 in the edge of adaptor drain opening 53
(see FIG. 5) when the tabs are aligned with the notches and the
test cap is pushed downwardly. To provide a fluid tight seal
between the test cap and adaptor 30, an O-ring seal 56 may be
provided in a groove 57 on the bottom side of the test cap flange
51 radially outwardly of the notches 55 in the adaptor. Also ramps
58 (see FIG. 5) may be provided on the under side of the adaptor
flange 31 leading away from the notches 55 in opposite directions
for engagement by the tabs 54 on the test cap 50 during turning of
the test cap in the tightening direction to cause the test cap seal
56 to press into sealing engagement with the adaptor flange.
[0032] A handle 58 may be provided on the upper side of the test
cap flange for ease of turning the test cap in either direction.
Once pressure testing of the sanitary drainage system to which the
box is connected is completed, the test cap may be turned in the
opposite direction to bring the tabs once again into alignment with
the notches 55 in the edge of the adaptor drain opening 53, thus
allowing the test cap to be removed for reuse.
[0033] Because the outlet adaptor 30 is made of a thermoplastic
material, the adaptor may melt and collapse inside the wall if
subjected to flames or high heat during a fire. Should this occur,
the drain opening 23 in the bottom wall of the box is desirably
closed off by installing relatively small intumescent pads 60 on
one or more inner side walls of an enclosure 61 (see FIGS. 1-4)
that may be suitably attached to the lower surface of the box
around the drain opening. Enclosure 61 may be made of metal or
other suitable material that has a high degree of structural
integrity at high temperatures, including, for example, a suitable
thermoset plastic material. When the box is exposed to sufficient
heat to cause the adaptor to melt, the intumescent pads 60 within
the enclosure will expand and form an insulating char to seal off
the drain opening 23.
[0034] The amount of intumescent material 60 needed to seal off the
drain opening 23 in the bottom wall 2 is far less than the amount
that would be required to close off the entire opening in a fire
rated wall in which the box is mounted if the entire box melted and
collapsed in the wall upon being subjected to flames or high heat
in a fire situation as would be the case if the entire box was made
of a thermoplastic material. This provides a significant cost
savings in the manufacture of the fire rated thermoset plastic
boxes of the present invention. Also the cost of the thermoset
plastic boxes of the present invention isn't likely to be any more
than the cost of thicker walled thermoplastic boxes that would be
required for fire rating purposes.
[0035] The enclosure 61 that is lined with intumescent pads 60 may
be attached to the bottom of the box 1 as by providing spaced apart
flanges 62 on opposite sides 63 of the enclosure that are
engageable with grooves 64 in the exterior surface of the bottom
wall of the box on opposite sides of the drain adaptor 30 to
provide a snap connection therebetween. Also the enclosure 61 may
have an axial opening 65 extending therethrough sized to receive
the outer end of the adaptor 30 (see FIGS. 2 and 4) thus allowing
the enclosure to be pushed up over the adaptor from below and
snapped into place against the bottom wall of the box as shown in
FIGS. 1-4.
[0036] Once the box 1 is properly installed in a stud bay and the
water line and/or drain line connections are made and any pressure
testing of the sanitary drainage system to which the drain pipe is
connected is completed, suitable drywall or other sheet material is
installed around the box to finish the wall. The drywall opening
for the box I should be as close to the top, bottom and sides of
the box as practicable. Any gaps between the box and drywall of,
for example, up to 1/2 inch should be filled with drywall plaster.
Any gaps larger than that should be sealed with firestop sealant
substantially the entire thickness of the drywall. Finally an
adjustable faceplate 66 may be inserted into the open front 67 of
the box as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to give the installation a more
finished appearance.
[0037] As previously indicated, the box of the present invention
may have any number of openings in the bottom wall (and top wall)
depending on the particular application. For example, FIGS. 7 and 8
show a plumbing supply box 70 that only has one opening 71 in the
bottom wall 72 for mounting a single conduit fitting 73 (with or
without a water hammer arrester device) for connection of a single
shut-off valve 74 and water supply line (not shown) to an ice
maker. If the box needs to be fire rated for recess mounting in a
fire rated wall, the box is desirably made of a suitable thermoset
plastic material to provide the desired flame and temperature
rating for the box, similar to the box 1 previously described. Also
the box may include the same type of adjustable support brackets
11, 12 for mounting the box in a stud bay between stud walls having
different spacings therebetween and to allow the box to be moved
along the brackets in opposite directions for aligning the box with
in-wall plumbing as before. One or both of the top and bottom walls
75 and 72 of the box may include alternately rearwardly and
forwardly facing aligned channels 76, 77, 78 for sliding receipt of
the support brackets 11, 12 within the channels.
[0038] In this case, since the box 70 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8
doesn't have a drain opening, there is no need for a thermoplastic
drain adaptor for solvent welding of the box to a thermoplastic
drain line or intumescent material for closing off the drain
opening in the event of a fire. If needed to obtain the required
fire rating for the box, a suitable insulation pad 80 may be
attached to the back wall 81 of the box similar to the way the
insulation pad 28 is attached to the back wall 4 of box 1.
[0039] Although the invention has been shown and described with
respect to certain embodiments, it is obvious that equivalent
alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the
art upon the reading and understanding of the specification. In
particular, with regard to the various functions performed by the
above-described components, the terms (including any reference to a
"means") used to describe such components are intended to
correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any component which
performs the specified function of the described component (e.g.,
that is functionally equivalent), even though not structurally
equivalent to the disclosed component which performs the function
in the herein exemplary embodiments of the invention. In addition,
while a particular feature of the invention may have been disclosed
with respect to only one embodiment, such features may be combined
with one or more other features as may be desired and advantageous
to any given or particular application.
* * * * *