GB2230071A

GB2230071A - Pipe connector

Info

Publication number: GB2230071A
Application number: GB9006711A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Alan Rafferty
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1989-04-07
Filing date: 1990-03-26
Publication date: 1990-10-10
Anticipated expiration: 2010-03-26
Also published as: GB2230071B; GB9006711D0; GB8907823D0

Abstract

A pipe connector for a down pipe 11 to a water butt 12 comprises a down pipe insert section 10 with a side branch 15 and a deflector 16 diverting flow into the side branch. The deflector allows overflowing liquid from the butt 12 to pass into the down pipe 11. <IMAGE>

Description

CONNECTOR This invention relates to the collection of water in water butts and to connectors for down pipes to water butts for such purposes. However, the arrangement described herein may well find application in other regards.

It is a problem with water butts which are disposed to collect water for example from the roofs of houses and greenhouses, for garden use, that when the butt is full, it overflows. Special arrangements have been used to overcome this problem, involving the use of manually and automatically operated valves which are operated when the butt is full to let water flow in the down pipe straight to drain and no longer into the butt.

The manually operated valves clearly require attention from time to time to check the butt contents and switch from butt to drain and back at appropriate times.

The automatically operated valves are expensive and have moving parts which can fail.

The present invention provides an automatically operating arrangement which does not suffer the above disadvantages.

The invention comprises a connector for a down pipe to a water butt comprising a down pipe insert section with a side branch and a deflector diverting flow into the side branch.

The deflector may comprise a fixed plate substantailly aligned with the side branch.

The side branch may be inclined with respect to the insert section.

The invention comprises also a connector as described in combination with a water butt such that the deflector is not higher than the water butt.

The invention also comprises A method for making such a connector comprising injection moulding the connector in a plastics material.

The injection mould may comprise separate mould cores defining the inside of the down pipe insert section which have a gap between them for the deflector.

A connector according to the invention and a method for making the same will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which : Figure 1 is a lengthwise section through the connector showing its arrangement with a down pipe and a water butt; Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective cut-away view of the connector of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a lengthwise section through an injection moulding arrangement.

The connector 10 illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 is for down pipe 11 to a water butt 12. The down pipe 11 would normally extend down to a grid 13 into a drain to take away rain water from a gutter of a house or greenhouse.

The connector 10, however, fits into the down pipe 11 from which a section is removed or omitted for this purpose and comprises a down pipe insert section 14 with a ide branch 15 and a deflector 16 diverting flow into the side branch 15.

The connector 10 is fitted at the level of the top of the butt 12 so that when the butt 12 is substantially full, the water may flow therefrom back into the down pipe 11, to drain.

This arrangement has no moving parts and does not require attention - it operates completely automatically to ensure that the butt fills up at the fastest possible rate by taking all the water flowing into the down pipe until such time as the butt is full, then the water level is automatically maintained in the butt, excess down pipe flow going to drain.

The insert is simple and inexpensive to manufacture by injection moulding. Figure 3 shows in lengthwise section an injection mould for the purpose comprising a mould shell 31 and three piston cores 32, 33 and 34. Cores 32 and 33 define the inside of the down pipe insert section 14 and when in position have a gap 35 between them for the deflector 16. Core 34 is for the branch 15 ' and in position extends up to the cores 32 and 33 which defines the free edge 16a (see Figures 1 and 2) of the deflector 16. Figure 3 is diagrammatic, items such as inlet channels being omitted for clarity.

The connector 10 will of course be finished off with flanges or snap connections and be dimensioned to mate with the down pipe ends. While a circular section connector has been described, clearly other sections, such as square, can be used instead. Other design variations and different manufacturing methods can, of course, be used.

Claims

1. A connector for a down pipe to a water butt comprising a down pipe insert section with a side branch and a deflector diverting flow into the side branch.

2. A connector according to claim 1, in which the deflector comprises a fixed plate substantially aligned with the side branch.

3. A connector according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the side branch is inclined with respect to the insert section.

4. A connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in combination with a water butt such that the deflector is not higher than the water butt.

5. A connector substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

6. A method for making a connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising injection moulding the connector in a plastics material.

7. A method according to claim 6, in which the injection mould comprises separate mould cores defining the inside of the down pipe insert section which have a gap between them for the deflector.