GB2325253A

GB2325253A - W.C.Cistern operable on mains water and/or waste water supply

Info

Publication number: GB2325253A
Application number: GB9709948A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Owen Morgan
Original assignee: CARADON BATHROOMS Ltd
Current assignee: CARADON BATHROOMS Ltd
Priority date: 1997-05-17
Filing date: 1997-05-17
Publication date: 1998-11-18
Also published as: GB9709948D0

Abstract

A w.c. cistern is adapted to operate selectively on a main water supply or on a waste water supply, the arrangement being such the cistern will operate on a waste water supply when available but when the waste water supply is inadequate, mechanical or hydraulic means is provided to automatically change over operation of the cistern from the waste water supply onto the main supply. FIGURE 1 shows a cistern 1 having a waste water supply 2 and a mains water supply 3. Water inlet valve 5 is on the upper end of mains water supply pipe 3 and is normally kept closed by waste water flowing through tube 2a connected to discharge pipe 2b connected the upper end of waste water supply pipe 2. While there is sufficient waste water bucket B is filled counter balancing weight W preventing valve 5 from opening. When the waste water supply is insufficient weight W opens valve 5 and the cistern operates on a mains water supply. Other embodiments show different hydraulic and electronic control.

Description

W.C. CISTERN This invention relates to a w.c. cistern and is more particularly concerned with a cistern which is able to utilise waste water.

W.C. cisterns have been previously proposed which are adapted or arranged in some way to utilise waste water such as "storm" or "grey" water in order to at least assist in flushing the w.c. under specified conditions. "Storm" water is typically rain water collected and stored from roof gutters. "Grey" water is typically mains water which has been used in some appliance such as a washing machine or dishwasher, which water has been filtered and stored.

W.C. cisterns have been proposed previously to make use of such waste water supplies simply in the interests of economy and/or reduction in water supply charges. The w.c.

cistern may be arranged to operate solely on such a waste water supply when available and designed to operate on a normal mains water supply in the event that the alternative waste water supply is insufficient for flushing. Although there have been previous proposals for achieving such dual supply cisterns it is believed that some of these arrangements may be unnecessarily complicated and/or more expensive than need be the case, or may not be reliable and/or may be open to improvement.

It is an object of the present invention to at least alleviate one of the aforementioned, or other problems associated with w.c. cisterns that can operate on a waste water supply and/or to provide an improved w.c. cistern operable on such a waste water supply.

According to the present invention there is provided a w.c. cistern adapted to operate selectively on a main water supply or on a waste water supply, the arrangement being such the cistern will operate on a waste water supply when available but when the waste water supply is inadequate, mechanical or hydraulic means is provided to automatically change over operation of the cistern from the waste water supply onto the main supply.

Further according to the present invention there is provided a water supply system including at least one cistern in accordance with the immediately preceding paragraph.

Preferably, in use, a hydraulic control link is provided between the waste water supply and the mains water supply.

In one embodiment of the present invention, in use, both waste water and main supply pipes project into the cistern and waste water is supplied through a discharge pipe via a valve (preferably a ball valve) according to the level of water in the cistern. Preferably, on discharge of the waste water into the cistern some of the water flowing through the valve is fed to valve deactuation means of the main supply valve, which means prevents the mains water supply valve from being actuated as the level in the cistern drops i.e. on flushing of the cistern. The waste supply water may be fed by a tube from the cistern waste water discharge pipe to a receptacle or bucket provided on an actuating arm of the main supply valve, said receptacle or bucket being counter-balanced by a weight or float, the level of which would normally be determined by the level of water in the cistern, in the absence of sufficient waste water to fill the receptacle or bucket.

In an alternative embodiment, the waste water may be fed from the waste water discharge pipe to a (fixed) container in the cistern having a float connected to a main water supply valve. The container may have an aperture or hole therein, the arrangement being such that with a sufficient supply of waste water the float is kept floating by the level of water in the container (which may be different from the level of water in the cistern) said float being maintained at a sufficient height to keep the main supply valve closed. When the supply of waste water is inadequate and an insufficient amount of water is fed to the container, on flushing the cistern, the level of water in the cistern and in the container will drop allowing the float to drop and the main water supply valve to open.

It is possible that an arrangement may be provided providing a combination of both types of main supply valve de-actuation means.

Still further according to the present invention there is provided a w.c. cistern adapted to operate selectively on a main water supply or on a waste water supply, the arrangement being such that the cistern will operate on a waste water supply when available, when the waste water supply is inadequate, electronic control means being provided to automatically change-over operation of the cistern from the waste supply onto the main supply, the electronic control including a solenoid valve in the main supply line and a solenoid valve in the waste water supply line, the solenoid valve in the main supply line being opened when a sensor in a waste water supply tank senses that the water level in the tank has dropped to an insufficient level.

Further advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and drawings.

Embodiments of w.c. cisterns arranged to operate on a mains water supply and on a waste water supply in accordance with the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying, much simplified, diagrammatic drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 shows a sectional view of the first embodiment of the cistern; FIGURE 2 shows a sectional view through a second embodiment of the cistern; FIGURE 3 shows a schematic view of a third embodiment of the cistern in accordance with the present invention, and FIGURE 4 shows a control unit and switch means for FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 1 of the drawings shows a cistern 1 having a waste water supply 2 and a mains water supply 3. The syphon has been omitted from the cistern 1 in order to aid clarity. A conventional ball valve 4 is positioned inside the cistern on the waste water supply pipe 2 and is controlled in the usual manner by ball-float 4a and pivot arm 4b. The ball valve 4 is closed when the water level L (shown in dashed lines) is high as shown in FIGURE 1.

A water inlet valve 5 is provided on the upper end of the main supply pipe 3 (mains water supply) and this valve is normally maintained in a closed position (whatever the level of water in the cistern) by water flowing through tube 2a, in a manner to be explained. Tube 2a is connnected to the discharge pipe 2b at the upper end of the waste water supply pipe 2. Thus, whilst there is a sufficient supply of waste water, water will flow through the discharge pipe 2b and tube 2a to fill a receptacle or bucket B which counter-balances a weight W (float) to prevent the main supply valve 5 from opening (when the water level L drops from that shown in FIGURE 1 - which would otherwise allow the weight W to drop and open the valve 5) allowing discharge of the main supply water through discharge outlet 3a.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the bucket B is provided at one end of pivoted arm A with the weight W being provided at the other end of the arm to counter-balance the bucket B.

The bucket B, arm A and weight W can be thought of as a valve de-actuation means for valve 5. When the supply of waste water falls below a certain level, on flushing the cistern 1, water flowing in tube 2a will be reduced to such an extent that the weight W will be heavier than the weight of waste water in the bucket B and the arm A will tip about the central pivot with the weight pulling the arm A downwardly at the right and the bucket at the left rising to switch on the mains water supply via valve 5. After flushing, when the level L of water in the tank has risen a sufficient amount, the weight W will be lifted by the water to bring the bucket downwardly a sufficient amount to close the valve 5 as should be evident from the arrangement shown in FIGURE 2.

Thus, FIGURE 1 shows an automatic, mechanical or hydraulic arrangement in which the main supply valve 5 is prevented from opening whilst a sufficient supply of waste water is present in the supply pipe 2.

FIGURE 2 shows a similar, alternative arrangement including a cistern 100 provided with a similar waste water supply 2, ball valve 4, ball-float 4a and lever 4b, discharge pipe 2b and tube 2a. However, water from the tube 2a is now led to a small container 101 (with lower aperture lOla) in which the float F of the main inlet valve 102 is floating, more particularly as shown in FIGURE 2.

Thus, whilst a sufficient supply of waste water is maintained in tube 2a,whatever the level L of water in the cistern, float F will be floating on the water in container 101 at a sufficient height to cause lever arm 103 to maintain the main inlet valve 102 in a closed position.

Thus, the water level X in container 1 may be kept higher than level L during flushing of the cistern. Should the supply of water in tube 2a drop to a low enough level the float F will fall to the bottom of the container 101, being unsupported by water in the container allowing arm 103 to pivot clockwise and open the valve 102 and allow mains water to discharge through discharge pipe 3a in a manner which should be self-explanatory.

In a further arrangement (not shown) it is possible that the inlet valves 5 and 102 can be combined into a single valve with one or two mains water and/or waste water supplies Combined or separate valves, as described in the aforementioned arrangement in FIGURES 1 or 2 could have a mechanical interlocking to prevent opening of the mains water valve when there is a supply to the waste water supply pipe.

A different arrangement is shown in FIGURE 3. FIGURE 3 shows a cistern 200 including a mains supply pipe 201 and inlet valve 202 and float 203. A waste water supply pipe 204 is connected to a waste water inlet valve 205 operated by a ball-float 206a connected to arm 206b. As will be evident from FIGURE 3, the waste water supply pipe 204 is connected to a storm or rain water tank 207 including a water level sensor 208. An electronic control unit 209 is arranged to monitor signals from the water level sensor 208 in order to actuate solenoid valves 210,211 as appropriate.

Thus, solenoid 210 in the main supply pipe 20 can be operated to open when the storm water supply level sensor 208 indicates an insufficient supply of rain water.

Solenoid 210 can be closed by the control unit when the supply of storm water as sensed by the water level sensor 208 is sufficient. Accordingly, FIGURE 5 shows a possible switching arrangement of the control unit 209.

It is to be understood that the scope of the present invention is not to be unduly limited by the particular choice of terminology and that a specific term as used herein may be replaced or supplemented by an equivalent or generic term. For example, the term "w.c. cistern" could be replaced by "cistern" or "tank" or "receptacle". The tank could be a water feed tank to a flushing w.c. cistern.

Further it is to be understood that the individual features, method or function relating to the w.c. cistern, or parts thereof might be individually or in combination patentably inventive. The singular may include the plural or vice versa. Moreover, any disclosure in this specification of a range for a variable or parameter shall be taken to include a disclosure of any selectable or derivable sub-range within that range and shall be taken to include a disclosure of any value for the variable or parameter within or at an end of the range or sub-range.

Further according to the present invention there is provided a cistern comprising any novel feature/s derivable from this specification.

Still further according to the present invention there is provided a method of deactuating a main water supply valve in a dual water supply cistern, said method comprising establishing a mechanical or hydraulic link between a waste water supply line and the main water supply line, said mechanical or hydraulic link being automatically maintained to deactuate the main water supply valve whilst the waste supply is adequate for flushing said cistern or a second cistern fed by or connected to said cistern.

Claims

1. A w.c. cistern adapted to operate selectively on a main water supply or on a waste water supply, the arrangement being such the cistern will operate on a waste water supply when available but when the waste water supply is inadequate, mechanical or hydraulic means is provided to automatically change over operation of the cistern from the waste water supply onto the main supply.

2. A w.c. cistern as claimed in Claim 1 in which, in use, a hydraulic control link is provided between the waste water supply and the mains water supply.

3. A w.c. cistern as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which both waste water and main supply pipes project into the cistern and waste water is suppliable through a discharge pipe via a valve.

4. A w.c. cistern as claimed in Claim 3 in which said valve is a ball valve.

5. A w.c. cistern as claimed in Claim 3 or Claim 4 in which on discharge of the waste water into the cistern some of the water flowing through the valve is fed to valve deactuation means of the main supply valve, which means prevents the mains water supply valve from being actuated as the level in the cistern drops.

6. A w.c. cistern as claimed in any one of Claims 3 to 5 in which the waste supply water is fed by a tube from the cistern waste water discharge pipe to a receptacle or bucket provided on an actuating arm of the main supply valve, said receptacle or bucket being counter-balanced by a weight or float, the level of which would normally be determined by the level of water in the cistern, in the absence of sufficient waste water to fill the receptacle or bucket.

7. A w.c. cistern as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the waste water can be fed from the, or a waste water discharge pipe to a container in the cistern having a float connected to the, or a, main water supply valve.

8. A w.c. cistern as claimed in Claim 7 in which the container has an aperture or hole therein, the arrangement being such that with a sufficient supply of waste water the float is kept floating by the level of water in the container, said float being maintained at a sufficient height to keep the main supply valve closed.

9. A w.c. cistern substantially as herein described with reference to FIGURE 1 or FIGURE 2 of the accompanying drawings.

10. A w.c. cistern adapted to operate selectively on a main water supply or on a waste water supply, the arrangement being such that the cistern will operate on a waste water supply when available, when the waste water supply is inadequate, electronic control means being provided to automatically change-over operation of the cistern from the waste supply onto the main supply, the electronic control including a solenoid valve in the main supply line and a solenoid valve in the waste water supply line, the solenoid valve in the main supply line being opened when a sensor in a waste water supply tank senses that the water level in the tank has dropped to an insufficient level.

11. A w.c. cistern as claimed in Claim 1 and substantially as herein described with reference to FIGURES 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.

12. A water supply system including at least one cistern as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

13. A method of deactuating a main water supply valve in a dual water supply cistern, said method comprising establishing a mechanical or hydraulic link between a waste water supply line and the main water supply line, said mechanical or hydraulic link being automatically maintained to deactuate the main water supply valve whilst the waste supply is adequate for flushing said cistern or a second cistern fed by or connected to said cistern.

14. A method as claimed in Claim 13 and substantially as herein described with reference to FIGURE 1 or FIGURE 2 of the accompanying drawings.