US 6,053,197 A · Horizontal-flow oil-sealant-preserving drain odor trap

Abstract

Improvements in retention of the oily liquid sealant in a oil-sealed odor trap, for drain applications such as a waterless urinal or anti-evaporation floor drain, are accomplished by making the liquid flow path substantially horizontal as a departure from conventional practice of substantially vertical flow. The trap is structured to realize the substantially horizontal liquid flow path and to locate the flow path immediately beneath the sealant layer or beneath a baffle portion that is sloped such that stray sealant droplets migrating upwardly to the upper surface of the flow path due to their buoyancy will be recaptured and returned to the main sealant layer. To accomplish substantially horizontal flow, the entry compartment can be made to have entry and exit openings substantially offset from each other. The baffle between the entry compartment and the discharge compartment, which has traditionally been made entirely vertical, is made to have a non-vertical portion that is preferably sloped for sealant recovery. A sealant sheltering region can be provided in the vicinity of the entry region to prevent catastrophic loss of sealant in the event of high pressure water flushing.

Claims35

Dependent claims

An odor trap apparatus, comprising:

a main liquid container having a top cover;
at least one opening in said top cover through which substantially all of the wastewater enters into said container;
a baffle in said container dividing said container into 1) an entry compartment receiving wastewater through said at least one opening in said top cover and 2) a discharge compartment receiving wastewater from said entry compartment along a liquid flow path beneath said baffle;
a drain stand in the discharge compartment having an upper edge defining an overflow level of said container and having a bottom outlet communicating with an external drain;
said container being adapted to contain a quantity of low-density liquid to form a sealant layer when said container has a body of wastewater filled to the overflow level with the layer of liquid sealant floating on the body of wastewater in the entry compartment;
characterized in that the improvement comprises:
a horizontal distance (X) measured from each said at least one opening in said top cover to an end of said baffle around which the wastewater passes is larger than a vertical distance (Y) measured from said overflow level to the bottom of said baffle such that said liquid flow path beneath said baffle is predominantly horizontal.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Horizontal-flow oil-sealant-preserving drain odor trap

Life of this patent

Horizontal-flow oil-sealant-preserving drain odor trap

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims35