Abstract:
An inclined support system for a drain hose enhances drainage of wastewater from a holding tank of a recreational vehicle to a disposal facility. The support system includes one or more sawhorse-like fixtures with legs having slanted lower edges in contact with the ground to provide an inclined drain hose supporting cross member. The legs pivot about the cross member and upon insertion of the drain hose intermediate the legs above the cross member, the upper ends of the legs bear thereagainst to define and stabilize the cant or splay of the legs. Upon removal of the hose, the elements of the fixture are foldable to a compact flattened configuration for storage. In another embodiment, one or more slotted cylindrical elements serve as a support for the drain hose. A plurality of pairs of descending length legs are detachably attachable within opposed channels depending from the support to place the support at an incline and enhance the flow of fluid through the drain hose. The support also serves as a storage unit for the drain hose when the drain hose is in its longitudinally compressed state.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to inclined support systems and, more particularly, to supports for supporting a drain hose at an incline.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     Recreational vehicles, whether trailers or motor homes, generally include a holding tank for wastewater. From time to time, the holding tank is drained to transfer the wastewater to an appropriate disposal facility. Should the recreational vehicle be parked at an RV park or the like drainage to the disposal facility may be on an ongoing basis.  
         [0005]     Usually, drainage of the holding tank is accomplished by connecting a drain hose to the outlet of the holding tank, laying the drain hose on the ground and locating the outlet of the drain hose in fluid communication with the disposal facility. Most drain hoses used for this purpose are of an accordion-like construction to permit extension for use and compacting for storage purposes. The accordion-like construction provides a spiral groove within the drain hose that may retain quantities of fluid and solid matter. This problem is of particular concern when the drain hose rests upon an essentially horizontal surface. When the ground surface, and a drainage hose resting thereupon, slopes upwardly from the recreational vehicle to the disposal facility, a significant quantity of wastewater will be retained within the drain hose. Such wastewater, and any solids therein, will tend to putrefy as a function of the ambient temperature and quickly begin to smell. Furthermore, a health hazard may be created.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     An inclined support system for a drain hose extending from a holding tank of a recreational vehicle conveys wastewater to a disposal facility. The support system includes one or more foldably compactable sawhorse-like supports having a cross member for supporting the drain hose. The opposed legs of the support include lower edges at an angle with respect to the cross member to incline the cross member a commensurate degree. The drain hose rests upon the cross member intermediate the upper ends of the legs. As weight is placed on the cross member by placing the drain hose thereupon, the upper ends of the legs will tend to cant toward one another. The degree of canting is limited by the exterior surface of the drain hose and thereby stabilizes the support during use and the cross member provides an inclined surface supporting the drain hose to promote flow of wastewater therethrough. In another embodiment, one or more partly cylindrical troughs laid end to end partly envelope the drain hose. A plurality of pairs of legs of descending length are removably inserted into opposed channels extending downwardly and outwardly from each trough. By inserting the pairs of legs into the channels in descending length order, the troughs will provide an inclined support for the drain hose to promote flow of waste water therethrough. Moreover, a trough will receive and retain the drain hose for storage purposes when the drain hose is longitudinally compressed.  
         [0007]     It is therefor a primary object of the present invention is to provide an inclined support system for a drain hose to promote flow of wastewater therethrough.  
         [0008]     Another object of the present invention is to provide a support for a drain hose which relies upon the drain hose for stability to support the drain hose at an incline to encourage flow of fluid through the drain hose.  
         [0009]     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a support for a drain hose having a pair of legs pivotally secured to a cross member supporting the drain hose.  
         [0010]     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a dismantleable support for a drain hose.  
         [0011]     A further object of the present invention is to provide a support for a drain hose, which support has pairs of legs exerting a force against opposed sides of the drain hose to provide rigidity to the support.  
         [0012]     A still further object of the present invention is to provide a sawhorse-like support for a drain hose that uses the drain hose as a structural element to prevent collapse of the support.  
         [0013]     A still further object of the present invention is to provide a plurality of pairs of legs of descending length slidably engageable with channels depending from a support for a drain hose that incline the support and promote fluid flow through the drain hose.  
         [0014]     A yet further object of the present invention is to provide an inclined support for a drain hose having pairs of descending length legs pivotally attached to the support to promote flow of fluid through the drain hose.  
         [0015]     A yet further object of the present invention is to provide an above ground inclined support for a drain hose that can contain the drain hose in a longitudinally compressed state for storage and transport.  
         [0016]     A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a flexible partially cylindrical support for retaining a drain hose and supported by pairs of legs of descending lengths extending from channels acting to radially compress the support to firmly grip the retained drain hose.  
         [0017]     A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a method for supporting a drain hose at an incline with a support.  
         [0018]     These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as the description thereof proceeds.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]     The present invention will be described with greater specificity and clarity with reference to the following drawings, in which:  
         [0020]      FIG. 1  illustrates a drain hose interconnected between a holding tank of a recreational vehicle and a disposal facility, which drain hose is supported by an inclined support system;  
         [0021]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an inclined fixture shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0022]      FIG. 2   a  illustrates a loop of elastic cord;  
         [0023]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing the fixture in its collapsed state;  
         [0024]      FIG. 4  is a partial cross sectional view of a leg interconnected with the cross member;  
         [0025]      FIG. 5  illustrates a variant inclined support system;  
         [0026]      FIG. 6  illustrates a cross sectional view taken along line  6 - 6 , as shown in  FIG. 5 ;  
         [0027]      FIG. 7  is a side view illustrating the present invention in use;  
         [0028]      FIG. 8  is a cross sectional view taken along line  8 - 8 , as shown in  FIG. 5 ;  
         [0029]      FIG. 9  illustrates a further embodiment of a drain hose interconnected between a holding tank of a recreational vehicle and a disposal facility, which drain hose is supported by an inclined support system;  
         [0030]      FIG. 10  illustrates the support system for the drain hose and the supporting descending length pairs of legs;  
         [0031]      FIG. 11  is an isometric view of a support of the support system;  
         [0032]      FIG. 12  illustrates an embodiment of a supporting leg;  
         [0033]      FIG. 13  illustrates a further embodiment of a supporting leg;  
         [0034]      FIG. 14  is a cross sectional view taken along lines  14 - 14 , as shown in  FIG. 11 ;  
         [0035]      FIG. 15  illustrates a drain hose support system having differently configured pairs of supporting legs;  
         [0036]      FIG. 16  illustrates a leg of the type shown in  FIG. 15 ;  
         [0037]      FIG. 17  is an end view taken along lines  17 - 17 , as shown in  FIG. 16 ;  
         [0038]      FIG. 18  is an end view illustrating detachable attachment of the supporting legs shown in  FIG. 16 ;  
         [0039]      FIG. 19  illustrates the gripping action of the support upon a contained drain hose as a result of an increased weight of the drain hose due to fluid flowing therethrough;  
         [0040]      FIG. 20  is a further detail view of a support with three pairs of legs depending therefrom;  
         [0041]      FIG. 21  illustrates a support having a pivotally attached leg;  
         [0042]      FIG. 22  is an end view taken along lines  22 - 22 , as shown in  FIG. 21 ;  
         [0043]      FIG. 23  illustrates one of many alternative uses of the present invention and wherein the present invention is used to convey water from a drain of a roof;  
         [0044]      FIG. 24  illustrates storage of a drain hose within a support; and  
         [0045]      FIG. 25  illustrates a representative cap for closing the ends of any of the supports described and illustrated to retain a drain hose therein.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0046]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is illustrated a recreational vehicle  10 , such as motor home. Recreational vehicles, whether motor homes or trailers, include a water tank for supplying water to be used for the normal purposes of drinking and washing. Additionally, the water tank provides water for flushing a toilet. A holding tank collects the resulting wastewater. Some recreational vehicles include two holding tanks wherein one is used to collect sewage prior to disposal and the other is used to collect wastewater. Each of these tanks must be drained from time to time. Most campgrounds and parks serving recreational vehicles include either a common disposal facility for receiving the outflow from holding tanks or a disposal facility may be associated with each rental space for a recreational vehicle. In the latter event, it is not uncommon to connect the holding tank(s) to the disposal facility and maintain such connection for the duration of the stay. Usually, the drain hose used lies on the ground, which ground may slope upwardly or downwardly from the recreational vehicle to the disposal facility. In the former case, the wastewater and any particulate matter therein will pool in the drain hose and become putrefied generally as a function of the ambient temperature. The resulting smell may quickly become overbearing. Furthermore, such pooling is exacerbated by the structural configuration of the conventionally used drain hose. That is, the drain hose is generally of a vinyl type plastic conduit supported by a spiral wire. A spiral groove is formed in the drain hose which will collect and retain wastewater and particulate matter unless the drain hose is inclined downwardly at a certain minimum angle to the disposal facility.  
         [0047]     To eliminate the vagaries attendant flow of wastewater to a disposal facility at a campground or park, an inclined support system  12  may be employed, as shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0048]     Drain hose  14  is secured to a holding tank within recreational vehicle  10  in the conventional manner (not shown). Outlet  16  of the drain hose is attached to a disposal facility represented by conduit  18 . A coupling  20 , such as the 90 degree coupling illustrated, may be used to interconnect outlet  16  of the drain hose with the conduit. Inclined support system  12  may include one or a plurality of legs or fixtures, such as fixture  22  and one or more further fixtures  24 ; these fixtures are similar in configuration and function but different in size (height) and will be described in further detail below.  
         [0049]     Fixture  22 , shown in  FIGS. 2, 3  and  4 , is similar to a sawhorse in that it incorporates a  10  pair of legs  26 ,  28  interconnected by a cross member  30 . The material of the fixture may be of a plastic sheet, a wooden sheet or a metal sheet. A material found particularly suitable is a corrugated plastic sheet material readily available from various wholesale and retail outlets. Leg  26  is formed of a first panel  32  folded against and secured to panel  34 . Panel  36  is folded from panel  34  across edge  38  of panel  32  and placed adjacent and secured to panel  32 , as particularly illustrated in  FIG. 4 . Cross member  30  includes a panel  40  folded from panel  36  and a further panel  42  folded from panel  40 . Leg  28  is constructed similarly to leg  26 . That is, leg  28  includes a panel  44  similar to panel  32  and folded against and secured to panel  46 , which corresponds with panel  34 . Panel  48  extends from panel  46  and is folded about edge  50  of panel  44  adjacent and secured to panel  44 ; panel  48  corresponds with panel  36 . Panel  48  is in folded engagement with panel  42  of cross member  30 . From the above description it becomes evident that the panels of fixture  22  are folded from a single sheet of material; however, single panels corresponding with legs  26 ,  28  and cross member  30  may be used. To insure the possibility of placing the fixture in a compact state for storage purposes, the cross member should fold as described and the cross member should be in foldable engagement with legs  26 ,  28 . It may also be noted that the plurality of panels forming each of legs  26 ,  28  provide significant strength from the corrugated plastic sheet material. Depending on the sheet material used, less than the number of panels per leg described and illustrated may be used. Moreover, the cross member may be hingedly or otherwise pivotally attached to one or both of the legs; the panels of the cross member may be hingedly or otherwise pivotally attached to one another.  
         [0050]     As particularly shown in  FIGS. 2, 2   a  and  3 , a loop  60  of elastic cord is formed by tying the ends of the cord into a knot  62 . An aperture  64 , shown in  FIG. 3 , is formed in leg  28  to penetrably receive loop  60  with the loop being drawn therethrough until knot  62  comes into interfering engagement with aperture  64  to lodge the knot thereagainst. Edge  66  of leg  26  includes a pair of slots  68 ,  70  to define a tab  72 . Edge  80  of leg  28  includes a pair of slots  74 ,  76  to define a tab  78 . The end of loop  60  is disengagably engageable with both tabs  72  and  78  to retain the panels adjacent one another.  
         [0051]      FIG. 2  illustrates fixture  22  in the expanded state ready to receive and support a drain hose (as shown in  FIG. 1 ).  FIG. 3  illustrates fixture  22  in the collapsed or compact state for storage, shipment and for other purposes. In the collapsed state, panels  40 ,  42  of cross member  30  are folded adjacent one another to place them intermediate and adjacent with panels  48 ,  36 , (or legs  26 ,  28 ) respectively. Such folding places legs  26 ,  28  essentially adjacent one another as illustrated. As particularly shown in  FIG. 1 , loop  60  extends about drain hose  14  and is secured to tab  72  to retain the drain hose upon cross member  30  and intermediate panels  36 ,  48  of legs  26 ,  28 , respectively. In the compact state, shown in  FIG. 3 , loop  60  engages tabs  72 ,  78  to retain fixture  22  in the collapsed state.  
         [0052]     To provide an incline for drain hose  14  supported upon fixture  22 , edges  66 ,  80  of legs  26 ,  28 , respectively, are angled toward edges  82 ,  84  of legs  26 ,  28 , respectively, in the direction of arrow  86 . Thereby, the elevation of cross member  30  is lower at the pointed end of the arrow than the elevation of the cross member corresponding with the other end of the arrow. The cross member, being inclined, provides an inclined support for drain hose  14  to encourage flow of fluid and particulate matter therethrough.  
         [0053]     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , drain hose  14  is supported directly upon fixtures  22  and  24 . Storage of a conventional drain hose used for evacuating a holding tank of a recreational vehicle is often a problem due to the flexible nature of the hose and the fact that retaining it longitudinally compressed is awkward at best. To avoid this problem, a trough  90  may be used, as shown in  FIGS. 5, 6 ,  7  and  8 . The trough is of a length commensurate with the length of the drain hose in its longitudinally compressed state. To retain the hose within the trough for storage and other purposes, a plurality of interlocking straps of the hook and loop type (sometimes sold under the trademark Velcro) extending from the trough and wrapped about the drain hose may be employed.  
         [0054]     In operation, trough  90  may be placed in fixture  22 , as shown in  FIG. 6 , to rest upon cross member  30  and intermediate the upper ends  100 , of legs  26 ,  28 , respectively. Loop  60  is used as described above to retain drain hose  14  and trough  90  in the fixture. In operation, straps  92 ,  94  are released from one another to permit extension of the drain hose, as shown in  FIG. 7 , to interconnect the ends of the drain hose with outlet  96  of a holding tank in a recreational vehicle and with a conduit  18  attendant a waste disposal facility. It is to be appreciated that the length of trough  90  is primarily a function of the longitudinally compressed length of the drain hose supported therein.  
         [0055]      FIGS. 5 and 7  particularly illustrate fixture  24 . Fixture  24  is identical in construction and configuration with fixture  22  accept that it is of much lesser length. This reduced length provides several advantages. First, storage of the much smaller fixture  24  is easier as the amount of volume needed for storage is significantly reduced, including a reduction in the length requirements of such storage location. Depending upon the length of the run of drain hose  14 , one fixture  24 , a pair of fixtures (as shown in  FIG. 5 ), three fixtures (as shown in  FIG. 7 ) or more fixtures may be used to provide an inclined support for the drain hose. To ensure such inclined support, the plurality of fixtures  24  would be configured of descending height and inclined in the direction of arrows  86 , as illustrated with particularity in  FIG. 7 . The spacing between fixtures  24  would be a function of the relative longitudinal rigidity of drain hose  14  in order to minimize droop between the fixtures. The use of trough  90  in the alternative eliminates such droop irrespective of the spacing between the fixtures, provided only that at least two of the fixtures support the trough.  
         [0056]     As described above, each of fixtures  22 ,  24  is formed of a pair of legs pivotally or foldably engaged with one another through a further pair of pivotable/foldable panels of a cross member. By dimensioning the lateral dimension of the cross member to be greater than the diameter of the drain hose, the cant or splay of legs  24 ,  28  relative to one another in the operative configuration is dictated by the diameter of the supported drain hose. That is, when weight is placed upon the cross member, lower edges  66 ,  80  of the legs will tend to be splayed apart from one another unless restrained. Such restraint is provided by the drain hose itself due to upper ends  100 , 102  bearing against the drain hose or against trough  90  when used. Thereby, no further structural members are necessary to permit the fixtures to provide rigid support for the supported drain hose and the fixture is rigid in the dynamic mode.  
         [0057]     A further embodiment of an inclined support system  110  is shown connected to a waste water tank within a recreational vehicle, such as trailer  112 . A drain hose  114  may be directly connected to a waste disposal inlet  116 , as shown. Alternatively, the drain hose may include an outlet connected to a coupling for engagement with a conduit associated with a waste disposal facility, as shown in detail in  FIG. 1 . Inclined support system  110  may include three supports  118 ,  120  and  122 , as illustrated. Each of these supports includes a plurality of pairs of legs of descending length from trailer  112  to waste disposal inlet  116 . Thereby, each of the supports is at an incline and the totality of supports presents a continuous incline. Drain hose  114 , resting within the plurality of supports is at a commensurate incline to encourage the flow of waste water from trailer  112  to waste disposal inlet  116 .  
         [0058]     Referring jointly to  FIGS. 10, 11 ,  12 ,  13  and  14 , details attendant each support will be described. A pair of legs  130  extend downwardly and outwardly from the upper end of support  118 . Further pairs of legs  132 ,  134  are of descending length and extend downwardly and outwardly from support  118 . Thereby, these three pairs of legs position support  118  at a downward incline from trailer  112 . A further pair of legs  136  may extend from the upper end of support  120  or this pair of legs may extend from the junction between support  118  and  120  to mechanically connect these two supports with one another. Further pairs of legs  138 ,  140  extend downwardly and outwardly from support  120 , which pairs of legs are of descending length to continue with the incline set by support  118 . As with pair of legs  136 , pair of legs  140  may be attached at the junction between supports  120  and  122  to mechanically engage the supports with one another. Further pairs of legs  142 ,  144  (one leg of which pairs are not shown because they are too short to be viewed in  FIG. 10 ) These pairs of legs are also of descending length to place support  122  at an incline which is an extension of the incline represented by supports  118  and  120 . With these multiple pairs of legs of descending length from the trailer to the waste disposal inlet, drain hose  114  supported thereby is at an incline to encourage flow of wastewater therethrough.  
         [0059]     Referring particularly to  FIGS. 11, 12 ,  13  and  14 , details attendant support  120 , representative of each of the supports, will be described in further detail. Support  120  includes a partial cylindrical element  150  having a slot at the upper center. A channel  154  is formed along cylindrical element  150  on one side of the vertical center. A similar channel  156  is formed as a mirror image on the other side of the cylindrical element. For robustness and other purposes which will be discussed below, inner sides  158 ,  160  of channels  154 ,  156 , respectively, are joined by a plate  162  formed as part of cylindrical element  150 . The purpose of channels  154 ,  156  is that of slidably receiving and retaining the pairs of supporting legs. As shown in  FIG. 11 , a leg  164  of a pair of legs (such as pair of legs  138 ) is slid into channel  154 , as represented by arrows  166 . At a distance removed from leg  164  there is illustrate a leg  168  lodged in place within channel  154 . As discussed above, the length of leg  164  is greater than the leg  168  to provide the above discussed incline to support  120 . As particularly shown in  FIG. 14 , leg  164  of a pair of legs is slidably inserted into channel  156 , as represented by arrow  170 .  
         [0060]     Preferably, each of the legs, such as leg  172 , shown in  FIG. 12 , is formed into a triangular configuration by a length of wire  174 . As illustrated, leg  172  is generally in the shape of an isosceles triangle with a rounded bottom apex  176 . At the base of the triangle (upper part), the ends  178 ,  180  of wire  174  may be folded back upon themselves to establish a relative degree of robustness. Splaying of the sides of the isosceles triangle represented by leg  172  is prevented by selecting wire  174  of an appropriate modulus of elasticity.  
         [0061]     A further embodiment of a leg  190  is illustrated in  FIG. 13 . This leg is also formed from a length of wire  192  bent into essentially an isosceles triangle and having a rounded apex  194 . Upper ends  196 ,  198  of wire  192  may be bent into a convoluted form, as illustrated, with the terminal ends in contact with one another. Alternatively, the terminal ends may be mechanically secured to one another by welding or the like. The convoluted shape of ends  196 ,  198  add to robustness to the retained upper end of leg  190 .  
         [0062]     Referring jointly to  FIGS. 15, 16  and  17 , a variant of the legs supporting one or more of supports  118 ,  120  and  122  will be described. A plurality of pairs of these variant legs extend from the respective supports and are of descending length from the trailer to the waste disposal inlet, as described above in detail with respect to  FIG. 10 . Each of variant legs  200  is formed from a sheet  202  of plastic or the like. Extensions  204 ,  206  extending from the sides of the isosceles triangular shape of variant leg  200  are folded to provide a double thickness, as shown in  FIG. 17 . Such double thickness will add to the robustness of each of the variant legs. These folded over extensions extend short of to upper edge  208  of the variant leg whereby the upper edge may be removably lodged in a respective one of the channels of a support, as discussed above with respect to  FIG. 11 .  
         [0063]     As particularly shown in  FIGS. 18, 19  and  20 , a variant support  210  is illustrated, which includes a pair of channels  212 ,  214  extending downwardly and outwardly. Legs, such as legs  200  shown in  FIG. 16  and  17  may be joined with these channels by inserting edge  208  into the channels until extensions  204 ,  206  bear against the opening edges of the channels. As particularly illustrated in  FIG. 19 , support  210  does not include a plate  162  (as shown in  FIG. 14 ). When drain hose  114  becomes partially filled with waste water  220 , the resulting weight will exert a downward force upon the support, as depicted by arrow  222 . This weight may cause legs  200  to splay outwardly, as depicted by arrows  224 ,  226 . Such outward splaying of these legs with commensurate movement of channels  212 ,  214  will cause upper edges  228 ,  230  of support  210  to bend radially inwardly, as depicted by arrows  232 ,  234 . The resulting movement of the edges of support  210  will tend to compress drain hose  114  therein, as depicted by dashed line  236 . Thereby, support  210 , along with adjacent supports, will firmly grip the drain hose to prevent longitudinal movement thereof.  
         [0064]     Referring jointly to  FIGS. 21 and 22 , there is shown a further variant of the legs. Support  240  includes channels  212  and  214  (not shown) similar to the channels shown in  FIG. 20 . A leg  242  is pivotally secured to channel  212  by a pin.  244  pivotally securing the leg within the channel. During non use of support  240 , leg  242  may be pivoted upwardly, as depicted by arrow  246  until the length of the leg engages and is retained by channel  212 . It is to be understood that these pivoting legs extending from support  240  are of descending length to insure an incline of support  240  when in use.  
         [0065]     Aside from use of the present invention in conjunction with the discharge of waste water, it may be used for a number of other purposes to convey water or other fluid from one location to a lower location. As depicted in  FIG. 23 , one such use may be that of conveying water from a downspout  250  of a house or other structure  252 . Herein, a hose  254  is attached to the downspout by a coupling  256  or the like. The hose rests upon a plurality of supports, such as supports  258 ,  260  and  262 . Each of these supports is located at a downward incline from downspout  250  by descending lengths of a plurality of pairs of legs  264 ,  266 ,  268 ,  270 ,  272 ,  274  and  276 . Outlet  278  drains the outflow of water into a catch basin  280  or the like.  
         [0066]     Storage of a drain hose used in conjunction with disposal of wastewater from a recreational vehicle is generally achieved by inserting the hose into a hollow square rear bumper of the vehicle. While this storage system is clearly operative, it is less than optimal. Referring to  FIG. 24 , there is illustrated a more elegant capability for storing a drain hose. A support  290  is configured to receive a drain hose  292 , as discussed and illustrated above. Typically, these drain hoses are longitudinally compressible to a length approximately one third of their normal stretched length. In a system, such as illustrated in FIGS.  10  or  15  incorporating three supports, one of these supports may be used for storage of the drain hose. As support  290  and the supports discussed above, form a slotted cylinder having edges extending past the horizontal midpoint, a drain hose placed therein must be inserted and removed through one end or another as it cannot be easily lifted laterally out of the support. By compressing drain hose  292  within the length of support  290 , as illustrated in  FIG. 24 , the support retains the full length of the drain hose. To maintain it in place, a strap of the hook and loop type of closure device is adhered or otherwise secured within a channel  296  on one side of support  290 . The other element  298  of the hook and loop device is adhered or otherwise secured within a further channel  300 . By bringing strap  294  across the end of support  290 , hose  292  is prevented from being withdrawn from this end. A similar strap  294  and corresponding element is attached to channel  300 ,  296 , respectively, at the other end of the support. Thus, the drain hose is prevented from being withdrawn from the other end of the support.  
         [0067]     As an alternative closure for a support, a cap, such as cap  304  shown in  FIG. 25 , may be used. This cap is insertable in each of the ends of a selected support for housing the drain hose. Presently, the preferred embodiment of the various supports shown and described is support  120  shown in  FIG. 11 . It provides the necessary rigidity for the depending legs. Moreover, the use of plate  162  prevents the support from rolling when in storage or during transport. It also eliminates the expense of forming channels  296  and  300 , as shown for support  290  in  FIG. 24 . Irrespective of which support is used, cap  304  may be lodged in each end to retain a compressed drain hose therewithin.