A METHOD AND DEVICE FOR LAYING WASTE PIPES IN HOLLOW FLOORING BLOCKS

Abstract: When laying waste-water pipes in so-called hollow floor structures, a straight waste pipe (6) is fitted with a moulding (12) and a pipe-bend (7, 8) for connection to a waste collecting pipe (4) and to a sanitary appliance respectively. The waste pipe (6) is inserted into a hollow channel (2) in the floor structure (1), with the pipe-bend (7, 8) first, where after pipe-bend (7, 8) is lifted up into a hole drilled from the floor surface down into an underlying hollow channel, and secured in the hole. The sanitary appliance, or apparatus, can then be connected to the pipe-bend (7, 8) and the moulding (12) connected to the collecting pipe (4). The pipe-bend (7, 8) is fixed in the hole at a determined height therein with the aid of a device (18) having the form of an arm of inverse L-shape.

Description: A method and device for laying waste pipes in hollow flooring blocks. The present invention relates, to a method for laying waste pipes, waste-water pipes and the like in the hollow channels of hollow flooring slabs or blocks. The invention also relates to a novel device for facilitat¬ ing adjustment of the.fall of the pipes. So-called hollow decks are produced by concrete manufac¬ turing industries the world over, for use as flooring slabs in building construction work. By hollow-deck is meant a prefabricated concrete slab or block of desired dimensions, in which elongated, hollow channels are formed, in order to reduce the weight of the concrete blocks. These channels may have a circular, and ellipti¬ cal or a square cross-section. One problem arising from the use of such hollow-decks in the construction of flooring structures resides in the laying of waste pipes or corresponding conduits in the floor. Normally, these hollow-decks are smoothed-off with a top layer of con¬ crete, to a thickness of about 50 mm, which does not leave room in which waste pipes can be laid. Consequent¬ ly, when constructing buildings in which the floors are comprised of hollow flooring blocks, it has hitherto been normal practice to use for the flooring of wet rooms homogenous concrete blocks in which waste pipes have been moulded or cast in situ. Because of this, the costs of making structural alterations to wet rooms have been relatively high, and it has been impossible to change the location of a wet room within an existing building. In the case of present day building designs in which wet rooms are constructed with homogenous concrete flooring, the rooms have been located so that horizontal waste pipes can be connected to a down pipe or vertical waste pipe incorporated in a wall of a building. Walls which are sufficiently thick to accommodate down pipes are often apartment dividing walls, and a waste pipe incorporated in such walls will act to transmit sound between the apartments, which is not at all desirable. In recent times, horizontal pipe-slots have been formed in the outer walls of buildings, on a level with the floors of said building, in an endeavour to solve the problem of laying waste pipes. By placing the wet rooms adjacent these outer walls, it is possible to connect the waste pipes to a main pipe or collecting pipe, through the pipe-slots. The slots are then insulated and sealed-off, by coating the outer surfaces of the walls with an appropriate facing material. When this pipe- laying method is applied, however, the building lay-out or floor plan is totally restricted to the original plan or lay-out and leaves no room for flexibility. A buil¬ ding which is constructed of concrete can well stand for hundreds of years. It is very likely, however, that the purpose of the building will vary during its lifetime and that reasons will occur for wishing to change the locations of the wet rooms within such buildings. The present invention affords a solution to the afore¬ said problems associated with present day methods of laying waste pipes in buildings, irrespective of whether the buildings are intended as dwelling houses or in¬ tended for some other purpose. The method offers a flexible system for laying waste pipes in buildings of basic concrete construction, in which the floor struc¬ tures comprise so-called hollow decks, as hereinbefore defined. To this end, the inventive method has the characteristic features set forth in the following claims and a device has been invented which will ensure that pipes of mutually different lengths will be laid with the correct pipe fall. The inventive method enables wet rooms to be located anywhere in a building which comprises floor structures in which hollow channels extend over the whole of the structure. In order to be able to apply the inventive pipe-laying method, it is necessary that the building concerned is provided along the whole of its length with so-called pipe-slots intended for accommodating main collecting pipes, on a level with the respective floor structures of the building. The hollow channels incorporated in the floor structures are intended to open into these slots. Of all the sanitary appliances installed in a building, water closets are the most difficult to position, be¬ cause they require the largest (diameter) waste pipes. In view of this, the present invention will be described with reference to waste pipes which extend from a water closet. Accordingly, the following description relates to the steps which need to be followed when installing waste pipes of requisite size in hollow channels of common or standard dimensions. Prior to commencing the work of installing the pipes, it is necessary to make a hole, preferably a central hole, from the top of the concrete floor structure down through the concrete and into an underlying hollow channel. By forming the hole with a so-called concrete drill, i.e. a core-removing tube drill, whose diameter is smaller than the largest cross-dimension of the channel concerned, it is ensured that satisfactory connection with the channel will be achieved, even though the measurements taken may be incorrect. The waste pipe, which is passed in through the aforesaid pipe-slot and into a hollow channel, is preprepared by connecting to a straight waste pipe of requisite length pipe-bends which together form an angle of about 90° to the longitudinal axis of the straight pipe length. This pipe assembly is then passed into the hollow channel, with the pipe-bend first, whereafter a moulded fitting is coupled to the outer end of the pipe. When the pipe- bend reaches the hole drilled into the channel from the top of the floor surface, the pipe-bend is lifted up and secured in the hole, at a level therein which will ensure that the pipe is inclined at the requisite fall angle. The fitting at the outer end of the pipe is then con¬ nected to a collecting pipe, or to a main waste pipe, located in the aforesaid pipe-slot, with the aid of a further pipe-bend, pipe-elbow or some other device. The pipes used in accordance with the invention prefer¬ ably lack muff-couplings and are therefore preferably joined together with the aid of so-called sweep coup¬ lings, for instance couplings of the kind described and illustrated in Swedish Patent Specification No. 338019. These couplings include rubber cuffs or plastic cuffs which lie in abutment with the pipes, and hence sound vibrations occurring in the pipes will be dampened such as to prevent the transmission of said vibrations to the building framework. The waste pipes will thus hang freely in the hollow channels between the sweep coup¬ lings, therewith minimizing the possiblity of pipe acoustics converting to building framework acoustics. When using cast-iron pipes, which due to their heavy mass are less likely to vibrate, the problem of sound transmission is eliminated practically totally in a waste-pipe system constructed in accordance with the invention. This elimination of sound vibrations is especially important in the case of bathrooms or toilets situated above a bedroom. When fixating the pipe-bend located on the inner end of the waste pipe in the hole drilled from above into the hollow channel,the hole is first lined with a filling box, preferably in the form of a cylindrical mould having two radially spaced and mutually coaxial cylin¬ drical sleeve-like elements of mutually different dia¬ meter which are interconnected by an intermediate, annular and horizontal element. The sleeve of smallest diameter is placed in the hole, so that the horizontal element will abut the upper surface of the floor. The cylindrical sleeve having the larger diameter forms a hollow mould when applying an upper concrete surface to the concrete flooring slabs. The filling box is provided with a loose mould bottom which includes a hole through which the pipe-bend can pass and which will enable future relocation of the waste pipe, on which relocating-occasion the hole lead¬ ing to the underlying hollow channel can be filled-in, without needing to fill-in the hollow channel with concrete. Subsequent to fitting a waste closet con¬ necting pipe to the pipe-bend of the original instal¬ lation, the lower part of the filling box is filled with mineral wool or some other sound insulating material. Prior to applying a surface layer to the floor of the wet room, the means by which the pipe-bend is secured in said hole is placed in its permanent position, where¬ after the upper part of the moudling box is filled with a readily-broken concrete mass, for instance concrete which contains LecaKulor . The water closet is then installed in a conventional manner, prior to smooting- off the concrete floor. A method according to the invention using means for fixating the pipe-bend in the hole formed drilled from above into an underlying hollow channel will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure l illustrates schematically three hollow decks fitted with collecting pipes and main pipes; Figure 2 is a schematic, cross-sectional view of a hollow channel in which a preassembled waste pipe has been inserted; Figure 3 is a view corresponding to the view of Figure 2 and showing a waste pipe fixed in position and connected to a main pipe; and Figure 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary view of a waste pipe, showing the attachment of the leading pipe-bend fitted thereto. The building in which the inventive method is applied will have provided in an outer wall surface thereof a number of so-called pipe-slots 3 in which collecting pipes 4 are fitted. The number of pipe-slots formed in said outer wall will equal the number of floors of the building. The floors are constructed from so-called hollow decks 1 which incorporate hollow channels 2, and the collecting pipes 4 are connected to waste pipes 5. A waste pipe 6 having mounted on the leading end thereof two pipe-bends 7, 8 each exhibiting an angle of 45°, is inserted into a hollow channel 2, through the horizon¬ tally extending pipe-slot 3 in said outer wall. The pipe-bends are connected to the pipe 6 by means of so- called sweep couplings 9, 10 which include inwardly lying rubber cuffs. A reducing pipe 12 is connected to the outer end of the pipe 6 in a corresponding manner, with the aid of a sweep coupling 11. This reducing pipe bridges the change in dimensions between, for instance, the diameter of the collecting pipe 4, this diameter being 110 mm and the diameter of the waste pipe 6, a diameter of 75 mm. When the waste pipe 6 has been inserted fully into the hollow channel 2, the pipe-bend 8 is located immediately beneath a hole 13, preferably a circular hole, which has been sunk from the hollow-deck 1 into the hollow passage 2. Placed in the hole 13 is a filling box 14, which comprises two cylindrical, mutually coaxial sleeves interconnected by a horizontal annular element. The sleeve of smaller diameter 15 is operative to line the hole 13, with the annular part 16 of said box lying against the upper surface of the hollow-deck 1, such that the sleeve of larger diameter 17 will protrude above said surface and therewith form a hollow mould or filling space into which concrete is filled during the subsequent casting of surface concrete. The sweep coupling 10 is provided with a screw- tightening means 19 for tightening the coupling around the mutually opposing ends of the pipe-bends 7 and 8. Also connected to the screw-tightening device is an elongated arm 18, which is preferably provided with a number of holes along its axial extension. This arm can be used to lift the sweep coupling, and therewith the pipe-bend 8, up into the filling box 14. The pipe-bend 8 is lifted to a height above the bottom of the hollow channel 2 sufficient for the pipe 6 to obtain the re¬ quisite pipe-fall. With the pipe-bend 8 in this raised position, a loose, perforated mould bottom 20 is fitted over the end of the pipe-bend 8 and placed on a flange 21 which extends radially inwards from the sleeve of smaller diameter 15. The mould bottom 19 has provided therein a slot through which the arm 18 extends from the screw-tightening device 19. In accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention, the elongated arm 18 has an angled upper part in which a slot 22 is for¬ med. This slot is intended to receive a steel rod 23, preferably clad with rubber, which is sufficiently long to enable both ends of the rod to rest on the annular part 16. The rubber cladding on the rod 23 will effec¬ tively dampen vibrations, so as to prevent transmission of vibrations from the pipe to the hollow deck. A connecting pipe 24 is then fitted to the pipe-bend or pipe-elbow 8, whereafter the lower part of the filling box 14 is filled with sound insulating material and the upper part of the filling box is filled with smoothing cement or mortar, whereafter the floor of the wet room can be completed and the sanitary appliance or appliances may be put in place. Subsequent hereto, the reducing pipe 12 is connected to the main pipe 4 in the pipe-slot 3, with the aid of an 87° pipe-bend 25. Subsequent to completing all connec- tions on one storey or floor of the building, the pipe- slots 3 are filled with insulating material 26 and covered with an openable facade element 27. The inventive method enables pipes 6 of varying lengths to be used, and the length of the pipe will depend on the distance of the sanitary appliance concerned from the outer wall surface of the building. The arm 18 can be standardized so that when suspended from the rod 23 located in the slot 22, the shortest, length of pipe 6 used will obtain a standard pipe-fall. In order to ensure that the rod 23 will be held posi¬ tively in the slot 22, the slot angle tapers slightly towards the longitudinal axis of the arm 18. As before mentioned, the arm 18 is preferably provided with a number of axially spaced holes. Thus, when the wet room is far removed from the outer wall and a longer waste pipe 6 is required, the requisite pipe-fall is obtained by inserting the rod 23 through an appropriate hole in the arm 18, such as the illustrated hole 28. It will be understood that the number of holes provided in the arm 18 and the spacing therebetween will correspond to the correct pipe-fall for standardized lengths of waste pipe 6.

Claims: Claims 1. A method for laying waste-water pipes in hollow floor slabs or blocks which incorporate hollow channels extending at right angles to one longside of a building structure and which open into a horizontal pipe-slot formed in said one long side, characterised by forming from the floor surface down into an underlying hollow channel a hole of smaller diameter than the largest cross-dimension of said channel and inserting into the channel a waste-pipe assembly having an outwardly ex¬ tending pipe-bend fitted to one end thereof and a moul¬ ding fitted to the other end thereof; moving the waste pipe assembly along said channel until the pipe-bend is located beneath said hole; lifting the pipe-bend into the hole and fixating said pipe-bend in said hole at a level such as to provide the requisite fall of said pipe. 2. A method according to Claim 1, characterised in that the moulding fitted to the pipe end adjacent said pipe- slot has the form of a reducing pipe having connected thereto a pipe-bend for connection to a collecting pipe or main waste pipe. 3. A method according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that waste.pipes, pipe-bends and mouldings are without muffs and are connected to one another by means of sweep-couplings provided with cuffs made of polymeric material. 4. A method according to any one of the preceding Claims, characterised by lining the hole formed in the hollow channel from above with a filling box prior to fixating the outwardly extending pipe-bend in said hole. said filling box having a part which protrudes above the surface of the floor structure and which is of larger cross-dimension than the part of the box placed in the hole, said box being provided with a loose bottom through which the pipe-bend extends into the hole. 5. A method according to any one of the preceding Claims, characterised in that the pipe-bend is detachably fixated in the filling box. 6. A device for use in the method of Claim 1 for the purpose of fixating a pipe-bend fitted to one end of a waste pipe positioned in a hollow channel in a hollow floor slab or block, characterised in that said device has the form of an arm which is provided at one end thereof with means for attachment of the device to the pipe-bend, and at the other end thereof with a slot which co-acts with a horizontal support element. 7. A device according to Claim 6, characterised in that the slot in said arm -tapers towards the geometric longitudinal axis of the arm. 8. A device according to Claim 6 or 7, characterised in that the arm has provided therein a plurality of mutu¬ ally spaced holes through which the horizontal support¬ ing element can be selectively inserted, such as to enable the pipe-bend to be secured at selected levels in the filling box, and therewith adapt the fall of re- spective pipes to correct angles. 9. A device according to Claims 6-8, characterised in that the horizontal supporting element is a rubber-clad rod.

Inventors: PETTERSSON SUNE, TEGLUND LARS, PETTERSSON, SUNE, TEGLUND, LARS
Applicants: GUSTAVSBERG IND AB, GUSTAVSBERG INDUSTRI AKTIEBOLAG
Application year: 1989
Main classification: E03C1
IPC codes: E03C1