Abstract:
A drain pan collects condensate water from an air conditioner. A drain line includes an elbow connecting the pan to a vertical pipe that drains the condensate water to outside. The drain line must be periodically cleaned to prevent clogging. A kit and method is provided to modify the drain line so that it can then be cleaned more easily, and components are provided to facilitate the drain line cleaning process.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to air conditioning apparatus and more particularly to apparatus and methods for maintenance of the water line that drains water from a pan that receives water that condenses on the evaporator coils of an air conditioning system. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It is well known in the art to provide a receptacle such as a tray or pan beneath the evaporator coils of an air conditioner to receive water that condenses from the air as it is cooled. A drain pipe line is generally connected to a side wall of the tray to drain the condensate water as it accumulates. The drain pipe line is commonly a horizontal pipe connected to the pan followed by an elbow, then a vertical line. The vertical line generally terminates outside the building in a water trap to drain to the atmosphere. The line is commonly formed of either one inch or three quarter inch rigid pipe, but other sizes may be used. Because water may stand still in the system, various microorganisms may grow in the tray and drain pipe until they clog up the drainage system. When this occurs, water overflowing from the tray may cause considerable damage. Because the drainage system and tray are out of sight and may be relatively inaccessible, they may be neglected until damage occurs. Clearing obstructions in the drain line and routine maintenance of the drain line are now generally done by manually disconnecting the drain line and blowing out, or sucking out, obstructions. The drain line is then reconnected. A less labor intensive and convenient system would encourage routine maintenance and avoid complete blockage. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an assembly or kit for service personnel to facilitate maintenance. The kit supplies all of the necessary items that enable the service person to modify the drainage system so that it is then much easier to clean out the drain line by forcing fluids through it on this visit and on future visits. A first unit of the kit is a flexible connector adapted to fit onto the rigid pipe after a portion of the pipe line has been permanently cut away. The flexible connector is open at both ends. Each end is provided with a hose clamp to make a water-tight seal of the connector to restore the integrity of the drain line after the portion of the original pipe line has been cut away. The flexible connector may be straight to replace a straight section of drain pipe or an elbow to replace an elbow section of drain pipe. A proximal end of the flexible connector is easily disconnected from the pipe line when it is desired to clean out the line. A rigid straight connector has a first open end adapted for fluid tight insertion into the opened end of the flexible connector. The second open end of the rigid straight connector is provided with a threaded female water hose coupling. This is also termed a garden hose connector. The kit then provides the service person with four different options for clearing the drain line by providing three different fluid adapters, each of which simply screws into the female water hose coupling on the second end of the rigid connector fitted onto the flexible connector. Each fluid adapter has the male water hose connection at a first end, and the second end has one of: 
     1. A barbed tube for connection to a resilient tube that may supply fluid such as air or liquid to dislodge and/or wash away an obstruction or flush the drain line. 
     2. A compressed gas tire valve housing for delivering compressed gas. 
     3. A tapered funnel adapted to receive the nozzle of a wet vacuum/blower hose. 
     A fourth option uses a garden hose for forcing water through the line. The conventional garden hose terminates in a male water hose connection. 
     After the line is cleared, the rigid connector is pulled from the end of the flexible connector, after the hose clamp is loosened. The free end of the flexible connector is then forced onto the drain line and secured with the hose clamp to restore the integrity of the drain line until the next maintenance visit. 
     These and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the detailed description of an exemplary embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are designated by like reference characters in the various drawing figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side elevation view of a condensate drain line of the prior art. 
         FIG. 2  is a side elevation view of the condensate drain line after the elbow has been replaced and maintenance completed. 
         FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of the condensate drain line after a vertical section has been replaced and maintenance completed. 
         FIG. 4  is a plan view of a kit of the invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a side elevation view of a portion of the condensate drain line after elbow has been replaced and ready for maintenance with barbed tube in place. 
         FIG. 6  is a side elevation view of a portion of the condensate drain line after a straight section has been replaced and ready for maintenance with tire valve housing in place. 
         FIG. 7  is a side elevation view of a portion of the condensate drain line after elbow section has been replaced and ready for maintenance with the tapered funnel in place. 
         FIG. 8  is a side elevation view, partially cut away, of a portion of the condensate drain line after elbow section has been replaced and ready for maintenance with a garden hose in place. 
         FIG. 9  is a sectional detail of a portion of  FIG. 7  with nozzle in place. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now first to the drawing  FIG. 1 , a prior art drain line pipe  5  is in fluid communication with side  27  of a pan  28 . The pan receives atmospheric water that condenses on the evaporator coils  29  of an air conditioning unit (not shown). The drain line  5  may have a variety of configurations and pipe sizes to fit a particular installation. It starts with an elbow  1  at the pan  28 , and connects to a vertical pipe  2 . The line terminates with a water trap  26  that empties water outside the building. Marks A-A indicate where the elbow is cut away to install a flexible elbow of the invention. Marks B-B indicate where a straight portion of the vertical pipe is cut away to install a flexible straight connector of the invention. A decision will be made to install only one of these flexible connectors, based upon the physical conditioned found by the user. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates the condition of the drain line pipe  5  after pipe elbow  1  has been cut away, a flexible elbow  3  has been installed, and the maintenance completed. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates the drain line pipe after a portion of straight pipe  2  has been cut away, the flexible straight connector  6  has been installed, and the maintenance completed. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a portable maintenance kit  16  of the invention that is supplied to a person servicing air conditioning equipment. The kit supplies, within an internal volume  17 , all the special materials needed to modify an air conditioning drainage pipe system for easier cleaning. At present, most systems employ three quarter inch pipe or one inch pipe. The kit provides materials to modify those pipes. In future, items for other pipe sizes may then be included. The kit includes: a flexible elbow  3  having a hose clamp  4  at each open end, and a straight connector  6  with a hose clamp  4 , at each open end, both for three quarter inch pipe, and flexible elbow  3   w  and flexible straight connector  6   w , both for one inch pipe; a rigid straight connector  7  having a first open end adapted to fit snugly into an open end of either elbow  3  or straight connector  6 , and a second open end having a threaded female water hose coupling; a rigid straight connector  7   w  having a first open end adapted to fit snugly into an open end of either elbow  3   w  or straight connector  6   w , and a second open end having a threaded female water hose coupling  9 ; a rigid fluid connector  10  having a first open end provided with a threaded male water hose coupling  11  and a second open end provided with a barbed tube  18  for a resilient hose; a rigid fluid connector  12  having a first open end provided with a threaded male water hose coupling  11  and a second open end provided with a tapered funnel  19  adapted for receiving a hose nozzle from a wet vacuum/blower; and a rigid fluid connector  13  having a first open end provided with a threaded male water hose coupling  11  and a second open end provided with a compressed gas tire valve housing  20 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates the use of the invention preparatory to clearing the drain line with a fluid source terminating in a resilient tube, when flexible elbow  3  has been installed. The elbow  3  is released at its upper end, rotated, and rigid straight connector  7  inserted by a first end  8  into the free end of elbow  3  to make a fluid tight connection. A second end of connector  7  provides a female water hose coupling  9 . A rigid fluid connector  10  has a male water hose coupling  11  at a first end and a barbed tube  18  at a second end to receive a resilient tube to force cleaning fluid through the line from a source of fluid (not shown). 
       FIG. 6  is a side elevation view of a portion of the condensate drain line  2  after a straight section has been replaced by flexible straight connector  6  and ready for maintenance with tire valve housing fluid connector  13  in place. 
       FIG. 7  is a view of a portion of the condensate drain line after elbow section  1  has been replaced by flexible elbow  3  and rigid straight connector  7 , and ready for maintenance with the tapered funnel fluid connector  12  in place ready to receive a hose nozzle (not shown) from a wet vacuum/blower. 
       FIG. 8  is a view of a portion of the condensate drain line after elbow section  1  has been replaced by elbow  3  and rigid straight connector  7 , and ready for maintenance with garden hose  14 . 
       FIG. 9  is a sectional detail of a portion of  FIG. 7  with hose nozzle  15  from a wet vacuum blower (not shown) in place on tapered funnel end  19  of fluid connector  12 . The male water hose coupling end  11  of connector  12  fits securely in the female coupling end of straight connector  7  which is sealingly engaged in the free end of flexible elbow  3 . The joint between male and female couplings is provided with a resilient washer  21 . 
     While I have shown and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise than as herein specifically illustrated or described, and that certain changes in form and arrangement of parts and the specific manner of practicing the invention may be made within the underlying idea or principles of the invention.