Non-applicable.
The present invention relates generally to a toilet pan and more specifically to a toilet pan to prevent sub floor damage.
There is perhaps no greater household disaster than water damage. Not only do the physical portions of the house such as walls, woodwork, drywall, carpeting and the like get ruined, but personal belongings such as furniture, appliances and the like get destroyed as well. While water damage due to hurricanes or flooded rivers is out of our control in most cases, a great deal of damage can occur from faulty devices such as toilets, sinks and appliances.
While the market has responded with drain or catch pans for sinks, water heaters, washing machines and the like, nothing to date has been provided for toilets. Leaking wax rings and misaligned toilet rings can not only destroy ceilings directly below toilets but can result in wet and rotted subfloors in bathroom areas leading to costly repairs. Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which minor leaks from toilet can be controlled until proper repairs can be made. The development of the Sub Floor Damage Prevention Toilet Pan fulfills this need.
To achieve the above and other objectives, the present invention provides for a toilet leak protection device which has, a main pan area with a plurality of sides and a plurality of openings, a low rim disposed on the sides of the main pan area, a wax ring assembly having a wax torus include a bottom support and an interior flange, with the interior flange adapted to be disposed inside of the waste piping connection, and a pair of toilet flange bolt assemblies fastening the toilet leak protection device on top of the wax ring assembly and below the wax ring assembly. The openings include a waste opening, a pair of flange bolt openings, and a bypass drain opening.
The bypass drain opening may be adapted to be connected to a bypass drain piping. The bypass drain piping may be routed to a remote location. The remote location may be a crawlspace. The remote location may be an exterior location. The bypass drain piping may be not connected to a sanitary line. The bypass drain piping may be not connected to a storm line. The toilet leak protection device may capture any errant water and direct it away via the bypass drain piping when the toilet and/or the wax ring assembly develop a leak, becomes loose or as the wax ring degrades. The bypass drain opening may be adapted to be disposed in front of the toilet bottom where it will not interfere with the waste piping connection. The main pan area may cover an area from behind a bottom of the toilet bottom, around the wax ring assembly and an area bordered by the pair of flange opening bolts. The low rim may retain any released water and may be adapted to prevent water from damaging a flooring and a ceiling prior to its release via the bypass drain opening and the bypass drain piping.
The pair of toilet flange bolt assemblies may each have a flat head. The pair of toilet flange bolt assemblies may have a hollow bolt with an interior. The interior of the bolt shaft may include a plurality of access holes at the level of the main pain area. The interior of the bolt shaft may be filled with a moisture wicking material to lift any water moisture to on top of the bolt shaft. The bolt shaft may pass through the toilet bottom and may be terminated via a captive washer and a nut. The toilet leak protection device may comprise a decorative cap having a color changing insert. The color changing insert may change color when exposed to moisture through the moisture wicking material. The toilet leak protection device may be disposed on top of the wax ring assembly and below the wax ring assembly. The toilet leak protection device may be made of polyvinyl chloride plastic.
The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which:
The best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms of its preferred embodiment, herein depicted within
The terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one (1) of the referenced items.
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The preferred embodiment of the present invention can be utilized by the common user in a simple and effortless manner with little or no training. It is envisioned that the device 10 would be constructed in general accordance with
After procurement and prior to utilization, the toilet leak protection device 10 would be prepared in the following manner: installation would occur either as part of new construction or as part of a renovation in which the toilet 40 is removed; the two (2) toilet flange bolt assemblies 100 would be installed in the toilet flange bolt area 110 of the floor flange 50 in a conventional manner; the device 10 would be placed atop the floor flange 50 such that the toilet flange bolt assemblies 100 are inside of the flange opening bolts 30; the bypass drain opening 35 would be connected to the bypass drain piping 60; the bypass drain piping 60 would be routed to a remote location 65; the wax ring assembly 55 would be installed on the toilet bottom 80 in a conventional manner; the toilet 40 would be placed atop the device 10; installation would then proceed with the placement and tightening of the captive washer 130, the nut 135 and the decorative cap 140. At this point in time, the device 10 is ready for use. The pair of flange bolt openings 30 may be a pair of horizontal elongated flange bolt openings to facilitate installation of the main pan area.
During utilization of the device 10, the following procedure would be initiated: operation would proceed in a transparent manner to the user of the device 10. Should water leakage occur around the wax ring assembly 55, said leaked water will accumulate in the main pain area 15 and travel down the bypass drain opening 35, through the bypass drain piping 60 and to the remote location 65. Simultaneously, water will enter the access holes 120 of the bolt shaft 115 on the toilet flange bolt assemblies 100 and travel up the moisture wicking material 125. At the top, said moisture will contact the color changing insert 145 and result in a visible color change on the top exterior of the decorative cap 140. Upon visualizing the color change, the user may take appropriate action to correct, repair or replace the wax ring assembly 55 or other problem resulting in leakage.
After use of the device 10, it is reinstalled with new toilet flange bolt assemblies 100, a new decorative cap 140 and new color changing insert 145 to continue functioning in a repeating and cyclical manner.
The features of the present invention are ideal for new construction or retrofit applications. While the teachings of the device 10 may be applied on any toilet 40, it is viewed as especially beneficial on upper floors of a home or business where finished ceiling are directly below the device 10 equipped toilet 40. The device 10 prevents major water damage from leaking toilet 40 to flooring 70, ceiling 75, structures, and virtually anything located below the toilet 40.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
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