Method and apparatus for cleaning a pipe system provided for the operation of baths

• US 4,857,112 A
• Filed: 07/06/1987
• Issued: 08/15/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thomas K. Franninge
• Original Assignee: Thomas K. Franninge
• Inventors: Franninge, Thomas K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pal, Asok
• Application Number:
  US07/070,222
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 210/169, 4/622, 4/543, 4/507, 4/541, 4/542, 4/490, 4/492, 134/22.1, 134/22.11, 134/22.12, 134/25.1, 134/25.4, 134/22.18, 15/104.03, 15/104.05, 15/104.06, 15/104.3 R, 137/386, 137/391, 137/392
• US Class Current: 134/22.12
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2033/0012 by rinsing
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2033/0016 using cleansing products
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2033/0054 with liquid level detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 33/0087 Therapeutic baths with agitated or circulated water
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 33/02 Bathing devices for use with gas-containing liquid, or liquid in which gas is led or generated, e.g. carbon dioxide baths A61H33/6026 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 33/60 Components specifically designed for the therapeutic baths of groups A61H33/00 plumbing E03C1/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 33/601 Inlet to the bath
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 33/6068 Outlet from the bath
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/304 using fluid under pressure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 4/09 Methods
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7303 Control of both inflow and outflow of tank
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7306 Electrical characteristic sensing

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of cleaning a pipe system (3) in baths, preferably bath tubs, through which pipe system water and/or air is led into the bath-water (6) of the bath (1) to produce water currents and/or water/air currents (4) and/or air bubbles (5) therein. For effective cleaning, the pipe system (3) is flushed with pure water (31) after a bath has been taken before impurities in said pipe system have/had time to dry. A suitable apparatus for carrying out said method comprises a sensor (49) which is adapted to sense when bathing in the bath (1) has been concluded and to deliver when the bathing has been concluded a signal to a time lag relay (34) which is adapted to open a valve (33) for supply of flushing water (31) to a flushing device (30) for flushing of the pipe system (3) a certain time after the time lag relay (34) has received said signal from the sensor (49).

Claims

1. A method of cleaning a pipe system having a plurality of conduits in baths comprising flushing said pipe system by passing flushing water from a supply system to the pipe system in a plurality of stages such that flushing water form the supply system is passed in each flushing stage to one conduit or one group of conduits while the supply of flushing water to the other conduits in the pipe system is closed so that the pressure of the flushing water in the conduit or group of conduits being flushed in each flushing stage is higher than the pressure of the flushing water would be if all conduits of the pipe system were flushed simultaneously.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein some of said conduits of the pipe system supply water to the bath to produce water currents in the bath water.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein other, of said conduits of the pipe system supply air to the bath ot produce air currents or air bubbles in the bath water.

4. The method as cliamed in claim 1, wherein the flushing of the pipe system is started automatically when a bath is concluded and the flushing of the pipe system is automatically stopped after a predetermined time which is sufficient to flush all conduits in the pipe system.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the flushing of the pipe system started automatically when the bath water level falls below a predetermined level in the bath before impurities in the pipe system have had time to dry in the system.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein flushing water is delivered to the conduits by flushing jets from a plurality of successive sections within the conduits and directed substantially in a tranverse direction toward the inner surfaces of said conduits at a pressure so as to hit the inner surfaces of the conduits with sufficient force to dislodge impurities situated on the inner surface of the conduits before said impurities have dried on the inner surfaces of said conduits.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the flushing jets are delivered against the inner surfaces of the conduits after said conduits have been emptied of water.

8. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the conduits are located at different levels in the pipe system wherein a conduit or group of conduits located at the highest level are flushed in a first flushing stage and the conduit or group of conduits located at the next highest level are flushed in the succeeding flushing stages until all conduits in the pipe system have been flushed.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the pipe system comprises two air conduits located at an upper level, two water conduits located at a level lower than said two air conduits and a least one other conduit located at a level lower than said two water conduits and wherein one of the two air conduits is flushed in a first flushing stage, the other one of the two air conduits is flushed in a second stage, one of the the two water conduits is flushed in a third flushing stage, the other one of the two water conduits is flushed in a fourth flushing stage and the remaining conduits are flushed in succeeding flushing stages.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein disinfectant is supplied under pressure to the flushing water.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said disinfectant is chlorine.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the disinfectant is supplied to the flushing water for each flushing stage.

13. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the supply of disinfectant to the flushing water is halted before the flushing water supply in each flushing stage is halted, to permit an amount of flushing water without disinfectant to pass through the conduit or group of conduits at the end of each flushing stage.

14. An apparatus for cleaning a pipe system for baths having a plurality of conduits comprising a sensor for sensing when bathing in the bath is concluded and generating a signal when bathing is concluded, a time lag relay which receives the signal generated by the sensor and opens a valve for supplying flushing water, and a flushing device for receiving the supply of flushing water and flushing the pipe system a predetermined time after the time lay relay has received the signal from the sensor, said predetermined time being selected so that the flushing of the pipe system occurs before impurities in the pipe system have time to dry therein.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein said sensor comprises a bath water level sensor which senses when the bath water in the bath falls to a predetermined level before impurities in the pipe system have had time to dry in the system.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein said time lag relay is caused to start when the bath water level sensor delivers a signal that the bath water level in the bath has fallen to said predetermined level.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, further comprising at least one conduit extending within said plurality of conduits of said pipe system and said conduit having holes disposed in successive sections for delivering flushing jets of water in transverse direction in relation to said conduits of the pipe system onto the inner surfaces of said conduits of the pipe system.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein said at least one conduit extends in a withdrawable manner through said conduits of the pipe system and is fixed at the entrance thereof by a coupling.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, further comprising a distributing valve having motor driven distributing means in the form of a rotatably mounted valve disk provided with a peripherally extending flushing water passage which communicates with a supply system for supplying flushing water, said flushing water passage being rotatable by said distribyting means so as to communicate with each conduit or group of conduits in the pipe system.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, further comprising a squeegee pump for dispensing disinfectant from a disinfectant container to the distributing valve.

18. The apparatus of cliam 17, wherein said at least one conduit comprises a flexible hose which is bent conformity with the curve portions of the conduits of the pipe system.