A nozzle for cleaning and rinsing drain conduits or the like

Abstract

 Inanozzfe(10)forcleaningor"unstopping"drains,witha a nozzle body (11) attached to a high-pressure hose (13) and having various jet orifices (14,16), a guide member consisting of a "bud" (20) and a flexible spring (18) is attached tothe front end of the nozzle body (11).
The guide member (20, 19) enables the nozzle to pass obstructions, such as sharp bends or opposing pipe end surfaces, more easily.

Description

[0001] A nozzle for cleaning and rinsing drain conduits and the like.

[0002] The present invention relates to a nozzle of the kind referred to in the preamble of claim 1.

[0003] Such nozzles are used for cleaning and - especially - "unstopping" domestic drains and the like, where the force of the jets of liquid, usually water, issuing from the various jet orifices is sufficient to dislodge and remove dirt adhering to the walls of the drain and obstructing the passage of drain water.

[0004] When such a nozzle, connected to the end of a high-pressure water hose, is pushed down along the drainpipe by pushing the hose into the drain hole, problems arise when the nozzle encounters an obstruction, such as a sharp bend or an end surface of a pipe in a joint facing in the opposite direction. If the user tries to move the nozzle past the obstruction by using more force on the hose, the result will often be that the hose is bent in the end region with the nozzle pointing more or less transversely to the surrounding part of the drain, and further pushing will only make matters worse by more or less wedging the nozzle in the conduit.

[0005] It is the object of the present invention to solve or at least alleviate the above problem, and this object is attained by a nozzle of the kind initially referred to, which according to the present invention exhibits the features set forth in the characterizing clause of claim 1.

[0006] When such a nozzle approaches an obstruction in the drain conduit of the kind indicated above, the bud- or ball--shaped element will move to one side when encountering the obstruction. In this way, the elongated flexible member will also be flexed to the same side, acting as a guide, gently guiding the nozzle proper past the obstruction while also flexing the hose slightly to the extent necessary to allow the nozzle to pass the obstruction.

[0007] The present invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to an exemplary embodiment of a nozzle according to the present invention as shown in the drawings, in which

Figure 1 shows the nozzle as attached to the end of a high-pressure hose, viewed from one side and partly in section, and

Figure 2 is a cross section taken along the line II-II in Figure 1.

[0008] The nozzle 10 shown in the Figures comprises a nozzle body 11 with a longitudinal passage 12 connecting the inside of a tube or hose 13 to a number of jet orifices, viz. an axial jet orifice 14 directed in the forward direction 15 of movement of the nozzle 10 when used for cleaning and/or rinsing the inside of a drain conduit (not shown), such as the drainpipe from a kitchen sink, bathtub or the like, as well as a number - in the example shown three - radial/axial or oblique jet orifices 16 partly directed opposite to said forward direction 15.

[0009] The nozzle body 11 is secured to the tube or hose 13 by means of a ferrule 17 or any other suitable means not forming part of the present invention, for which reason further description of such means will not be given in the present specification.

[0010] Around the front end of the nozzle body 11 containing the axial jet orifice 14 there is secured the inner end of a helical spring 18, the outer end of which is secured to a bud- or ball-shaped element 19 with a rounded surface 20 facing mainly in the forward direction 15. The opposite end or side of the bud- or ball-shaped element 19 is shaped with a frusto-conical surface 21 converging in the opposite direction of the forward direction 15. In an embodiment (not shown) the surface is shaped like a full cone pointing towards the nozzle body 11.

[0011] As can be seen from Figure 1, the spring 18 has open windings, except at the ends, where close windings 22 securely grip plug members 23 and 24 on the nozzle body 11 and the bud- or ball-shaped element 19 respectively, in this manner holding the element 19 securely to the spring 18 and the latter securely to the nozzle body 11.

[0012] In use, the nozzle 10 is inserted together with the forward end of the hose 13 into the open end of the drain conduit to be cleaned or "unstopped", after which the hose 13 is connected to a source of high-pressure liquid, such as water with or without suitable additives. Said source may advantageously be a high-pressure liquid cleaning apparatus of the type supplying liquid at considerably higher pressures than normal water-mains pressure. Jets of high-pressure liquid will then issue from both the axial jet orifice 14 and the radial/axial jet orifices 16, and these jets will partly dissolve and/or dislodge dirt present in the drain conduit, partly form a liquid stream carrying the dirt thus dissolved and/or dislodged away from the region around the nozzle 10. Further, the rearwardly directed components of the jets issuing from the oblique jet orifices 16 will create a force of reaction opposing the force of reaction of the jet issuing from the axial jet orifice 14, thus making it easier for the user to hold the nozzle 10 in and move it along the forward direction 15 inside the drain conduit (not shown) .

[0013] When the nozzle 10 during its forward movement in the direction 15 inside a drain conduit encounters an obstacle, such as a pipe bend or an end surface of a pipe in a joint, the bud- or ball-shaped element 19 will tend to avoid the obstruction by moving sideways - i.e. at right angles to the forward direction 15 - taking the forward end of the spring 18 with it. Upon further forward movement, the spring 18, now bent sideways away from the obstruction, will act as a guide guiding the nozzle body 11 past the obstruction, a forward chamfer 25 on the nozzle body 11 itself enabling the nozzle body to pass the obstruction un-entangled by same. A rearward chamfer 26 on the nozzle body 11 acts in a similar manner when moving the nozzle 10 in the opposite direction.

[0014] The conical surface 21 on the rearwardly facing end of the bud- or ball-shaped element 19 will deflect the jet of liquid issuing from the axial jet orifice 14 at such times, as the element 19 happens to be in a suitable position relative to the nozzle body 11, the deflected jet then serving to clean the region around the element 19. If the conical surface is shaped like a full cone (not shown), the liquid issuing from the axial jet orifice 14 will impinge on the conical surface when the bud- or ball-shaped element 19 is in or close to the position shown, so that the jet will be distributed in the region around the element 19. When the element 19, however, is moved away from the coaxial position shown through a not inconsiderable distance, then the liquid jet from the axial jet orifice 14 will flow out between the open windings of the spring 18 - or in part hit some of them - and contribute to the cleaning action by impinging on a wall somewhat further forward in the drain conduit, or on dirt obstructing the passage to that wall. This applies, of course, also to the case shown, where the surface 21 constitutes a frusto-conical surface.

[0015] In the exemplary embodiment shown and described, the assembly comprising the elongate flexible member 18, and the bud- or ball-shaped element 19 is constituted by a helical spring with an element attached thereto. It is, however, within the scope of the present invention possible to construct this assembly in other ways or to replace it by an integral member. Thus the elongate flexible part could be constituted by a metal tube made flexible by slitting and stretching in the same manner as so-called expanded metal, a rubber tube with holes or slots, a fluted rubber rod with the flutes aligned with a number of axial jet orifices in the nozzle body, or a number of rubber rods placed around one orifice. The bud- or ball-shaped element could be made integral with the flexible part. If the flexible part is a rubber rod, then the bud- or ball-shaped element could be made integral with the rod and further comprise a permanently attached rigid cap of metal, thus improving the wear resistance.

Claims

1. A nozzle (10) for cleaning and/or rinsing drain conduits and of the kind comprising jet orifices (14,16) directed axially forwards and/or radially/axially backwards and/or radially outwards relative to a forward direction (15) in which the nozzle is moved into and through a drain conduit for cleaning and/or rinsing same, characterized by a forward extension comprising

a) an elongated elastically resilient flexible member (18) attached with one end to the nozzle body (11) in such a manner that it constitutes at the most a limited hindrance for the liquid jet issuing from a jet orifice or jet orifices (14) directed axially forwards as defined above, and

b) an at least in part bud- or ball-shaped element (19) attached to the opposite end of said flexible member (18) with a rounded surface (20) facing forwards as defined above.

2. A nozzle according to claim 1, characterized in that said elongated elastically resilient flexible member is constituted by a helical spring (18) with open windings except at the ends, where close windings (22) engage plug members (23,24) on said nozzle body (11) and said element (19) in a manner to secure the element (19) to the spring (18) and the latter to the nozzle body (11).

3. A nozzle according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that said at least in part bud- or ball-shaped element (19), at least in its part carrying said rounded surface (20) is made of material with a low coefficient of friction against the internal wall of a drain conduit, said material being brass, stainless steel or polytetrafluoroethylene or other material with a coefficient of friction as mentioned.

4. A nozzle as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, characterized in that said helical spring (18) is made of stainless steel.

5. A nozzle as claimed in any or any one of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at least a part (21) of the surface of said bud- or ball--shaped element (19) facing oppositely to said forward direction (15) is shaped like the surface of a cone converging oppositely to said forward direction (15) or a part of such a surface.

Drawing