Shower drain assembly

Abstract

An apparatus and method for plumbing a conventional bathtub drain to a conventional shower drain. A wooden framework is used wherein a pipe is placed that has one end connected to a pre-existing bathtub drain and the other end connected to a shower stall drain. The framework requires a minimal height because the pipe is oval shaped, thus providing a large enough volume for fluid flow while limiting the height required for such a pipe.

Claims

1. A plumbing bathtub-to-shower conversion kit for converting a conventional bathtub installed onto a slab of a building and plumbed to a conventional bathtub drain to be converted to a conventional shower stall by plumbing said bathtub drain to a centrally-located shower stall drain of the shower stall to be installed, the shower stall drain being positioned higher above than the bathtub drain, comprising in combination: a framework installed onto the slab after removal of the bathtub for supporting the conventional shower stall once installed, the shower stall drain being positioned higher than the bathtub drain; an oval pipe having a first end fluidly connected to a first elbow and a second end fluidly connected to a second elbow, said pipe and elbows positioned at in incline angle within said framework extending between the lower bathtub drain and the higher shower stall drain once installed; said pipe being configured to have an oval cross section with a horizontal dimension wider than a vertical dimension; said first elbow comprising a shower stall drain end for connection to the drain of the shower stall; a support standoff emanating relative to said first elbow for supporting said pipe onto the slab; and said second elbow comprising a bathtub drain end for connection to the bathtub drain, whereby after removal of the bathtub, construction of said framework, installation of said oval pipe and fluidly interconnecting said second elbow to the bathtub drain, the shower stall is installed with the first elbow fluid interconnecting the shower stall drain with said pipe with standoff being supported by the slab.

2. The kit of claim 1 wherein said pipe is composed of polyvinyl chloride.

3. The kit of claim 1 wherein said framework is composed of wood.

4. The kit of claim 1 wherein said first and second elbows are configured to have an angle greater than 90 degrees.

5. A bathtub-to-shower conversion method of converting a conventional bathtub drain emanating from a slab of a building into a conventional shower drain, comprising the steps of: removing the existing bathtub including disconnecting the bathtub from the bathtub drain emanating from a slab; constructing a framework on the slab positioning an oval pipe within the framework, the pipe having a first end fluidly connected to a first elbow and a second end fluidly connected to a second elbow, said pipe and elbows positioned at in incline angle within said framework extending between the lower bathtub drain and the higher shower stall drain once the shower stall is installed; said pipe being configured to have an oval cross section with a horizontal dimension wider than a vertical dimension; said first elbow comprising a shower stall drain end for connection to the drain of the shower stall; a support standoff emanating relative to said first elbow for supporting said pipe onto the slab; and said second elbow comprising a bathtub drain end for connection to the bathtub drain, whereby after removal of the bathtub, construction of said framework, installation of said oval pipe and fluidly interconnecting said second elbow to the bathtub drain, the shower stall is installed with the first elbow fluid interconnecting the shower stall drain with said pipe with standoff being supported by the slab.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the pipe is composed of polyvinyl chloride.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the framework is composed of wood.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the first and second elbows are 2 configured to have an angle greater than 90 degrees.

9. A plumbing apparatus for converting a conventional bathtub installation fluidly connected to a conventional bathtub drain to a conventional shower stall whose centrally-located shower stall drain is fluidly connected to the bathtub drain, comprising: a framework installed onto the slab after removal of the bathtub for supporting the conventional shower stall once installed, the shower stall drain being positioned higher than the bathtub drain, an oval pipe having a first end fluidly connected to a first elbow and a second end fluidly connected to a second elbow, said pipe and elbows positioned at in incline angle within said framework extending between the lower bathtub drain and the higher shower stall drain once installed, said pipe being configured to have an oval cross section with a horizontal dimension wider than a vertical dimension; said first elbow comprising a shower stall drain end for connection to the drain of the shower stall; a support standoff emanating relative to said first elbow for supporting said pipe onto the slab; said second elbow comprising a bathtub drain end for connection to the bathtub drain; and whereby after removal of the bathtub, construction of said framework, installation of said oval pipe and fluidly interconnecting said second elbow to the bathtub drain, the shower stall is installed with the first elbow fluid interconnecting the shower stall drain with said pipe with standoff being supported by the slab.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said pipe is composed of polyvinyl chloride.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said support member is composed of polyvinyl chloride.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said first and second elbows are configured to have an angle greater than 90 degrees.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) For a more succinct understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be directed to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is side elevational view of a prior art plumbing assembly showing the placement of the raised framework 10;

(3) FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the plumbing assembly of the invention;

(4) FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the plumbing assembly of the invention;

(5) FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the plumbing assembly of the invention;

(6) FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 4 along lines 5-5;

(7) FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 4 along lines 6-6; and

(8) FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the retrofit replacement of a bathtub with a shower stall utilizing the plumbing assembly of the invention.

(9) Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(10) As shown in FIGS. 1-7, the plumbing assembly 50 of the invention comprises a bathtub drain elbow 52 having a downwardly-extending bathtub drain end 52B sized to fluidly couple to an existing conventional bathtub drain 54, a shower stall drain elbow 56 having an upwardly-extending shower stall drain end 56S sized to fluidly couple to a center drain 58 of a conventional shower stall 60 via a pipe flange 56F and a length of pipe 62 sized to fluidly extend between the pipe ends 52P and 56P of the respective elbows 52 and 56.

(11) As best shown in FIG. 6, the length of pipe 62 comprises a low-profile oval cross-sectional configuration (e.g., 1.68″ high compared to 2.98″ wide). Correspondingly, the pipe ends 52P and 56P of the respective elbows 52 and 56 have the same low-profile oval cross-sectional configuration of the pipe 62 allowing the ends of the pipe 62 to be inserted into and solvent-welded to the respective elbows 52 and 56 to establish a fluid-tight connection.

(12) Each of the respective elbows 52 and 56 is preferably injected molded at an angle slightly greater than 90 degrees (e.g., 92 degrees) to define an upward slope (e.g., 1.2 inches per foot) in the pipe 62 extending from the conventional bathtub drain 54 to the center drain 58 of the shower stall 60. Further, the shower stall drain elbow 56 preferably comprises an integrally-formed support standoff 64 depending therefrom and having a flat planar configuration and a length sufficient to be seated onto the concrete slab 66 of the house to provide support the shower stall drain elbow 56 due to the upward slope of the pipe 62.

(13) Referring now to FIG. 7, the method of the invention comprises constructing the wooden framework 10 on the concrete slab 66, the framework 10 comprising a plurality of joists at a level substantially equal to the height of the pipe flange 56F. After trimming the length of the pipe 62, the respective ends of the pipe 62 are solvent-welded into the pipe ends 52P and 56P of the respective elbows 52 and 56. The downwardly-extending bathtub drain end 52B of the bathtub drain elbow 52 is solvent-welded into the existing conventional bathtub drain 54 in an orientation directed to the intended location of the center drain 58 of a conventional shower stall 60. The pipe flange 56F is likewise solvent-welded onto the upwardly-extending shower stall drain end 56S of the shower stall drain elbow 56.

(14) The conventional shower stall 60 is installed onto the wooden framework 10 and affixed in place according to its installation instructions. With the pipe flange 56F of the upwardly-extending shower stall drain end 56S of the shower stall drain elbow 56 in alignment, the shower stall's drain grill 68 and gasket 70 may be installed onto the pipe flange 56F to create a water-tight connection between the floor of the shower stall 60 and the pipe flange 56F.

(15) It should be appreciated that the plumbing assembly 50 of the invention appreciably reduces the height of the wooden framework 10 by as much as one-half or more, thereby significantly reducing the height of the step for ingress or egress from the shower stall 60.

(16) The present invention includes that contained in the appended claims as well as that of the foregoing description. Although this description has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it should be understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction, combination, or arrangement of parts thereof may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

(17) Now that the invention has been described,