The main tank, brimful with ideas. Enjoy them, discuss them, take them. - Of course, this is also the #1 place for new submissions!
By spuuut
#10503
The sound of running water can be soothing, but the gurgle of water rushing thru the downpipes at night can be annoying and keep you awake. Thus...The Silent Downpipe!

I envisage something that could be retro-fitted to existing pipes, but there would need to be versions for round and rectangular pipes. Or a totally new downpipe that can fit to new houses. Some understanding of the rotational direction of the water would be required. Anticlockwise in the southern hemisphere and reverse in the North.

Reward: Fame and fortune or a good nights sleep when it rains.
By AaronBurns
#10535
I like that you have knowledge of the waters opposite direction due to which hemisphere your in and I think a spiral drain pipe will work great to reduce the sound to next to nothing.
I think I can get this one off the ground simply by saying that drain pipe connections of the circular or square type (Respectfully) are Universal and if you just give the drain pipe a good yank it will come right out from the top.
Then (With out a ladder) standing on the ground you should be able to just shove a new pipe (Yours) right in to place making the instant change over.
How ever; some house have bracketed the pipes to the house which in that case you just unscrew one side and bend it out of the way for replacement later so that you know where it goes.
Put up your new and improved version, screw the unscrewed part of the bracket back in place and your done making your idea simple, fast, effective and very marketable.
A great idea! ;-D
By AaronBurns
#10536
I like that you have knowledge of the waters opposite direction due to which hemisphere your in and I think a spiral drain pipe will work great to reduce the sound to next to nothing.
I think I can get this one off the ground simply by saying that drain pipe connections of the circular or square type (Respectfully) are Universal and if you just give the drain pipe a good yank it will come right out from the top.
Then (With out a ladder) standing on the ground you should be able to just shove a new pipe (Yours) right in to place making the instant change over.
How ever; some house have bracketed the pipes to the house which in that case you just unscrew one side and bend it out of the way for replacement later so that you know where it goes.
Put up your new and improved version, screw the unscrewed part of the bracket back in place and your done making your idea simple, fast, effective and very marketable.
A great idea! ;-D
By spuuut
#10539
Thanks for that Aaron, I kinda thought of converting existing pipes with an insert.
However, youd have to replace all the rect. pipes with a circular one and it would be just as time effective to totally replace existing circular pies with the new Silent ones.So forget the insert idea !
As for the Archimedes Screw arrangement,( just like rifling inside the barrel of a gun), it would have to be a slow twist, because too fast and the water would slow in its descent and possibly back up.
So the screw inside the pipe would have to provide a kind of 'controlled drop' for the water, maybe one full rotation per vertical metre ( yard) ?? What do do think??
Brett Curtis. Sydney Australia. spuuut@gmail.com
By InventR
#10544
How about inserting a thick twisted rope through the centre of the pipe.
I am guessing the noise is from the water splashing off the sides as it comes down. The rope would prevent water from splashing from one side to the other as well as act as a conduit for some of the water to flow down - making it a more silent flow - still theory of course. Would be interested to know if it works in practise.
By spuuut
#11973
Yes Ive thought of putting other stuff thru the pipe (like the rope idea) to guide the water but then you block any leaves etc which goes down as well. Ive just mentioned this idea to my sone and we are both keen to do a bit of reasearch and start prototyping !!! Regards, Brett.



InventR wrote:How about inserting a thick twisted rope through the centre of the pipe.
I am guessing the noise is from the water splashing off the sides as it comes down. The rope would prevent water from splashing from one side to the other as well as act as a conduit for some of the water to flow down - making it a more silent flow - still theory of course. Would be interested to know if it works in practise.
By InventR
#12034
Would be really interested to know the results. If the rope could somehow be easily attached and removed it would double as a way to clean out your drains every now and then of leaves etc. stuck in them.
By spuuut
#12097
Thanks for the input InventR, My son and I started with an Archimedes Screw type of insert that ran the complete length of the downpipe, but theres were a few bad points like blocking the pipe, extra weight and difficult installation. But we settled on a much simpler solution.
For a 90mm pipe, we cut a 100 mm circle from 1.6mm pvc sheet and then cut an 80mm circle in the centre of that so you have a ring. We compressed the split ring under heat and glued it at the top of the downpipe.The drips hit the ring and run around and then down the inside of the pipe. It works and doesnt restrict leaves and the like. If anyone would like a more accurate drawing you can get me at spuuut@gmail.com Regards, Brett Curtis.




InventR wrote:Would be really interested to know the results. If the rope could somehow be easily attached and removed it would double as a way to clean out your drains every now and then of leaves etc. stuck in them.
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