Outlet box

Abstract

A utility box for mounting at least in part within a wall for use with a fluid carrying supply pipe, the box comprising, a housing including a top wall, a bottom wall, a first side wall and a second side wall, a back wall and a front opening providing access into an interior of the housing defined by the top, bottom, first side, second side and back walls, a bottom wall aperture in the bottom wall sized for extending the pipe through the bottom wall aperture with the pipe terminating in a free end portion positioned within the interior of the housing at a location above the bottom wall, a valve attachable to the free end portion of the pipe, the junction of the valve and the pipe being within the interior of the housing above the bottom wall, and a first seal positioned to provide a fluid-tight seal between the bottom wall and the pipe to prevent fluid within the interior of the housing from passing out of the interior of the housing through the bottom wall aperture.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A utility box for mounting at least in part within a wall for use with a fluid carrying supply pipe having a smooth outer wall free end portion, the box comprising:
 a housing including a top wall, a bottom wall, a first side wall and a second side wall, a back wall and a front opening providing access into an interior of the housing defined by the top, bottom, first side, second side and back walls; 
 a bottom wall aperture in the bottom wall sized for extending the pipe through the bottom wall aperture with the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe extending through the bottom wall aperture and into the interior of the housing and terminating at a location above the bottom wall; 
 a valve having a push-fit connector to receive therein and grip the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe to provide a direct attachment to the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe without use of any intermediate connection members, the junction of the valve and the pipe being within the interior of the housing above the bottom wall; 
 a ring seal positioned on and extending about the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe and in engagement with the bottom wall; and 
 a push-fit gripper ring positioned on the pipe and pressing the ring seal into fluid-tight sealing engagement with the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe and into fluid-tight sealing engagement with the bottom wall to prevent fluid within the interior of the housing from passing out of the interior of the housing through the bottom wall aperture. 
 
     
     
       2. The utility box of  claim 1 , wherein the ring seal is positioned on and extending about the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe at a location below the bottom wall and in engagement with an underside of the bottom wall. 
     
     
       3. A utility box mounted at least in part within a wall, the box comprising:
 a housing including a top wall, a bottom wall, a first side wall and a second side wall, a back wall and a front opening providing access into an interior of the housing defined by the top, bottom, first side, second side and back walls; 
 a bottom wall aperture in the bottom wall; 
 a fluid carrying supply pipe having a smooth outer wall free end portion extending through the bottom wall aperture and into the interior of the housing and terminating at a location above the bottom wall; 
 a valve having a push-fit connector to receive therein and grip the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe to provide a direct attachment to the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe without use of any intermediate connection members, the junction of the valve and the pipe being within the interior of the housing above the bottom wall; 
 a first ring seal positioned on and extending about the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe and in engagement with the bottom wall; 
 a push-fit gripper ring positioned on the pipe and pressing the first ring seal into fluid-tight sealing engagement with the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe and into fluid-tight sealing engagement with the bottom wall to prevent fluid within the interior of the housing from passing out of the interior of the housing through the bottom wall aperture; and 
 a second seal providing a fluid-tight seal between the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe and the valve. 
 
     
     
       4. A utility box mounted at least in part within a wall for use with a fluid carrying supply pipe having a smooth outer wall free end portion, the box comprising:
 a housing including a top wall, a bottom wall, a first side wall and a second side wall, a back wall and a front opening providing access into an interior of the housing defined by the top, bottom, first side, second side and back walls; 
 a bottom wall aperture in the bottom wall sized for extending the pipe through the bottom wall aperture with the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe extending through the bottom wall aperture and into the interior of the housing and terminating at a location above the bottom wall; 
 a first ring seal positioned on and extending about the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe and in engagement with the bottom wall; 
 a first push-fit gripper ring positioned on the pipe and pressing the first ring seal into fluid-tight sealing engagement with the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe and into fluid-tight sealing engagement with the bottom wall to prevent fluid within the interior of the housing from passing out of the interior of the housing through the bottom wall aperture; 
 a fitting positioned within the interior of the housing; 
 a manifold positioned within the interior of the housing and above the bottom wall and providing a fluid path between the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe and the fitting, the manifold having a lower connecting portion, an upper connecting portion and a side connecting portion positioned between the lower and upper connecting portions, the lower connecting portion receiving the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe therein and one of the upper and side connecting portions being attached to the fitting above the bottom wall, the junction of the lower connecting portion and the free end portion of the pipe being within the interior of the housing and above the bottom wall; 
 a second seal positioned on and extending about the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe providing a fluid-tight seal between the lower connection portion and the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe; 
 a second push-fit gripper ring positioned on the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe within the interior of the housing and above the bottom wall and securely retaining the lower connecting portion on the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe; and 
 a third seal providing a fluid-tight seal between the fitting and the one of the upper and side connecting portions attached to the fitting. 
 
     
     
       5. The utility box of  claim 4 , wherein the fitting has a push-fit connector, and the one of the upper and side connecting portions attached to the fitting has a tubular portion sized for having the push-fit connector pressed thereon, the push-fit connector including a third push-fit gripper ring positioned on the tubular portion and securely retaining the fitting on the tubular portion. 
     
     
       6. The utility box of  claim 4 , wherein the fitting is a valve. 
     
     
       7. The utility box of  claim 4  for use with an arrestor assembly, wherein the fitting is connected to the side connecting portion and the upper connection portion is configured for connection to the arrestor assembly. 
     
     
       8. A utility box mounted at least in part within a wall, the box comprising:
 a housing including a top wall, a bottom wall, a first side wall and a second side wall, a back wall and a front opening providing access into an interior of the housing defined by the top, bottom, first side, second side and back walls; 
 a bottom wall aperture in the bottom wall; 
 a fluid carrying supply pipe having a smooth outer wall free end portion extending through the bottom wall aperture and into the interior of the housing and terminating at a location above the bottom wall; 
 a ring seal positioned on and extending about the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe and in engagement with the bottom wall; 
 a push-fit gripper ring positioned on the pipe and pressing the ring seal into fluid-tight sealing engagement with the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe and into fluid-tight sealing engagement with the bottom wall to prevent fluid within the interior of the housing from passing out of the interior of the housing through the bottom wall aperture; 
 a valve positioned within the interior of the housing; and 
 a manifold positioned within the interior of the housing and above the bottom wall and providing a fluid path between the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe and the valve, the manifold having a lower connecting portion and an upper connecting portion, the lower connecting portion being attached to the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe above the bottom wall and the upper connecting portions being attached in a fluid-tight arrangement to the valve above the bottom wall, the junction of the lower connecting portion and the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe being within the interior of the housing and above the bottom wall. 
 
     
     
       9. A utility box for mounting at least in part within a wall for use with an in-wall drain pipe, a first drain-fluid source conduit transporting a first drain fluid for entry into the drain pipe, and a second drain-fluid source conduit transporting a second drain fluid for entry into the drain pipe, the box comprising:
 a housing including a top wall, a bottom wall, a first side wall and a second side wall, a back wall and a front opening providing access into an interior of the housing defined by the top, bottom, first side, second side and back walls; 
 a bottom wall aperture in the bottom wall sized to be placed in fluid communication with the drain pipe; 
 a drain including a drain base having an upwardly extending wall portion and a drain lower portion with a drain channel, the wall portion arranged to channel fluid engaging the wall portion downward into the drain channel, the drain base positioned within the bottom wall aperture with the drain channel in fluid communication with the drain pipe, the drain channel being sized to receive therein and retain a free-end portion of the first drain-fluid source conduit to direct the first drain fluid into the drain pipe; and 
 a retaining member attached to the wall portion for retaining a free-end portion of the second drain-fluid source conduit in place relative to the drain base for communication of at least a first portion of the second drain fluid against the wall portion for flow of the first portion of the second drain fluid downward along the wall portion into the drain channel for passage into the drain pipe. 
 
     
     
       10. The utility box of  claim 9 , wherein the retaining member is removably attachable to the wall portion. 
     
     
       11. The utility box of  claim 9 , wherein the wall portion is a forwardly curving rear wall portion of the drain base. 
     
     
       12. The utility box of  claim 9 , wherein the retaining member has a downwardly and rearwardly sloping drain surface positioned to be below the free-end portion of the second drain-fluid source conduit and terminating in a rearwardly located terminal end adjacent to the wall portion to channel the second drain fluid rearwardly to communicate the first portion of the second drain fluid against the wall portion for flow downward into the drain channel for passage into the drain pipe. 
     
     
       13. A method of mounting a utility box at least in part within a wall, the method comprising:
 providing a housing including a top wall, a bottom wall, a first side wall and a second side wall, a back wall and a front opening providing access into an interior of the housing defined by the top, bottom, first side, second side and back walls, the bottom wall having a bottom wall aperture; 
 extending a fluid carrying supply pipe having a smooth outer wall free end portion through the bottom wall aperture and positioning the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe within the interior of the housing and terminating at a location above the bottom wall; 
 providing a valve having a push-fit connector sized to receive therein and grip the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe; 
 directly attaching the valve to the pipe by inserting the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe into the push-fit connector and gripping the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe without the use of any intermediate connection members, with the junction of the valve and the pipe being within the interior of the housing above the bottom wall; 
 positioning a first ring seal on and about the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe and in engagement with the bottom wall and the pipe; 
 positioning a push-fit gripper ring on the pipe and pressing the first ring seal into fluid-tight sealing engagement with the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe and into fluid-tight sealing engagement with the bottom wall to prevent fluid within the interior of the housing from passing out of the interior of the housing through the bottom wall aperture; and 
 positioning a second ring seal on and about the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe and in engagement with the smooth outer wall free end portion of the pipe and the valve to provide a fluid-tight seal therebetween.