AU2003264610C1

AU2003264610C1 - An improved water tank

Info

Publication number: AU2003264610C1
Application number: AU2003264610A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Greg James Chapman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-11-29
Filing date: 2003-11-28
Publication date: 2009-03-19
Anticipated expiration: 2023-11-28
Also published as: AU2003264610A1; AU2003264610B2

Description

-1-

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name of Applicant/s: Greg James Chapman Actual Inventor/s: Greg James Chapman Address for Service: Baldwin Shelston Waters MARGARET STREET SYDNEY NSW 2000 CCN: 3710000352 Invention Title: AN IMPROVED WATER TANK Details of Associated Provisional Application No. 2002953001 dated 29 Nov 2002 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- File: 38215AUP00 500267095 1.DOC/5844 -2o00 FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to water storage system which is particularly useful O in domestic applications.

e¢ BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.

i In recent times the conservation of water has become a significant social issue.

O Increasing emphasis is being placed not only upon reducing water consumption but also 4 10 on storing water. As a result, many government authorities and water utilities are seeking to encourage homeowners to install water tanks to capture and store rainwater.

Financial incentives such as rebates and/or special offers of reduced prices are being offered to homeowners in an effort to encourage for purchase and installation of water tanks in domestic applications.

However, there are a number of shortcomings with existing water tanks, particularly in domestic applications. First, over time domestic building blocks are tending to become smaller in size and a water tank occupies space adjacent the home which could otherwise be used for other purposes. Second water tanks generally tend to be aesthetically unpleasing.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a useful alternative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a water storage system for a building, said system including: a water tank including one or more upright walls and forming at least part of the foundations of the building; a concrete waffle pod foundation slab, said slab including one or more integrally formed support beams; wherein said foundation slab overlays and is supported by said water tank, with said one or more support beams in said foundation slab seating upon said one or more upright walls of said water tank.

Preferably, the water tank is moulded.

-3- 00 oo Preferably, the water tank is formed substantially from concrete.

SPreferably, the concrete is reinforced.

O Preferably, the tank includes a catchment pit and a main water storage tank; the catchment pit being adapted to receive storm water runoff; the main water storage tank being adapted to receive and retain storm water via said catchment pit.

Preferably, the tank is located substantially below ground level.

IDPreferably, the system further includes a pump for pumping water from the tank.

the pump is a submersible electric powered pump.

SPreferably, the pump is connected to the plumbing system of the building to supply water from the water tank to the plumbing system.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of forming foundations of a building incorporating a water storage tank, said method including the steps of: excavating a hole at the site of the foundations; (ii) providing a water tank in said hole; (iii) providing a concrete waffle pod foundation slab over said water tank; wherein said foundation slab overlays and is supported by said water tank, with said one or more support beams in said foundation slab seating upon said one or more upright walls of said water tank.

Preferably, the water tank is formed substantially from concrete.

Preferably, the tank is located substantially below ground level and at least partially beneath said foundation slab of the building.

Preferably, the tank includes a catchment pit and a main water storage tank; the catchment pit being adapted to receive storm water runoff and retain debris from the storm water runoff; the main water storage tank being adapted to receive and retain storm water via the catchment pit; wherein the tank forms at least part of the foundations of the building and acts to provide structural support for the building.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words 'comprise', 'comprising', and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of"including, but not limited to".

-3a- 00 ,N BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 0 A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: c Fig. 1 is a first side elevation of the water storage tank according to the present invention; -4- Fig. 2 is a second side elevation of the water Storage tank; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the water storage tank; and Fig. 4 is an end the view of the water storage tank.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to the accompanying drawings, a water storage system 1 for a building in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention is depicted. The system includes a concrete tank 2 which is located below ground level and at least partially beneath the building. Typically, the tank has a capacity of the order of 6000 to 7000 litres, thereby providing a practical storage volume for domestic consumption. It should be appreciated however that the size and capacity of the tank can be varied depending upon the application.

The tank 2 is formed from reinforced concrete and is of a unitary construction.

The tank includes a catchment pit 3 and a main storage tank 4. The catchment pit 3 is adapted to receive rainwater via an inlet pipe 5 which receives rainwater runoff from the roof of the building via the downpipe(s) of the building. Referring to Figs. 1 4, the catchment pit 3 further includes an overflow outlet 6 for when the water level in the tank reaches the maximum level. A submersible, electric powered pump 7 (sometimes referred to as a "diver pump") is located in the catchment pit, with the outlet of the pump being connected to the plumbing of the building to pump water from the tank into the plumbing system of the building. Typically, water from the tank is used for non-drinking purposes such as to supply water for the toilet, laundry and yard taps.

The tank further includes a float 8 and valve connected to a town water supply pipe 9 so that in the event that the water level in the tank falls below a predetermined level (typically 20% of tank capacity) the valve is opened and the level of the tank is topped up with town water via pipe 9.

The main water storage tank 4 is adapted to receive and retain stormwater via the catchment pit 3; the tank 4 forming at least part of the foundations of the building and providing structural support for the building. With reference to Fig. 3, in use the tank is positioned such that one or more upright walls 10a, 10b, 10Oc, 10Ob of the tank support the slab. More particularly, in use the tank is positioned such that the front wall 10a of the tank is in alignment with the outside edge of the concrete slab (shown in broken line).

The catchment pit 3 is located outside the line of the concrete slab to enable ready access to the pump for maintenance purposes. Preferably the catchment pit is covered by a lockable door or cover.

The water storage tank is designed to function as a foundation for the concrete slab of the building. Preferably the tank is located in an area of the slab that requires piering and functions as a mass pier, thereby eliminating the need for piering in this area of the slab. The remainder of the slab is piered as normal.

The water storage tank of the present invention has been developed for use with a waffle pod concrete slab. Pods, typically formed of polystyrene, are arranged on the area upon which the slab is to be poured. Once the pods are arranged concrete is poured over the area. The pods act to form voids in the resulting concrete slab, with the spaces between adjacent pods being filled with concrete to create concrete beams areas of thicker section) in the resulting slab. The walls of the water tank act to support one or more beams of the concrete slab. More particularly, one edge of the concrete slab is supported by the front wall 10a of the water tank. Preferably one or more of of the upright walls 10b, 10Oc, 10Od support beams formed in the concrete slab.

Preferably, the water tank is preformed and transported to the building site. In practice, a hole sized sufficiently to accommodate the desired size of water tank is excavated at the site of the foundations of the building. The concrete water tank is then located in the hole, with the tank being located substantially below ground level. A lid is then fitted over the tank and is sealed around its periphery with a suitable sealant such as a silicon sealant. Prior to the pouring of the concrete foundation slab internal bracing is located inside the tank to provide support for the lid whilst the slab is poured. A waffle pod concrete slab is then formed over the water tank, with the edge beams of the concrete slab aligning with the walls of the water tank so that the walls of the tank support the concrete slab. Once the slab has cured the internal bracing is removed from within the tank. The building is then erected on the concrete slab in the normal manner.

In this way the system may be installed as part of the process of building a new home.

Advantageously, the present invention provides a water storage system that is particularly useful in domestic applications. The tank does not occupy valuable space adjacent to the building and serves to support the foundations of the building Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms.

Claims

1. A water storage system for a building, said system including: O a water tank including one or more upright walls and forming at least part of the foundations of the building; a concrete waffle pod foundation slab, said slab including one or more integrally formed support beams; wherein said foundation slab overlays and is supported by said water tank, with said one or more support beams in said foundation slab seating upon said one or more upright walls of said water tank. I 10

2. The water storage system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said water tank is moulded.

3. The water storage system as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the water tank is formed substantially from concrete.

4. The water storage system as claimed in claim 3 wherein the concrete is reinforced.

The water storage system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said tank includes a catchment pit and a main water storage tank; said catchment pit adapted to receive storm water runoff; said main water storage tank adapted to receive and retain storm water via said catchment pit.

6. The water storage system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said tank is located substantially below ground level.

7. The water storage system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the system further includes a pump for pumping water from said tank.

8. The water storage system as claimed in claim 7 wherein said pump is a submersible electric powered pump.

9. The water storage system as claimed in claim 7 or 8 wherein the pump is connected to the plumbing system of the building to supply water from said water tank to the plumbing system.

A method of forming foundations of a building incorporating a water storage tank, said method including the steps of: excavating a hole at the site of the foundations; (ii) providing a water tank in said hole; (iii) providing a concrete waffle pod foundation slab over said water tank; 00 wherein said foundation slab overlays and is supported by said water tank, with said one or more support beams in said foundation slab seating upon said one or more upright O walls of said water tank.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 wherein the water tank is formed substantially from concrete.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10 or 11 wherein said tank is located substantially below ground level and at least partially beneath said foundation slab of said building.

13. The method as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 12 wherein the tank includes a 10 catchment pit and a main water storage tank; said catchment pit adapted to receive storm water runoff and retain debris from the storm water runoff; said main water storage tank adapted to receive and retain storm water via said catchment pit; wherein said tank forms at least part of the foundations of the building and acts to provide structural support for the building.

14. A water storage system for a building substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings and/or examples. A method of forming foundations of a building incorporating a water storage tank substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings and/or examples.