AU2005225106B2

AU2005225106B2 - Water storage means

Info

Publication number: AU2005225106B2
Application number: AU2005225106A
Authority: AU
Inventors: James Francis O'grady
Original assignee: Australian Steel Company Operations Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Australian Steel Company Operations Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2004-05-17
Filing date: 2005-05-16
Publication date: 2006-08-17
Anticipated expiration: 2025-05-16
Also published as: AU2005225106A1

Description

004482351 1 Water storage means Field of the invention This invention relates to water storage means for urban and rural applications and has application to domestic and commercial constructions.

Background of the invention In recent times, importance has been placed on conserving water resources, This-As manifested in the form of campaigns to prevent frivolous water wastage and of programs for reduced water usage, such as restrictions on the use bf mains supplied water. In the latter, there has been some incentive to improve water storage facilities for rain water run-off, particularly in the urban environment.

Typically in rural areas, water storage capacity has been improved by installing rain-water tanks that collect rain water run-off from the roofs of buildings.

In urban areas, such tanks occupy too much space when located above ground and thus require extensive excavation work to place the tanks underground. An example of such excavation is shown in Figure 1 of German patent application DE 10158422 Al where a water tank is located underneath a foundation slab of a house. DE 10158422 teaches placing the tank underneath the slab so that it is subjected to less pressure compared to when the tank is buried in a trench. There is thus a need for domestic urban water storage facilities which do not occupy a substantial amount of above ground space and avoid excavation necessary to bury a water tank.

It is an object of the invention to provide water storage means that at least in part alleviates the problems associated with current water storage facilities. An advantageous application of the invention is in the provision of water storage facilities in buildings.

004482351 2 O Reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be Staken as, an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this prior art forms Z part of the common general knowledge in Australia or any other country.

Summary of the invention 0 5 The invention provides a water storage means, including: ca reinforced concrete floor slab of a building; and c a receptacle being capable of storing water and being linked to a rain water drainage system for storing rain water, whereby said receptacle stores water fed from the drainage system. The receptacle is wholly incorporated within the reinforced concrete floor slab.

It will be appreciated that the stored water may be subsequently used in place of mains supplied water, but the use is preferably limited to applications where the required water quality is less than drinking water quality. Such uses include watering the garden, washing a car or use in toilets.

The reinforced concrete floor slab may include integral beams. The receptacle is preferably incorporated during pouring of the wet concrete. The receptacle may comprise a plurality of reservoirs linked to communicate water or, in a floor slab for example, the receptacle may comprise a single reservoir shaped to fit within the floor slab. In the preferred embodiment of the invention for a floor slab, the receptacle comprises a continuous pipe arranged in a series of parallel sections. The pipe may have a diameter in the range of 25 to 300mm, but preferably the pipe diameter is in the range of 120 tol80mm. The pipe preferably has a diameter toward the upper end of the above ranges in order to maximise water storage capacity. Similarly, the receptacle is preferably shaped to maximise water storage capacity.

The water storage means preferably includes an inlet from said water storage system to enable water to be fed from the drainage system to the 004788955 3 S receptacle and an outlet from the receptacle to enable the release of water from the N receptacle. The outlet is preferably formed so the receptacle can be accessed for maintenance purposes. A pump may be operably linked to the receptacle to issue water from the receptacle under pressure in the circumstances where the stored water is not forced from the receptacle under the influence of gravity.

The water storage means may further incorporate a sump to permit full release of water from the receptacle, for instance, for maintenance purposes.

cThe invention also provides a method of forming a water storage means in a floor slab, including the steps of: 0 preparing a slab substratum; positioning an array of bar chairs on the slab substratum; positioning a layer of reinforcement mesh on the bar chairs; positioning a receptacle on the reinforcement mesh; and pouring wet concrete over the receptacle and reinforcement mesh so that the concrete flows under the receptacle, and building up the wet concrete until the height of the concrete is greater than the uppermost surface of the receptacle, such that when the wet concrete cures the receptacle is incorporated within the floor slab.

Brief description of the drawings A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a cut-away isometric view of a building incorporating an embodiment of the invention in the form of a concrete floor slab; and Figure 2 is a partial cross-section of the concrete floor slab in Figure 1.

004788955 3a

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Description of the preferred embodiment A building 10 incorporating the invention is shown in Figure 1. The building c includes a roof 12 off which rain water flows to be collected in the guttering 14. The collected rain water is then delivered via drain pipe 16 into a water storage means in the form of a structural element of the building. In this instance, the water storage means is S the concrete floor slab 20, a partial cross section of which is shown in Figure 2. The c structural element is preferably a reinforced concrete member of a building, such as a wall, beam, column or floor slab. Thus, a water storage means in accordance with the c 0 invention may be incorporated into commercial or domestic buildings in rural or urban areas. It should be appreciated that by incorporating the water storage means, such as the floor slab 20, into buildings in urban areas avoids the necessity for excavating holes to accommodate large water storage tanks and avoids occupying substantial above ground space.

004482351 4 The floor slab 20 is formed by preparing a slab substratum 36, which may comprise compacted crushed rock or suitably shaped or levelled earth. Building film 38 in the form of a plastic sheet is laid over the substratum 36, to prevent moisture being absorbed into the concrete slab 20 from the substratum 36.

An array of bar chairs 40 is placed on the building film 38 and a first layer of reinforcement mesh 34 is located on the bar chairs 40 to support and space the mesh 34 above the building film by 20 to 40 mm. Water storage receptacles, in the form of PVC pipes 42, are then laid onto the mesh 34. The pipes 42 are arranged parallel and are linked at their respective ends to form a continuous cavity throughout the concrete floor slab 20 for storing water delivered from the downpipe 16. While the pipes 42 here are shown in the parallel array, any other arrangement of the pipes 42 which maximises water storage capacity without compromising the structural integrity of the concrete floor slab 20 may be used. In alternative embodiments, the pipes 42 may be replaced by a plurality of reservoirs linked to form a single receptacle for receiving and storing water within a reinforced concrete structural element such as a floor, wall, beam or column.

A second layer of mesh 32 is laid directly on top of the pipes 42 such that the pipes operate as spacers to space apart the respective reinforcing mesh layers 34 and 32. Wet concrete is then poured over the first and second layers of reinforcement mesh 32, 34 and built up to a height which exceeds the second mesh layer 32 by approximately 40 mm. The concrete 30 cures to form the reinforced concrete floor slab 20 which incorporates the pipes 42 which are capable of storing water.

The pipes 42 are preferably spaced apart within the concrete floor slab by 300 mm centre to centre, and preferably have a diameter of 150 mm. In this form, an average house incorporating a reinforced concrete floor slab 20 would have a water storage capacity of approximately 14 cubic metres. The water storage capacity of the concrete floor slab 20, and for that matter any water storage means according to the invention, is maximised by using pipes having a relative large diameter or, with receptacles, by shaping the receptacle to maximise water storage.

004482351 The concrete floor slab 20 includes an inlet 50 which links the pipes 42 to the downpipe 16 and an outlet 52 for releasing water from the pipes 42. The outlet 52 may be fitted with a conduit 54 linked to a pump 56 such that water supplied from the pipes 42 can be supplied under pressure in circumstances where gravity does not operate to provide the water pressure. The pump 56 supplies the stored water under pressure to the desired purpose, e.g. to water the garden by hose or drip system, or wash a car.

As the water storage means provided by reinforced concrete floor slab stores rain water from the roof 12 of the building, the stored water is intended for non-drinking water related uses. Such uses include watering the garden, washing a car or vehicle and supplying water to toilets. However, a suitable filter or antibacterial system may be incorporated downstream of the outlet 52 such that the stored water may be used for drinking related purposes.

The reinforced concrete floor slab 20 further includes a sump (not shown) which operates as a low point for fully draining the pipes 42 of stored water. In the fully drained condition, access may be gained to the pipes through the outlet 52 to perform maintenance on the pipes 42.

It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evidenced from the text or drawings. All these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention.

Claims

1. A water storage means, including: a reinforced concrete floor slab of a building; and a receptacle being capable of storing water and being linked to a rain water drainage system for storing rain water, whereby said receptacle stores water fed from the drainage system; wherein said receptacle is wholly incorporated within the reinforced concrete floor slab.

2. A water storage means according to claim 1, wherein the receptacle is wholly incorporated within the slab during pouring of the wet concrete.

3. A water storage means according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the includes a plurality of reservoirs linked to communicate water.

4. A water storage means according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the includes a single reservoir shaped to fit within the structural element.

A water storage means according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the included a continuous pipe arranged in a series of parallel sections. receptacle receptacle receptacle

6. A water storage means according to claim 5, wherein the pipe has a diameter in the range of 25 to 300 mm.

7. A water storage means according to claim 6, wherein the pipe has a diameter in the range of 120 to 180 mm.

8. A water storage means according to any one of the preceding claims, further including an inlet to enable water to be fed from the drainage system to the receptacle. 004482351 7 O

9. A water storage means according to any one of the preceding claims, CI further including an outlet from the receptacle to enable the release of water from Zthe receptacle.

A water storage means according to claim 9, wherein the outlet is formed so the receptacle can be accessed for maintenance purposes.

11. A water storage means according to any one of the preceding claims, CI wherein a pump is operably linked to the receptacle to issue water from the Sreceptacle under pressure.

12. A water storage means according to any one of the preceding claims, further including a sump to permit full release of water from the receptacle.

13. A water storage means according to any one of the preceding claims, further including means to space the receptacle from one or more faces of the structural element.

14. A water storage means according to claim 13, wherein the structural element is a floor slab and the means to space the receptacle includes bar chairs that space the receptacle from the bottom face of the slab.

A water storage means according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the bottom face of the floor slab rests on a ground surface.

16. A water storage means according to claim 15, wherein the means to space the receptacle further includes reinforcement mesh.

17. A method of forming a water storage means in a floor slab, including the steps of: preparing a slab substratum; positioning an array of bar chairs on the slab substratum; 004482351 8 IND positioning a layer of reinforcement mesh on the bar chairs; Z positioning a receptacle on the reinforcement mesh; and pouring wet concrete over the receptacle and reinforcement mesh so that the concrete flows under the receptacle, and building up the wet concrete until the 0height of the concrete is greater than the uppermost surface of the receptacle, n such that when the wet concrete cures the receptacle is wholly incorporated within N the floor slab. c

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein a second layer of reinforcement mesh is positioned on top of the receptacle and the concrete is built up to a height greater than the second layer of mesh.

19. A method according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the slab substratum is covered with a building film before positioning the bar chairs. Dated 13 July 2006 Freehills Patent Trade Mark Attorneys Patent Attorneys for the Applicant: The Australian Steel Company (Operations) Pty Ltd