AU2006202133A1 - Grey Water System - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name of Applicant(s): Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: Details of Associated Provisional Applications: Johan SCHOEVERS, and Graeme ORD Johan SCHOEVERS, and Graeme ORD FRASER OLD SOHN Patent Attorneys Level 6, 118 Alfred Street MILSONS POINT NSW 2061 Grey Water System Australian Patent Application No. 2005 902 605 Filed 20 May 2005 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 5140A-AU IField of the Invention The present invention relates to grey water and, in particular, to the collection or picking up of grey water, and like liquids, that are discharged through a pipe.

Background Art It is generally regarded as advantageous to collect grey water for re-use, particularly for watering lawns, gardens and the like, where deleterious substances present in the grey water can be harmlessly discharged. Thus potable water supplied by a mains supply which would otherwise be used to water the lawns or gardens, can be used for more useful purposes. A particular advantage of such grey water Icollection is that potable water consumption is reduced and therefore the c infrastructure costs associated with increased potable water supply, such as the cost of additional dams, could thereby be avoided or deferred.

In a domestic household there are normally four sources which discharge into the mains sewer system. The first of these is the soil pipe from a lavatory pan. The second is the drain from the kitchen sink, the third is the drain from the laundry sink, and the fourth is the drain from the bathroom which drains the hand-basin, shower recess and bath. The first two of these sources are normally regarded as sufficiently polluted to not warrant any attempt to collect such discharges for future use. Laundry discharges suffer from the problem that considerable volumes of lint and detergent are present in the discharges and therefore these are regarded as of secondary importance.

The primary source of importance is therefore the bathroom pipe (or pipes) from which are discharged the shower recess, bath and hand basin. In many houses the bathroom and laundry are connected and discharge out of the same pipe into a single disconnector trap.

For laundry grey water sources, the domestic washing machine, in particular, has a flexible hose which is used to discharge water from the washing machine into the drain which drains the sink of the laundry. Accordingly, in order to collect grey water from a laundry, it is a relative simple matter to divert the flexible pipe from the washing machine to an appropriately sized hose, for example, and thereby deliver the washing machine waste liquids directly into the hose. However, for the domestic bathroom, the collection of grey water is not so simple.

5140A-AU It is the desire to provide a simple, and preferably retrofittable, means of collecting grey water discharging from a domestic bathroom, that is the genesis of the present invention.

Summary of the Invention According to a first aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a liquid pickup apparatus suitable for pickup of grey water, or the like, discharging through a pipe, said apparatus comprising a housing having an external dimension less than the internal diameter of said pipe, and also having an inlet, a pump located within said housing, an outlet pipe leading from said housing, and control means to operate said pump only when said housing receives said grey water via said inlet.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a method of picking up liquid, such as grey water or the like, discharging through a pipe, said method comprising the steps of: locating within said pipe a housing having an external dimension less than the internal diameter of said pipe, said housing having an inlet, a pump and an outlet leading from said pump away from said housing, (ii) orientating said housing so that said inlet is upstream relative to the direction of flow of said liquid discharge, and (iii) operating said pump only when said housing receives said grey water via said inlet Brief Description of the Drawings A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view through the discharge leading from the bathroom of a domestic dwelling, and Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the housing of Fig. 1 showing the interior contents thereof.

Detailed Description As seen in Fig. 1, a dwelling 1 has a foundation 2, which supports a wall 3 having a cavity 4 which separates an interior wall 5 from an exterior wall 6. A 5140A-AU discharge pipe 8 leads from the bathroom (or bathroom laundry combination) of the dwelling 1 and is connected to a mains sewer 9 by means of a disconnector trap Between the trap 10 and the discharge pipe 8 is a vertical portion 12 of pipe which is topped by a grated inspection port 13. The function of the grated inspection port 13 is to act as a surcharge point if the main sewer blocks and to enable an electric eel, or similar, to be inserted therethrough to enable the mains sewer 9 to be cleaned of invading roots, for example, from time to time. The function of the trap 10 is to ensure that any malodorous vapours present in the mains sewer line are not able to escape into the bathroom via the discharge pipe 8 or into the atmosphere adjacent the wall 3 via the grated inspection port 13.

The above-described arrangement is both substantially conventional and preexisting. In most, but not all, households the discharge pipe 8 is connected only to the shower, bath and hand basin of the bathroom. In which case, the discharge pipe 8 is suitable.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a housing 20 (which is suspended from the shaft of a bolt 21), is located within the vertical portion 12 so as to provide a small clearance therebetween. An outlet pipe 22 is connected to a (preferably mauve coloured) flexible hose 22A which leads from the inspection port 13 away to a diffuser 23 located at the lawn 24, garden bed, or similar, to be irrigated. An electrical control box 26 is mounted on the exterior wall 6 and supplied with 240 Volt AC mains power via the cavity 4. The control box 26 includes a low voltage de power supply (for example 12 Volts) and control signals (to be described hereafter) which are conveyed to the housing 20 by means of low voltage cabling 27.

Turning now to Fig. 2, the housing 20 is provided with a cut-away portion which constitutes an inlet 29, which is located at the uppermost portion of the housing 20, and which faces the discharge pipe 8. The inlet 29 has a substantially self cleaning screen or filter 29A which diverts hair, lint, and the like which are thereby prevented from entering the housing 20. In the base of the housing 20 is a small drain opening 30. A grey water discharge pipe 38 protrudes at its upper end through the grate 36 of the grated inspection port 13 and at its lower end through the opening 5140A-AU Also within the housing 20 are located a pump 31 and a float switch 32 both of which are connected to the low voltage cabling 27.

It will also be seen that the shaft of the bolt 21 conveniently passes through the grate 36 of the inspection port 13, is threaded at each end and is provided with a pair of nuts which set the depth of the housing 20 below the grate 36. Thus the bolt 21 restrains further decent of the housing 20. Optionally, as indicated in phantom in the drawings, the bolt 21 can be an eyebolt 35. If so, it is convenient for the outlet pipe 22 and low voltage cabling 27 to pass through the eye of the eyebolt 35. If desired, the outlet pipe 22 and low voltage cabling 27 can be tied to the shaft 21 by means of a plastic electrical cable tie (conventional but not illustrated). By means of such arrangements, both the outlet pipe 22 and the low voltage cabling 27 are supported by means of the bolt 21/35.

In operation, grey water discharging via the discharge pipe 8 enters (as indicted by the arrows in Fig. 2) directly via the inlet 29 (and its mesh filter 29A) into the housing 20 and at a rate, during showering for example, which is much greater than is able to drain from the housing via the drain opening 30. As a consequence, the level of water within the housing 20 rises instantaneously thereby activating the float switch 32 and hence commencing the operation of the pump 31. Grey water is therefore pumped from the housing 20 via the outlet pipe 22 to the diffuser 23 and hence waters the lawn 24.

Since the external diameter of the housing 20 is less than the internal diameter of the vertical portion 12, the clearance therebetween constitutes an overflow escape for grey water coming from the pipe 8 should the rate of grey water flow exceed the rate at which grey water is pumped by the pump 31. In a preferred embodiment, the internal diameter of the vertical portion 12 is 100mm and the external diameter of the housing is 90 mm. Thus the annular clearance between the two has an area equivalent to a pipe of internal diameter of approximately When the grey water flow ceases, the water level within the housing 20 drops thereby turning off the float switch 32 and stopping the pump 31. Any residual grey water remaining within the housing 20 is permitted to drain through the drain opening 5140A-AU thereby ensuring that the housing 20 does not permanently store any grey water.

As a consequence, no unpleasant odours can arise from stagnant grey water.

In addition, if the lawn 24 should become saturated, as a result of rain for example, the hose 22A can be temporarily disconnected from the diffuser 23 and connected to the grey water discharge pipe 38. This results in grey water being discharged into the sewer 9 for a short period (eg 1-2 days) after which the hose 23A can be reconnected to the diffuser 23.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the plumbing arts that the abovementioned arrangement has a number of very substantial advantages. Primarily, it is easily retrofitted to the existing plumbing arrangements. Similarly, the low voltage cabling 27 does not present any electrical hazard and is able to be installed by a competent handyman without the need for a licensed electrician. Furthermore, the trap 10 functions in its usual manner and is maintained full since there will always be some grey water passing between the housing 20 and the vertical portion 12, and/or draining by the drain opening 30, so that the trap 10 is always replenished. In addition, the entire apparatus including the housing 20 can be removed from the inspection port 13 in the event that the mains sewer 9 needs treatment, for example by means of an electric eel. Similarly any hair, lint etc which may accumulate on the filter screen 29A is visible through the grate 36 and can be removed via the inspection port 13.

The foregoing describes only one embodiment of the present invention and modifications obvious to those skilled in the sanitary arts, can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, it would be possible to locate the housing 20 in a horizontally extending portion of the discharge pipe 8 by means of the simple modification of bringing the outlet pipe 22 through the downstream end of the housing whilst having the inlet at the upstream end of the housing. However, such an arrangement would not replicate the simplicity of the abovedescribed embodiment.

In a further modification, the entire upper portion of the housing 20 can be open and the shaft 21 can be attached to the housing 20 by means of a spider, or 5140A-AU similar arrangement. This arrangement relies on the discharge pipe 22 being strong enough to support the housing It is also possible to direct the outlet pipe 22 to a tank to store grey water.

However, this will normally entail storing grey water. Various jurisdictions require grey water to be stored for no more than 24 hours unless some form of water sterilization or similar treatment is provided. Alternatively, stored untreated grey water can be returned to the sewer system if not used within 24 hours via the grey water discharge pipe 38.

Furthermore, if desired, the pump 21 can be provided with complex control signals rather than the simple float switch. In this case the pump is repeatedly operated momentarily to test if any load water in the housing 20) is present.

In addition, modifications to the mechanism by which housing 20 is suspended and supported can be made. For example, a braided stainless steel cable can replace the bolt 21 or The term "comprising" (and its grammatical variations) as used herein is used in the inclusive sense of "including" or "having" and not in the exclusive sense of "consisting only of"'.

5140A-AU

Claims (15)

1. 2. The liquid pickup apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said housing is adapted to be inserted within a substantially vertical portion of said pipe, said inlet is at the top of said housing, said pump is adjacent the base of said housing, and said control means includes a float switch positioned above said pump.
2. 3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said base includes a small drainage opening whereby said grey water drains from said housing when no grey water is discharged via said pipe.
3. 4. The apparatus as claimed claim 3 or 4 including a support means from which said housing depends within said pipe. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said vertical portion is located below a grated inspection port and said outlet pipe passes through said grated inspection port.
4. 6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 or 5 wherein said support means engages a grate of said grated inspection port.
5. 7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein said support means also supports said outlet pipe.
6. 8. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 2-7 wherein said housing is located above the level of a disconnector trap which is interposed between said vertical portion and a mains sewer.
7. 9. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 2-8 wherein a clearance between the exterior of said housing and the interior of said vertical portion constitutes an overflow escape for grey water flowing through said pipe at a rate which exceeds the rate at which grey water is pumped by said pump through said outlet pipe. 5140A-AU A liquid pickup apparatus suitable for pickup of grey water, or the like, discharging through a pipe, said apparatus being substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.
8. 11. A method of picking up liquid, such as grey water or the like, discharging through a pipe, said method comprising the steps of: locating within said pipe a housing having an external dimension less than the internal diameter of said pipe, said housing having an inlet, a pump and an outlet leading from said pump away from said housing, (ii) orientating said housing so that said inlet is upstream relative to the direction of flow of said liquid discharge, and (iii)operating said pump only when said housing receives said grey water via said inlet.
9. 12. The method as claimed in claim 11 comprising the further steps of: (iv)locating said housing in a substantially vertical portion of said pipe, locating said inlet at the top of said housing, and (vi)providing a float switch means to control said pump and positioned within said housing above said pump.
10. 13. The method as claimed in claim 12 including the further step of: (vii)providing a small drainage hole in the base of said housing whereby said housing drains of said grey water when said grey water is not discharging.
11. 14. The method as claimed in claim 12 or 13 including the further step of: (viii)hanging said housing within said vertical portion from a support means. The method as claimed in claim 14 including the further step of: (ix)engaging said support means with an inspection port located above said vertical portion.
12. 16. The method as claimed in claim 14 or 15 including the further step of: supporting said outlet pipe by said support means.
13. 17. The method as claimed in anyone of claims 12-16 including the further step of: (xi) positioning said housing above a disconnect trap interposed between said vertical portion and a mains sewer.
14. 18. The method as claimed in any one of claims 12-17 including the further step of: 5140A-AU (xii) providing at least a predetermined clearance between the exterior of said housing and the interior of said vertical portion whereby said clearance comprises an overflow escape for grey water entering said housing at a rate which exceeds the rate at which grey water is pumped by said pump through said outlet pipe.
15. 19. A method of picking up liquid, such as grey water or the like, discharging through a pipe, said method being substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings. Grey water picked up during discharge by the apparatus as defined by any one of paragraphs 1-10 or by the method as defined by any one of paragraphs 11-19. Dated this 19 th day of May 2006 Johan SCHOEVERS Graeme ORD By FRASER OLD SOHN Patent Attorneys for the Applicants 5140A-AU