AU3406399A

AU3406399A - Device for saving water

Info

Publication number: AU3406399A
Application number: AU34063/99A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Klaus Blum
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-02-09
Filing date: 1999-02-06
Publication date: 1999-08-23
Anticipated expiration: 2019-02-06
Also published as: ATE245735T1; DE19805154C2; DE59906354D1; WO1999040265A1; AU739699B2; EP1055034B1; IL137629A0; EP1055034A1; DE19805154A1; TR200003016T2

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for saving water, which enables flushing of a toilet (12) with slightly soiled graywater from a sanitary equipment. The inventive device comprises a graywater tank (5, 20) located under the admission level of the flushing water (11) of the toilet (12) and fed by one or more sanitary equipment. Said device also comprises a flushing water conduit (9, 27) which connects the graywater tank (5, 20) to the admission of the flushing water (11) of the toilet (12), as well as a pump (10, 23) for flushing water. Said pump (10, 23) delivers graywater that contains solid constituents and is placed outside the graywater tank (5, 20). Said tank (5, 20) has the form of a smooth wall container that can be easily cleaned through an aperture (5a) and is integrated to a sanitary equipment placed on the floor.

Description

Device for saving water 5 The invention relates to a device for saving water, which enables flushing of a toilet with slightly soiled graywater from sanitary equipment, comprising a graywater tank located under the admission level of the flushing water of the toilet and fed by one or more pieces of sanitary equipment, a flus L0 hing water conduit which connects the graywater tank to the admission of the flushing water of the toilet, as well as a pump for flushing water. A known device for saving water of this kind has a graywater L5 tank in which a submersible pump is provided. The submersible pump, which is in the graywater in this design, is subject to severe contamination. Residue accumulates in the corners and joints of the submersible pump housing, thus providing a bree ding ground for germs. ?0 In order to reduce contamination, the graywater tank of the known device for saving water must be fitted with a complex filter. Handling a dirty filter is tedious and unpleasant. On the one hand, the maintenance intervals of the filter are 25 relatively short, as the solid constituents in the graywater quickly clog the filter pores. On the other hand, there is the risk of germs and foul odours forming even with a maintenance interval of just a few days. The known graywater tank is fed by an inlet provided at the top end of the graywater tank. The 30 graywater flows down through this inlet into the tank. A dis advantage of this design is that a special lifting device is required that serves the exclusive purpose of transporting the graywater coming form the sanitary equipment to the graywater tank. 35 In addition, the graywater tank of the known device for saving water requires an open space for installation and thus reduces the usable living space in this room.

2 Therefore, the object of the invention is to design a simple and inexpensive device for saving water which allows long maintenance intervals when using graywater, and which does not require any installation space in addition to the sanitary 5 equipment already installed on the floor of a bathroom. According to the invention, the object is solved in that the pump delivers graywater that contains solid constituents, that the pump is placed outside the graywater tank and that the 0 graywater tank has the form of a smooth-walled container that can be easily cleaned through an aperture and is integrated in sanitary equipment placed on the floor. The proposed device for saving water is of very simple design. 5 Its use is preferably restricted to a single bathroom. It can therefore be manufactured and installed inexpensively. The existing pipe system can be retained when the device is in stalled in an existing bathroom. 0 The graywater tank according to the invention has no joints or corners in which dirt can accumulate. The graywater is pumped together with the solid constituents out of the graywater tank by the special pump and used to flush the toilet. Thus, the entire graywater contents of the tank are renewed at a rapid 25 rate. In order to reduce the soiling of the graywater tank, it can be completely emptied at specific times via a drain or by the pump. This prevents the solid constituents of the graywa ter from settling during the night. No breeding ground for germs is formed. 30 Since the graywater tank is integrated in an existing piece of sanitary equipment, such as a shower tub or bathtub, the devi ce for saving water according to the invention can be instal led in very small rooms. No additional installation space is 35 required.

3 The device for saving water requires no complex maintenance. It is sufficient for the graywater tank to be opened and wiped clean from time to time. 5 In a particularly simple and inexpensive configuration, the tub of a shower forms the graywater tank of the device for saving water. In this configuration, the device for saving water can be put into operation with a minimum of installation effort. After showering, the graywater simply remains in the 0 tub and is gradually used to flush the toilet. Consequently, it is particularly well suited to a tenant who would like to operate an inexpensive device for saving water in an existing bathroom, without having to make major structural changes. The top of the shower tub forms the upper, large-area aperture of 5 the graywater tank, through which the graywater tank is easily accessible for cleaning and maintenance. If the device for saving water is to be used in a multi-person household, it is expedient for a user not to come into contact 0 with the collected graywater of the previous user. In this case, the shower tub has a false floor as the standing surface for the user, with at least one drain through which the gray water can flow into the underlying part of the shower tub that functions as the graywater tank. 5 With this design, several persons in a row can collect their graywater in the graywater tank. In order to avoid giving the user an unpleasant feeling from the graywater used and collec ted by other persons, the drain in the false floor advantage 0 ously blocks the view into the graywater tank. The water level is limited by the regular overflow pipe of the shower tub. The graywater can drain off through it, before it flows over the edge of the shower tub. 35 In order to avoid having to route the flushing water conduit from the top of the shower tub into the graywater tank, in which case it would collect dirt and also obstruct the en- 4 trance to the shower, a stench trap connector is provided on the stench trap of the shower tub, to which the flushing water conduit is connected. The stench trap connector additionally has a drain opening that can be connected to the waste water 5 system of the building. Once it exceeds a certai-n level, the graywater can flow through an overflow pipe into the waste water system of the building. In a configuration which is particularly suitable for new 10 buildings, the graywater tank is designed as an integrated tank beneath the shower tub. This particular graywater tank can have a greater volume than a conventional shower tub. It is possible to manufacture graywater tanks of different volu mes which, for example, are precisely adapted to the flushing 15 water demands of a family. In addition, graywater tanks can be adapted to different structural conditions even during manu facture. For the sake of simplicity, the pump is connected along the 20 flushing water conduit. The pump is connected to the graywater tank on its inlet side and to the flushing water admission of the toilet on its discharge side. The hygiene of the device for saving water can be improved by 25 providing a disinfecting unit. In an advantageous con- figura tion, the disinfecting unit is connected upstream of the gray water tank, so that the graywater tank can only be filled via the disinfecting unit. Even if several items of sanitary equipment that feed the graywater tank are connected, one 30 disinfecting unit is sufficient for treating all the incoming graywater. The capacity of the disinfecting unit can be adap ted to the individual graywater throughput of a device for saving water. To this end, a modularly expandable disinfecting unit can be used, which is designed for the desired graywater 35 throughput. Alternatively, an appropriate disinfecting unit can be selected from a series of models whose units are de signed for different graywater throughput rates.

5 In an alternative configuration, the disinfecting unit is connected downstream of the graywater tank. The graywater can only be drawn from the graywater tank via the disinfecting unit. In this way, the graywater is not sterilised until just 5 before being pumped into the flushing water admission of the toilet to flush the toilet. This design rules out the possibi lity of germs accumulating during storage getting into the toilet. 0 The best hygiene can be achieved when both upstream and downstream disinfecting units are provided. The disinfecting unit preferably has an ultraviolet lamp, with which graywater flowing through it can be sterilised. of cour 5 se, a disinfecting unit that functions according to a diffe rent principle, such as a high-voltage source, can also be provided in order to kill germs. In a particularly inexpensive and easy-to-handle configuration 0 of the device for saving water, a chemical disinfecting unit is provided. This unit does not require any electrical in stallations in the bathroom and no electrical work is required for set-up. 5 In order to save energy when operating the disinfecting unit, it is equipped with a switching unit that can be used to turn it on and off. In an advantageous configuration, the switching unit turns on 30 the disinfecting unit when graywater flows through it, and turns it off when it is in a static state without flow. An alternative configuration provides for a switching unit that can activate and deactivate the disinfecting unit as a 35 function of time or the quality of the graywater stored. In the case of activation as a function of the quality of the graywater, a suitable sensor is provided which triggers a switching signal when a certain quality level is reached.

6 The handling and installation of the device for saving water can be simplified if both the pump and the disinfecting unit are provided in a housing that is separate from the graywater tank. In this context, the housing can consist of individual 5 housings for the pump and the disinfecting unit, which are mounted next to or behind the toilet. However, it can also be advantageous for the pump and the disinfecting unit to be arranged in a common housing. The housing expediently also has an activation button for the pump. 10 The conventional toilet tank should be retained, in order to be able to flush in the usual manner if there is not enough graywater in the graywater tank. The flushing water admission of the toilet, to which the conventional toilet tank is usual 15 ly connected directly, can have a T-connector, for example. Both flushing systems are connected to this connector, namely the conventional toilet tank and the flushing water conduit of the device for saving water. Both systems are thus operational at all times. 20 In special cases, it is also possible to dispense with a con ventional toilet tank and fill the graywater tank with drin king water manually or automatically if there is a lack of graywater. 25 The invention is described in more detail below based on the drawing. The figures show the following: Fig. 1 A schematic front view of a device for saving water 30 with a conventional shower tub as the graywater tank, Fig. 2 A schematic top view of a device for saving water according to Fig. 1, 35 Fig. 3 A schematic front view of a device for saving water with an integrated graywater tank and a disinfecting unit connected upstream of the graywater tank, 7 Fig. 4 A schematic front view of a device for saving water with an integrated graywater tank and a disinfecting unit connected downstream of the graywater tank. 5 According to Fig. 1, device for saving water 1 consists of conventional shower tub 2, into which false floor 3 is placed. The space in shower tub 2, between false floor 3 and floor 4 of shower tub 2, functions as graywater tank 5. False floor 3 has a drain 6, which blocks the view into graywater tank 5. 0 False floor 3, shown by dashed lines, indicates that shower tub 2 can be opened. False floor 3 thus uncovers top aperture 5a of the shower tub, which is then easily accessible. Of course, a false floor that can be swung open via a hinged connection can also be provided as an alternative. 5 Stench trap connector 8 is connected to stench trap 7 of sho wer tub 2. Flushing water conduit 9 is connected to that, along which pump 10 is connected and which leads into flushing water admission 11 of toilet 12. In this context, pump 10 is .0 connected to stench trap connector 8 on its inlet side 10a and to flushing water admission 11 of toilet 12 on its discharge side 10b. Stench trap connector 8 is also provided with a drain opening 13 and an overflow pipe 14, where overflowing graywater can be discharged into the waste water system of the 25 building via overflow pipe 14 and drain opening 13. In this configuration, pump 10 is located in a separate hou sing 15. Housing 15 is mounted as a compact unit next to toi let 12 on a wall 16. In order to operate pump 10, an acti 30 vation button 17 that is conveniently accessible to the user is provided in housing 15. The water level of the graywater in graywater tank 5 is li mited by the regular overflow pipe 14 of shower tub 2. The 35 graywater can flow off via this pipe and drain opening 13 of stench trap connector 8, before it flows over the edge of shower tub 2.

8 An easy-to-operate, chemical disinfecting unit C, which holds a disinfectant, is arranged in shower tub 2. The disinfectant is gradually consumed. Therefore, fresh disinfectant must be added to the disinfecting unit after a certain time. 5 Conventional tank- 18 of toilet 12 remains on the wall, in order to be able to flush in the usual manner if there is not enough graywater in graywater tank 5. Flushing water admission 11 of toilet 12, to which conventional tank 18 is usually 10 connected directly, has a T-connector 19, as shown in Fig. 2. Both flushing systems, conventional tank 18 and flushing water conduit 9 of the device for saving water, are connected to this connector. Both systems are thus operational at all ti mes. 15 The configurations in Figs. 3 and 4 show a device for saving water with an integrated graywater tank 20 beneath shower tub 21, where shower tub 21 and graywater tank 20 are combined. Graywater tank 20 can be cleaned through an aperture (not 20 shown). The device for saving water also has a wall-mounted housing 22, which is fitted with a pump 23, a disinfecting unit 24 and an activation button 25 for operating pump 23. 25 Disinfecting unit 24 has an ultraviolet lamp 27, with which graywater flowing through the unit can be sterilised, and a switching unit 28, which turns on the disinfecting unit when graywater flows through it, and turns it off when it is in a 30 static state without flow. As the water level of graywater tank 20 rises, the graywater is prevented from overflowing, or flowing back through dis infecting unit 24, by overflow pipe 29, through which the 35 graywater can be discharged into the waste water system of the building.

9 Flushing water conduit 30 with pump 23 is connected to a spe cial connecting branch 31 of graywater tank 20 and via a T connector to flushing water admission 32 of toilet 33. A T connector is also provided in this practical example, to which 5 a conventional tank 34 is connected in addition to flushing water conduit 30. In the configuration in Fig. 3, the graywater flows down a slope from the standing surface of shower tub 21 through drain 10 26 and into disinfecting unit 24, flowing out of that down a slope into graywater tank 20. Additional sanitary equipment can be connected to disinfecting unit 24. In contrast, disin fectingunit 24 shown in the configuration in Fig. 4 is con nected downstream of graywater tank 20. It is positioned be 15 tween graywater tank 20 and pump 23 along flushing water con duit 30. The graywater used to flush toilet 33 is sterilised while being pumped out of graywater tank 20 and reaches toilet 33 in a freshly treated and hygienic state.

10 List of reference numbers 5 1 Device for saving water 2 Shower tub 3 False floor 4 Floor 5 Graywater tank 0 5a Aperture 6 Drain 7 Stench trap 8 Stench trap connector 9 Flushing water conduit 5 10 Pump 10a Inlet side 10b Discharge side 11 Flushing water admission 12 Toilet 0 13 Drain opening 14 Overflow pipe 15 Housing 16 Wall 17 Activation button 5 18 Tank 19 T-connector 20 Graywater tank 21 Shower tub 22 Housing 30 23 Pump 24 Disinfecting unit 25 Activation button 26 Drain 27 Ultraviolet lamp 35 28 Switching unit 29 Overflow pipe 30 Flushing water conduit 31 Connecting branch 11 32 Flushing water admission 33 Toilet 34 Tank C Disinfecting unit

Claims

1. Device for saving water, which enables flushing of a toi let (12) with slightly soiled graywater from sanitary equipment, comprising a graywater tank (5, 20) located 10 under the admission level of the flushing water (11) of the toilet (12) and fed by one or more pieces of sanitary equipment, a flushing water conduit (9, 27) which connects the graywater tank (5, 20) to the admission of the flus hing water (11) of the toilet (12), as well as a pump (10, 15 23) for flushing water, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n t h a t the pump (10, 23) delivers graywater that con tains solid constituents, that the pump (10, 23) is placed outside the graywater tank (5, 20) and that the graywater tank (5, 20) has the form of a smooth-walled container 20 that can be easily cleaned through an aperture (5a) and is integrated in sanitary equipment placed on the floor.

2. Device for saving water as per Claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n t h a t the tub (2) of a shower forms 25 the graywater tank (5), which has an aperture at the top.

3. Device for saving water as per Claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n t h a t the shower tub (2) has a false floor (3) as a standing surface for the user, with 30 at least one drain (6, 26) through which the graywater can flow into the underlying graywater tank (5, 20).

4. Device for saving water as per Claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n t h a t the drain (6, 26) blocks the 35 view into the graywater tank. 13

5. Device for saving water as per one of Claims 2 to 4, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n t h a t a stench trap connector (8) is provided on the stench trap (7) of the shower tub (2), to which the flushing water conduit (9) is 5 connected, and that the stench trap connector (8) has a drain opening (13) that can be connected to the waste water system of the building.

6. Device for saving water as per Claim 1, c h a r a c 10 t e r i s e d i n t h a t the graywater tank (20) is designed as an integrated tank beneath the shower tub (21).

7. Device for saving water as per one of Claims 1 to 6, 15 c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n t h a t the pump (10, 23) is connected along the flushing water conduit (9, 28), and that it is connected to the graywater tank (5) on its inlet side (10a) and to the flushing water admission (11) of the toilet (12) on its discharge side (10b). 20

8. Device for saving water as per one of Claims 1 to 7, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n t h a t a disinfecting unit (24) is provided. 25

9. Device for saving water as per Claim 8, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n t h a t the disinfecting unit (24) is connected upstream of the graywater tank (20), and that the graywater tank (20) can only be filled via the dis infecting unit (24). 30

10. Device for saving water as per Claim 8, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n t h a t the disinfecting unit is connected downstream of the graywater tank (20), and that the graywater can only be drawn from the graywater tank 5 (20) and pumped into the admission of the flushing water via the disinfecting unit. 41 1.4

11. Device for saving water as per one of Claims 8 to 10, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n t h a t the disinfecting unit (24) has an ultraviolet lamp (27), with which gray water flowing through it can be sterilised. 5

12. Device for saving water as per one of Claims 8 to 10, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n t h a t a chemical dis infecting unit is provided. 0

13. Device for saving water as per one of Claims 8 to 12, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n t h a t the disinfecting unit (24) is equipped with a switching unit (28) that can be used to turn it on and off. 5

14. Device for saving water as per Claim 13, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n t h a t the switching unit turns on the disinfecting unit when graywater flows through it, and turns it off when it is in a static state without flow. 0

15. Device for saving water as per Claim 13, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n t h a t the switching unit can acti vate and deactivate the disinfecting unit as a function of time or the quality of the graywater stored. 25

16. Device for saving water as per one of Claims 8 to 15, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n t h a t both the pump (10, 23) and the disinfecting unit (24) are provided in a housing (15, 22) that is separate from the graywater tank. 30

17. Device for saving water as per Claim 16, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n t h a t the housing (15, 22) has an activation button (17, 25) for the pump (10, 23).

18. Device for saving water as per one of Claims 1 to 17, 35 c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n t h a t it has a conven tional toilet tank (18) for exceptional cases when there is not enough graywater in the tank. 15

19. Device for saving water as per Claim 18, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n t h a t the flushing water admission (11) of the toilet (12) has a T-connector (19), to which both the conventional toilet tank (18) and the flushing 5 water conduit (9, 30) with the pump (10, 23) are connec ted.