SEPTIC TANK OR AEROBIC TANK LEVEL CONTROL SYSTEM

Abstract

A septic tank or aerobic treatment tank level control system has a tank adapted to be connected to a sewage outlet line of a building, a transfer line connected to an outlet of the tank and adapted to extend to a drainfield, a drainfield distribution unit connected to the transfer line, a pump positioned in the tank, a discharge line connected to the pump and connected to the outlet of the tank, and a level switch operatively connected to the pump. The discharge line is adapted to pass the liquid under pressure from the pump through the outlet of the tank and into the drainfield distribution unit. The level switch activates the pump when the liquid in the tank reaches a first level and deactivates the pump when the level of liquid in the tank reaches a second level. The first level is higher than the second level.

Claims

1. A septic tank or aerobic treatment tank level control system comprising: a tank adapted to be connected to a sewage outlet line of a building, said tank having an interior volume adapted to receive sewage from the sewage outlet line; a transfer line connected to an outlet of said tank, said transfer line adapted to extend to a drainfield; a drainfield distribution unit connected to said transfer line, said drainfield distribution unit adapted to discharge a liquid into the drainfield; a pump positioned in said tank; a discharge line connected to said pump and connected to the outlet of said tank, said discharge line adapted to pass the liquid under pressure from said pump through the outlet of said tank into said transfer line; and a level switch operatively connected to said pump, said level switch activating said pump when the liquid in said tank reaches a first level and to deactivate said pump when the level of liquid in said tank reaches a second level, the first level being higher than the second level.

2. The septic tank or aerobic treatment tank level control system of claim 1, said tank being a septic tank, the septic tank having a first compartment and a second compartment.

3. The septic tank or aerobic treatment tank level control system of claim 2, the first compartment being connected by a pipe to the second compartment.

4. The septic tank or aerobic treatment tank level control system of claim 2, said pump being positioned in the second compartment, said discharge line extending to said pump within the second compartment, said level switch being positioned only in the second compartment.

5. The septic tank or aerobic treatment tank level control system of claim 1, said tank having an access riser and a lid at a top thereof, the access riser and the lid allowing access to an interior of the said tank, the septic tank or aerobic treatment tank level control system further comprising: a bracket affixed to the access riser or the lid, said discharge line being received by said bracket.

6. The septic tank or aerobic treatment tank level control system of claim 1, further comprising: a flow orifice affixed to or within said discharge line, said flow orifice adapted to restrict a flow rate of the liquid to the drainfield distribution unit.

7. The septic tank or aerobic treatment tank level control system of claim 1, said discharge line extending upwardly from said pump so as to have a portion adjacent a top of said tank, said discharge line extending downwardly from the portion to the outlet of said tank.

8. The septic tank or aerobic treatment tank level control system of claim 1, said discharge line having a check valve therein, the check valve preventing a flow of the liquid through said discharge line to said pump.

9. The septic tank or aerobic treatment tank level control system of claim 1, said level switch being a float switch having a portion adapted to float on the liquid in said tank, the float switch adapted to move between the first level and the second level of the liquid in the tank.

10. The septic tank or aerobic treatment tank level control system of claim 1, said pump having an inlet positioned in said tank, said pump having a filter extending over the inlet of said pump, the filter adapted to prevent particles above a desired size from entering the inlet.

11. The septic tank or aerobic treatment tank level control system of claim 10, said pump and the filter being received within an interior of a vault, the vault being positioned in said tank, said discharge line supporting said pump a desired distance above a bottom of said tank, the vault having at least one opening whereby the liquid in said tank flows therethrough and through the filter to the inlet of said pump.

12. The septic tank or aerobic treatment tank level control system of claim 1, the outlet of said tank being positioned at a distance above the bottom of said tank and an opposite side of said tank from the inlet of said tank.

13. The septic tank or aerobic treatment tank level control system of claim 12, the outlet of said tank being a vertical distance between a bottom of the inner diameter of the outlet and a top of the inner diameter of the outlet, the first level being along the vertical distance above the bottom of the inner diameter of the outlet, the second level being at the bottom of the inner diameter of the outlet.

14. The septic tank or aerobic treatment tank level control system of claim 1, further comprising: a drainfield in which said drainfield distribution unit is received, said drainfield distribution unit being positioned below a grade of said drainfield.

15. The septic tank or aerobic treatment tank level control system of claim 1, said drainfield distribution unit being a leaching chamber or a multi-orifice pipe.

16. An apparatus for treating sewage within a tank having an access riser at a top thereof, the apparatus comprising: a pump adapted to be positioned in the tank, said pump having an inlet adapted to receive a liquid from an interior of the tank; a discharge line connected to an outlet of said pump and adapted to be connected to an outlet of the tank, said discharge line extending upwardly from said pump and adapted to be positioned adjacent to the access riser of the tank, said discharge line and said pump adapted to pass the liquid under pressure from said pump through the outlet of the tank; and a level switch operatively connected to said pump, said level switch activating said pump when the liquid in the tank reaches a first level and deactivating said pump when the level of liquid in the tank reaches a second level, the first level being higher than the second level.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising: a bracket adapted to be affixed to the access riser of the tank, said bracket receiving said discharge line therein so as to support said discharge line adjacent to the access riser.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, said pump having a filter extending over the inlet of said pump, the filter adapted to prevent particles above a desired size from entering the inlet of said pump.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, said pump and the filter being received within an interior of a vault, the vault adapted to be positioned in the tank, said discharge line supporting said pump a desired distance above a bottom of the tank, the vault having at least one opening whereby the liquid in the tank flows therethrough and through the filter to the inlet of said pump.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising: a flow orifice affixed to or within said discharge line, said flow orifice adapted to restrict a flow rate of the liquid passing through said discharge line; and a check valve positioned within said discharge line, said check valve adapted to prevent a flow of liquid through the discharge line to said pump.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of a prior art gravity flow septic tank and gravity flow drainfield.

[0044] FIG. 2 a diagrammatic illustration of a gravity flow septic tank with a pump tank and a gravity flow drainfield.

[0045] FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of the gravity flow septic tank and drainfield of FIG. 1 showing the problems that can occur after a period of use.

[0046] FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of the septic tank or aerobic treatment tank level control system of one embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of an alternative embodiment of the septic tank or aerobic treatment tank level control system of the present invention.

[0048] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a simple embodiment of the pump, level switch and discharge pipe as used in the present invention.

[0049] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the pump in the present invention installed within the interior of a filter.

[0050] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the pump of the present invention in which the pump and the filter are installed into the interior of a vault.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0051] FIG. 4 shows the septic tank or aerobic treatment tank level control system 70 of the present invention. The level control system 70 has a building 72 having a commode 74 located on the interior thereof. The building 72 can have a wide variety of other types of drains in the interior thereof. These drains can be connected to a discharge pipe 76. Discharge pipe 76 is connected to the inlet 78 of tank 80. Tank 80 is a two compartment septic tank. The tank 80 can, within the concept of the present invention, be a single compartment septic tank, a multi-compartment septic tank, a multi-compartment aerobic treatment tank or similar structure. In particular, there is a first compartment 82 and a second compartment 84. A pipe 86 connects the first compartment 82 to the second compartment 84. The sewage passing through sewage outlet line 76 into inlet 78 will reside within the first compartment 82 and will have a level 88 therein. Once the sewage reaches level 88, it will flow through pipe 86 and into the second compartment 84. Typically, sludge will reside at the bottom of the first compartment 82 and the liquid will flow into the second compartment 84.

[0052] Importantly, the present invention places a pump 90 in the interior of the second compartment 84. Pump 90 is connected to a discharge line 92. Discharge line 92 extends upwardly from pump 90 so as to ultimately have an upper portion received by a bracket 94 located at the access riser 96 of the septic tank 80. Another portion of the discharge line 92 extends downwardly so as to connect with the outlet 98 of the tank 80. A check valve 100 and a level switch 102 are positioned within the second compartment 84. Check valve 100 will prevent the back flow of water through the discharge line 92 toward the pump 90. The level switch 102 is illustrated as a float switch and will generally have a portion residing at the level 104 of the liquid within the second compartment 84.

[0053] The discharge line 92 will be connected to the outlet 98 and to the transfer line 106. Transfer line 106 will be connected to the drainfield distribution unit 111. The drainfield distribution unit 111 can be either a multi-orifice pipe or a leaching chamber. The transfer line 106 can be in the nature of a solid pipe (without holes or orifices). The drainfield distribution unit 106 extends below grade 108 of drainfield 110. Drainfield distribution unit 106 has a plurality of openings 112 formed therein. These openings 112 will allow the liquid pass outwardly of the drainfield distribution unit 106 and into the drainfield 110.

[0054] In FIG. 4, it can be seen that the level 104 will be at the bottom of the vertical inner diameter of the outlet 98. When the level 104 is at this position, the pump 90 is deactivated so that no liquid will flow from the second compartment 84 into the transfer line 106. When the level of liquid 104 rises upwardly along the vertical distance between the top and bottom of the inner diameter of the outlet 98, the pump 90 will be activated so as to cause the liquid in the second compartment 84 to pass into the transfer line 106.

[0055] It is important in the present invention that the pump 90 continues to deliver a relatively small amount of liquid every time the pump 90 is activated. If the pump were activated so as to deliver a large volume of liquid, such as removing a substantial volume of the liquid from the second compartment 84. This would not be a desired result. As such, in the present invention, it is important to control the amount of liquid that is discharged into the drainfield distribution unit 111. Additionally, it is important to control the flow rate of the liquid through the discharge pipe 92 and into the transfer line 106. A flow orifice 114 is positioned on or within the discharge pipe 92 so as to limit the flow rate of liquid to the drainfield distribution unit 111. The flow orifice serves to control flow so that the quiescent zone of the septic tank or the clarifier of an aerobic system is not disturbed and so as to avoid pulling unnecessary solids into the filter or pump.

[0056] FIG. 4 shows that biomat 116 has developed through many years of use. The biomat 116 has formed on the soil interface and has plugged some of the soil. As shown in FIG. 3, this has caused a high level condition in the drainfield and consequently in the septic tank. In order to remedy this problem, the user of the system 70 will simply install the pump, the discharge pipe 92, and the level switch 102 into the septic tank 80. Until this installation occurs, the system 70 as shown in FIG. 4 is virtually identical to the system shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 of the prior art.

[0057] In order to install the septic tank level control device of the present invention, the lid on the access riser 96 is removed and the discharge pipe can be placed on the bracket 94. The discharge pipe 92 and the pump 90 will simply extend downwardly for a desired distance. Since the upper portion of the discharge pipe 92 is adjacent to the opening of the access riser 96, installation can be achieved in a quick and efficient manner Servicing can be easily performed because of the arrangement.

[0058] The septic tank or aerobic treatment tank level control device includes the pump 90, the bracket 94, the check valve 100, the level switch 102 and the flow orifice 114. It also includes the discharge pipe 92 which is connected to the outlet 98 of the septic tank 80. Upon installation, the septic tank level control device maintains a constant normal level in the septic tank 80 while discharging the effluent into the gravity-flow drainfield 110. As necessary, the level of the drainfield rises and the upper level of the drainfield receives the effluent so as to resume soil absorption or percolation. As such, the present invention solves the problem of not being able to flush commodes and the problems associated with slow drains. All of this is installed without the expense of excavating, purchasing and installing a pump tank and associated equipment, and damage to the landscaping.

[0059] Before the present invention, the only immediate level control options that a homeowner had was to install a pump tank (such as shown in FIG. 2) if there was enough room or to install a new drainfield if a suitable location could be found in the yard. Either option necessitated spending thousands of dollars and devastating the landscape. By way of the system 70, the problem can be solved by installing the equipment through the small opening at the access riser 96 of the existing septic tank lid. The cost is just a few hundred dollars. There is little to no damage to the environment or landscape.

[0060] FIG. 5 shows a variation in the embodiment of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 shows a system 130. System 130 is extremely similar to the system 70 (a shown in FIG. 4). However, in FIG. 5, it can be seen that the pump 132 is received within a filter 134. Filter 134 is received within a vault 136. In this configuration, the inlet of the pump 132 will receive filtered liquid by virtue of filter 134. The vault 136 will assure the accurate positioning of the pump within the interior of the septic tank 140. It can be seen that the outlet of the septic tank 140 is connected to the transfer line 142. The transfer line will extend to the drainfield distribution unit 143. The drainfield distribution unit 143 can be a multi-orifice pipe or a leaching chamber. The transfer line 142 can be in the nature of solid pipe has a length suitable for extending to the drainfield from the septic tank 140. This arrangement is shown hereinafter in FIGS. 6-8.

[0061] In FIG. 5, it is important to note that the flow of liquid into the drainfield distribution unit 143 has several unique results. There is drainage in direction 144 down toward groundwater. The flow of liquid can cause the effluent to percolate upwardly. As such, more area or volume of the drainfield 152 can be used for receiving the effluent. A further benefit of the present invention is the sidewall percolation 154. In contrast, gravity-flow systems would assure that the effluent simply drains downwardly in the direction of lines 144. The upward percolation of the liquid allows for the sidewall percolation 154. This upward percolation would not occur in many unpressurized systems or gravity drainage systems. The sidewall percolation 154 occurs because the upward flow of effluent will ultimately emerge out of the sidewall of the drainfield 152. As such, the present invention greatly extends the life of the drainfield 152 by allowing the upper areas of the drainfield to be used. As such, the present invention can operate to extend the life of the drainfield 152 and will avoid backups in the septic tank.

[0062] FIG. 6 shows the septic tank level control device 200. This is installed through the opening and the access riser of the septic tank lid and usually through a grade level access riser or lid. The bracket is attached to the septic tank riser or lid. The discharge piping 202 rests on the bracket. Although the support bracket is the method of choice for suspending the septic tank level control device 200 into the septic tank, a variety of other devices, such as chains, ropes, wires, etc. could also be used to suspend the pump 204 within the septic tank. The discharge pipe 202 and/or the pump 204 could also be supported by the septic tank wall. Also, the pump 204 could be supported from the bottom floor of the septic tank.

[0063] The pump 204 is to be positioned in the septic tank between the upper scum level and the bottom sludge level. The final compartment of the septic tank is the preferred location. However, the pump 204 could work in any compartment or in a single compartment.

[0064] The level control switch 206 turns the pump 204 on and off in order to control the level in the septic tank within the normal operating range. Although the float 208 is the preferred embodiment of the level switch 206 of the present invention, a variety of devices, such as sensors, timers or a combination of devices could also be used. Once the level switch 206 turns the pump on, the clarified effluent is pulled into the inlet of the pump 204 and discharged through a check valve 210. This prevents backflow when the pump 204 is in the off position.

[0065] The effluent then travels through the discharge pipe 202 and through a flow orifice 212. The flow orifice 212 is designed to control the flow and, as a result, not disturb the quiescent clarified zone of the septic tank. This protects the pump 204 and the drainfield from unnecessary solids. Although a flow orifice is the preferred technique, various other devices could be used so as to control flow.

[0066] The discharge pipe 202 is connected by cap 214 to the outlet pipe of or within the septic tank. As such, it discharges effluent into the gravity flow drainfield through the outlet pipe and into the drainfield distribution unit.

[0067] FIG. 7 shows a filter 220 that is positioned over the pump 204 of the septic tank level control device 200. Discharge pipe 202 extends from the pump 204 and outwardly of the filter 220. Filter 220 will serve to filter particles from entering the inlet of the pump 204. Filter 220 will also cover the level switch 206 and the float 208. As such, these items will not become clogged or interfered with by any debris that will remain in the clarified zone of the septic tank. As the pump 204 sucks in the liquid from the clarified zone through the filter 220, the filter 220 will remove small particles. The small particles can reside on the exterior of the filter 220. When it is desired to clean the filter 220, it is only necessary to lift the filter 220, along with the pump 204 and the level switch 206, from the septic tank by way of the access riser.

[0068] FIG. 8 shows the completed assembly of the septic tank level control device 200 of the present invention. In FIG. 8, a vault 230 receives the filter 220 on an interior thereof. As before, the pump 204 and the level switch 206 will also be received within the vault 230 and within the filter 220. Wall 230 has an opening 232. This serves as an intake hole so as to direct septic effluent from the clarified zone of the septic tank to the filter screen. These holes 232 can be located at varying depths along the outer portions of the vault 230 in order to maximize the septic tank clarified zone.

[0069] It should be noted that, in the present invention, there are several products on the market that convert septic tanks from an anaerobic environment to aerobic environment. The septic tank level control system of the present invention works equally well with septic tanks or aerobic treatment tanks. FIG. 8 shows the completed septic tank level control device ready to be installed into a septic tank. FIG. 8 shows not only the completed pump vault filter assembly but also shows the septic tank level control device within the pump vault filter assembly and ready to be installed into a septic tank.

[0070] The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention is illustrative and explanatory thereof. Various changes in the details of the illustrated construction can be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the true spirit of the invention. The present invention should only be limited by the following claims and their legal equivalents.