Method and Apparatus for Collecting and Distributing Household Greywater to Landscape Irrigation
A method and apparatus for collecting greywater from greywater sources such as bathtubs and showers before the greywater can enter the existing plumbing through a drain, without altering the plumbing, and communicating the greywater to a storage reservoir for use with irrigation landscaping, the apparatus including a drain cover and water inlet, and a pump providing a vacuum force for communicating the greywater through a communication conduit to the storage reservoir.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to greywater collection and distribution systems. More particularly the disclosure herein relates to an improved system which is employable without modification of existing household plumbing and can also be utilized in residences with a concrete slab foundation.
2. Prior Art
Water conservation in today's world is especially important with ever increasing population and decreasing sources of fresh water. Although the benefits of modern plumbing have allowed for the instantaneous acquisition of fresh water into the household, and safe distribution of sewage to be properly treated, the common consumer pays little to no attention to the amounts of water wasted on a daily basis through toilets, showers, sink, laundry, and irrigation.
Greywater which is specific to wastewater generated from showers, bathroom sinks, and laundry has the benefit of being able to be legally recycled for landscape irrigation after limited treatment. Treatment generally involves filtration and removal of health hazardous micro-organism and chemicals from washing/cleaning products and the like. However, some greywater may be legally applied directly to landscapes given limited levels of contaminants such as from bathroom sinks, washing machines, showers and baths when a homeowner is actively aware of household products being used and public safety practices. Greywater differs from water from toilets which is designated sewage or ‘blackwater’, which contains human waste and must be treated at a municipal sewage treatment plant. Prior art devices have shown many attempts to capture and recycle greywater for use as irrigation in efforts of overall water conservation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,635,176 to Lorente teaches a water conservation apparatus for collecting and recycling water run off from sidewalks, streets, and gardens. The device generally includes a shovel like handle with a scoop for collecting water. However, Lorente is bulky and cumbersome and would be undesirable for in-home use such as in showers or bathtubs.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,192,426 to DeCoster et. al., 5,217,323 to Bilson, 5,465,434 to Coe, and 6,132,138 to Haese all teach devices and methods for greywater capture and recycling to landscape irrigation systems. However, and to much disadvantage, these as well as other prior art devices disclose capturing greywater through direct communication with the existing household plumbing systems, which requires permanent modification. Furthermore they employ vast amounts of communication conduits and large storage reservoirs which are bulky and require further permanent modification of existing structures.
In order to properly employ these as other systems it would require a complete overhaul and alteration of existing plumbing. This must be performed by a licensed plumber to conform to the many laws and restrictions, and one must often tear into walls and floors to access the greywater specific plumbing. As you can imagine this can be time consuming and extremely costly and is overall undesirable to the average consumer. In many cases homes have concrete slab foundations making it cost ineffective to apply in these homes. As such, concrete slab foundation homes have been all but abandoned for the practice of reusing greywater from baths and showers.
Furthermore, such overhauls tend to capture greywater from all greywater sources in the house, including but not limited to sinks, showers, and laundry. As such, many prior art greywater recycling methods must employ substantial filtration systems for removal of chemicals and other hazards commonly associated with harsh cleaning and washing products, as well as debris and the like. This can further add to the maintenance and upkeep required to use these systems. Consequently, and unfortunately, the practice of recycling greywater in residential homes has been minimal.
As such there is a continuing and unmet need for a greywater recycling device and method which is low maintenance, cost effective, and easily installed. The device not require any modification of existing plumbing and should be customizable to a wide variety of households including homes with a concrete slab foundation. The device should provide a user with an ‘on demand’ means for selectively collecting greywater when desired. The device should further be compact and portable for convenience.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe device herein disclosed and described provides a solution to the shortcomings noted in prior art and achieves the above noted goals through the provision of a household greywater capture and recycling system for employment in showers, bathtubs, and the like. The system generally employs a means to capture water from showers and bathtubs before reaching the drain and therefore without altering any existing plumbing.
As a result of this novel capturing aspect, the system can be employed by any user anywhere with no overhaul or alterations of existing plumbing structures to begin the process of water conservation and greywater recycling in their own home or wherever a shower or tub is located. This is of great advantage over prior art in that because it is a do-it-yourself system requiring no plumbing modifications, it may be employed without building and regulatory rules and restrictions normally related to plumbing systems which require restructuring by professional contractors. Further, the device can be employed in any region of the world or climate.
The captured water is communicated through fluidly sealed conduits to a temporary storage means such as a tank or reservoir preferably located outside the residence. However, applications in an apartment setting may be achieved through the provision of smaller, more compact temporary storage vessel indoors as desired.
A pump generally drives the flow of water through the conduits of the system and is of sufficient power to communicate water through the variable elevation changes as required. Details of the routing of the fluid communication conduits will become apparent in the detailed description below. Once within the storage vessel, gravity or an alternate pump may provide a means to communicate the greywater to the desired irrigation distribution. Such irrigation distribution systems may be, but are not limited to, subsurface irrigation.
The device further provides ‘on demand’ water capture when dictated by the user. Given the absence or presence of hazardous chemicals used in the bathtub or shower, a user may choose to capture the water and divert it to the storage vessel of the present invention or allow it to continue through the conventional drain to a municipal sewage treatment facility. The flexibility of the system providing the user with such ‘on demand’ characteristics is not seen in prior art and provides advantages of selective water conservation and reuse. However, the system may also employ a filtration means in case of accidental capture of chemicals or debris.
In addition, fresh water is often wasted while waiting for a shower to warm up. This fresh water may be selectively captured and communicated to the holding tank of toilet for toilet flushing purposes.
With respect to the above description, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the herein disclosed invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention herein described is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways which will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present disclosed device. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction and methodology insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is an object of the invention to provide a greywater recycling system which can be easily installed within any household without need for modifying or altering existing plumbing.
It is an object of the invention to provide a greywater recycling system that can be easily installed within any household that is constructed with a concrete slab foundation without reconstruction requirements or modification of existing plumbing.
It is another object of the invention to provide a grey water recycling system that can be selectively turned on and off by a user.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a greywater recycling system that is compact and portable and non permanent.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a greywater recycling system that can capture clean water being generated while waiting for the water to heat up to be safely used for toilet flushing.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a greywater recycling system that is cost effective, low maintenance, and customizable to a variety of architectures.
A further object of the invention to provide a greywater recycling system that promotes environmental consciousness and water conservation to consumers.
Now referring to drawings in
It is of great importance in the present invention to capture greywater before it reaches the conventional drain and sewer system plumbing. To capture greywater before reaching the existing plumbing, the drain 16 (
To reduce the need for altering the existing structure of the residence it is particularly preferred that the communication conduit 24 be adapted for an extension through a nearby window 70, which are commonly located near showers and bathtubs in most domestic bathrooms. However additional means of employment of the device 10 is described later in
An on/off switch 26 is preferably located at or near the shower stall 12 to provide the user with an ‘on demand’ means to activate the system and begin greywater capture while showering or after bathing in a tub. It must be noted that various modifications and arrangements may be necessary to extend the communication conduit 24 from the pickup 20 to an adjacent window given the architecture of the bathroom at hand. Therefore the depiction set forth should not be considered limiting in the intended scope of the device as described.
A diagram representation of the greywater capture and recycling system can be seen in
The pump 32 is preferably self priming in that in can handle air and water mixtures that may be encountered in a shower setting without losing prime, or draw. The pump 32 is operatively powered by a power source 34, such as AC power, battery, battery pack, or battery/solar panel combination (not shown). It is particularly preferred that a solar panel is used along with a battery to eliminate the chance of electric shock commonly encountered through AC power plugs. Furthermore the use of solar power further instills within the user the concept of conservation, not only of water but of energy as well.
However, in another particularly preferred mode the power source 34 may be rechargeable battery (not shown) such as those used in typical power drill or other equipment. This will provide a compact power source and means of employment such as to allow a user to simply charge additionally battery packs (not shown) and replace fully charged packs as needed to power the pump 32.
As mentioned an on/off switch 26 allows a user to selectively capture greywater. The switch 26 is electrically connected to the power source 34 and preferably located at or near the shower stall 12. The location and arrangement of the switch 26 however, may vary depending on user preference, as well as other factors. As is shown and described in more detail shortly in
The pickup means 20 generally includes a drain cover 21 and intake 30. The intake 30 additionally includes at least one inlet aperture 22 and a means to removable engaged to the communication line or may alternatively be permanently engaged to the communication line 24, as is shown and described in more detail shortly. The intake 30 may further include a screen or grate as a pre-filter for debris, hair, and the like.
It is additionally preferred that the cover 21 be concave or otherwise angled 27 towards the intake 30. As is shown the intake 30 is elongated to be substantially low profile as a user may be required to stand in the area around the cover 21 due to the location of the drain within the shower stall or tub. The intake 30 includes an inlet 22 that communicates to a distal end 25 wherein the distal end 25 may be coupled to the communication line 24 such as via circumferential fictional engagement or other engagement means known in the art. Alternatively, the distal end 25 may be permanently engaged to the communication line 24.
A still further preferred mode of the device 10 shown in
Shown further in
As is shown in the cross section of the device of
It is within the scope of the present invention that the inlet 22 of the intake 30 be formed or sized to receive a water volume concurrent with the flow rate dictated by the pump 32 and fluidly engaged communication line 24. As such it must be noted that the figure is not shown to scale as it may be required that the inlet 22 be sized larger or smaller to accommodate the correct flow rate and volume of water.
Another particularly preferred mode of the water pickup 20 is shown in an elevated view of
It is again preferred that the cover 21 be concave or otherwise angled 27 towards the intake 30 as is shown in the cross sectional view of
The protrusion 23 is preferably shaped to substantially exactly the size of the drain as to sit or rest in the a lip often present on a drain when placed operatively over it to provide secure engagement of the pickup 20 over the drain. In this manner the cover 21 will not accidentally slip or otherwise disengage from the drain during use. It must be noted that the provision of a registering protrusion 23 may be employed in any of the preferred modes of the pickup 20 of the device 10 and is not limited to the mode of
Further, those skilled in the art will appreciate various other means to provide registered engagement of the drain cover 21 over a drain and are anticipated in this disclosure. As such the present invention should not be considered limited to a protrusion 23 as shown as means to provide registered engagement of the cover 21 over a drain as is within the intended scope of the device 10. Other means may be locating tabs, slots, ribs, etc.
Further shown in
The secondary member 48 additionally includes a foot engageable tab 52 for rotating the member 48 as needed. It is particularly preferred that a user may engaged the tab 52 with their foot or toe for closing or opening the apertures 46 as needed. This may be advantageous in that the user does not have to bend over to remove the cover 21 from the drain when greywater collection is no longer desired. In this mode the cover 21 and secondary member 48 may be of a rigid plastic or similarly rubber to allow for easy rotation of the secondary member 48. Further, it must be noted that this mode may be employed in combination with any of the preferred modes of the pickup 20 described in this application.
A still further particularly preferred mode of the pickup 20 is shown in
Further shown in
In a particularly preferred mode the mat 21′ employs a substantially large foot depression activation switch 26′. The switch 26′ is preferably within a water proof casing or housing and may be electrically or wirelessly connected to the power source 34. Further, the switch 26′ is preferably large enough to allow the user to locate the switch 26′ with their foot even if their eyes are closed as may be encountered when shampooing their hair or washing their face. This provides added utility in the case where the user may have left the device 10 on before applying chemicals to their hair, and the foot switch 26′ provides a means to safety and effectively shut off the power source 34 before the chemicals can be drawn into the intake 30.
It must be noted that the provision of a foot depression activation switch 26′ can be employed with any of the preferred modes of the water pickup 20 and is not limited to the mat 21′ as shown in the figure. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the size and location of the switch 26′ may be varied and should not be considered limiting by the figure.
Still further shown in
As previously described, the greywater communication conduit 24 can extend from the water pickup 20 to the storage means 38 in a plurality of ways depending on the individual household. Since it is common for bathrooms, where there is a shower stall or bathtub, to include a window, in a particularly preferred mode the communication means 24 such as a hose, pipe, or conduit extends from the pickup 20 and through the window 70 to the storage means 38 preferably located near the intended window as described in
If a window is not readily available and/or the bathroom shares a wall adjacent to the outside of the residence, in another particularly preferred mode depicted in
Aspects of the device 10 depicted and described in
The device 10 may also be employed to selectively capture fresh water such as when a user waits for the running water to heat up. This fresh water can then be communicated to the holding tank of a toilet (not shown) for safe use for toilet flushing means.
While all of the fundamental characteristics and features of the invention have been shown and described herein, with reference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modification, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosure and it will be apparent that in some instances, some features of the invention may be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth. It should also be understood that various substitutions, modifications, and variations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Consequently, all such modifications and variations and substitutions are included within the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
Claims
1. A greywater collection and recycling system comprising,
- means to capture said greywater from a greywater source such as a bathtub or shower before said greywater enters the drainage system;
- a fluid storage reservoir;
- a fluidly sealed conduit communicating between said means to capture said greywater and said reservoir;
- a pump;
- a power source for powering said pump; and
- whereby said pump provides a vacuum force to draw said greywater from said greywater source to said storage reservoir through said fluidly sealed conduit.
2. A greywater collection and recycling system of claim 1 wherein said means to capture said greywater comprises;
- a drain cover; said cover having a top surface and a bottom surface;
- a water intake, said water intake including at least one inlet fluidly communicating to a distal end, said distal end in a sealed engagement to said conduit; and
- said drain cover positionable to form a seal over a drain of said greywater source to allow said greywater to communicate to said water intake in a pool formed in said greywater source to said storage reservoir.
3. The greywater collection and recycling system of claim 2 additionally comprising:
- said water intake located on said top surface of said drain cover; and
- said drain cover positioned to form said seal over said drain concurrently placing said water intake in an operative position to receive said greywater from a pool formed in said greywater source caused by said seal.
4. The greywater collection and recycling system of claim 2 additionally comprising:
- means for an adjustment of a flow rate into said water intake; and
- said adjustment providing a matching of said greywater communicated to said conduit with a fluid flow requirement of said pump.
5. The greywater collection and recycling system of claim 3 additionally comprising:
- means for an adjustment of a flow rate into said water intake; and
- said adjustment providing a matching of said greywater communicated to said conduit with a fluid flow requirement of said pump.
6. A device of claim 1 further comprising;
- a water filter engaged with said conduit between said means to capture and said reservoir.
7. A device of claim 4 further comprising;
- a water filter engaged with said conduit between said water intake and said reservoir.
8. A device of claim 2 where said power source is a solar panel and battery.
9. A device of claim 5 wherein said power source is a solar panel and battery.
10. A device of claim 6 wherein said power source is a solar panel and battery.
11. A device of claim 8 further comprising a foot activated on/off switch for powering said power source.
12. A device of claim 9 further comprising a foot activated on/off switch for powering said power source.
13. A device of claim 10 further comprising a foot activated on/off switch for powering said power source.
14. A device of claim 2 further comprising;
- means to position said bottom surface in registered engagement over said drain.
15. A device of claim 11 further comprising;
- means to position said bottom surface in registered engagement over said drain.
16. A device of claim 12 further comprising;
- means to position said bottom surface in registered engagement over said drain.
17. A device of claim 12 further comprising;
- said top surface being concave as to angle toward said inlet.
18. A device of claim 14 further comprising;
- said top surface being concave as to angle toward said inlet.
19. A device of claim 15 further comprising;
- said top surface being concave as to angle toward said inlet.
20. A device of claim 16 further comprising;
- said top surface being concave as to angle toward said inlet.
21. A device of claim 2 further comprising;
- said drain cover being a slip resistant floor mat.
22. A device of claim 17 further comprising;
- said drain cover being a slip resistant floor mat.
23. A device of claim 3 wherein said power source is a rechargeable battery pack.
24. A device of claim 18 wherein said power source is a rechargeable battery pack.
25. A device of claim 21 wherein said power source is a rechargeable battery pack.
26. A device of claim 2 further comprising;
- one or a plurality of apertures communicating from said top surface to said bottom surface;
- foot activated means to open and close said apertures; and
- whereby said apertures can be opened by a users foot to allow said greywater to flow to said drain without having to remove said cover from said drain.
27. A device of claim 14 further comprising;
- apertures communicating from said top surface to said bottom surface;
- foot activated means to open and close said apertures; and
- whereby said apertures can be opened by a users foot to allow said greywater to flow to said drain without having to remove said cover from said drain.
28. A device of claim 15 further comprising;
- apertures communicating from said top surface to said bottom surface;
- foot activated means to open and close said apertures; and
- whereby said apertures can be opened by a users foot to allow said greywater to flow to said drain without having to remove said cover from said drain.
29. A device of claim 16 further comprising;
- apertures communicating from said top surface to said bottom surface;
- foot activated means to open and close said apertures; and
- whereby said apertures can be opened by a users foot to allow said greywater to flow to said drain without having to remove said cover from said drain.
30. A device of claim 22 further comprising;
- apertures communicating from said top surface to said bottom surface;
- foot activated means to open and close said apertures; and
- whereby said apertures can be opened by a users foot to allow said greywater to flow to said drain without having to remove said cover from said drain.
31. A method for using a greywater capture and recycle system comprising the steps of;
- a) covering a drain to form a seal in a greywater source such as a shower or bathtub;
- b) allowing said seal to prevent a draining of said greywater and thereby form a pool of said greywater;
- c) positioning a water intake having a conduit in sealed communication with a reservoir, in a position in said greywater source, to receive water from said pool;
- d) activating a switch to communicate power to a pump;
- e) allowing said pump to form negative pressure within said reservoir and said connected conduit; and
- d) allowing said negative pressure to initiate a communication of said greywater from said greywater source to said reservoir.
32. The method of claim 32 further comprising the steps of;
- e) filtering said greywater; and
- f) using said greywater for irrigation.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 25, 2011
Publication Date: Jan 31, 2013
Inventor: Kevin Michael Norton (Carlsbad, CA)
Application Number: 13/189,790
International Classification: E03B 11/16 (20060101);