Retrievable filter element for subsurface drainage

Details Retrievable filter element for subsurface drainage Retrievable filter element for subsurface drainage

1999-09-30

2001-10-16

Savage, Matthew O. (Department: 1723)

Liquid purification or separation

Particulate material type separator, e.g., ion exchange or...

Removable cartridge or hand-manipulated container

C210S484000, C210S489000, C210S499000, C210S170050

Reexamination Certificate

active

06303033

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to filter elements for leach fields for draining septic tank effluents, rainwater, and treated industrial and municipal wastewater into the ground by means of buried filter elements. It furthermore relates to filter elements utilizing rubber tire or plastic scrap, wastes that are finding a constructive use in the filter elements of this invention instead of taking up valuable space in landfills.
This invention also relates to a process for constructing leach fields utilizing the filter elements of this invention.
2. Prior Art
Septic tank effluents, rainwater, and treated industrial and municipal wastewater are conventionally drained into the soil through slofted or perforated drain pipes into trenches filled with gravel and then backfilled with soil. The gravel facilitates the drainage of water into the soil and delays the plugging of the slots or perforations in the drain pipes by soil particles. However, the slots or perforations in the drain pipes and the gravel beds eventually do become plugged with fine solids leached from the soil, making the leach fields ineffective and requiring the removal of the drain pipes and gravel and the construction of new leach fields.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The filter elements of this invention are assembled by placing rubber or plastic scrap pieces in net sacks. The rubber and plastic scrap pieces, herein referred to as aggregate, typically, are in the form of chips. Used automobile and truck tires are the principal source of rubber scrap. The net sacks have openings that are smaller than the aggregate chips such that they cannot fall out of the net sacks through these openings when installed. The net sacks containing the aggregate are attached to pieces of fabric filter cloth, which may be wrapped around the net sacks or draped around adjacent filter elements so that the soil surrounding the net sacks cannot infiltrate into the enclosed aggregate chips, but water draining into the aggregate chips can escape through the filter cloth into the surrounding soil. The net sacks filled with the aggregate and wrapped in filter cloth constitute the filter elements of this invention.
In the construction of a leach field, the filter elements are placed in trenches so as completely to surround the perforated or slotted drain pipes that convey the wastewater effluents into the leach field. Every portion of the drain pipes is surrounded by at least two filter elements to ensure that all the wastewater passes through the aggregate The trenches are then backfilled with soil. Fine soil particles cannot enter and plug the filter elements because the pores of the filter cloth are smaller than the soil particles.
This invention also relates to a process for constructing leach fields utilizing the filter elements of this invention.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4699838 (1987-10-01), Gilbert
patent: 5089108 (1992-02-01), Small
patent: 5100258 (1992-03-01), Van Wagoner
patent: 403279509 (1991-12-01), None

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