Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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W097/49874 PCT/GB97/01689
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WASTE WATER CONTROL SYSTEM
This invention relates to a waste water control
system and to diverter valves for use in controlling
waste water for recycling purposes.
It is becoming increasingly recognised even in
countries with a traditional temperate climate that
water is not an infinitely-available commodity; global
climate patterns appear to be changing and in some
areas of the United Kingdom there has been a dramatic
drop in the amount of rainfall, with the result that
consumers are being asked to take measures to limit
their water consumption, thereby to conserve supplies.
The primary purpose of mains-supplied water is for
human consumption, the water for such purpose needing
to be of potable quality. However, it is recognised
that non-foul domestic waste water, sometimes referred
to as "grey" water, can be re-used for secondary
purposes include the supply of lavatory cisterns, water
to irrigate the garden and laundry or washing-up
purposes. Not all such waste is necessarily suitable
for these purposes, however, and hence there is a need
for a water-control system which can selectively allow
waste water either to flow direct to the main drainage
system or alternatively to a storage tank for eventual
re-use to supply a secondary demand.
According to one aspect of the present invention,
a non-foul domestic waste water control system
comprises a storage tank including means for supply of
secondary demand outlets and inlet pipework for non-
foul domestic waste water, the inlet pipework including
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selective diverter valve and pump means and the storage
tank including level-sensing means operatively
connected to said pump means, whereby waste water i~
use is selectively directed to said pump means and
pumped to said storage tank or passed to mains drainage
i~ said storage tank is full as detected by said level-
senslng means.
According to another aspect of the invention, a
diverter valve and pump assembly for use in a non-foul
domestic waste water control system comprises a housing
defining water inlet means and water outlet means and a
pump chamber including pump means, the housing
including valve means to selectively direct water from
the inlet means either to the outlet means or to the
pump chamber, overflow means being provided between the
pump chamber and water outlet means.
In use, the outlet from the pump means is
pre~erably connected to a storage or holding tank for
supply of secondary water demand outlets. The storage
or holding tank preferably includes level-sensing means
operatively connected to said pump means to inactivate
the pump means when the storage tank is full. However,
the outlet from the pump means may be connected direct
to secondary water demand outlets rather than indirect
via the storage or holding tank.
The pump chamber of the diverter valve and pump
assembly preferably also includes level sensing means
such as a float switch operatively connected to said
pump means, whereby the pump means does not switch on
until the pump chamber is ~ull of water. Pre~erably
the inlet of the pump means includes filter means to
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prevent any solid material suspended in the water from
entering the pump means.
In one embodiment, the valve means comprises a
valve chamber including an inlet port and outlet ports
leading respectively to the water outlet means and the
pump chamber, and a valve member comprising a flap or
plate which is pivotably mounted for movement between
positions in sealing engagement with one or other o~
said ports. Preferably, however, the valve member
comprises a rotatably-mounted cylinder having
passageways ~ormed therein, the cylinder being mounted
for axial rotation in a housing defining said inlet and
outlet ports for movement between positions in which
one or other of said outlet ports is open and the other
is closed, said inlet port remaining open in either
said position.
The water outlet means preferably includes an air
vent to prevent any entrapped air from creating an
airlock and preventing ~low of water through the outlet
means. Conveniently, the air vent is combined with the
over~low means.
The capacity of the pump means should be
sufficient to enable the outlet water to be supplied at
a rate which is approximately that o~ the inlet, so
that the pump chamber neither becomes emptied despite
continuing inflow of water nor is oversupplied despite
continuing outflow o~ water, resulting in excess water
running to waste through the over~low means. Two or
more pumps may be provided to boost the outlet
capacity; the pumps may be selectively actuated
according to the in~low rate. The pump outlets may be
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connected to a common outlet pipe via suitable manifold
means.
The pump means are preferably powered by a low
voltage direct current electricity supply which may be
provided from the mains supply via a suitable voltage
conversion device such as a step-down trans~ormer, or
by a rechargeable power pack.
The storage tank, which is preferably roof-mounted
to allow gravity supply to the secondary demand
outlets, may be provided with a back-up mains water
supply via a float-operated control valve. To prevent
any risk o~ the waste water cont~m;~ting the mains
supply, the control valve may be mounted at the upper
end of a bracket attached to the sidewall of the tank,
the float being connected to the control valve via a
cranked operating member having a vertically-disposed
portion and the bracket preferably including a
horizontally-extending lower arm having a slotted outer
end, the vertical portion of the operating member
passing through and being guided for axial movement in
the slot, whereby the mains inlet pipe is held above
the top of the tank sidewall. Such a bracket
constitutes another aspect of the present invention.
Embodiments o~ the invention will now be described
by way of example with reference to the accompanying
drawings, of which:
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of one
embodiment of a diverter valve and pump;
Figure 2 is a plan view in diagrammatic form of
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another embodiment of a diverter valve and pump;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the diverter
valve and pump of figure 2; and
Figure 4 is a fragmentary section of a storage
tank e~uipped with a bracket supporting a mains-water
float control valve.
Referring first to Figure 1, the diverter valve
and pump is shown generally at 10 and consists of a
body 11 de~ining a pump cham.ber 12, an inlet stub 13
for domestic non-foul waste water and an outlet chamber
14 t~rm;n~ting in an outlet stub 15. The inlet stub is
connected to an inlet pipe 16 via a connector 17 and
the outlet stub is connected to a drainage outlet pipe
18 via a similar connector 19. Pumps 20, 21 and
associated filters 22, 23 are retained in the pump
chamber by an aperture plate 24 secured to the body 11
by screws (not shown).
The interior of the body includes a cylindrical
seating 25 for a cylindrical valve member 26, held in
place by annular end retainers 26a. In the central
zone of the apparatus, the seating 25 is cut away to
provide an inlet aperture 27, an outlet aperture 28
c~mmnn;cating with the outlet chamber 14 and a further
outlet aperture 29 including a baffle plate 30
communicating with the pump chamber 12. An aperture 31
is also provided in the internal wall 32 separating the
outlet chamber 14 from the pump chamber 12. The valve
member 26 is rotatably carried within the seating 25,
rotation being activated by control knobs (not shown)
carried axially of the valve member and externally of
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the body 11. The valve member 26 is formed with a
central diametral through-passage 33 and a radial
passage 34 at 90~ to and connecting with the passage
33. In the position shown, the passages 33 and 34
place the inlet stub in communication with the pump
chamber; rotation of the valve member 26 by 90~ in a
clockwise direction will place the inlet stub in
co~mlln;cation with the outlet chamber via passage 33,
passage 34 being closed by the upper part o~ the
cylindrical seating 25.
A flap valve 35 is hinged to the internal wall 32
within the outlet chamber 14 ~or movement between a
position where it closes aperture 31 and an open
position in which one-way flow is permitted from pump
chamber 12 into outlet chamber 14.
The pump motors are powered by a 12 volt direct
current supply and are connected via a level or ~loat
switch (not shown) in the pump chamber, whereby they
are activated automatically when the pump chamber 12 is
filled with waste water, the valve member 26 having
been previously set in the position shown. Waste water
is thus pumped to a storage tank also e~uipped with a
level switch electrically connected to the pumps to
switch them off when the storage tank is full. Unless
the valve member 26 is then set to pass incoming waste
water from the inlet stub direct to the outlet chamber
14, which may be effected either manually or
automatically, water will continue to ~low into the
pump chamber, which will overflow by the water pressure
causing the flap valve 35 to open thus permitting water
to flow to the outlet chamber 14 and thence to waste.
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Referring now to Figure 2, a similar apparatus to
that described with reference to Figure 1 is shown but
the cylinder valve 36 has its axis of rotation vertical
whereby the operating lever is on the top of the
housing, as shown in Figure 3. With the cylinder valve
arranged vertically, flow into the pump chamber is
laterally - directed. In Figure 2, the inlet stub is
indicated 37, the outlet chamber 38, the pumps 39, 40
the float switch 41 and a combined air vent/overflow
aperture 42.
With reference to Figure 3, the pump housing has a
removable upper member 43 from the ends of which extend
the inlet stub 37 and the outlet stub 44. The cylinder
valve is manually operated by means of lever 45
pivotally caused in a recess 46 formed in the upper
member 43, which may be reversed if it is desired to
have the lever extending to and operated ~rom the other
side. The pumps 39, 40 are connected to a manifold 47
for connection to pipework to the storage tank.
Referring to Figure 4, the side of the storage tank is
indicated 48 and an "L" bracket member 49 is removably
attached thereto by means of screw clamp 50. The
vertical limb of the bracket 49 carries the mains water
inlet pipe 51 and a valve assembly 52 operated by an
actuating lever 53 attached to which is a float 54.
The lever 53 has a horizontal portion 55 and a vertical
portion 56; the latter is slidingly received in a guide
slot formed in the outer end of the horizonal limb of
the bracket 49. The use of the bracket to support the
J mains water inlet and valve assembly above the wall of
the storage tank results in the mains supply being
separated ~rom the water in the tank by a vertical air
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break so that cross contamination cannot occur.
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