Residential septic tank

• US 20010019026A1
• Filed: 03/23/2001
• Published: 09/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brian Garcia, Kaushik Mallick, Michael Zais, Robin Berg
• Original Assignee: Brian Garcia, Kaushik Mallick, Michael Zais, Robin Berg
• Inventors: Mallick, Kaushik, Zais, Michael, Berg, Robin, Garcia, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 6,558,535 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 210/170
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/00 Separation of liquids, not provided for elsewhere, e.g. by thermal diffusion devices for separating or removing fatty or oily substances or similar floating material from water, waste water, or sewage C02F1/40; cleaning or keeping clear the surface of open water from oil or like materials E02B15/04; arrangements for separating lubricants from refrigerants F25B43/02
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/0208 by sedimentation
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/0211 with baffles
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/0214 with removal of one of the phases
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/10 with stationary filtering elements
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 21/0003 Making of sedimentation devices, structural details thereof, e.g. prefabricated parts
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 21/0012 Settling tanks making use of filters, e.g. by floating layers of particulate material
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 21/0042 Baffles or guide plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 21/02 Settling tanks with single outlets for the separated liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 21/2433 Discharge mechanisms for floating particles
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 21/245 Discharge mechanisms for the sediments

Abstract

A water-tight fiberglass septic tank is strong enough to withstand live loads. The fiberglass septic tank is preferably designed with integral ribs to for structural strength. In one preferred embodiment, the tank is made in two unequal halves. The lower half comprises the major portion of the tank and includes a bottom, two endwalls and two sidewalls. The upper half comprises a cover. This arrangement allows the horizontal seam to be placed above the internal waterline, thereby protecting the seam from exposure to sewage. At least one of the endwalls includes a raised top portion that allows a pipe to be located near the top of the lower portion without passing through the seam between the upper and lower portions of the tank. The endwalls are also curved to allow for angled inlet and outlet pipe connections. The ribs are preferably internal and hollow. The lower portion of the tank is also preferably flat bottomed. A provision has been made for a self-locating baffle if required. In another preferred embodiment, a cylindrical male molded tank is created on a mandrel. The tank circumference is stepped, which both provides for built-in stepped ribs and eases removal of the tank from the mandrel. In preferred embodiments of the tank, a baffle is located at the position of a stepped rib so that the stepped rib supports the baffle.

Claims

1. A septic tank comprising:

a lower portion; and

an upper portion connected to the lower portion;

wherein the lower portion is larger than the upper portion and the upper portion and lower portion are formed of fiberglass.

2. The septic tank of

claim 1

, wherein the upper portion and the lower portion are sized such that a seam between the upper portion and lower portion is located above a sewage line corresponding to an expected maximum volume of sewage in the septic tank.

3. The septic tank of

claim 2

, wherein the lower portion has a substantially flat bottom section.

4. The septic tank of

claim 2

, wherein the lower portion includes at least one raised endwall that allows a pipe to pass through the raised endwall above the sewage line but below the seam between the upper portion and the lower portion.

5. The septic tank of

claim 2

, wherein the upper portion and the lower portion include integrally molded ribs.

6. The septic tank of

claim 5

, wherein the ribs have a cross sectional shape in the form of a trapezoid.

7. The septic tank of

claim 6

, wherein the ribs are hollow.

8. The septic tank of

claim 7

, wherein the ribs of the lower section are internal.

9. The septic tank of

claim 7

, wherein the ribs of the upper section are external.

10. The septic tank of

claim 2

, wherein the lower portion is shaped such that it may be stacked with other lower portions.

11. The septic tank of

claim 7

, wherein the lower portion is shaped such that it may be stacked with other lower portions and a void formed by the internal rib is at least partially filled by a material on a bottom portion of the lower portion.

12. The septic tank of

claim 11

, wherein the material is a foam.

13. The septic tank of

claim 2

, wherein the upper portion is shaped such that it may be stacked with other upper portions.

14. The septic tank of

claim 2

, wherein at least one endwall of the lower portion is curved such that a pipe may intersect the at least one endwall substantially perpendicularly while forming a non-zero angle with respect to a main axis of the septic tank.

15. The septic tank of

claim 2

, wherein the upper portion and the lower portion are shaped such that they are separately nestable.

16. The septic tank of

claim 5

, further comprising a baffle, the baffle having a plurality of clips, the clips having a tab portion sized and positioned to engage an internal rib adjacent to the baffle.

17. A septic tank comprising:

a first half; and

a second half attached to the first half;

wherein the first half and the second half include at least one stepped rib.

18. The septic tank of

claim 17

, wherein the first half and the second half are formed of fiberglass.

19. The septic tank of

claim 18

, wherein the first half has a first end, the second half has a second end, and the septic tank further comprises a first leveling block attached to the first end and a second leveling block attached to the second end.

20. The septic tank of

claim 19

, further comprising a baffle attached to and supported by one of the stepped ribs.

21. The septic tank of

claim 20

, wherein the baffle has a plurality of clips, the clips having a tab portion sized and positioned to engage an internal rib adjacent to the baffle.

22. A septic tank comprising:

a lower portion, the lower portion having at least one internal rib;

a baffle; and

a plurality of clips connected to the baffle, the clips being configured to secure the baffle to the at least one rib.

23. The septic tank of

claim 22

, wherein the clips are integrally molded with the baffle.