Transportable wash and paint facility

• US 6,132,509 A
• Filed: 08/12/1998
• Issued: 10/17/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gene L. Kuschnereit
• Original Assignee: Gene L. Kuschnereit
• Inventors: Kuschnereit, Gene L.
• Primary Examiner(s): EDWARDS, LAURA ESTELLE
• Application Number:
  US09/133,137
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• Field of Search: 118/64, 118/66, 118/72, 118/73, 118/603, 118/610, 118/317, 118/323, 118/326, 134/167 R, 134/168 R, 239/289, 427/421
• US Class Current: 118/64
• 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 17/0214 with removal of one of the phases
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/10 with stationary filtering elements
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/12 Auxiliary equipment particularly adapted for use with liquid-separating apparatus, e.g. control circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2201/265 mounted on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 29/27 Filter bags
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 29/35 arranged for outward flow filtration
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 29/56 in series connection
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 36/02 Combinations of filters of different kinds B01D29/50, B01D33/35 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 37/00 Processes of filtration processes specially adapted for filtering gases B01D46/00
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 16/40 Construction elements specially adapted therefor, e.g. floors, walls or ceilings ceiling elements filtering inflow of air into the booth B05B16/60; walls specially adapted for promoting separation of excess material B05B14/44
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/026 Cleaning by making use of hand-held spray guns; Fluid preparations therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/102 with means for agitating the liquid by agitating the container B08B3/042, B08B3/044, B08B3/045, B08B3/06
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 9/0826 the containers being brought to the cleaning device

Abstract

A self-contained, trailer-mounted, portable wash and paint facility particularly useful to retrieve a grease disposal container having a removable lid, wash dirt and grease from the container, repaint the container, and return it to service. The facility contains an extendable boom and winch to handle the container and bring it into the facility. A vat agitated with compressed air is provided containing a heated caustic solution wherein lids are soaked as part of the cleaning process. A trolley mounted winch is provided which assists in removing the container lid and moving it to and from the soaking vat. A circulating high pressure wash system is provided for high pressure spraying of heated soapy cleaning solution. The cleaning system has a high-pressure washer and tank with a delivery hose and nozzle for the operator to employ when washing the grease container. The floor of the facility contains a grate where used cleaning solution is collected in a catch tank. The catch tank features a screen basket for catching large debris, and an upper and lower compartment. The upper compartment has a skimmer for removing grease and oil from the solution, and skimmer tubes allow solution to flow to a lower compartment where silt settles and solution is collected. The solution from the catch tank is recycled through a three stage filter to the washer.

Claims

1. A tractor-driven trailer having a self-contained, trailer-mounted, transportable wash and paint facility for a grease container having a removable lid comprising:

(A) a wash and paint room defined by a sidewall, a ceiling, and a floor of said trailer, and a bulkhead within said trailer, said wash and paint room further comprising;

(1) an extendable boom mounted near the ceiling of said trailer and extendable through a sidewall port located in a sidewall of said trailer, said sidewall port defining one side of said wash and paint room, said boom being capable of extending to assist in retrieving said grease container from a location outside said trailer, and retractable to assist in moving said grease container to a location inside said trailer for washing and painting;

(2) a lid cleaning vat for soaking said grease container removable lid;

(3) a lid hoist mounted near the ceiling of said trailer and located to assist in moving said lid from said grease container to said cleaning vat and, subsequently, returning said lid to said grease container;

(4) a catch tank located in said trailer floor for receiving wash solution from the grease container wash room, said catch tank having a grating covering same for supporting said grease container and operator personnel; and

(5) a paint system for spray painting the cleaned grease container and lid; and

(B) a utility room adjacent said wash and paint room and separated therefrom by said bulkhead, said utility room comprising;

(1) a high pressure wash system having a high pressure, heated washer and a high pressure hose and nozzle, said hose and nozzle being extendable into said wash and paint room for use in cleaning said grease container and lid;

(2) a filter system having a first delivery line connected with said catch tank for recycling contaminated wash solution and a second delivery line connected with said high pressure wash system for delivering filtered wash solution thereto.

2. The wash and paint facility of claim 1 wherein said catch tank comprises an upper compartment and a lower compartment and skimmer tubes located between said upper compartment and said lower compartment and said lower compartment and so configured as to draining wash solution from said upper compartment to said lower compartment while leaving the bulk of floating grease in said upper compartment.

3. The wash and paint facility of claim 2 wherein said upper compartment of said catch tank further comprises a removable screen basket located below said grate for screening, collecting and removing trash collected from said wash room.

4. The wash and paint facility of claim 3 wherein said grate is split into two portions and one grate portion is removable for access to said screen basket, the other grate portion covering a sloping trailer floor portion which drains into said catch tank.

5. The wash and paint facility of claim 2 wherein said upper compartment comprises an oil skimmer for skimming floating grease from the surface of collected wash solution.

6. The wash and paint facility of claim 5 wherein said oil skimmer comprises a turnable roller, a motor for operating said turnable roller, a wiper, a compartment for catching skimmed oil, and oil skimmer outlet, and an oil collection tank for receiving skimmed oil from said oil outlet.

7. The wash and paint facility of claim 2 wherein said skimmer tubes have an upper portion so configured as to skim wash solution from under a floating layer of oil, and a lower portion extending to the vicinity of the bottom of said lower compartment.

8. The wash and paint facility of claim 1 wherein said filter system comprises an annular first filter and an axial second filter located concentrically within said annular first filter.

9. The wash and paint facility of claim 8 wherein said first filter and said second filter are located within a common closed container.

10. The wash and paint facility of claim 9 wherein said annular first filter contains disparate gravel or rock as a filter medium.

11. The wash and paint facility of claim 9 wherein said annular first filter has a tangential inlet for introduction of recycled wash solution into said first filter.

12. The wash and paint facility of claim 9 wherein said axial second filter is a cylindrical screen filter located within and in fluid communication with said annular first filter through a screen defining an inner wall of said annular first filter.

13. The wash and paint facility of claim 12 further comprising a final solution filter located in said second delivery line between said second axial filter and said high pressure wash system.

14. The wash and paint facility of claim 1 wherein said lid cleaning vat comprises front, rear, and side walls, a floor and a pivotable lid, said front wall sloping inward toward the floor, thereof.

15. The wash and paint facility of claim 14 wherein said lid cleaning vat further comprises a heater and a heating tube connected therewith and extending into a lower portion of said cleaning vat for heating a caustic solution contained, therein.

16. The wash and paint facility of claim 15 wherein said led cleaning vat further comprises an air compressor and agitation tubes connected therewith and extending into said cleaning vat, said agitation tubes being perforated so as to introduce agitating compressed air to assist in cleaning a soaking lid held in said cleaning vat.

17. The wash and paint facility of claim 1 further comprising an electric generator mounted under said trailer floor for supplying electrical power to the wash and paint facility.

18. The wash and paint facility of claim 15 further comprising a propane tank mounted under said trailer floor for supplying fuel to said high pressure wash system and said lid vat heater.

19. The wash and paint facility of claim 1 further comprising welding equipment located within said utility room for repairing grease containers as necessary.

20. A tractor-driven trailer having a self-contained, trailer mounted, portable wash and paint facility for a soiled object comprising:

(A) means for retrieving a soiled object from a location outside said trailer, placing said object within said trailer for washing and painting operations, and returning said object to said location;

(B) means for providing and spraying a hot cleaning solution onto said object within said trailer;

(C) means for spray painting said object once cleaned within said trailer;

(D) means for catching used cleaning solution located in the floor of said trailer in fluid communication with means to circulate said used cleaning solution to said means for providing hot cleaning solution;

(E) means in fluid communication with and located between said means for providing hot cleaning solution and said means for catching used cleaning solution for filtering said circulating used cleaning solution so as to allow its reuse; and

(F) means for replenishing cleaning solution connected with said means for providing hot cleaning solution.