Method and apparatus for installation of drainage field

• US 5,051,028 A
• Filed: 03/11/1991
• Issued: 09/24/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ring Industrial Group LP (Infiltrator Water Technologies, LLC), Michael H. Houck, Radall Houck
• Original Assignee: Harold J. Houck, Michael H. Houck, Randall J. Houck
• Inventors: Houck, Randall J., Houck, Michael H., Houck, Harold J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Taylor, Dennis L.
• Application Number:
  US07/667,460
• Time in Patent Office: 197 Days
• Field of Search: 405/43, 405/45, 405/50, 405/36, 405/38, 405/46-49, 52/169.5, 52/169.14, 210/170
• US Class Current: 405/45
• CPC Class Codes: E02B 11/00 Drainage of soil, e.g. for agricultural purposes draining sports grounds E01C13/083; for consolidating foundation soil, e.g. sand drain piles E02D3/10
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 1/06 Accessories therefor, e.g. anchors

Abstract

A preassembled unit for a sewage nitrification field has minimum outward dimensions of loose, lightweight plastic aggregate material enveloped and bound by a plastic sleeve around a horizontal conduit. In one embodiment, the unit takes a bag form with an aggregate-filled netting sleeve concentrically surrounding and fastened to the ends of corrugated plastic vent pipe. In another form, the sleeve is a plastic extrusion of rectangular cross-section and the conduit can be formed integrally with the sleeve. Cross-webbing is added for strength. In ground installation, conduitless units make up for insufficiency of aggregate dimension. Mating male and female end caps are used to interconnect the conduit of adjacent units end-to-end. Apparatus for manufacturing the concentric netting sleeve/vent pipe version has a hopper that discharges aggregate into the top of a mandrel and an annular disc or helical auger blade that pushes the aggregate forward into the sleeve.

Claims

1. A method for installing a drainage field, such as for installing a nitrification field employed in a ground absorption sewage treatment and disposal system, comprising:

digging a trench of specified length and width;

placing a plurality of preassembled drainage line units in end-to-end fluid communicating relationship within said trench, each drainage unit comprising a horizontally extending perforated conduit, a loose aggregation of discrete, crush resistant, lightweight elements surrounding said conduit, a perforated sleeve member enveloping said aggregation and bounding the same relative to said conduit to define an aggregate-filled drainage cavity in fluid communication with the perforations of said conduit;

said drainage cavity having predetermined minimum dimensions in directions outwardly of said conduit, and providing drainage characteristics similar to those of a cavity of the same dimensions constituted by an aggregation of rock or crushed stone;

interconnecting the ends of adjacent conduits of said units;

placing in the trench under some of the conduit units a preassembled conduit less unit in fluid communicating relationship to each other and to said conduit units, each conduitless unit comprising a loose aggregation of discrete, crush resistant, lightweight bodies of plastic material, and a tube of perforated material closed at its ends enveloping and bounding said aggregation; and

filling in said trench with soil and compacting the same to provide a required minimum spacing between the top of said units and the ground surface.

2. A method as in claim 1, further comprising the step of placing the conduitless units end-to-end in two side-by-side runs along the bottom of the trench, and said drainage line units are positioned above the line of contact of the two runs to present a triangular cross-section with a conduit less unit at each base corner and a drainage line unit at the apex.

3. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of binding the conduit unit and the conduitless unit together in a single package.