US3005205A - Unitary washroom - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 24, 1961 M. J. BREEN UNITARY WASHROOM Filed neo. 22, 1959 2 Sheets--Sheei'I l FIG. l

/NVE N 7' OP MA UIP/C E BPEEN QZ www PATENT AGENT Oct. 24, 1961 Filed Dec. 22, 1959 M. J. BREEN UNITARY WASI-[ROOM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l2 r-a 2 /o\ 40 /Vff 66 V/O so K I FIG. 3

NVENTOP MAUR/CE BPEEN PATENT AGENT United States Patent 3,005,205 UNITARY WASHROOM Maurice J. Breen, 115 30th St., Toronto 14, Ontario, `Canada Filed Dec. 22, 1959., Ser. No. 861,331 3 Claims. (Cl. 4-1) p This invention relates to washroom assemblies suitable for prefabrication.

In summer cottages and in settlements remote from cities, one of the main problems of construction is the provision of toilet and/or washroom facilities.

It is an object of this invention to provide a washroom `and/or toilet design wherein the fixtures may be united in a unitary construction with a septic tank, the design being adapted to prefabrication methods. The prefabricated unit may thus be shipped in completed form to cottage or remote areas ready for installation without the necessity for providing at the installation, a septic tank excavation or construction. The latter feature is a very material advantage since the terrain at the washroom site may be quite unsuitable for construction or excavation. The unitary construction of this invention may be merely taken to the site, set on the ground without substructure and connected for use.

It is an object of this invention to provide a washroom and/or toilet unit including a` septic tank wherein the unit may be prefabricated and used either as a `building in itself or as part of a larger building.

It is an object of thisiinvention to provide a septic tank of a large plan area and small height whereby the tank may be placed below the washroom, without unduly increasing the height of the latter.

In drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the invention:

FIGURE 1 isa perspective of a unit in accord with the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical cross-section of the unit; and

FIGURE -3 is a horizontal cross-section through the septic tank of the unit.

In the drawings: a septic tank is defined byend walls 10,side walls 12,bottom wall 14 andtop wall 16. The septic tank so defined is shallow so that the height is considerably less than the width and length.

Walls dene a habitable washroom enclosure over the septic tank includingend walls 18 andside walls 20 which walls preferably extend along the projected planes of tank walls and 12 respectively. Atop wall 22 for the washroom joins the upper edges ofwashroom walls 18 and 20 to form an enclosed washroom.

Since the washroom and septic tank are a unit the walls of one will be rigidly connected to the walls of the other. It is therefore immaterial whethercorresponding end walls 10 and 18 (orside walls 12 and 20) are separate sheets rigidly joined (as shown) or whether the corresponding walls are integral so that a single wall member extends from the ybottom of the septic tank to the top of the washroom. The latter construction will in some in stances be easier of manufacture.

Sincetop wall 16 of the septic tank separates the habitable washroom enclosure from the septic tank which together form a unit, it will in the disclosure and claims be also referred to as an intermediate wall.

In the construction shown, thetop wall 16 of the septic tank forms the structural floor of the washroom although the upper surface thereof may be ornamented, tiled or painted as desired.

In the washroom are the normal fixtures,toilet bowl 24,tank 26 for bowl,sink 28,shower 30 and also there may be ahot water tank 32 for heating the water for sink and shower.

'I'hetoilet bowl 24 is rigidly mounted on the wall or me 3,005,205 1C@ Patented oct. 24, 1961 oor 16 and contains `thenormaltrap 34.. The trap outlet opens directly through an aperture inwall 16 into the septic tank.

Thesink 28 is mounted on one of the walls and the drain is connected through atrap 36 to the septic tank.

Theshower 30 has its drain opening 38 in thewall 16, hence the lower surface ofwall 16 surroundingopening 38 is provided with apipe 40 provided with a trap connection before opening into the septic tank.

Thus it will be seen that the outlet connection for each washroom element of the unit, namely: toilet, sink and shower, is provided with a trap which prevents any escape of oensive odours from the septic tank to the habitable washroom enclosure. In the case of sink and toilet these traps are abovewall 16 and in the case of the shower the trap is belowwall 16.

Apump 42 is connected to aninlet line 44 which extends out throughwall 16, the septic tank andwall 14 to the outside ofthe unit to a water supply. Running theinlet line 44 through the septic tank allows heat exchange to take place between the material in the septic tank and the incoming water and therefore to heat, to some extend, the incoming water. Thepump 42 supplies through conventional connections (not shown) cold water for theheating tank 32, sink 2S andshower 30 andtoilet bowl tank 26. The hot water tank is connected by conventional connections (not shown) to thesink 28 and shower 30 for the supply of hot water thereto.

Electrical leads 46 are provided for the heating supply for the hot water tank and for a switch and lighting fixture for the washroom, and are connected thereto by connections (not shown.)

The septic tank is supplied with anoutlet 48 in oneend wall 10 adjacent thebottom wall 14 and a first, preferably semicircular,baile wall 50 joins theend wall 10 on each side of the opening and extends about the opening, and vertically from the bottom wall to a top edge 52 a very short distance generally (about 11/z) from the top of the tank. Thus the only communication between the tank proper and the outlet is over thetop edge 52 of thewall 50. A second preferablysemicircular baffle wall 56 joins theend wall 10 on each side of thefirst baffle wall 50 and extends about the rst wall and vertically from abottom edge 58 predetermined distance above the bottomwall to .a top edge 60 a short distance from the top of the tank. Thetop edge 60 of the second baffle wall is slightly higher than thetop edge 52 of the first.

The spacing of the twobaille walls 50 and 56 fromtop wall 16 of the tank, allows air circulation over the bailes.

The height of thetop edge 52 ofrst baffle wall 50 sets the level of the liquid and solid in the tank and ensures that the maximum proportion of the tank may be used to contain liquid and solid material. This design allows the liquid level to approach much closer to the top of the tank than when an upper outlet from the tank is used. Such outlets are 3-4" in diameter and the level of liquid in the tank is therefore lup to the lowest part of the outlet opening or 3-4" from the top. The height differential between theAupper edges 52 and 60 of the inner andouter baille walls 50 and 56 prevents the normal flow of liquid over theouter baie wall 56 but forces it to ow thereunder.

Thelower edge 58 of thesecond baflle wall 56 is at a height -to allow liquid as opposed to solid to flow there under. Solid excrement and other Waste will not mix with the liquid but will iloat to the top or sink to the bottom, leaving the central vertical portion of the tank material liquid. The lower portion of therst baille wall 50 traps the sunken solids while thesecond bae wall 56 extends upwardly to trap the lioating solids. The lower edge of thesecond bale wall 56 is at a height to allow the central liquid of the tank to dow thereunder, up, over 3 thetop edge 52 of thefirst bae wall 50 and out theoutlet 48.

The solids aerobically react after a time to become inoffensive material of a common specific :gravity with the liquid and can then ltravel away with it over the escape route just indicated.

Although the advantages of the lower septic tank opening lin .combination with the bae walls have ybeen deiined, the terrain on which `the unit isplaced will sometimes make it more convenient to use aconventional upper outlet .62 also shown. Normally however the lower outlet will be used allowing the upper outlet to be closed and-the heretofore described-advantages to accrue.

A pair ofbafes 64 and 66 take the form of walls extending parallel tok end walls to divide the septic tank into three roughly equal sections. Thebafiies 64 and 66 extend frombottom wall 14 totop Wall 16 and respectively fromopposed walls 12 but respectively stop short ofopposite walls 12 to provide ka tortuous path for the solids from the toilet as shown. Thetoilet 24 is placed at the opposite end of the tank trom theoutlet 48 so that the material must travel about both baes before reaching theoutlet 48 and is thus given a maximum time to react before reaching the outlet.

Cleaning ports 70 and 72 are provided inopposed side walls 12 opposite each space between abaffle 64 and 66 respectively and awall 12 to allow cleaning in each case on each side of the adjacent bathe.

Anair vent conduit 68 extends upwardly from the air space in the septic tank throughwall 16, the washroom enclosure and wall 2210 be open to the atmosphere. F or convenience the lower portion of the air vent out-let 68 forms .the outlet forsink 28.

Although the septic tank shown is of rectilinear shape withend walls 10,side walls 12 and top andbottom walls 14 and 16 mutually perpendicular andv joined at the edges, it will be obvious that one or more of such edges could be eliminated by a rounded design wherein one or more of the walls contiguously extends into another.

Heretofore it had been-thought that septic tanks had to be deep and narrow, that is the height must be the longest dimension but v.it has now been found that with the construction describedit is possible to provide a shallow tank wherein height is the shortest dimension. This allows the construction of the unit whereby the septic tank adds very slightly to the height of the bathroom unit and vallows a compact unit to be produced which may if desired be simply set on top of the ground.

There has thus been produced, a compact unit combining washroom and septic tank which may be used internally as part of a larger structure or may form its own separate structure. The unit is thus suitable for prefabrication and shipping to cottage or remote installations. The electric leads, the'water inlet, extend out through the exterior walls for easy connection to the available electric and water supplies. The water outlet may be connected to any drainage line.

I claim:

l. A washroomconstruction comprising: a septic tank delined by top, bottom and side walls, the upper dening wall of said tank being the structural floor of the habitable portion Vof said washroom, means allowing continual discharge from said tank while maintaining liquid in said tan'k at a predetermined level, a toilet bowl rigidly attached to and located above said upper defining wall ,and having an outlet connected to said tank through said upper defining wall, means whereby water may be supplied to said toilet bowl, means for flushing said toilet bowl and at least one port allowing the removal of materials from said septic tank.

2. A washroom construction as claimed in claim 1 where said means for supplying water to said water bowl extends through said septic tank.

3. A washroom comprising side, end, top and `bottom walls, an intermediate -wall parallel to said bottom wall attached to said side and end wal-ls delining with them and with said bottom wall a septic tank, means allowing continual discharge from said tank while maintaining liquid in said tank at a predetermined level and defining with said side and end walls andsaid top wall a habitable washroom, a toilet lbowl including a trap attached tothe upper side of said intermediate Wall, means connecting the outlet of said trap to said septic tank, meansfor supplying vflush water t-o said bowl and for ushing said bowl, and means for the removal of material vfrom said tank.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,281,528 Davis Oct. 15, 1918 1,958,055 Linnmann May 8, 1934 2,131,124 Smith Sept. 27, 1938 2,514,230I Feazel July 4, V1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 367,721 lFrance Sept. 13, 1906

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