Vehicle wastewater drainage system

Abstract

A wastewater drainage system for a vehicle, such as a recreational vehicle (RV), is provided. The system includes a pump, such as a macerator pump, in selective fluid communication with the black water tank and the gray water tank, and a drainage hose connected to the exit end of the pump for directing wastewater to a wastewater storage area. The system allows the RV user to clean the black water tank using water from the gray water tank, and allows gray water to be stored in the black water tank so that less time is spent draining the tanks and more time is spent enjoying the RV experience.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to a system and method for disposing of wastewater from a vehicle, and more particularly, to a system and method for disposing of wastewater from black and gray water holding tanks of a vehicle such that the black water tank and discharge lines are cleaned thoroughly without using fresh water or an excessive amount of gray water.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Recreational vehicles, which includes a variety of motor homes, travel trailers, and campers, are widely used and provide short-term or long-term living quarters. In this regard, a conventional recreational vehicle (RV) typically includes indoor plumbing, which includes a sink, a bathtub or shower, and / or a toilet. Larger RVs typically include multiple sinks, showers, and toilets, and can produce several gallons of wastewater per day, which is typically stored on board and disposed of at regular intervals.[0003]The wastewater in an RV is commonly referred to as either ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009]The present invention is directed to a wastewater disposal system for a vehicle, such as a recreational vehicle, that provides a simple, inexpensive method for flushing the gray water and black water tanks in the vehicle. For sanitation and efficiency purposes, the system according to one embodiment of the present invention is permanently attached to the wastewater discharge pipe of a recreational vehicle and provides a pump, such as a macerator pump, for grinding the waste into small pieces before directing the waste out a drainage tube leading to the sewer. Advantageously, the system and method of the present invention allows the gray water from the gray water tank to be directed into the black water tank so that the black water tank and discharge lines can be thoroughly cleaned using the gray water instead of using fresh water. Furthermore, the system and method of the present invention provide a sanitary and efficient way to store wastewater in the recreational vehicle so that the storage capacity is up to twice that of conventional systems.

Problems solved by technology

This method appears simple, but it is filthy and unhealthy.

For example, the flexible drainage hose can slip off the underground sewage line causing wastewater to spill out on the ground.

Even worse, the drainage hose can slip off the drainage pipe and spill raw sewage into a compartment in the RV or on the RV user.

If the RV user avoids either of these scenarios, however, the end of a conventional hose remains open, such that after the draining process remnants of the wastewater can drip out of the end of the hose and come in contact with the RV or RV user.

In addition, the RV user must endure the rather unsanitary process of removing and rinsing the drainage hose, such as by using a fresh water hose, and then placing the drainage hose back into the storage compartment where it is kept for future use.

A well-known problem in the RV industry is the clogging of the black water tank and the discharge pipe leading from the black water tank due to solids and other matter becoming clogged in the tank, which results in periodic replacement of the black water tank or extremely unsanitary maintenance and repair of the tank.

A major contributor to this problem is in the flushing of the RV toilet, which is different than the flushing of a conventional toilet in that only a small fraction of water is used to flush the toilet compared to a conventional toilet.

Because of this, the black water tank has a higher concentration of solid matter, which often leads to clogging the black water tank when emptying the tank.

Obviously this requires fresh water, either from the RV fresh water tank or an outside source, which is very wasteful and time consuming.

Thus, the black water tank will settle with solids and cause blockage in the discharge pipe.

Accordingly, the black water tank and / or discharge pipe will have to be replaced or repaired, often at great expense.

Another problem with conventional RV disposal systems is the frequency at which the storage tanks must be discharged.

Accordingly, a large portion of the space in the black water tank goes unused since there is not currently a crossover to the two tanks due to plumbing codes and the design of conventional plumbing systems.

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