U.S. patent application number 14/288455 was filed with the patent office on 2014-12-04 for stormwater vault apparatus and servicing process.
The applicant listed for this patent is Thomas H. Happel. Invention is credited to Thomas H. Happel.
Application Number | 20140352729 14/288455 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51983735 |
Filed Date | 2014-12-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140352729 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Happel; Thomas H. |
December 4, 2014 |
STORMWATER VAULT APPARATUS AND SERVICING PROCESS
Abstract
A stormwater vault and a process for servicing the stormwater
vault speeds the process of cleaning a stormwater vault. The
stormwater vault has a built in liquefaction system for liquefying
settled debris in the vault which works together with a sloped or
angled floor in the vault. The settled debris is flushed toward the
inlet to a vacuum removal line inserted into the vault through an
access opening for removing the settled debris from the vault.
Inventors: |
Happel; Thomas H.; (Cocoa,
FL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Happel; Thomas H. |
Cocoa |
FL |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
51983735 |
Appl. No.: |
14/288455 |
Filed: |
May 28, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61828958 |
May 30, 2013 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
134/21 ;
405/36 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B01D 21/2472 20130101;
E03F 5/106 20130101; E03F 5/14 20130101; E03F 5/108 20130101; B08B
9/0856 20130101; B08B 9/0933 20130101; E03F 5/101 20130101; B01D
21/2483 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
134/21 ;
405/36 |
International
Class: |
E02B 11/00 20060101
E02B011/00; B08B 9/093 20060101 B08B009/093; B08B 9/08 20060101
B08B009/08 |
Claims
1. A stormwater vault comprising: a vault housing having an
interior chamber having an upper and lower chamber portion and
having a stormwater inlet thereinto and an outlet therefrom, said
vault housing having an access entrance thereinto; a water pipe
having a plurality of outlets therefrom mounted in the bottom
portion of said vault chamber positioned for flushing debris
settled in said vault chamber; and a supply pipe located in said
vault housing interior chamber and connected to said water pipe,
said supply pipe having a water line coupling thereon positioned
for coupling a water line thereto from outside said vault housing;
thereby providing access to said storm water vault housing to flush
settled debris with water while cleaning debris from said vault
chamber.
2. The stormwater vault in accordance with claim 1 in which said
vault housing has a sloped floor portion for driving settle debris
towards a predetermined area with water from said water pipe.
3. The stormwater vault in accordance with claim 2 in which said
vault housing has a plurality of sloped floor portions for driving
settled debris towards a predetermined area with water from said
water pipe.
4. The stormwater vault in accordance with claim 2 in which said
vault housing has a generally concave floor portion for driving
settle debris towards a predetermined area with water from said
water pipe.
5. The stormwater vault in accordance with claim 3 in which said
vault housing has two sloped floor portions for driving settle
debris towards a predetermined area with water from said water
pipe.
6. The stormwater vault in accordance with claim 3 in which said
vault housing has an four sloped floor portions for driving settle
debris towards a predetermined area with water from said water
pipe.
7. The stormwater vault in accordance with claim 1 in which said
vault housing has a plurality of connected settling chambers
therein each having a water pipe having a plurality of outlets
therein mounted therein and each having a sloped floor portion for
driving settled debris towards a predetermined area with water from
said water pipe mounted therein.
8. The stormwater vault in accordance with claim 7 in which each
said vault housing plurality of connected settling chambers has a
plurality of sloped floor portions for driving settled debris
towards a predetermined area with water from said water pipe.
9. The stormwater vault in accordance with claim 7 in which each
said vault housing plurality of connected settling chambers has a
generally concave sloped floor portion for driving settle debris
towards a predetermined area with water from said water pipe.
10. The stormwater vault in accordance with claim 1 in which said
water pipe mounted in said vault housing chamber is generally
mounted around the periphery of the floor portion of said vault
housing chamber.
11. The stormwater vault in accordance with claim 10 in which said
water pipe mounted in said vault housing chamber includes a
generally vertical portion extending from the periphery mounted
water pipe to the water line coupling.
12. The stormwater vault in accordance with claim 1 in which said
vault housing is generally square in horizontal cross-section
having four sides and a stormwater inlet in one side thereof and a
stormwater outlet therefrom.
13. The stormwater vault in accordance with claim 1 in which said
vault housing is generally cylindrical and has a stormwater inlet
in the side thereof and a stormwater outlet in the side
thereof.
14. The stormwater vault in accordance with claim 7 in which said
vault housing is generally rectangular in cross-section having four
sides and a stormwater inlet in one side thereof and a stormwater
outlet another side therefrom.
15. A method of cleaning a stormwater vault comprising the steps
of: selecting a stormwater vault having an interior chamber having
an upper and lower chamber portion and having a stormwater inlet
thereinto and an outlet therefrom, said vault housing having an
access entrance thereinto and having a water pipe having a
plurality of outlets therefrom mounted in the bottom portion of
said vault chamber positioned for flushing debris settled in said
vault chamber and a supply pipe located in said vault chamber and
connected to said water pipe and having a water coupling thereon
positioned for attaching a water line thereto from outside the
vault; opening said vault access entrance; inserting a vacuum
suction line having an inlet end for drawing materials thereinto
into said vault through said access entrance; withdrawing sediment
in the bottom portion of said vault chamber beneath said inserted
vacuum line; connecting a water line to said water pipe coupling;
and applying water under pressure into said water pipe to spray
water out said water pipe outlets to liquify and move the sediment
in said vault chamber towards said vacuum inlet to withdraw the
moved sediment from said vault.
16. The method of cleaning a stormwater vault in accordance with
claim 15 including the step of turning off the water from said
water line and removing said vacuum suction line from said vault
upon removal of settled debris therefrom.
17. The method of cleaning a stormwater vault in accordance with
claim 16 including the step of selecting a stormwater vault having
a sloped floor portion for driving said settled debris therealong
toward the inlet to said vacuum line inlet.
18. The method of cleaning a stormwater vault in accordance with
claim 17 in which the step of selecting a stormwater vault having a
sloped floor portion includes selecting a vault having a generally
concave floor portion.
19. The method of cleaning a stormwater vault in accordance with
claim 17 in which the step of selecting a stormwater vault having a
sloped floor portion includes selecting a vault having at least two
sloped floor portions for driving settled debris towards the
inserted vacuum line inlet.
20. The method of cleaning a stormwater vault in accordance with
claim 17 in which the step of selecting a stormwater vault having a
water pipe having a plurality of outlets therefrom mounted in the
bottom portion of said vault chamber and mounted generally around
the periphery of the bottom portion of the vault chamber.
Description
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/828,958, filed May 30, 2013 for Stormwater Vault
Apparatus and Servicing Process.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Stormwater treatment systems typically remove solids from
stormwater flow. These solids represent a major portion of the
pollutant load contained in stormwater runoff. Current federal,
state, and local stormwater treatment guidelines require that all
stormwater runoff receive treatment to prevent the conveyance of
pollution to downstream receiving water bodies.
[0003] In an attempt to quantify the effectiveness of stormwater
treatment solutions, the debris collected in devises that treat
stormwater is removed during servicing and analyzed. A major factor
in determining the effectiveness of a stormwater treatment devise
is the amount by weight of the debris removed during servicing.
Therefore the greater the amount of debris removed from a devise by
weight increases its effectiveness.
[0004] Servicing a stormwater treatment devise requires both human,
equipment, and financial resources. Being able to service
frequently will yield the capture of more debris, and being able to
service quickly with a minimum human and investment will reduce the
investment of servicing. In addition, because the environment of
stormwater treatment systems is dynamic with the potential of
flowing water during servicing, servicing quickly can make a major
difference as to whether or not a devise is serviceable.
[0005] Another issue in servicing is the need to accomplish
servicing without having to enter the vault of the stormwater
treatment system. It is typical to send a person into a stormwater
treatment vault with a handheld spray wand to flush debris toward a
mobile vacuum system that removes the debris to a truck. Confined
space guidelines set by OSHA dictate that when a person enters a
confined space, such as a stormwater vault of a stormwater
treatment system, the person entering the vault should be certified
to do so and that special safety equipment must be present. Not
just anyone can do confined space work and the safety routines can
be complicated. The confined space issue can be a barrier to
accomplishing the servicing of a stormwater treatment system.
[0006] It is typical for a vacuum service truck to have a water
supply in an onboard tank that is used to flush debris as needed
and generally wash things off. However, the supply of water on the
vacuum truck is limited and can run out during the servicing of a
stormwater treatment system. If the vacuum truck has to leave the
service site to restock its water tank, the loss of time can be
significant. To abandon the site to restock the water tank would
not only take time but would require the treatment system to be
closed up and secured out of safety concerns to the public. In
addition, water intrusion into the treatment system while the
vacuum truck was away would have to be dealt with which would take
additional time and resources.
[0007] The present stormwater treatment vault is designed to
increase the speed of servicing, use less water to do the
servicing, and not require a person to enter the stormwater
treatment vault to do the servicing. A primary feature that makes
this all possible is the liquefaction of the captured debris from a
spray system underneath the collected debris in a vault shaped to
direct the debris to a collection point to be removed by a vacuum
line.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] A stormwater vault has a vault housing having an interior
chamber having an upper and lower chamber portion and having a
stormwater inlet thereinto and an outlet therefrom. The vault
housing has an access entrance thereinto. A water pipe having a
plurality of outlets therefrom is mounted in the bottom portion of
the vault housing interior chamber, such as around the periphery of
the chamber, and is positioned for liquefying and flushing debris
that has settled on the bottom portion of the vault chamber. A
supply pipe is located in the vault housing interior chamber and is
connected to the water pipe. The supply pipe has a water line
coupling thereon positioned for coupling to a water line from
outside the vault housing. This allows a vacuum truck with a high
pressure water source to insert a vacuum removal line into the
vault and to couple a high pressure water line to the supply pipe
vacuum out settled debris and to liquify debris with high pressure
water while cleaning debris from the vault chamber. The bottom of
the vault chamber has an angled surface, which may be a plurality
of slanted bottom portions, or a truncated cone bottom forming a
funnel shape or the like, for the settled debris to be directed
towards a center area under the inlet to the vacuum hose.
[0009] A method of cleaning a stormwater vault includes the steps
of selecting a stormwater vault having an interior chamber having
an upper and lower chamber portion and having a stormwater inlet
thereinto and an outlet therefrom. The vault housing has an access
entrance thereinto and a water pipe having a plurality of outlets
therefrom mounted in the bottom portion of the vault chamber around
the periphery thereof for flushing debris settled in the vault
chamber. A supply pipe is located in the vault chamber and
connected to the water pipe and has a water coupling thereon
positioned for coupling a high pressure water line thereto from
outside the vault. The process continues by opening the vault
access entrance and inserting a vacuum suction line having an inlet
end for drawing settled debris from the vault. A water line is then
connected to the water pipe water coupling and water under pressure
is applied into the water pipe to spray water in the bottom of the
chamber to liquify and move the settled debris in the vault chamber
towards the vacuum inlet to withdraw the debris from the vault. The
selected vault has an angled which may be several slanted surfaces
for settled debris in the bottom of the vault or may a truncated
cone or funnel shape.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide
further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and
constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of
the invention and together with the description serve to explain
the principles of the invention.
[0011] FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a stormwater vault in
accordance with the present invention with the bottom filled with
sediment;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the vault of FIG. 1 being
serviced with a vacuum hose removing sediment from the bottom
thereof;
[0013] FIG. 3 is an side sectional of the vault of FIGS. 1 and 2
having bottom sediment being washed under the vacuum hose for
pickup thereby;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the stormwater vault of
FIGS. 1-3 with the sediment being removed from the bottom
thereof;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a top sectional view of the stormwater vault of
FIGS. 1-4 having arrows to indicate the water spray from the high
pressure pipes mounted therein;
[0016] FIG. 6 is a end sectional view of the stormwater vault of
FIGS. 1-5 having arrows to indicate the water spray from the high
pressure pipes mounted therein;
[0017] FIG. 7 is a side sectional view of the stormwater vault of
FIGS. 1-6 having arrows to indicate the water spray from the high
pressure pipes mounted therein;
[0018] FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of the stormwater vault
of FIGS. 1-7 having arrows to indicate the water spray from the
high pressure pipes mounted therein;
[0019] FIG. 9 is a top sectional view of a multi settling chamber
stormwater vault in accordance with the present invention having
arrows to indicate the water spray from the high pressure pipes
mounted therein;
[0020] FIG. 10 is a top sectional view of the multi chamber
stormwater vault of FIG. 9 having arrows to indicate the water
spray from the high pressure pipes mounted therein;
[0021] FIG. 11 is an end sectional view of the stormwater vault of
FIGS. 9 and 10;
[0022] FIG. 12 is a cutaway perspective view of the stormwater
vault of FIGS. 9-11 having arrows to indicate the water spray from
the high pressure pipes mounted therein;
[0023] FIG. 13 is a top sectional view of a another embodiment of a
stormwater vault in accordance with FIGS. 1-8 having arrows to
indicate the water spray from the high pressure pipes mounted
therein;
[0024] FIG. 14 is a end sectional view of the stormwater vault of
FIG. 13;
[0025] FIG. 15 is an top sectional view of the stormwater vault of
FIGS. 13 and 14;
[0026] FIG. 16 is a cut-a-way perspective view of the stormwater
vault of FIGS. 13-15 having arrows to indicate the water spray from
the high pressure pipes mounted therein;
[0027] FIG. 17 is a side elevation of a sloping floor for a
stormwater vault in accordance with the present invention;
[0028] FIG. 18 is a top perspective view of the sloping floor of
FIG. 17 for a stormwater vault;
[0029] FIG. 19 is a cut-a-way perspective of the stormwater vault
of FIGS. 1-8 having the sloping floor of FIGS. 17 and 18;
[0030] FIG. 20 is a top sectional view of another embodiment of a
multi settling chamber stormwater vault having the the prefab
floors of FIGS. 17 and 18 and having arrows to indicate the water
spray from the high pressure pipes mounted therein;
[0031] FIG. 21 is a top sectional view of a multi settling chamber
stormwater vault in accordance with FIG. 20;
[0032] FIG. 22 is an end sectional view of the stormwater vault of
FIGS. 20 and 21;
[0033] FIG. 23 is a cutaway perspective view of the stormwater
vault of FIGS. 20-22 having arrows to indicate the water spray from
the high pressure pipes mounted therein;
[0034] FIG. 24 is a top sectional view of another embodiment of the
present invention having a cylindrical stormwater vault;
[0035] FIG. 25 is a side sectional view of the stormwater vault of
another embodiment having a curved bottom;
[0036] FIG. 26 is a top sectional view of the stormwater vault of
FIG. 25;
[0037] FIG. 27 is a cut-a-way perspective view of the cylindrical
stormwater vault of FIG. 24;
[0038] FIG. 28 is a top sectional view another embodiment of a
cylindrical stormwater vault;
[0039] FIG. 29 is a side sectional view of the cylindrical
stormwater vault of FIG. 28;
[0040] FIG. 30 is a top sectional view of the cylindrical
stormwater vault of FIGS. 28 and 29; and
[0041] FIG. 31 is a cut-a-way perspective view of the cylindrical
stormwater vault of FIGS. 28-30.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0042] The present invention, as seen in FIGS. 1 through 8, is for
a stormwater service system designed to increase the speed of
servicing, uses less water to do the servicing, and does not
require a person to enter the stormwater treatment vault to do the
servicing. The primary feature that makes this all possible is the
liquefaction of the captured debris from a spray system underneath
the collected debris in a vault 15 shaped with a sloped or angled
floor 50 to move the collected debris 70 for easy vacuum
pickup.
[0043] A typical vault 15 has one or more access openings 45 at the
top of the vault 15 for servicing the vault. Just inside the access
opening 45 is a water supply connection or coupling 30 which can
have water under pressure supplied by a vacuum service truck. From
the water coupling point, water is conveyed from the service truck
to the injection sprayers of the spray pipe 60 under the sediment
via a pipe along the inside periphery of the wall of the vault
housing 15. The floors 50 of the vault 15 are sloped to enable easy
flushing of the settled debris or sediment 70 toward the center of
the vault chamber where a vacuum line 75 has been inserted through
the access opening 45 to remove the debris 70.
[0044] The following is the servicing procedure: [0045] Step 1:
Open the access opening 45 in the top of the vault 15 and attach a
water supply hose to the water connection coupling 30 just inside
the access opening. [0046] Step 2: Lower the service vacuum line 75
into the vault 15 to remove the static water level over top of the
sediment 70. [0047] Step 3: Vacuum out the sediment directly under
the access opening all the way to the floor of the vault to create
a void within the sediment. [0048] Step 4: Turn on the spray pipe
30 sprayers while keeping the vacuum applied to the vacuum line 75.
The water being injected under the sediment will liquefy the
sediment causing the sediment to slide toward the end of the vacuum
line 75 to be removed. [0049] Step 5: Once all the sediment is
removed, turn off the sprayers and the vacuum.
[0050] The invention can be applied to square (FIGS. 1-8),
rectangular, round (FIGS. 24, 27 & 28), and oval shaped vaults
or vault chambers. It can also be applied to vaults 16 that have
multiple settling chambers (FIGS. 21-23). In every vault design
there will always be an inlet 25 and an outlet 20 for water.
However, the number and position of the inlets and outlets can
vary.
[0051] FIGS. 1 through 4 demonstrates the servicing process for
removing the debris 70 from the stormwater treatment vault 15. The
same process will be the same regardless of the shape of the vault
or if the vault has multiple chambers as illustrated in other
figures. For a treatment vault 16 with multiple chambers each
settling chamber is serviced in sequence. The equipment typically
used to service stormwater vault systems is a vacuum truck. The
vacuum truck will have a high pressure water source and a large
vacuum system capable of quickly removing large quantities of
debris and water from a stormwater vault. When the service truck
shows up at the vault to begin servicing, the condition of the
vault 15 will resemble FIG. 1. A static water level 65 will be at
an elevation close to that of the outlet 20 elevation. The quantity
of the captured sediment 70 within the settling chamber depends on
the site criteria and varies between locations and service
frequency. The floor 50 of the vault 15 is sloped toward the center
47 which is typically below the access opening 45. A high pressure
pipe or hose 35 within the vault conveys water to the floor 50
spray pipe 60 along the periphery walls of the vault 15. The water
conveyance begins at a water connection coupling 30 which is
adjacent to the access manhole 45 for easy access. The service
truck has a water source that will be equipped with a pressure
water hose that can attach to the water pipe coupling 30 of pipe
35. The pipe 35 is arranged to convey water from the service truck
to a spray pipe 60 along the floor 50 of the vault 15. The high
pressure pipe 35 can be seen mounted to the walls of the vault with
pipe supports 40. The spray pipe 60 has multiple nozzles 43, which
may apertures in the pipe 60, or may have nozzles as desired, and
are aimed to inject water under the sediment 70 and parallel with
the sloped floors 50.
[0052] FIG. 2 demonstrates the vacuum line 75 from a vacuum truck
removing water and debris from the vault 15 before the sprayers
from spray pipe 60 are turned on. The vacuum line 75 will be
gradually lowered into the settling chamber removing the static
water and the sediment under the access manhole 47 to create a void
83. The removed water and debris is conveyed to the vacuum truck
85.
[0053] FIG. 3 demonstrates the removal of the liquefied sediment 80
after the sprayer pipe 60 nozzles have been turned on. Once the
sprayers have been activated with high pressure water flow, water
will be injected under and into the sediment 55. The water
injection will cause the sediment to become a slurry. Gravity
combined with the angle of the sloped floor 50, and the water force
exerted by the spray pipe 60 sprayers directs the liquefied
sediment toward the inlet of the vacuum line 75 for quick and easy
removal as shown in FIG. 4.
[0054] FIGS. 5 through 8 illustrate the general arrangement of the
service system for a settling chamber that is square or rectangular
and has two sloped floor sections 50 which slope toward the center
47 of the chamber. The vault 10 housing 15 housing the settling
chamber will have at least one inlet 25 and at least one outlet 20.
Adjacent to the access manhole access opening 45 is a water
connection coupling 30. The service truck attaches it's water
supply to the water connection 30. A high pressure pipe 40 is used
to convey water to the floor 50 of the vault chamber to a sprayer
pipe 60 located along the periphery of the walls of the vault
housing 15. The sloped floor 50 is angled toward the center of the
chamber toward a location directly under the access manhole opening
47. FIG. 5 illustrates the injection of water 55 along the sloped
floor 50. This water injection will liquefy the sediment from
underneath and flush it toward the center of the chamber for easy
removal by a service truck. FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate water being
injected along the wall 57. The water injection along the wall will
undermine sediment that is stacked up along the wall causing it to
shift over and to be influenced by the water injection along the
sloped floor.
[0055] FIGS. 9 through 12 illustrate the service system in a
multi-chamber vault 16. A multi-chamber vault is a vault with two
or more settling chambers with at least one inlet 25 and at least
one outlet 20. The service procedure would require servicing each
of the settling chambers in sequence. The service truck connects to
the water coupling 30 for each chamber and the vacuum is lowered
into one of the chambers to remove the debris from that chamber.
Once one chamber is emptied, the vacuum line is moved to the next
chamber to repeat the process. Once all the chambers have been
emptied, the vault servicing is complete. FIG. 9 is illustrates the
direction of the various water injection nozzles. FIG. 10 is a side
view and FIG. 11 an end view. The inlet 25 and outlet 20 does not
have to be in the end walls of the vault. FIG. 12 is an isometric
view that illustrates the walls, floors, baffles, and service
system in a partial perspective.
[0056] The present service system can be adapted to settling
chambers that have more than two sloped floor surfaces as
illustrated in FIGS. 13 through 16 which show the use of the
service system in a settling chamber that is square or rectangular
in which the floor is sloped so that there are four slopes that
converge toward a location under the access manhole opening 47. A
spray pipe or bar 35 is located adjacent to the walls of the vault
along the top of each sloped floor 50 to inject water under the
sediment to liquefy the sediment and flush it toward the center of
the settling chamber. Water injection 57 along the walls can take
place along each of the walls. FIG. 13 is a plan view that
illustrates the direction of the various water injection nozzles.
The inlet and outlet openings are not limited to opposite sides of
the vault. FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate the perpendicular side views
while FIG. 16 is an isometric view that illustrates the walls,
sloped floors, and sprayer system in a partial perspective.
[0057] The sloped floors of the present service system can be made
of any material desired. For example, because vaults are commonly
made of concrete, the sloped floor of the vault can also be made of
concrete. However, a concrete vault can have the sloped floor
inserted as an item or section that attaches to the concrete. These
attachments can be made of plastic, fiberglass, aluminum, rubber,
or any other materials which is strong enough to endure the weight
of water and sediment in the settling chambers. A major advantage
of using sloped floor inserts is that existing vault systems
quickly retrofitted. A significant disadvantage of using sloped
concrete floors is the time it takes to do the concrete work. A
sloped floor insert can be installed much more quickly than
performing concrete work.
[0058] FIGS. 17 through 19 illustrate an insert 54 that attaches to
the floor of a concrete vault 10 that slopes the floor as required
by the service system. The sloped floor 50 surface can be supported
from underneath by a series of supports 52. FIG. 18 illustrates how
a series of floor supports 52 can be arranged to support a sloped
floor panel 54. FIG. 19 illustrates how the sloped floor sections
54 can be positioned in a settling chamber and attached to the
concrete with mechanical fasteners and resting on inserts 52.
[0059] FIGS. 20 through 23 illustrate the use of sloped floor
inserts in a vault with multiple settling chambers having at least
two settling chambers. The sloped floor inserts attach to the
concrete floors and/or walls by means of mechanical fasteners. FIG.
20 illustrates the plan view of the vault which includes the
concrete vault 16, sloped floor inserts 54, and service system with
arrows indicating the flow of water from the spray heads. FIG. 21
is a side sectional view of the vault of FIG. 20 and FIG. 22 is the
end sectional view of the vault 16. The inlet and outlet openings
are not limited to the ends of the vault but any number of inlets
and outlets can be positioned as desired. FIG. 23 includes a
partial cut-a-way perspective of the multi-chamber vault system of
FIGS. 20 through 22.
[0060] The sloped floor inserts 54 can be arranged so that with any
number of sloped inserts for each settling chamber and a single
insert can include more than one slope. For example, a single
insert section can have four slopes that converge to a location
under the access manhole opening 47.
[0061] The sloped floor inserts do not have to be square or
rectangular settling chambers. A round vault with a round settling
chamber can have sloped floor inserts also. In addition, the sloped
floor inserts can be made of a solid material such as recycled
plastic or rubber or any material desired.
[0062] The service system is not limited to square or rectangular
vaults. The service system can be adapted to round vaults with
round settling chambers. FIGS. 24 through 27 illustrate the use of
the service system vault 18 with round settling chambers. The floor
53 of the vault can be sloped by either forming the floor with a
slope or by using an insert that attaches to the vault. The sloped
floor can be in of a generally truncated cone shape centered on the
area 47 under the access opening to the vault. The inlet and outlet
openings 25 and 20 are not limited in number or to opposite sides
of the vault 18. It is common for round vaults to have the inlet
opening in a direction that is tangent to the inside wall of a
round vault. Round vaults can also have a concave sloped floor 53.
In round vaults the sprayer pipe 61 is located at the top of the
slope along the periphery of the wall and of the floor. The water
coupling 30 is located adjacent to the access manhole opening 45
and a high pressure pipe or hose 35 is used to convey water flow to
the floor of the vault. When the water supply is turned on from the
service truck the spray pipe will spray water 55 along the floor of
the vault to liquefy the sediment and cause it to flush toward a
point under the access manhole 47 where it will be removed by a
vacuum service truck. FIG. 24 is a top sectional view that
illustrates the round shape of the vault and the direction of the
water injection along the sloped floor. FIGS. 25 and 26 are side
and top sectional views of the round vault that show the
configuration of the service system plumbing and the sloped floors.
FIG. 27 is a partial cut-a-way perspective of the inside surface of
the round vault 18, showing the configuration of the service
system, sloped floors 53, and the direction of the water injection
55 from the spray pipe 61 along the sloped floor 53 toward the
location 47 under the access manhole opening 45.
[0063] In round treatment vault systems the settling sump is often
separated from the flow above by a horizontal shelf. The horizontal
shelf will typically have an opening for sediments to settle
through and for a service truck to access and vacuum out the
captured sediments. The settling chambers of round vaults with
horizontal shelves are especially difficult to service because the
horizontal shelf restricts access to the settling chamber. FIGS. 28
through 31 illustrate the service system in a round treatment vault
18 with a horizontal shelf or ledge 95 above the settling chamber.
FIG. 28 is a top sectional view that illustrates the round vault 18
and the direction of the water injection along the sloped floor 53.
The inlet and outlet openings 25 and 20 are not limited to opposite
sides of the vault. It is common for round vaults to have the inlet
opening enter in a direction that is tangent to the inside wall of
the vault. FIGS. 29 and 30 illustrate side sectional views of the
round vault 18 with a horizontal shelf 95 forming a settling sump
chamber 96 with a service port 97 and the plumbing of the service
system. FIG. 31 is a partial perspective of the inside surface of
the round vault 31 with the horizontal shelf 95 having an service
port opening 97 and forming a settling sump chamber.
[0064] It should be clear at this time that an improved stormwater
vault and stormwater vault servicing process have been provided
which advantageously allows for a faster and more efficient and
safer cleaning of stormwater vaults. However, it should be clear
that the present invention is not to be considered as limited to
the forms shown which are to be considered illustrative rather than
restrictive.
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