Abstract:
A flow distribution box for a wastewater treatment system includes an inlet into a back wall and outlets in the opposed outer side walls and front wall, the distribution box including a plurality of flow dividers therein to compartmentalize effluent within the flow distribution box. A flow director is disposed in the inlet into the flow distribution box for directing the flow into selected compartments within the distribution box. Each of the outlets in the box is in flow communication with a conduit leading into a selected area of a drain field.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a distribution device for diverting the flow of effluent from a wastewater treatment system into selected areas of a drain field and more particularly to a distribution box into which effluent wastewater is received and then distributed to preselected outlets from the box into selected areas of a drain field. 
     Wastewater treatment systems and particularly septic tanks are provided with effluent outlets whereby effluent from the tank is pumped or by gravity fed into a drain field. In order to uniformly distribute effluent into a wide area of a drain field, it is necessary to provide means to direct the flow of effluent to these selected areas. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,568 teaches a distribution joint for a septic tank system which includes a fixed flow divider to apportion the effluent between two absorbing fields. An adjustable flow control valve is taught to vary the relative amounts of effluent to be distributed between the two fields without disturbing the effluent. However, there is a need for a distribution system for effluents which provides the means to control the flow of effluent into more than two areas of a drain field. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a flow distribution box for the distribution of effluent into a plurality of selected areas of a drain field. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a distribution box which includes a plurality of compartments therein for receiving effluent from a wastewater treatment system wherein each compartment within the distribution box is in flow communication with an outlet into a selected area of a drain field. 
     It is also an object of the present invention to provide a distribution box which directs wastewater effluent into at least four selected areas of a drain field. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a wastewater effluent distribution apparatus which is inexpensive to produce and highly efficient. 
     More particularly, the present invention provides a distribution box for a wastewater treatment system wherein the box has a top, a bottom, a back wall, a front wall, and spaced first and second outer side walls, each of the walls being connected to the bottom. An inlet from a wastewater treatment system is disposed within the back wall and at least one outlet is provided in each of the side walls and the front wall. A flow directing device is disposed within the inlet to deliver wastewater effluent in a preselected location within the distribution box. A plurality of flow dividers are provided along the bottom of the box dividing the box into a plurality of compartments into which the effluent is directed. Each of the compartments is in flow communication with one of the outlets thereby allowing for the flow director to direct effluent into selected compartments which in turn provides the effluent for selected outlets, which, in turn is in communication with conduits or laterals into selected areas of a drain field. 
     Other objects and advantages of the invention may be obtained by consideration of the drawings and the detail of a preferred embodiment set forth hereinafter. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one preferred effluent distribution box of the present invention in flow communication with a septic tank; 
     FIG. 2A is an enlarged perspective view of the distribution box of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the distribution box of FIG. 2A with the top removed and selected portions cut-away; 
     FIG. 3 is a top view of the distribution box of FIGS. 2A,  2 B; 
     FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line  4 — 4  of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a top view of one preferred flow director of the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line  6 — 6  of FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 is an end view of the flow director device of FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the flow director device of FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 9 is an exploded view of a cylindrical flow directing sleeve of the flow director of FIG. 5 and a control assembly for rotating the flow directing; 
     FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line  10 — 10  of FIG. 3 showing the flow directing sleeve directing effluent into a selected compartment; and, 
     FIG. 10A is a top view of the distribution box of the present invention showing the flow of effluent in response to the setting of the flow directing sleeve, as shown in FIG.  10 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     As best shown in FIG. 1, a distribution box  14  of the present invention is in flow communication with a septic tank  10  by means of effluent line  12 . The distribution box  14  is provided with a plurality of distribution lines  16   a ,  16   b ,  16   c , and  16   d  leading to selected areas of a drain field. Flow from the septic tank  10  may be by gravity or by a pump within the septic tank  10  which provides for the flow of effluent into the distribution box  14 . Within the distribution box  14 , the effluent is divided in desired amounts into compartments within the box  14  which are in flow communication with the outlet conduits  16   a ,  16   b ,  16   c , and  16   d.    
     Referring now to FIGS. 2A,  2 B,  3  and  4 , distribution box  14  is provided with a top  17 , a bottom  19 , a back wall  21   a , a front wall  21   b  and spaced outer side walls  21   c  and  21   d . Centrally located and in an upper portion of the back wall  21   a  is an opening  24  with a coupling therein. Centrally located, and in the lower portions of the outer side walls  21   c  and  21   d  are openings  20   a  and  20   d  with couplings disposed therein for connection to conduits  16   a  and  16   d , which as shown in FIG. 1, are directed into selected areas of a drain field. Also, located in the lower portion of the front wall  21   b  is a pair of spaced openings  20   b  and  20   c  which receive couplings therein for connections to drain field conduits  16   b  and  16   c , respectively. A plurality of flow dividers, and inside walls, are also provided within the distribution box  14  for separating the flow of the effluent and also compartmentalizing the effluent for distributing the effluent into selected areas of the drain field. Flow divider  22   a  extends from beneath the opening  24  to a location between the openings  20   b  and  20   c . The height of the flow divider  22   a  is from the bottom wall  19  to the lowest extremity of the opening  24 . Inside wall  22   b  extends from the juncture of the back wall  21   a  with outer side wall  21   c  and connects with the flow divider  22   a  at a location between the openings  20   b  and  20   c  in the front wall  21   b . The inside wall flow divider  22   b  is at a height approximately the mid-point of the opening  24 . Disposed within the inside wall  22   b , approximately mid-way from the back to the front of the distribution box  14 , is an opening  30   a  which has a diameter equal to or less than the opening in the back wall  24 . The opening  30   a  is at an elevation below the upper most point of the opening  24 . Also, inside wall  22   d  extends between the juncture of the back wall  21   a  with the outer side wall  21   d  to the center point of the front wall  21   b  and connects with the inside wall  22   b . The inside wall  22   d  is of substantially the same height as the inside wall  22   b  and is also provided with a centrally disposed opening  30   b  therein, also at approximately the same height as the opening  30   a . A flow divider  22   c  is provided to extend from the juncture of the front wall  21   b  with the outer side wall  21   c , and connects to the inside wall  22   b  at a location just below the bottom edge of the opening  30   a . A flow divider  22   e  is also provided wherein the flow divider  22   e  extends from the juncture of the front wall  21   b  and the outer side wall  21   d  to a location just beneath the opening  30   b . Flow divider  22   e  is approximately the same height as flow divider  22   c . Preferably, flow dividers  22   a ,  22   c  and  22   e  are sharp on top and tapered downward with as little shoulder as possible to minimize the accumulation of scum. The top is sloped downwards and then leveled off to make a sharp division of the affluent and to provide a slope to assist in washing down accumulation on the top of the flow divider. 
     In the location of the flow dividers, it is noted that the inside walls  22   b  and  22   d  have an uppermost elevation or height above the uppermost height of the flow divider  22   a  and the flow divider  22   a  has an elevation or height greater than the flow dividers  22   c  and  22   e . Also, the uppermost elevation of opening  24  is greater than the uppermost elevation of openings  30   a  and  30   b  and in turn the openings  30   a  and  30   b  have an uppermost elevation greater than the uppermost elevation of side wall openings  20   a  and  20   d  and the front wall openings  20   b  and  20   c . Thus, it is seen that when the flow through the opening  24  is directed into the compartment defined by the inside walls  22   b  and  22   d , the compartment on one side of flow divider  22   a  will fill to a selected level and then will flow through the opening  30   a  into the compartments which provide the flow to the openings  20   a  and  20   b . Conversely, when the flow is directed into the compartment defined by the flow divider  22   a  and inside wall  22   d , the effluent fills to a selected level and then flows through the opening  30   b  and into the compartments which feed the outlet openings  20   c  and  20   d  and in turn the drain field serviced by the conduits  16   c  and  16   d.    
     Referring now to FIGS. 5-9 is a flow director assembly  18  which is in flow communication with the effluent line  12  and extends through the opening  24  a preselected distance into the distribution box  14 . The flow director assembly  18  includes a cylindrical outer sleeve  18   a  having a terminating disc or end plate  34  with an observation opening  36  disposed in the upper portion of the disc  34 . The observation point  36  provides access into the interior of the flow director assembly  18  as well as providing a view into the operation of the flow director assembly  18 . A bottom discharge opening  38  in the sleeve  18   a  is the flow inlet into the flow distribution box  14 . Sleeve  18   a  is also provided with an opening therein to receive a control sleeve operating assembly  40 . 
     As best shown in FIGS. 6 and 9 is an inner flow control sleeve  26  and the control sleeve operating assembly  40  wherein the flow control sleeve  26  is rotatable in response to the actuation of the assembly  40 . The inner flow control sleeve  26  is provided with a cut-out or slit  28  which defines a bottom opening for flow communication with the discharge opening  38  in the outer sleeve  18   a . The slit or cut-out  28  extends from an upstream end of the control sleeve  26  to a preselected distance from the front terminating end of the inner flow control sleeve  18   a . As best shown in FIG. 8, terminating edges  58   a  and  58   b  define the width and length of the slit or cut-out  28  as well as the discharge into the discharge opening  38 . The cut-out  54  is provided in the control sleeve  26  for the receipt of the control sleeve operating assembly  40 . The control sleeve operating assembly  40  includes a cylindrical gear portion  48  having teeth thereon in mating relation with teeth  50  which are provided along the front end of the cut-out  54  whereby the rotation of the shaft  46 , upon which the gear  48  is attached, rotates the control sleeve  26  to desired locations. A device for turning the shaft  46  is shown as a turn knob  42  with a slot  44  therein which could receive a handle (not shown) therein thereby enabling a user ability to turn and adjust the sleeve  26  for different positions of flow into the distribution box  14 . 
     FIGS. 10 and 10A show one operating position for the flow director  18  to illustrate one operation for flow of the effluent into and through the distribution box  14 . As shown, the control sleeve  26  is aligned so that the slit  28  in the sleeve  26  is positioned over the discharge opening  38  so that the effluent flows substantially evenly into the compartment defined by inside walls  22   b  and  22   d . As the effluent in the compartments defined by the inside walls  22   b  and  22   d  fills, the effluent then flows out and into the compartments which are fed by outlets  30   a  and  30   b . As these compartments fill to the level of the openings  20   a ,  20   b ,  20   c  and  20   d , then the effluent will flow outwardly into the drain fields supplied by conduits  16   a ,  16   b ,  16   c , and  16   d . As best shown in FIG. 10, it is easily seen that by moving the opening  28  in relation to the discharge opening  38 , the flow can be directed to either side of the divider  22   a  therefore using either side of the distribution box  14 . Furthermore, openings  20   a ,  20   b ,  20   c  and  20   d  are spaced from the bottom of the box  14  so that box  14  does not have to be exactly level for reasonably even flow distribution through the outlets and into the drain field. 
     It is not intended that the invention be limited to the very specific embodiments shown and described herein, but rather all equivalents which are obvious to those skilled in the art are meant to be included within the invention as set forth in the specification and the claims which are appended hereto.