Abstract:
A wash pad and wash fluid containment system upon which items such as vehicles or equipment are positioned and supported for collecting wastewater occasioned when washing the items, the system having various combinations of the following: a central trench, left and right side wash pad sections positioned on opposite sides of the central trench, the left and right side wash pad sections preferably being of identical configuration and interchangeable, each side wash pad section having a sloped surface for directing wastewater toward the central trench; a partial side wall enclosure assembly disposed about an outer perimeter of three sides of the wash pad; integrated pressure washer system mounted on the rear wall; a retractable cover assembly including a tarp wrapped on a roller mounted on the rear wall; side wall extension system extending above the side walls including a frame and tarp sections hanging on the frame.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION DATA 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to provisional application No. 60/901,953 filed Feb. 16, 2007 hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The field of the present invention is directed to wash fluid containment systems such as used for containing fluids when washing vehicles or other equipment. 
         [0003]    Heretofore, there have been various attempts to construct a wash fluid containment system. Such systems are either movable structures or permanent, installed structures. The permanent structures are generally bulky or difficult to erect while the movable structures tend to be not particularly versatile and typically require heavy equipment for transporting. 
         [0004]    The present inventors have recognized various limitations in the prior systems and the desirability for an improved system. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  is a front top perspective view of a wash fluid containment and water treatment system according to a preferred embodiment. 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  is partially exploded view of the wash pad portion of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  is a partially exploded view in cross-section of the central trench portion of the wash pad of  FIG. 2 , on an enlarged scale. 
           [0008]      FIG. 4 , comprising  FIGS. 4A ,  4 B,  4 C is a fully exploded view of the wash pad of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0009]      FIG. 4D  is a detailed exploded view, on an enlarged scale, of the ramp hinge connector of  FIG. 4C . 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the tarp cover assembly and hose reel cover assembly of the wash pad system of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the wash pad of  FIGS. 1-2  with the tarp cover in the covering position, extending over the wash pad. 
           [0012]      FIG. 6A  is a detailed view of the tarp rod connecting system of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  is an alternate preferred configuration for the tarp cover. 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  is a detailed view of the tarp cover crank system for the wash pad assembly of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 9  is an exploded view of an optional sprayer assembly for the wash pad assembly of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the wash pad system of  FIGS. 1-4  further including an optional side wall extension system. 
           [0017]      FIG. 10A  is a detail of a portion of  FIG. 10  illustrating details of the tarp section engaging the hanging hook. 
           [0018]      FIG. 11  is an exploded perspective view of the wash pad system of  FIG. 10  including the optional side wall extension system. 
           [0019]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the wash pad system of  FIGS. 1-4  assembled into a compacted shipping mode. 
           [0020]      FIG. 13  is a side elevation view of the compacted wash pad of  FIG. 12 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 14  is a front side elevation view of the compacted wash pad of  FIG. 13  take along line  14 - 14 . 
       
    
    
       [0022]    Additional aspects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0023]    Preferred embodiments will now be described with reference to the drawings. To facilitate description, any element numeral representing an element in one figure will represent the same element in any other figure. 
         [0024]      FIG. 1  illustrates a wash water containment and water treatment system  10  according to a preferred embodiment. The combined system  10  includes a wash pad  40 , a sump  30 , and a water treatment system  20 . A vehicle or other piece of equipment to be washed may be moved or driven onto the wash pad  40 . As the equipment is washed via the sprayer assembly  140 , wastewater is directed inwardly by the sloped surfaces of the right and left wash pad sections  52 ,  56 , collected via central trench or trough  65 , and then transferred via pipe  38  to the sump  30 . The sump  30  comprises a sludge separator  32  and a holding tank  34  including a weir (not shown). The wastewater from pipe  38  must pass over the weir in the holding tank  34 , the weir capturing heavy solids, and the wastewater thereafter enters the treatment system  20  via hose  22 . Recycled/treated water from the system  20  is returned to the wash pad area for use by the sprayer assembly  140 . Sludge waste from the treatment system  20  is purged into the sludge separator  32  via hose  24 . The sludge separator  32  includes a bucket-shaped filter screen that filters/separates the sludge waste and other particulates from the water, the water passing through the filter and into the holding tank  34 . The sludge waste (which may be referred to as solids) may be manually removed from the sludge separator  32 . 
         [0025]    The figures are drawn generally to scale and the size dimensions for the wash pad assembly  40  illustrated in  FIG. 1 , namely 112 inches (260 cm) wide by 168 inches (430 cm) long, constitute a preferred size of wash pad. 
         [0026]      FIGS. 2-8  illustrate details of the wash pad  40 . The wash pad  40  includes right and left pad sections  52 ,  56 . The pad sections  52 ,  56  are of identical configuration, each having a top sloped surface for diverting water from the outer lateral sides toward the center trench  65 . The right pad section  52  includes an extension  52   a  (see  FIG. 3 ) extending along from the top surface of the lower sloped edge of the pad over the sidewall of the central trench  65 . The central trench  65  is disposed between the right and left wash pad sections  52 ,  56  and itself has a downwardly-sloped internal bottom surface (from one longitudinal end to the other) for diverting or directing water from the right and left wash pad sections rearward to the rear end of the wash pad  40 . The trench  65  has a series of weirs  65   a ,  65   b  and a screen  65   c  designed to trap large debris within the trench and prevent it from reaching the lower outlet  67 . The trapped debris may be cleaned from the trench  65  by removing the perforated grating  60  and solid grating section  62  and then cleaning out the debris trapped in the trench  65 . The sloping angle of the trench  65  is maintained by a block support  66  at the front end thereof. The trench outlet  67  is connected to the hose  38  (see  FIG. 1 ) via a fitting  68 . The extensions  52   a ,  56   a  extend over the upper side edges and direct water off the top surfaces of the right and left wash pad sections  52 ,  56  and into the trench  65 . The right wash pad section  52  includes holes  53   a ,  53   b  in the lateral side and slots/holes  54   a ,  54   b  (fork lift openings) in the end side for accommodating the forks of a forklift truck for moving the pad section during assembly and also for disassembling and transporting the pad section when stacking for transport. The left wash pad section  56 , being of like configuration, includes slots  57   a ,  57   b  in the lateral side and slots  58   a ,  58   b  in the front end side. The left wash pad section  56  also includes similar slots (not visible in the figure) on the rear end side and the outer lateral side; the right wash pad section  52  also includes similar slots (not visible in the figure) on the rear side and on the inner lateral side. The left  56  and right  52  wash pad sections are thus identical and interchangeable. Moreover, since the wash pad sections  52 ,  56  each have fork lift slots/openings on all four sides, a fork lift is able to engage a slot for lifting the wash pad section from any direction. 
         [0027]    The right pad section  52  includes end plates  52   b ,  52   c  attached at its front and rear ends. The end plates are rectangular, having a height such that the top surface of the end plate  52   b  is essentially flush with the higher outer surface of the pad, and at the inner central portion of the top surface of the pad, the top surface of the end plate  52   b  is above the surface. The same is true for end plate  52   c . Thus, water on the top surface of pad section  52  is prevented from spilling over the front or rear ends of the pad section  52 . Similarly, the left pad section  56  includes end plates  56   b ,  56   c  of similar construction. An end plate is affixed to each end of the wash pad sections and need not be removed when the remaining elements of the wash pad system are disassembled for transport. The end plates  52   b ,  52   c ,  56   b ,  56   c  include holes aligned with respective holes  54   a ,  54   b , etc. in the wash pad sections  52 ,  56 . 
         [0028]    To assemble the wash pad assembly  40 , the trench  65  is set in a desired location. In a preferred configuration, the trench  65  is reversible. Depending on the orientation of the trench  65 , wastewater may be drained either forwardly or rearwardly for connection to the sump hose  38 .  FIG. 2  illustrates the trench  65  oriented for drainage in the rearward direction with the trench exit  67  by the rear wall  75 / 76 . Once the trench  65  is in the desired position, the right and left wash pad sections  52 ,  56  are set in place with the extensions  52   b ,  56   b  extending over the side walls of the trench  65  as shown in  FIG. 3 . The trench endcap  64  is a rectangular end plate of the same height as the other end plates  52   a ,  56   a , covering the gap therebetween. A rear side endplate  64   a  has an opening or notch corresponding to the exit port  67  and the trench  65 . A ramp connector  43  attaches to the end of the left ramp section  56  extending over the top edge of the end plate  56   b . The ramp connector  43  also includes a hinge connector for attachment of the left ramp  42  via pin connectors. Similarly, on the right wash pad section  52 , a ramp connector  45  is provided which attaches to the end of the right wash pad section  52  extending over the top edge of the end plate  52   b . The ramp connector  45  includes a hinge connection for attachment to the ramp  44 . Details of the hinge connector are illustrated in  FIG. 4D  whereby a bolt  45   c  is secured by a nut  45   d  with a bushing or spacer  45   a  mounted on the bolt  45   c . The bushing  45   a  serves to permit rotation or pivoting of the ramp section  44  whereby the bolt  45   c  is operative as a hinge mechanism. The ramp  44  is rotatable about 90° from the position shown in  FIG. 1  to a position pointing vertically. Once in the vertical (closed) position, the ramp  44  is secured by a locking chain  154  and pin. The ramp  44  is provided with handles  44   a  for assisting a user in moving the ramp, such as during assembly, and for rotating it between the open and closed positions. 
         [0029]    The perforated grate or grating  60  is installed over the trench  65  extending laterally between the left and right wash pad sections  52 ,  56 . The grating  60  has perforations for allowing the water flowing downward from the left and right wash pad sections  52 ,  56  to pass through and into the trench  65 . The grating  60  rests on the pad extensions  52   a ,  56   a  and is generally flush with the top surface of the adjacent wash pad sections. The grating  60  preferably provides a secure surface for users walking around the wash pad. The grating  60  may comprise a plurality of separate (separable) sections, the grating  60  is illustrated in  FIG. 2  as being composed of five sections. The perforations are preferably of a desired size large enough to allow for passage of the water into trench  65 , but small enough to prevent passage of larger size debris. Such debris may then be removed from the pad by sweeping or other manual collection. A solid grating section  62  is positioned at the back end of the wash pad over the trench  65 . The solid grating diverts water toward the center of the wash pad and through the perforated grating  60  and into the trench  65  such that water and any debris must pass through the screen  65   c.    
         [0030]    In operation, a vehicle is driven or otherwise rolled up the ramps  42 ,  44  and onto the wash pad sections  52 ,  56 . The wheels of the vehicle straddle the gap between the ramps  42 ,  44  and the central grating  60 . Unlike a wash pad configuration having a single wash pad section with a trench located on one side of the pad, requiring the pad to have a sharp angle of declination from one side of the entire wash pad to the other, this two-pad system  40  configured with two wash pad sections  52 ,  56 , a central grating  60  and trench  65  allows the water to have a shorter path to the trench. Moreover, the vehicle will stand level (i.e. horizontal) as it straddles the grating  60  as opposed to being at an uneven angle (i.e. non-horizontal) were the drainage trench located on one side of the wash pad. 
         [0031]    In order to prevent splashing of water off of the wash pad sections  52 ,  56 , the wash pad system  40  is provided with a side wall assembly around the outer perimeter of three sides of the pad. Support brackets are disposed around the outer periphery of the ramp pad sections for accommodating the posts of the side walls. As will be described in more detail below, each of the side wall sections  72 ,  73 ,  75 ,  76 ,  78 ,  79  is formed via a rectangular post frame having tubular sections which are installed into the side support brackets with side panels attached to the frame sections. Side wall sections  72 ,  73  are disposed on the lateral side of the left wash pad section  56 ; side wall section  75  is disposed on the rear end of the left pad section  56 ; side wall section  76  is disposed on the rear end of right pad section  52 ; and right side wall sections,  78 ,  79  are disposed on the lateral side of the right pad section  52 . Details of each of the side wall sections are described in the following. 
         [0032]    Front-left side wall section  72  is comprised of a tubular frame section  72   a  with two leg sections  72   b ,  72   c . Leg  72   b  is inserted into the bracket  59   a , and leg  72   c  is inserted into bracket  59   b . Side panel  82  is attached to the frame section  72   a  via bolts. Similarly, rear-left side wall section  73  includes frame section  73   a  with left and right leg portions  73   b ,  73   c , the leg portions being inserted into the brackets  59   b  and  59   c , respectively. Panel section  84  is attached to the frame section  73   a . The rear wall sections  75 ,  76  are formed with a common frame  75   a ,  76   a , with three leg portions,  75   b ,  75   c  and  76   b , which are disposed in respective brackets  59   d ,  59   e  and  55   d . Panel section  86  is attached to the left side frame section  75   a , and panel section  88  is attached to the right side frame section  76   a.    
         [0033]    The right side wall sections  78 ,  79  are similar in construction to the left side wall sections  72 ,  73 . Front-right side wall section  79  includes a frame portion  79   a  with left and right leg portions  79   b ,  79   c , that are insertable into brackets  55   a ,  55   b . Panel section  92  is installed onto the frame section  79   a  via bolts or other suitable fasteners. Similarly, front-left wall section  78  is comprised of a frame section  78   a  with left and right leg portions  78   b ,  78   c  being insertable into brackets  55   b ,  55   c , respectively. The panel section  90  is attached to the frame section  78   a  via suitable connectors. 
         [0034]    The lower edge of each panel section  82 ,  84 ,  86 ,  88 ,  90 ,  92  includes an inwardly and downwardly angled ledge lower lip portion  82   a ,  84   a ,  86   a ,  88   a ,  90   a ,  92   a , respectively. The lower lip portion  90   a  of panel section  90  is not fully visible in  FIG. 4A  but is of similar configuration. Using panel section  82  as an example, the lower lip portion  82   a  extends inwardly from the vertical surface of the panel section  82  (the primary surface of the panel section  82  being vertical when installed as a side wall for the wash pad). The lip portion  82   a  is downwardly angled at a similar angle to the slope of the left wash pad section  56 . Thus, water splashed on the surface of the panel  82  travels downward on the panel and is directed radially inward along the downward slope of the wash pad section  56  toward the trench  65 . The overlap between the lip portion  82   a  and the upper wash pad surface inhibits water from passing outward from the inner volume of the wash pad past the wall assembly  72  via any gap between the lip  82   a  and the top surface of the left wash pad section  56 . Alternately or additionally, a flexible seal may be installed between the two adjacent surfaces. 
         [0035]    The wash pad assembly  40  is further provided with a retractable cover system  100  and a retractable pressure washer hose and reel enclosure system  120 . The retractable cover system  100  includes a cover or tarp section  102 , which in its retracted position, includes a tarp rolled up on a roller or post  105  disposed within an enclosure  110 . The post  105  is supported within the end sections of the enclosure  110  and is connected to a shaft section  115  of the crank  112 . The crank  112  includes a handle  113 , ratchet mechanism  114 , and a pall  119 . In operation, the pall  119  engages the ratchet mechanism  114  to lock the crank position as further detailed below. The tarp hand crank  112  may be installed on either end of the enclosure  110 . 
         [0036]    The cover  102  is operative to cover a predominant portion of the wash pad when the wash pad is not in use, thereby preventing rain water from being collected by the wash pad system, thereby unnecessarily loading the water treatment system  20 . The end of the cover  102  has a loop section  103  into which a rod  104  is installed, held in position by end caps  106 ,  108 . The width of the cover or tarp section  102  is about the same width of the wash pad between side wall  73  and side wall  78 . The rod  104  is wider than the width between the wall sections, and portions of the rod are allowed to slide along the top surface of the side walls  72 / 73 ,  78 / 79  as the tarp is extended to the open end of the wash pad. The ratchet mechanism  114  is a one-way ratchet, and the pall  119  must be rotated clear of the teeth of the ratchet  114  so as to be disengaged from the ratchet mechanism  114 . Once the tarp  102  reaches the fully extended position past the outer corners of the wall sections  72 ,  79 , the rod section may be lowered and then inserted into brackets  150 ,  152 . The brackets  150 ,  152  are attached to posts  79   b ,  72   b  respectively. As particularly visible in the enlarged view of  FIG. 6A , the rod  104  and end caps  106 ,  108  are rectangular and thus, when inserted into the brackets  150 ,  152 , the rod  104  does not rotate. By rotating the rod  104  approximately one-quarter to one-half rotation before insertion into the brackets  150 ,  152 , a smooth runoff geometry of the tarp surface may be created over the top of the rod  104  for the tarp  102 . Once in the position within the brackets  150 ,  152 , the user may tighten the tarp into a taut condition by rotating the crank arm  113  in the opposite direction, (counter-clockwise) and then once the desired tautness is reached, the pall  119  is rotated into place against the ratchet mechanism  114 , the pall engaging the teeth of the ratchet thereby locking the ratchet in place and preventing further rotation of the crank  112  thereby maintaining the desired tautness of the tarp. In this condition, the tarp assumes a downward angular slope from the closed end next to the enclosure  110  to the end next to the ramps  42 ,  44 , thereby enabling/enhancing water runoff/drainage off the tarp  102 , past the rod  104  and off and clear of the wash pad without any pools of water forming on top of the tarp  102 . 
         [0037]      FIG. 7  illustrates another preferred tarp system wherein the tarp  302  includes a central channel or notch  306 . The central channel  306  may be located at the end of the tarp  302  (with a length on the order of 30 inches as illustrated) or alternately the channel  306  may extend further, up to the full length of the tarp. A square end tube  310  (similar to the rod  104  of the previous embodiment) is installed in the tarp loop section. The tube  310  is provided with a downward bend in the middle, thereby forming a slight V-shape. In combination, the V-shaped tube  310  and the tarp channel  306  directs the water flow radially inwardly toward the center of the tarp  30 . The tarp  302  is then provided with a end drain flap  308  for directing the flow of water outwardly and away from the pad thereby preventing water draining off the tarp from flowing onto the pad. In this embodiment with the V-shaped tube  310 , the tube  310  need not rotated when inserting into the brackets  150 . 
         [0038]    The wash pad assembly  40  may also include an integrated pressure washer system comprised of a hose reel and cover assembly  120  and sprayer assembly  140 . The sprayer assembly  140  includes a trigger valve mechanism  142 , a wand  144  and nozzle  146  attached to a pressure washer by a hose  148 . The hose  148  is wound onto a hose reel  124  that is disposed within a hose reel housing  122 . The housing  122  includes a door assembly  126 , which pivots upwardly via hinges  127 ,  128 . The housing  122  is mounted to the top of the enclosure  110  and supported with brackets  130 ,  132  that are fastened to the rear wall. The hose reel housing  122  includes notches  123   a ,  123   b  that accommodate the insertion of the sprayer assembly  140 . Thus, when not in use, sprayer assembly  140  may be inserted within the slots  123   a ,  123   b  and the hose cover door  126  is rotated downward into place, securing the wand assembly  140  in place. The door  126  and hose reel cover  122  may be provided with a locking mechanism such as a padlock (not shown) for locking the door  126  for securing not only the hose and hose reel  124 , but also the sprayer assembly  140 , and the pump switch  129 . The pump switch  129  is operative for actuating the pump (not shown) to provide water pressure to sprayer assembly  140 . 
         [0039]      FIGS. 10-11  illustrate an optional side wall extension system  170 . The extension system  170  includes vertical frame sections  172   a - c ,  174   a - c  attachable to the lower frame sections  72   b ,  79   b ,  79   c / 78   b  etc. via brackets  171   a ,  173   a , etc. A series of hooks  176  are spaced about the inner periphery of the top portion  175  of the frame sections  172 . Side tarp sections  180 ,  181 ,  182 ,  183  on the left side; side tarp sections  185 ,  186 ,  187 ,  188  on the right side; and tarp section  190  on the rear side all include eyelets that engage the hooks  176 .  FIG. 10A  is a detail showing the eyelet  180   a  in tarp section  180  engaging the hook  176 . The tarp sections  180 - 190  are preferably about 3 ft high thereby providing a significant extension to the side walls for containing splash or spray within the enclosure. The tarp sections  189 - 190  may be bottom-weighted to keep the sections in position during in windy conditions. 
         [0040]    The tarp sections  180 - 190  are sized to hang downwardly over the side walls thereby providing a greater height for splash containment for the overall system. The rear tarp section  190  includes a cutout portion  192  for permitting access to the hose reel  120 . The rear tarp section  190  is reversible to allow the location of the cutout  192  either on the left side (as in  FIG. 10 ) or the right side (such as the hose reel location as in  FIG. 1 ) to accommodate these alternate hose reel locations. The cutout  192  may comprise either an opening as shown or a movable flap. 
         [0041]    The side sections  180 - 183  and  185 - 188  are formed in multiple sections, four sections per side. The side tarp sections  180 - 183 ,  185 - 188  extend downward past the top frame section ( 72   a , etc.) in an overlapping fashion by an overlap “A” to ensure that water splashing on the tarp sections is directed within the interior of the wash pad. Each side tarp section is supported by three hooks  176  with adjacent side tarp sections connected to a common hook. Thus adjacent side tarp sections overlap each other by an overlap “B” of about 4 inches. Alternately, the side sections may be formed in a different number of sections (e.g., three sections or a single section). A single section is likely to be of lower manufacturing cost (primarily due to labor), but the multiple overlapping sections being smaller and lighter are more easily manipulated. 
         [0042]    Shorter than the side tarp sections, the rear tarp section  190  extends only to the top of the tarp cover system  100  (described below) and the hose cover  120 . The rear tarp section  190  is preferably formed in a single section, but may be formed in multiple overlapping sections. A multiple piece rear tarp section  190  may also be reversible to allow for either left side or right side location of the cutout  192 . 
         [0043]    The wash pad system  40  when assembled has a fairly large footprint.  FIGS. 12-14  illustrate a system and method for assembling the wash pad system  40  into a compacted assembly for a shipping mode. The compacted assembly is provided with a shipping frame  200 . A first wash pad section  52  is placed on the ground. The shipping frame  200  is placed on top of the wash pad section  52 . The center trench  65  is placed on top of the wash pad section  52  on the left side. Both the sump  34  and the tarp assembly  110  are placed on the right side of the wash pad section  52 . Then the other wash pad section  56  is placed on the shipping frame  200  over the wash pad section  52  thereby enclosing the center trench  65 , the sump  34  and the tarp assembly  110 . Shipping plates  202  are bolted or screwed to and between the wash pad sections  52 ,  56  on opposite ends thereof to secure the pieces in place for shipping. In this compacted configuration, the entire system may fit within a standard truck trailer for shipment. 
         [0044]    Though the present invention has been set forth in the form of its preferred embodiments, it is nevertheless intended that modifications to the disclosed systems and methods may be made without departing from inventive concepts set forth herein.