Used oil filter cleaning system

An oil filter cleaning system having a used oil and water receiving tank and a water supply tank. A used oil filter is secured to the top end of a pipe connected to a submersible water pump in the water supply tank and when operated will drive water under pressure up through the aperture in the bottom of the water filter and drive the used oil remaining therein out an aperture that has been formed in the side of the oil filter adjacent its bottom end. This flow of water and used oil that exits the oil filter is then directed into a filtration system located adjacent the top end of the used oil water receiving tank. The water filtration system has a large debris catching screen acting as a first phase and a fine mesh nylon filter acting as a second phase of filtration. The used oil passing through the fine mesh nylon filter floats on top of the water in the used oil and water receiving tank. The water at the bottom of the used oil and water receiving tank is free to pass to the water supply tank. This system allows for collection of the used oil by skimming off the top of the water surface in the used oil and water receiving tank.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates generally to a cleaning apparatus and more 
specifically, to an improved system for removing residual oil from the 
interior of a used oil filter by the use of pressurized water that reverse 
flushes the used oil filter. 
Used oil filters, having normal characteristics of not being biodegradable, 
are not desirable for landfill. In the state of California it has become a 
law that all used oil filters are regulated as hazardous waste. At this 
time there is only one way to treat used oil filters. The used oil filters 
are transported to one location in California and then melted down for the 
recyclable metal. This is a waste of the used oil they contain that could 
be recycled, and a waste of the paper element inside the used oil filter. 
The above described process for getting rid of oil filters is also 
relatively expensive. At this time it costs between $60.00 and $100.00 for 
the removal of one 55 gallon barrel full of used oil filters. The used oil 
filters are stored in 55 gallon barrels that must be sealed. Storage is 
limited to less than 1 ton. Under 1 ton, they can be stored for one year 
and when the one ton limit is reached they have to be removed within 180 
days or you are required by law to obtain a hazardous waste facility 
permit. 
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel oil filter cleaning 
system that would eliminate the present waste of used oil filters that is 
being put in landfills. 
It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel oil filter 
cleaning system that will allow the waste oil in the oil filter to be 
saved for recycling. 
It is another object of the invention to provide a novel oil filter 
cleaning system that will not create any air pollution, 
It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel oil filter 
cleaning system that will drastically lower the cost of recycling used oil 
filters. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The principal of the novel oil filter cleaning system is to clean the waste 
oil from used oil filters by using high pressure water with a 
biodegradable cleaner added to the water. The process of cleaning a used 
oil filter is done by recycling water through a filtering system and it is 
dependent upon water and oil not mixing. 
The water will be directed into the used oil filter from the center bottom 
screw on fitting. This is normally the output side for the filtered oil 
and the water will flow backwards from the clean to the dirty side of the 
used oil filter. High pressure water will fill the entire cavity of the 
used oil filter. The water will then be forced out of the used oil filter 
through a 1/2 inch hole that has been punched in the outer casing of the 
used oil filter. At this point the water and used oil will flow without 
pressure to the water receiving tank. 
At the top of the water receiving tank is a two stage filtering system. The 
first filtering system is a large debris catching screen. After the flow 
of water and dirty oil has passed through the large debris catching 
screen, it will pass through a fine mesh nylon filter. This filter will 
remove carbon and dirt while slowing the used oil passage and forcing the 
used oil to float on the top of the water in the water receiving tank. 
Water from the bottom of the water receiving tank will pass freely 
therefrom to the water supply tank by an equalization pipe connecting the 
two tanks together adjacent their bottom ends. The water passing through 
this pipe will be substantially oil free and will be pumped from the water 
supply tank by a submersible pump under a predetermined pressure through a 
pipe to the bottom of the used oil filter to complete the cycle. 
When the used oil needs to be skimmed from the water receiving tank, this 
will be accomplished by turning the shut-off valve on the equalization 
pipe. When this is done while operating the submersible pump, the water 
and oil level in the water receiving tank will rise causing the floating 
oil to flow down an over flow pipe to a used oil storage can. 
When the supply of water and cleaner is to be replenished, the shut-off 
valve on the equalization pipe will be closed. Next water and cleaner will 
be added to the water supply tank to raise the level of the water therein 
until any used oil floating on the top of the water in the water supply 
tank will rise to the level of the pass-over pipe that connects to the 
water receiving tank.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The novel oil filter cleaning system will now be described by referring to 
FIG. 1 of the drawing. A used oil filter 1 is screwed on the top of an oil 
filter attachment pipe 17. An aperture 16 is formed in the side of the 
used oil filter to expel used oil and water. The flow direction 15 of the 
used oil and water takes it to the entrance point 14 of the filtration 
system. This filtration system has a large debris catching screen 13 that 
is in communication with and surrounded by a fine mesh nylon filter 12. As 
the used oil and water passes through filter 12, beads of oil are formed 
and a surface layer of oil is created that floats on the top surface of 
the water in used oil and water receiving tank 10. 
An equalization pipe 8 is connected between the used oil and water 
receiving tank 10 and water supply tank 5. When shut-off valve 7 is open, 
the water level in the two tanks will equalize themselves due to 
atmospheric pressure. A submersible water pump 6 is located in the bottom 
of water supply tank 5 and when it is operated it will supply water 
through high pressure water pipe 4 to the bottom of oil filter 1. 
When a sufficient amount of used oil is floating on the top surface of the 
water in the used oil and water receiving tank 10, valve 7 is closed. The 
submersible water pump 6 would still be operating and its continued flow 
of dirty oil and water into water receiving tank 10 will cause the level 
of the fluid in that tank to rise until it is in communication with used 
oil overflow pipe 11 which will cause the used oil floating on the water 
to travel through the used oil overflow pipe 11 and be deposited in used 
oil storage tank 9. 
Periodically, there might be a thin film of oil that forms on the top 
surface of the water in water supply tank 5. In order to remove this, shut 
off valve 7 would be closed and additional water would be added to water 
supply tank 5 until its level reaches the pass over pipe 2 and this thin 
layer of oil would then travel through pass over pipe 2 and be deposited 
on the top surface of the water in the used oil and water receiving tank 
10.