Patent ID: 7976713

Claim:
A method of treating wastewater, comprising: (a) receiving wastewater having a concentration of waste solids from a first septic containment space, in which some of said waste solids have been removed from said wastewater, into a second septic containment space and allowing said concentration of waste solids to distribute in said second septic containment space into a lower horizontal sludge layer and an upper horizontal scum layer of said wastewater with a horizontal layer of liquid therebetween, wherein said wastewater in said horizontal layer has not yet been filtered in said second septic containment space; (b) enclosing one or more filter elements in a housing within said second septic containment space, said housing having a top, a bottom, and sides extending therebetween and together enclosing an interior of said housing; (c) submerging said one or more filter elements enclosed in said housing in said wastewater within said second septic containment space; (d) submerging said top of said housing below a maximum wastewater level of said second septic containment space and exposing said top of said housing to said wastewater in said horizontal layer; (e) flowing said liquid from said horizontal layer through one or more apertures in said housing into said interior of said housing; (f) flowing said liquid from one side of at least one of said one or more filter elements to an opposite side thereof; and (g) flowing said liquid from said opposite side through a liquid effluent outlet in said housing.