Septic tank sludge level indicator
AssigneeIngenuity Unlimited, Inc.
InventorGary K. Bowman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A septic tank sludge level indicator including a float assembly that can be inserted downwardly into a septic tank through a permanently installed introducer tube or access pipe that has an upper end substantially flush with ground surface and provided with a removable cap for insertion and removal of the float. The float is constructed so that it will not be buoyant in a liquid material or floating scum on the upper surface of liquid material normally found in a septic tank but will be supported when the float comes into contact with collected sludge in the bottom portion of the septic tank with the upper end of the float assembly including indicia indicating the depth of sludge in the septic tank thereby providing an indication as to whether the sludge should be pumped from the tank.
Claims9
A septic tank sludge level indicator comprising an elongated hollow member adapted to extend through the top wall of a septic tank with the lower end thereof oriented in liquid material in the tank and the upper end thereof oriented substantially at ground level and a float assembly inserted through the hollow member from the upper end thereof and adapted to be inserted into the interior of the septic tank and into engagement with the upper surface of sludge collected in the bottom of the septic tank, said float assembly including a float member and an elongated indicator member extending above the upper end of the hollow member with the float assembly being of sufficient weight not to be buoyant in the liquid but adapted to be supported by and stopped by the upper surface of the sludge to enable the depth of sludge in the septic tank to be determined.
In combination, a septic tank having a top wall and means enabling removal of sludge collected on the bottom of the tank, and a sludge level indicator comprising an elongated hollow member extending downwardly through the top wall of the septic tank with the lower end thereof oriented in liquid material in the tank and the upper end thereof oriented substantially at ground level and an indicator assembly inserted through the hollow member from the upper end thereof into the interior of the septic tank and into engagement with the upper surface of sludge collected in the bottom of the septic tank, said assembly including an elongated indicator member extending above the upper end of the hollow member and including indicia thereon associated with the upper end of the hollow member to indicate the elevation of the upper surface of the sludge in the septic tank.
The method of determining the vertical depth of accumulated sludge in the bottom portion of a septic tank in order to enable accumulation of the sludge to a maximum safe vertical depth before removing the sludge from the tank by providing a visual indication of the depth of sludge in the tank at a point above ground level to enable determination of the sludge depth from a point above ground level, said method consisting of the steps of providing a tubular guide through the top wall of the septic tank with the upper end of the guide being substantially at ground level and the lower end of the guide being above the upper surface of the sludge when at its maximum safe depth, inserting an elongated indicator member downwardly into the guide with the indicator member including indica thereon associated with the upper end of the guide to indicate the depth of insertion of the indicator member into the guide and providing the lower end of the indicator member with means thereon engaged with the upper surface of the sludge with the weight of the indicator member and said means on the lower end thereof and the configuration of the means on the lower end thereof enabling the indicator member and means on the lower end thereof to be supported from the upper surface of the sludge when the means on the lower end of the indicator member comes into contact with the upper surface of the sludge with the indicator member and means thereon not capable of being supported by liquid in the septic tank when the indicator member and means on the lower end thereof comes into contact with the liquid thereby enabling the indicator member to be observed at ground level for determining the vertical depth of the accumulated sludge in the bottom of the septic tank.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.