AU2005203329B2

AU2005203329B2 - Catchment surface for collection of water precipitate

Info

Publication number: AU2005203329B2
Application number: AU2005203329A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Debra Leonard; Jonathan Leonard
Original assignee: GLOBAL WATER COLLECTORS Pty Ltd
Current assignee: GLOBAL WATER COLLECTORS Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2004-07-28
Filing date: 2005-07-28
Publication date: 2011-10-27
Anticipated expiration: 2025-07-28
Also published as: NZ541496A; AU2005203329A1

Abstract

Abstract Catchment and collection apparatus is provided for collecting and storing water precipitate. The apparatus includes a water storage receptacle including a roof and a catchment surface integral with the roof of the water storage 5 receptacle. Channelling means is provided for conveying the water from the catchment surface to an inlet of the water storage receptacle. Also provided is a catchment apparatus for collecting the water precipitate and channelling the water from the catchment surface to an inlet of a water storage receptacle. The catchment apparatus is configured for attachment to a top of an existing water 10 storage receptacle. 10 18F IG 1 (PRIOR ART) ~LOL( c.J D C%4) co CN 0

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (ORIGINAL) Class Int. Class Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority Related Art: Name of Applicant: Jonathan Leonard and Debra Leonard Actual Inventor(s): Jonathan Leonard, Debra Leonard Address for Service and Correspondence: PHILLIPS ORMONDE & FITZPATRICK Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys 367 Collins Street Melbourne 3QO4 AUSTRALIA Invention Title: CATCHMENT SURFACE FOR COLLECTION OF WATER PRECIPITATE Our Ref: 750975 POF Code: 468693/468693, 469134 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to applicant(s): 600 6q 2 CATCHMENT SURFACE FOR COLLECTION OF WATER PRECIPITATE Field of the Invention The present invention relates to harvesting rain water for storage in rain 5 water tanks for household, agricultural and industrial use. The invention relates more particularly to provision of an auxiliary catchment surface for the collection of rain water. Background to the Invention 10 Water is an essential and precious natural resource. Globally we are becoming increasingly aware that water is in limited supply and needs to be conserved for the future. Whilst rural and other isolated communities have been collecting rain water in tanks and dams to supply their own household and agricultural requirements for many years, the concept of widespread harvesting 15 of rain water in urban environments is now generating widespread interest. If substantial numbers of individual households in urban environments are encouraged to collect rain water to supplement their own needs, it should be possible to significantly reduce the pressure on mains water supplies and the need for new dams and water infrastructure. 20 Rain water can be collected from most surfaces on which it falls. Rain water collection for household use usually involves collecting the rain water falling on the rooves of buildings such as houses, garages and sheds by conducting the flow of rain water from the catchment surface to a rain water storage tank using gutters or other channelling means. Rain water storage 25 tanks are typically made from materials such as corrugated galvanised iron, concrete, fibre glass or polyethylene. The amount of rain water that can be collected is dependent on the size of the storage tank and the size of the water catchment area. It is not possible to achieve complete efficiency in the collection of rain water. Factors such as 30 first flush wastage, evaporation, overflowing gutters during heavy downpours all inadvertently impact the efficiency of rain water harvesting systems. Moreover, it is often not possible, for a house with a relatively small roof area to supply a significant proportion of a family's water requirements, except in areas having very high rainfall. The size of the water catchment area is the W:\SASKIA\Patent Spec\lRN724659 (25 July 2005).doc 3 most important factor in determining the amount of rain water than can be harvested. Summary of the Invention 5 According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided catchment and collection apparatus for collecting and storing water precipitate including: (a) a water storage receptacle including a roof; (b) a catchment surface integral with the roof of the water storage 10 receptacle; and (c) channelling means for conveying the water from the catchment surface to an inlet of the water storage receptacle. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the catchment surface is inclined to direct water towards the channelling means. In one embodiment, the 15 catchment surface is inclined towards a centre of the catchment surface to form a substantially concave structure which directs collected water towards a substantially central collection point. In another embodiment the catchment surface is inclined away from a centre of the catchment surface to form a substantially convex structure which 20 directs collected water towards a peripheral channel. In such an embodiment, the catchment surface further includes a channel extending away from the collection point and inclined to divert water away from the collection point and into the channelling means. The catchment and collection apparatus may further include a first flush 25 diverter between the catchment surface and the inlet. It may also be preferable to include a filter between the catchment surface and the inlet, through which the water is passed before entering the water storage receptacle to prevent debris from entering the water storage receptacle. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided 30 catchment apparatus for collecting water precipitate including: (a) a catchment surface for collecting the water precipitate; and (b) channelling means for conveying the water from the catchment surface to an inlet of a water storage receptacle; W:\SASKIAPatent SpedlRN724659 (25 July 2005).doc 4 wherein the catchment apparatus is configured for attachment to a top of an existing water storage receptacle. In a preferred embodiment, the catchment apparatus further includes attachment means for attaching the catchment apparatus to an existing water 5 storage receptacle. Preferably, the catchment surface is inclined to convey water towards the channelling means. The catchment surface may be inclined towards a centre of the catchment surface to form a substantially concave structure directing water towards a substantially central collection point. In such an embodiment a 10 channel may also be included which extends away from the collection point and is inclined to divert water away from the collection point and into the channelling means. Alternatively the collecting surface may be inclined away from a centre of the catchment surface to form a substantially convex structure for covering the 15 roof of the water storage receptacle, directing collected water towards a peripheral channel. The surface may also include a conduit to guide collected water from the channelling means to an inlet of the water storage receptacle. The channelling means may include a gutter fitted to a periphery of the catchment surface. The catchment apparatus may further include a first flush 20 diverter and/or a filter between the catchment surface and the inlet. According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a channelling apparatus for conveying water from a catchment surface to an inlet of a water storage receptacle, the channelling apparatus including: (a) an endless strip to be arranged to form a barrier around the periphery of 25 a roof of the water storage receptacle; (b) means for sealingly securing the strip to the periphery; and (b) means for directing the water from the roof of the water storage receptacle towards the inlet of the water storage receptacle. In one form of the invention, the endless strip is configured to form a 30 substantially vertical barrier to be sealingly secured to the periphery of the roof of the water storage receptacle. It is an advantage of the present invention that water precipitate can be collected from an area over a water storage receptacle which would otherwise go to waste. This is particularly advantageous in regions where a suitable W:\SASKIA\Patent Spec\IRN724659 (25 July 2005).doc 5 dwelling or shed roof is not available to provide a water catchment surface, or where the water catchment surface area provided by a dwelling or shed roof is insufficient to meet the demand for water collection. It is yet another advantage of the present invention to provide a means 5 by which the efficiency of rain water collection can be improved. Brief Description of the Drawings The invention will now be described in further detail by reference to the attached drawings illustrating example forms of the invention. It is to be 10 understood that the particularity of the drawings does not supersede the generality of the preceding description of the invention. In the drawings: Figure 1 shows a typical prior art rainwater harvesting system. Figure 2 shows an apparatus for collecting and storing rainwater in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 15 Figure 3 shows a top view of the apparatus shown in Figure 2. Figure 4 shows a cross section of a catchment apparatus for collecting rain water according to another aspect of the present invention. Figure 5 shows yet another embodiment of the catchment apparatus. Figure 6 shows an alterative embodiment of the apparatus for collecting 20 and storing rain water. Figure 7 shows an embodiment of the apparatus for channelling rain water. Figure 8 shows the apparatus of Figure 7 fitted with a first flush diverter. Figure 9 shows a cross section of the channelling means according to an 25 embodiment. Figure 10 shows a cross section of the channelling means according to an alternative embodiment. Detailed Description 30 Referring firstly to Figure 1 a typical rain water harvesting system 10 collects rain water from a catchment area 12 provided by the roof of a dwelling 16, shed or similar structure. The catchment area 12 includes a gutter system 18 to collect the water from the roof and convey it to a water storage receptacle or tank 14. Gutter systems 18 may be fitted with various ancillary devices W:\SASKIA\Patent Spec\lRN724659 (25 July 2005).doc 6 including leaf catchers to ensure that debris such as leaves and pine needles are not washed into the water storage tank 14. Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, there is shown an embodiment of a collection apparatus 22 for collecting and storing water precipitate. A cylindrical 5 water storage receptacle shown in the form of water tank 24 has a circular footprint 26 as illustrated and a single endless side wall 28. However, it is to be understood that the water storage receptacle 24 could be any one of a number of different shapes including receptacles having a square or rectangular footprint. 10 The collection apparatus has a catchment surface 32 which is attached to the top of water tank 24. A series of grooves 34 are provided to convey the water from the catchment surface 32 towards the centre of the catchment surface. The catchment surface 32 including grooves 34 is inclined downwards from its periphery to a central collection gutter 40 thereby forming a concave 15 structure. This enables any rain which would otherwise fall on the roof of the water tank to be collected and stored inside the tank rather than simply running down the edges of the tank and going to waste. Central collection gutter 40 joins a channel 34 which extends to the periphery 44 of the catchment surface 32 and unlike the other regions of the 20 catchment surface, is inclined downwards as the channel approaches the periphery. A gutter or other suitable collection point is also provided to convey water from the outer end channel 34 to an inlet of the water tank. Alternatively, the central collection gutter 40 may provide a channel for the collected water to flow directly into the water tank below. 25 Figure 4 shows a cross section of a catchment apparatus 48 which has been retro-fitted to water tank 24. Catchment apparatus 48 includes a dome shaped collecting surface 50 and is fitted to the top of the water tank 24 over roof 54 using suitable attachment means (not shown). Attachment of the catchment apparatus utilises the surface area on which rain may fall but which 30 would otherwise go to waste, thereby improving rainwater yield of the tank. The convex shape of the catchment surface conveys water precipitate which lands on the surface towards the periphery for collection. Fitted to the periphery of the catchment surface is channelling means provided in the form of W:\SASKIA\Patent SpecRN724659 (25 July 2005).doc 7 a gutter 52. The gutter 52 conveys the collected water to an inlet 58 of the water tank 24. The collecting surface 50 is adapted to at least cover the roof 54 of the water tank 24. It is to be understood, however, that the catchment apparatus 48 5 may come on a range of sizes and shapes configured to be attached to a range of water tanks having varying size, dimension, capacity and construction. Figure 5 shows an alternative embodiment wherein the catchment apparatus 62 including a concave collection surface 64 fitted to the roof 66 of the water tank 68. The incline of the collection surface 64 directs water towards 10 a central drain 70 which conveys the water into the water tank 68. In some embodiments, particularly where the water is to be used for human and animal consumption, it may be desirable to include a first flush diverter in the path between the catchment surface and the water tank. The first flush diverter captures the first flush of water from the catchment surface. This 15 enables any grit or similar matter to be flushed from the collecting surface, before automatically diverting the remaining water into the water tank. The inlet to the water tank may also include a filter through which the water is passed before entering the water tank (or first flush diverter) to prevent any debris from entering the water tank. The filtering of water to be conveyed 20 into the water storage receptacle is of particular importance where the water is to be employed for household use including drinking, cooking and washing. In such applications, it is also desirable to include means to preclude breeding and growth of mosquitos and other insects in the water harvesting system. Such means are known in the art. 25 In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, first flush diverter 60 is provided between gutter 52 and inlet 58. The inlet 58 further includes a filter (not shown) through which the water is passed before entering the water storage receptacle 24 to prevent any debris from entering. Referring now to Figure 6, there is shown yet another alternative 30 embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus 72 for collecting and storing rain water has a catchment surface 74 which is integral with the roof of the water storage receptacle 76 and is inclined from the horizontal to direct water towards the channelling means 78. It is to be understood, however, that the catchment surface could also be provided in the form of a catchment W:\SASKIA\Patent Spec\lRN724659 (25 July 2005).doc 8 apparatus to be applied over the top of an existing tank roof, rather than forming the roof itself. This embodiment is particularly suitable for a water storage receptacle which is formed from galvanised iron, since galvanised iron is not readily formed into the concave or convex shapes which are used in other forms 5 of the invention. Referring now to Figure 7, there is shown a further embodiment of the present invention showing a conventional water tank 80 fitted with channelling means consisting of a substantially vertical barrier 82 secured to the periphery of the catchment surface 84 (i.e. the roof of the water tank). The channelling 10 means 82 prevents water which falls on the roof of the tank from running off the edge of the tank and being wasted by permitting the water to pool on the roof of the tank and channelling the water towards to an inlet into the water storage receptacle 80. The channelling means 82 may be integral with the roof 86 of the water tank 80, or may be retrofitted to a water tank 80 to retrospectively 15 increase the catchment area available for filling the water tank 80. The channelling means 82 is formed from an endless length of metal or plastic strip to be sealingly attached to an outer edge 88 of the upper surface or roof 86 of the water tank 80. The vertical barrier 82 conveys water incident on the catchment surface 84 towards a drain pipe 90 or other channelling means 20 which directs the water into the water tank 80 for storage. The drain pipe 90 is simply inserted into the vertical barrier 82 at one point. Channelling means in the form of such substantially vertical barrier 82 may be provided in kit form to be retrofitted to existing water tanks by a home handyman or contractor. The endless metal or plastic strip is simply cut to a 25 length which substantially matches the perimeter of the roof 86 of the water tank 80, and is arranged around the periphery of the catchment surface 84 and secured in place. The joins between the strip and the surface of the tank are sealed to be impermeable to water. As shown in Figure 8, a first flush diverter 92 may be placed in the path between the catchment surface 96 and the water 30 tank inlet 94 in the usual fashion. In Figure 9, the channelling means consists of an endless substantially vertical barrier strip 98 and includes a lip 100 to assist in positioning the channelling means on the edge of the water tank 102. Figure 10, the channelling means 98 is angled at approximately 45 degrees from the vertical. W:\SASKIAPatent Spec\IRN724659 (25 July 2005).doc 9 It is to be understood that the channelling means may undertake various shapes and forms from those illustrated in Figures 9 and 10, provided that the channelling means acts as a barrier to prevent water from running off the edge of the roof of the water tank, and directs the water towards an inlet into the 5 water tank. It is to be understood that the catchment surface may be made from any suitable material including galvanised metal such as galvanised iron, polyethylene, fibre glass, Aquaplate@, concrete or the like whether the catchment surface is integral with the roof or configured for retro-fitting to 10 existing water storage tanks. In some cases the manner in which the catchment or collecting surface is caused to incline towards the channelling means may be dictated by the material from which the catchment apparatus or catchment surface is formed. Advantageously, the present invention can be used collect water which is 15 suitable for domestic use in laundries, showers, gardens and the like. This is particularly important in Australia and other drought affected areas where restrictions apply to mains water usage. When collected water is filtered and treated it may also be used for drinking. Alternatively or additionally, collected water can be used for irrigation, farming or the other domestic and non 20 domestic uses. The alternative forms of the present invention have a number of additional advantages over prior art rain water harvesting systems. One advantage is particularly important where no houses, sheds or other rooved structures are in the vicinity of the tank to provide a suitable catchment surface. 25 However, even when a rainwater tank is supplied by the catchment area provided by such structures, the efficiency of the rain water harvesting system is enhanced by use of the present invention as it configures an additional surface on which rain will fall to operate as a catchment surface and diverts that rain into the water storage tank. The present invention has particular application not 30 only as an integral part of a water storage tank but also as a catchment surface which can be added to existing water storage tanks to increase the yield of the water storage system or a channelling means which can be retrospectively fitted to water tanks to form an auxiliary catchment surface. W:SASKIA\Patent SpecXIRN724659 (25 July 2005).doc 10 Devising methods to enhance the efficiency of rain water harvesting systems has become increasingly important during recent times of drought in many parts of Australia. It is therefore important to exploit all potential water catchment surfaces to collect and divert water into water storage receptacles for 5 subsequent use. The table below is indicative of the potential increases to the volume of rain water harvested by configuring the roof of the water storage tank to collect water or attaching a catchment apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention over the roof of existing water tanks. Tank Diameter in Potential Catchment of Potential Catchment of (Metres) 280 mm per annum 1200 mm per annum Rainfall (Litres) Rainfall (Litres) 1.80 711 3040 2.40 1265 5424 2.90 1848 7920 3.60 2847 12204 4.20 3875 16608 4.80 5068 21720 10 The potential catchment is indicative of the amount of rain water that could be collected but is presently being wasted by not exploiting the available roof area of the water storage receptacle itself to supplement water supplies. By way of example, consider the additional rain water that could be 15 harvested by fitting the roof of the 3.60 m diameter water tank with the catchment apparatus of the present invention. If rain water is harvested for storage in the tank using only 7 m x 12 m (84 M 2 ) roof area of a primary residence, a water tank having a diameter of 3.60 m could provide a 12% increase in the water catchment area. Using the roof area of two 3.60 m 20 diameter water tanks would increase the available water catchment area by 24%. The additional catchment surface equates to an additional 24408 litres of additional rain water the can be harvested in an area having a rain fall of 1200 mm per annum. For an area receiving 280 mm of rainfall per annum, this equates to an additional 5694 litres. This represents a significant increase in the 25 volume of rain water that can be harvested and stored by using the apparatus provided by the present invention. WASASKIA\Patent Spec\IRN724659 (25 Juty 2005).doc 11 It is to be understood that various additions, alterations and/or modifications may be made to the parts previously described without departing from the ambit of the invention. W:\SASKIA\Patent Spec\lRN724659 (25 July 2005).doc

Claims

1. Channelling apparatus for conveying water from a catchment surface to an inlet of a water storage receptacle, the channelling apparatus including: an endless strip to be arranged to form a barrier around the periphery of a 5 roof of the water storage receptacle; means for sealingly securing the strip to the periphery; and means for directing the water from the roof of the water storage receptacle towards the inlet of the water storage receptacle.

2. Channelling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the endless strip is configured to form a substantially vertical barrier to be sealingly secured to 10 the periphery of the roof of the water storage receptacle,

3. A gutter system for fitting onto the rain water tanks comprising: a strip adapted to attached to the rain water tank, where In the strip is arranged to form a barrier for diverting rain water into the water tank; means for sealingly fitting the strip to the rain water tank. 15

4, A gutter system according claim 3, wherein the strip has a lip region adapted to assist in positioning the strip upon rain the water tank.

5, A gutter system of according to claims 3 or claim 4, wherein the strip is adapted to be fitted along the periphery of the rain water tank.

6. A gutter system according to any one of claims 3 - 5, where means for 20 seallngly fitting the strip to the rain water tank comprising screws.

7. A gutter system according to any one of the claims 3 - 6, wherein the strip is made of plastic, meter or materials including one or more of galvanized iron, polyethylene, fibre glass, concrete.

8. A gutter system according to any one of claims 3 - 7, wherein the barrier is 25 substantially vertical. 13

9. A gutter system according to any one of claims 3 - 8 further comprising a first flush diverter systern connecting between the barrier and the rain water tank for diverting water toward the rain water tank.

10. Channelling apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with 5 reference to any one of the embodiments illustrated in accompanying Figures 7 to 10.

11. A gutter system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the embodiments illustrated in accompanying Figures 7 to 10.

12. A gutter system for retrofitting to a rain water tank according to any one of 10 claims 3 - 9.