Clean Out- Need Advice

[Diamond]

Hello everyone. I just started a new business whereby my landlord at my warehouse doesn't want me doing the hosedown on dirty units in his yard? What can I do. Is it illegal to do cleanouts onto the ground? This is just for when a unit gets pushed over and it's full of waste on the walls. Do I need to set up a reclaim basin and pump it out. What is standard? What about when a unit gets pushed over on site and there is waste on the ground? What the hell do I do there? lol.....Please help me with some Old Boy Insite?

[Pete Morici]

In the early 1990's, I was asked by a large plumbing shop in Los Angeles, to design at outside wash bay for their fleet of vans. The city had cited them for repeated soap suds trailing down the driveway and dumping into the storm system at the curb whenever they washed their trucks.

The Board of Health didn't want any soaps, oils, or other hazardous or poisonous wastes discharged on to the ground. - Nothing - nada - no way! It's an environmental issue for them.

After considerable discussion with the Board of Health and the Plumbing inspectors, here's the (then $20,000) fix. I was asked to submit drawings and show all load calculations for "stamped" approval.

1. Permits required: Plumbing, Health Dept, Electrical and Concrete
2. Install an interceptor in the ground. It was about the size of a septic tank.
3. There was a 4-inch vent that extended at least 10 ft above flood rim.
4. The tank would overflow to the city sewer
5. A slab was constructed over the tank, all sides pitched to the inlet (steel trough drain)
6. The slab needed two steel access covers over the primary and secondary tanks for cleaning

Then, you had to compensate for rainwater, so it didn't go to the sewer during a rain.

7. Either put a roof over the slab or put in a motorized, backwater valve on the inlet. We put in the motorized valve that was activated by a rain switch on the roof of the adjacent building. When it rained, the valve automatically closed, blocking rainwater from entering the tank. When it stopped raining, the valve would open, allowing waste water discharges to enter the system again.

8. Add another access plate in the slab for the motor.
9. Add in all of the electrical on a dedicated circuit.
10. All three access plates were waterproof, (bolt-down lids with gaskets).

If you don't have a sewer, then they might allow a reclaim pit you can pump. But what about everything else?

[Doug T]

Diamond,

Best advice I can give is to check with the local authorities. The Clean Water Act (Federal) says no off property dischage. Many states and cities interpet it differently. You need someone in local government to tell you the rules for your area. Try your state Department of Environmental Quality, if you have one

[Trent]

For field procedures you should get yourself certified by the PSAI. It will cover tipovers and the like. If we know about it ahead of time, we trade the tipover units out and deal with them at the yard. There we put the unit on a containment tray and use a gamajet to clean the inside. Then we pump out the containment tray with the truck.

[Argyll 1st]

Dont mean to sound thick but what is a Gammajet I think is it sounds as though I need one, I could phone round some of the guys and tell them they could have a go on my new Gammjet. I am excited now a new toy, I am gonna google it right now:) gotta get one

[COLE_Jeff]

http://www.promonthly.com/products/?action=extendedinfo&advertiserid=9&name=Gamajet+Cleaning+Systems%2C+Inc.

[Argyll 1st]

Yip, thats the one I gotta have, never seen one of those before but I can see the need, Got my visa card in hand !!!!!!!!!!
More toys to play with , Just what the new wife hates about me most