U.S. patent number 3,682,311 [Application Number 05/001,438] was granted by the patent office on 1972-08-08 for swimming pool water circulation system.
Invention is credited to Kenneth M. Bishop.
United States Patent |
3,682,311 |
Bishop |
August 8, 1972 |
SWIMMING POOL WATER CIRCULATION SYSTEM
Abstract
A swimming pool system including a system chamber formed in part
by a wall of the swimming pool and close to the ground surface
covered by coping material wherein water inlet conduits for filling
the pool extend from a filter in the system chamber directly into
the pool and along the interior wall adjacent the top thereof,
outlet openings being spaced along the length of the inlet conduit
to uniformly distribute water into the pool, an outlet conduit
extending on the interior of the pool and directly into the system
chamber, skimmer units being located in the walls of the pool and
interconnected by a pipe extending below the coping freely to the
system chamber, and all pipes and conduits extending to a remotely
located pump from the system chamber in a passageway close to the
ground surface and adapted to be exposed by the removal of a cover.
The inlet conduit is spaced a predetermined distance from the pool
walls to provide a finger hold rail around the pool walls. The
inlet conduit may be selectively rotated to direct the water either
downwardly into the pool or upwardly for cooling in the night air
and to provide a series of fountains around the periphery of the
pool. When the water is directed downwardly it will tend to
disburse the sediment on the bottom of the pool such that it may
rise and be removed by the skimmers. Further agitation of the
sediment may be had by connecting a length of hose to the water
inlet pipe at spaced apart points therealong whereby the water
flowing therethrough will cause the ends of the hoses to move about
on the bottom of the pool to disburse collected sediment.
Inventors: |
Bishop; Kenneth M. (Carlisle,
IA) |
Family
ID: |
21696015 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/001,438 |
Filed: |
January 8, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
210/167.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04H
4/1227 (20130101); E04H 4/1209 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E04H
4/12 (20060101); E04H 4/00 (20060101); E04h
003/20 () |
Field of
Search: |
;210/169 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Hart; Charles N.
Claims
I claim:
1. A swimming pool water circulation system comprising, a pool
structure having a bottom and sidewalls forming a water chamber,
water inlet means including an inlet conduit disposed on the
chamber side of said sidewalls and extending therealong, said inlet
conduit having a plurality of outlet openings along its length for
directing water upwardly and inwardly to provide a plurality of
cooling fountains of water in said water chamber, said water inlet
conduit secured to said sidewalls and positioned adjacent the top
of said sidewalls, a system chamber provided with one sidewall
being formed by one of said pool sidewalls, a removable coping
extending along and over said sidewalls, said coping forming a
cover over said system chamber, a pool outlet conduit extending
from in communication with said water chamber into said system
chamber, a filter unit in said system chamber, a pump means in
communication with said pool outlet conduit, said inlet conduit
being connected to said filter unit, said pump means adapted to
draw water from said water chamber through said pool outlet conduit
and return said water to said water chamber through said filter
unit connected to said inlet conduit, said inlet conduit being
exposed in said water chamber and extending directly through said
pool sidewalls into said system chamber for communication with said
filter unit, said pool outlet conduit being located in said water
chamber and extending directly through said pool sidewalls into
said system chamber, said pool outlet conduit extending from said
system chamber in a passageway adjacent the ground surface to said
pump means located remotely of said system chamber, and a plurality
of skimmer units located in said pool sidewalls and having an
interconnecting outlet pipe extending freely and directly under
said removable coping and adjacent said pool sidewalls on the
exterior side thereof, said skimmer outlet pipe extending through
said system chamber in said passageway to communication with said
pump means, and an inlet pipe extending closely adjacent said pool
outlet conduit and said outlet pipe in said passageway between said
pump means and said filter unit whereby all pipes and conduits are
readily accessible for maintenance work.
2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said water inlet conduit is
secured to said sidewalls by a fastener means including spacer
means to position said conduit at a predetermined distance from
said sidewalls whereby a person's fingers may grip said conduit for
a handhold means.
3. The structure of claim 2 wherein said fastener means is further
defined as eye bolts having bolt portions extending through the
pool sidewalls, said eye bolts having eye portions through which
said inlet conduit extends and nut means on the outer side of said
sidewalls opposite said water chamber engaging said bolt portions
and said sidewalls hold said eye bolts and inlet conduit rigid.
4. The structure of claim 1 wherein said inlet conduit is composed
of a plurality of sections rotatably coupled together by coupling
means for said sections to be turned independently of each
other.
5. The structure of claim 1 wherein said inlet conduit includes a
plurality of hose lengths connected thereto with their free ends
positioned on the bottom of said pool structure for agitating
movement over the bottom upon water passing therethrough.
Description
The common conventional residential type pool involves a water
system wherein the drain for the pool is provided in the bottom
thereof and the connecting pipe to the drain extending to the pump
is buried in the ground and in the concrete of the pool if the pool
is formed from concrete. Also the inlet water pipes for the pool
are buried in the concrete or the ground as are all pipes
connecting the pool to the remotely located filter and pump units.
It is seldom that the pool walls whether formed of metal or
concrete leak but it is not uncommon for leaks to occur in the
pipes and conduits. These leaks are almost impossible to locate
without digging up all of the conduits and pipes to examine them.
Thus it is apparent that the complexity of installation of the
ordinary type pool is greatly complicated by the necessity of
burying the water inlet and outlet pipes and the maintenance
problem is particularly aggravated by having to completely tear up
the entire pool to get to the buried pipes for inspection and
repair if necessary. The accessibility problem with regard to the
filter system and pump unit is similar on most pools and thus
represents a considerable problem.
The circulation system for the water in the pool of this invention
involves locating all the circulating pipes and conduits in
positions readily accessible for inspection and maintenance if
required. The inlet conduit extending from a system chamber formed
by one of the pool walls is actually in the pool and extends along
the pool walls at about the normal water level. A plurality of
outlet openings are provided to evenly distribute water throughout
the pool. The inlet conduit is spaced a predetermined distance from
the pool wall to provide a finger hold or hand rail around the
pool. The spacing of the inlet conduit should preferably be
insufficient for a person's fingers to extend completely between
the pool wall and the back side of the inlet conduit. A series of
eye bolt fasteners which receive and hold the inlet conduit extend
through the pool wall and are anchored in poured concrete if
desired. The lengths of inlet conduit are interconnected by
appropriate couplings and are of an appropriate diameter to give
the desired water flow at given points around the pool.
Additionally, the lengths of inlet conduit may be rotated to direct
the jet of water either downwardly into the pool usually for
daytime operation or upwardly to provide cooling of the water
during the cool nights and to provide a plurality of fountains
around the periphery of the pool upon which colored lights may be
appropriately directed.
It is seen that when the water jets are directed downwardly wave
motions will be caused in the water to agitate the sediment on the
bottom of the pool to cause it to rise and be removed by the
skimmers. Additionally, it may be desirable to place lengths of
hoses at various points around the periphery which will extend to
the bottom of the pool and move about on the bottom for agitating
the collected sediment. The flow of the water through the inlet
pipe may be caused to pulsate and be sequentially operated as
desired by the appropriate use of commercially available valves and
controls.
The outlet pipe for the pool comprises a pipe located inside the
pool and extending directly into the system chamber for
communication with the remotely located pump system. If skimmer
units are used they would be interconnected by a pipe freely
disposed directly below the coping near the pool's edge and this
pipe would then extend back to the system chamber. The remotely
located pump required by most city ordinances is in communication
with the inlet conduit, the outlet pipe and the skimming pipe
through pipes located in a passageway directly below the removable
coping material. The filtering unit is in the system chamber and
thus is directly accessible by removal of the coping material
covering it.
Additionally a lighting unit may be located in the system chamber
and thus also be directly accessible for inspection and repair when
required. It is thus seen that there are no underground or buried
pipes or conduits and all of the regulation system can be quickly
assembled and inspected after the pool is put in place to find
leaks if any should occur. It is never necessary to tear up the
ground or pool structure to work on the circulation system. All
that is necessary is to remove coping material or the like covering
the pool's edge.
These and other features and advantages of this invention will
become readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference
to the following description when taken into consideration with the
accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a plan view of the pool system of this invention;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the system chamber
including the filter unit and light unit showing the pipes and
conduits all being in communication with this chamber;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along line 3--3
in FIG. 2; and
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4--4 in FIG.
1.
The water circulation system of this invention is shown in FIG. 1
on a pool 10 having side and end walls 12 and 14. The walls form a
pool chamber 16 filled with water 18.
A pair of water inlet conduits 20 comprised of a number of segments
interconnected by appropriate couplings 19 extend into the pool and
in opposite directions along the adjacent pool end walls 14 and
thence along the sidewalls 12 terminating at steps 24 in the
opposite end wall 14. Outlet jet openings 26 are provided along the
length of the inlet conduits 20 to evenly distribute water into the
pool around its perimeter. The size of the outlet openings may be
varied to give the desired uniform distribution of water throughout
the pool area. The angle of the openings in the inlet conduits 20
may also be selectively varied to direct the stream of water 28 at
the desired angle into the pool.
It is seen that a space 30 is provided between the inlet conduit 20
and the pool sidewalls 14 and 12 through use of eye bolts 32 having
a spacer shoulder 34 and a nut 39 on the inside of the walls. It is
also seen that concrete 37 may be poured on the bolts on the inside
of the walls to permanently maintain them in place and to give
further rigidity to the connection of the eye bolts to the
walls.
Further adjustment of the inlet conduits may be accomplished by
simply rotating the conduits in the eye bolts such that the desired
jet projectory is provided from a normal daytime position of the
water being directed downwardly into the pool as seen by the solid
lines in FIG. 3 or upwardly as a fountain as indicated by the dash
lines in FIG. 3. When the water is being directed upwardly as a
fountain the water is cooled by exposure to the cool night air but
also provides a very pleasing appearance which can be considerably
enhanced by the addition of colored lights directed on the jets of
water projecting upwardly around the periphery of the pool.
The cleaning of the bottom of the pool is further enhanced by the
use of lengths of hose 31 connected to spigots 33 appropriately
spaced around the length of the inlet pipe 12. The length of hose
would have a tail on the bottom of the pool of between 2 and 6 feet
in length to agitate the dirt and sediment particularly at
nighttime.
The circulation of the water by the plurality of inlet jets 28
spaced 6 to 12 inches apart as compared to 10 feet on conventional
pools greatly increases the sanitation of the water by its being
changed more frequently. As is also seen in FIG. 3 the sediment 35
on the bottom of the pool is caused to rise to be removed by the
skimmers.
It is seen that the space 30 is just sufficient to allow only the
finger tips of a person to grasp the inlet conduit pipe 20 and thus
allow the pipe to be used as a hand rail but not allow the swimmer
to extend his hand fully around the pipe. Thus injury to a person's
hand is avoided as well as possible damage to the pipe and its
securing fastener means while still giving the swimmer safety in
having a hand rail all along the pool's perimeter.
The inlet pipes 20 are in communication with a conventional
filtering unit 38 positioned in the system chamber 22. The filter
38 is fed by a pipe 40 extending directly under coping 42 to the
pump 44 located remotely of the system chamber 22 as required by
most city ordinances.
It is further seen that the water is removed from the pool through
an outlet conduit 46 extending directly out of the system chamber
22 and downwardly adjacent the deep end sidewall 14 as seen in FIG.
3. It is apparent that the outlet pipe 46 is fully exposed inside
the pool 16 and will draw water from the pool just as a drain
located in the bottom of the pool with pipes extending under ground
to a remotely located pump. As seen in the drawings, the outlet
pipe 46 extends through the end wall 14 and through the system
chamber 22 thence upwardly and outwardly to the pump 44 adjacent
the pipe 40 feeding the filter unit 38.
A series of skimmer units 48 are positioned in the sidewalls of the
pool around the perimeter thereof and are interconnected by a pipe
50 which also extends freely and independently of the pool along
and below the coping 36. The pipe forms a T as seen in FIG. 2 with
the wing portions 50 extending in opposite directions around the
perimeter of the pool and the leg 52 extending to the pump 44.
In addition to the water circulation system which is easily
installed and easily maintained when servicework is required the
pool is provided with a pool light 60 positioned in the system
chamber 22 and mounted in the end wall 14 as seen in FIG. 2 and
thus is fully exposed for maintenance work if ever required.
The inlet conduit 20 sections may be made of high strength plastic
material which is readily shaped to follow the contour of the pool
walls 12 and 14. The outlet set openings 26 are preferably
constructed to provide high pressure water streams 28 which will
tend to move the surface water and allow it to be skimmed by the
skimmers 48 automatically as well as agitate the sediment on the
bottom of the pool a seal may be provided on the eye bolts 32 of a
Neopreme or like material to provide sealing between the walls 12
and 14 and the eye bolts for the pipe 20.
As seen in FIG. 4 the coping 36 extends completely around the pool
and over the space 60 provided for the skimmer outlet pipes 50.
Thus in operation it is seen that the pump 44 will draw water in
from the deep end interiorly located outlet pipe 46 as well as from
the skimmers 48 through the skimmer pipes 50 whereupon the water
will be pumped back through the pipe 40 to the filter 38 and the
water under pressure will enter the inlet pipes 20 to be uniformly
distributed around the pool as seen in FIG. 1. The deep end outlet
pipe 46 as seen in FIG. 3 will draw the water from the bottom of
the pool and tend to help clean the bottom of the pool since the
lower end of the pipe is closely positioned to the bottom surface.
At the same time the inlet streams 28 from the inlet pipes 20 will
agitate the surface water to cause it to skim the debris thereon
into the skimmers 48 as seen in FIG. 4 whereupon the water will be
drawn away through the skimmer outlet pipe 50.
Again it is stressed that the water circulation system may be
easily installed in building a pool and may be prefabricated in its
entirety. Equally as important is that all of the water circulation
conduits and pipes are readily accessible to be inspected for leaks
or the like. The safety of the pool is substantially increased
through the use of the circulation system of this invention due to
its providing a finger-type rail around the periphery of the pool
at the approximate water level of the pool and thus the swimmer has
something to grab hold of close at hand at all times but yet the
finger hold pipe will not cause injury to the swimmer's hand since
it is carefully spaced a predetermined distance from the pool
sidewalls to prevent the hands of the swimmers from being
caught.
* * * * *