Device and method for maintaining swimming pools

Abstract

A device for winterizing pools comprises a compartment including a front portion having a periphery defining a first opening. An upper portion of the compartment defines a second opening. The periphery is to sealingly engage a wall of a swimming pool such that the first opening surrounds a return line aperture defined by the wall of the swimming pool. The second opening defined by the upper portion is to be disposed above a water level of the swimming pool. A pump is to be disposed within the compartment, and is energized by, for example, a DC power supply. A conduit includes a first end to be coupled to an outlet of the pump and includes a second end to be disposed outside of the compartment and adjacent to the upper portion thereof for directing fluid out of the compartment.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/548,807, filed on Feb. 27, 2004, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally directed to a device and method for maintaining swimming pools, and more particularly relates to a device and method for winterizing inground swimming pools.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Winterizing inground swimming pools can include draining water from the return lines and thereafter filling the return lines with a winterizing chemical fluid such as antifreeze. This process prevents water in the return lines from expanding as a result of freezing, and thereby damaging the return lines. Winterizing the return lines is typically wasteful of water and is time consuming. Winterizing the return lines typically involves draining water in a swimming pool below the return lines to treat 5,000 to 10,000 gallons of water. This is a substantial waste of water. Moreover, the process of draining water can last as long as five hours.

Based on the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device and method for winterizing a pool that overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks and disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect of the present invention, a device for winterizing pools comprises a compartment including a front portion having a periphery defining a first opening. An upper portion of the compartment defines a second opening. The periphery is for sealingly engaging a wall of a swimming pool such that the first opening surrounds a return line aperture defined by the wall of the swimming pool. The second opening defined by the upper portion is to be disposed above a water level of the swimming pool. A pump is to be disposed within the compartment, and is energized by, for example, a DC power supply. A conduit includes a first end to be coupled to an outlet of the pump and includes a second end to be disposed outside of the compartment and adjacent to the upper portion thereof for directing fluid out of the compartment.

In a second aspect of the present invention, a method of winterizing swimming pools comprises providing a compartment including a front portion having a periphery defining a first opening, and an upper portion defining a second opening. A pump is disposed within the compartment. A conduit includes a first end coupled to an outlet of the pump and includes a second end disposed outside of the compartment and adjacent to the upper portion thereof. The periphery of the compartment is placed against a wall of a swimming pool such that the first opening surrounds a return line aperture defined by the wall of the swimming pool, and the second opening is positioned above a water level of the swimming pool. The pump is energized to create a vacuum to sealingly engage the periphery against the wall of the swimming pool, and to direct fluid through the conduit and out of the compartment until the fluid level within the compartment is at least below that of the return line aperture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a device for winterizing swimming pools embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the device of FIG. 1 employed in a swimming pool.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the device of FIG. 1 employed in a swimming pool.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to FIGS. 1-4, a device for winterizing swimming pools is indicated generally by the reference number 10. The device 10 should be used in climates where there is the possibility of the outdoor temperature falling below the freezing temperature of water. The device comprises a compartment 12, a pump 14 disposed in the compartment for evacuating fluid from the compartment, a power supply 16 for energizing the pump, and a conduit 18 coupled to the pump for directing fluid out of the compartment.

In a preferred embodiment, the compartment 12 is rectangular and includes a bottom wall 20, two sidewalls 22, a rear wall 24, and an upper wall 26. Front edges of the bottom wall 20, the sidewalls 22, the rear wall 24, and the upper wall 26 cooperate to form a periphery 28 defining an open front face or first opening 30. The upper wall 26 of the compartment 12 defines a second opening 32. The compartment 12 is fabricated from a hard plastic or other strong material that maintains its shape under water pressure.

By way of example only, the dimensions of the compartment 12 are: length of about 14 inches, width of about 12 inches, and height of about 24 inches. The dimensions of the second opening 32 can be: length of about 9 inches, and width of about 5 inches so as to be large enough for an operator's hand or arm to enter therethrough in order to access the pump 14 or a return line of a swimming pool to be enclosed by the open front face 30 of the compartment 12 as is explained more fully below. The second opening 32 can be disposed about 2 inches from the open front face 30 of the compartment 12, and about 5 inches from the rear wall 24 of the compartment. The walls of the compartment 12 are preferably at least 1/4 inch thick. Although the compartment 12 is rectangular in a preferred embodiment, the compartment can take other practical shapes without departing from the scope of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the periphery 28 includes a resilient, compressible gasket or seal 34 disposed thereon for creating a generally watertight and waterproof seal around the open front face 30 of the compartment 12. In a preferred embodiment, the seal 34 is a resilient polyethylenepropylenediene (EPDM) self-adhesive weatherstrip tape manufactured by Macklanburg-Duncan Co. of Oklahoma City, Okla. The weather strip has a D-profile and is 23/64 inch wide and 5/16 inch thick. However, the seal 34 can be fabricated from other generally watertight materials.

The pump 14 is mounted within the compartment 12 at a rear lower corner thereof. Preferably, the pump 14 is a submersible bilge pump such as, for example, the Rule 360 Non-Automatic Bilge Pump manufactured by Rule Industries, Inc. of Burlington, Mass. The Rule 360. Pump has a capacity of 360 gallons per hour (1363 liters per hour), and operates on 12 volts DC. The pump 14 can have a higher or lower capacity depending on the size of the compartment 12 to be evacuated.

The power supply 16 includes a generally watertight housing accommodating a DC battery source such as, for example, eight AAA 1.5 volt dry cell batteries electrically coupled in series. The power supply 16 preferably includes an on/off switch 36 mounted on top of the housing for turning the pump 14 on and off. The DC current generated by the power supply 16 will not shock a user if the dry cell batteries get wet and will generally not short out.

The conduit 18, preferably a plastic hose or PVC pipe, includes a longitudinal portion 38 such as, for example, a ½ inch or 3/4 inch section vertically disposed along a rear corner or seam of the compartment 12. The longitudinal portion 38 of the conduit 12 has a first end 40 in the form of a 90 degree or elbow section coupled to an outlet of the pump 14, and a second end 42 in the form of a 90 degree or elbow section disposed outside of the compartment 12 and adjacent to an upper portion thereof for directing fluid out of the compartment. Pump wires (not shown) preferably extend behind the conduit 18 from the power supply 16 to the pump 14. An upper portion of the conduit 18 extends through a third opening 44 defined by the upper wall 26 of the compartment 12 such that the second end 42 of the conduit is disposed outside of and above the upper wall. The longitudinal portion 38 preferably includes a 360 degree swivel section 46 disposed adjacent to the second end 42 to permit adjustment of the orientation of an outlet 48 of the second end and to thereby direct pumped water back into a swimming pool. Moreover, the second end 42 defines attachment threads 50 for connecting the conduit 18 to, for example, a hose fitting for the recapture and possible reuse of winterizing chemical fluids or antifreeze as is explained more fully below.

In operation, the open front face or first opening 30 of the compartment 12 is placed over and flush against a wall 52 of a swimming pool 54 such that the first opening surrounds a return line 56 defined by the wall of the swimming pool, and such that the second opening 32 defined by the upper wall 26 of the compartment is disposed above a water level 58 of the pool. The pump 14 is then energized by the power supply 16 to draw water out of the compartment 12 via the conduit 18 and back into the pool 54. The second opening 32 disposed above the water level 58 of the swimming pool 54 permits air to fill the vacuum generated within the compartment 12 as fluid is being evacuated therefrom. The compartment 12 is held against the wall 52 to start suction. As water is drawn out of the compartment 12, a localized water level 60 within the compartment is lowered at least below that of the return line 56 enclosed by the compartment.

Preferably, water is totally evacuated from the compartment 12. As water is being evacuated, the water pressure outside the compartment 12 becomes greater than the pressure inside the compartment to further compress the seal 34 against the wall 52 of the swimming pool 54 and thereby prevent water from leaking back into the compartment. Sometimes the difference in pressure between the inside and outside of the compartment 12 is large enough to force the compartment upward. However, such upward movement of the compartment 12 is eventually halted once the compartment contacts an overhang 62 of the swimming pool 54. The user can then reach through the second opening 32 to access the return line 56. The return line 56 is blown out and excess water in the line can be drawn by the pump 14 out of the compartment 12 and back into the swimming pool 54. The return line 56 can then be replaced with a winterizing chemical fluid or non-toxic antifreeze and the return line thereafter capped for the winter with no water remaining inside the return line. The device 10 can also be used in the spring or summer to pump the winterizing chemical fluid out of the return line 56 as explained below.

The device 10 saves water from being wasted during the winterizing process by pumping back into a pool approximately five to ten gallons of water. Moreover, the winterizing process using the device 10 takes only approximately five minutes. Conventionally, water would be drained below the return lines to winterize 5,000 to 10,000 gallons of water, chemicals would have to go into the sewer systems, and it would take upwards of five hours to drain.

Winterizing chemical recapture in the spring in accordance with the present invention is also possible by placing the compartment 12 over the return line 56 and evacuating water from the compartment 12 in a way similar to that explained above with respect to winterizing a pool. The return line 56 is then uncapped and the winterizing chemical fluid is drained into the compartment 12 and evacuated by the pump 14 therefrom via the conduit 18. A hose (not shown) can be attached to the threads 50 of the second end 42 of the conduit 18 to recapture the winterizing chemical fluid, or alternatively an antifreeze bottle or other container can be held under the second end of the conduit in order to fill the container. The recaptured winterizing chemical fluid would need to be tested in the fall for strength or dilution before reusing.

While the present invention has been described in a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that numerous modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the present invention has been described in a preferred embodiment by way of illustration, rather than limitation.

Claims

1. A device for winterizing pools, comprising:

a compartment including a front portion having a periphery defining a first opening, and an upper portion defining a second opening, the periphery to sealingly engage a wall of a swimming pool such that the first opening surrounds a return line aperture defined by the wall of the swimming pool, the second opening defined by the upper portion to be disposed above a water level of the swimming pool;

a pump to be disposed within the compartment; and

a conduit including a first end to be coupled to an outlet of the pump and including a second end to be disposed outside of the compartment and adjacent to the upper portion thereof for directing fluid out of the compartment.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, further comprising a power supply to communicate with and energize the pump.

3. A device as defined in claim 2, wherein the power supply includes a DC battery source.

4. A device as defined in claim 2, wherein the power supply includes an on/off switch to respectively energize and de-energize the pump.

5. A device as defined in claim 1, further including a seal to be disposed on the periphery of the first opening.

6. A device as defined in claim 5, wherein the seal includes a resilient material for forming a generally watertight seal.

7. A device as defined in claim 5, wherein the seal includes a polyethylenepropylenediene weatherstrip tape for forming a generally watertight seal.

8. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein the pump is a submersible bilge pump.

9. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein the compartment is generally rectangular.

10. A device as defined in claim 9, wherein the compartment includes a bottom wall, two sidewalls, a rear wall, an upper wall defining the second opening, and wherein front edges of the bottom wall, the sidewalls and the upper wall forming the periphery of the first opening.

11. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein the second end of the conduit includes an elbow section to direct fluid away from the compartment.

12. A device as defined in claim 11, wherein the elbow section defines attachment threads.

13. A device as defined in claim 11, wherein the conduit includes a swivel section for adjusting an orientation of the elbow section.

14. A method of winterizing swimming pools, comprising the steps of:

providing a compartment including a front portion having a periphery defining a first opening, and an upper portion defining a second opening;

providing a pump disposed within the compartment;

providing a conduit including a first end coupled to an outlet of the pump and including a second end disposed outside of the compartment and adjacent to the upper portion thereof;

placing the periphery against a wall of a swimming pool such that the first opening surrounds a return line aperture defined by the wall of the swimming pool, and positioning the second opening above a water level of the swimming pool; and

energizing the pump to create a vacuum to sealingly engage the periphery against the wall of the swimming pool, and to direct fluid through the conduit and out of the compartment until a fluid level within the compartment is at least below that of the return line aperture.

15. A method as defined in claim 14, further including the steps of:

draining water from the return line aperture;

inserting a winterizing chemical fluid into the return line aperture; and

closing the return line aperture.

16. A method as defined in claim 14, further including the steps of:

opening the return line aperture;

draining a winterizing chemical fluid from the return line aperture and into the compartment; and

energizing the pump to draw the winterizing chemical fluid out of the compartment for recapture.