The present invention relates to swimming pool maintenance including apparatuses and methods for transforming a traditional skimmer basket into a chlorinating skimmer basket.
Chlorine is commonly used in swimming pools due to its disinfecting properties and, for chlorinated pools, proper maintenance requires a suitable chlorine level within the pool. To achieve the proper chlorine level, chlorine swimming pools typically employ a chlorine distribution system that traditionally falls into one of two categories.
The first category is inline distribution systems, which introduce chlorine into the pool water as it circulates through piping outside the swimming pool. More particularly, the circulating water flows through a vertical pipe that contains chlorine tablets after it flows through the external filter (e.g., a sand filter, a DE filter, a cartridge filter) and any heating systems. As such, water returning to the pool from the inline chlorinator is highly concentrated with chlorine and chlorine is introduced to the pool when the pool pump is operational.
The second type of chlorine distribution system involves a chlorinator that floats in the swimming pool. The floating chlorinator contains chlorine tablets which dissolve to disperse chlorine directly into the pool regardless of whether the pool pump is in operation. Accordingly, the floating chlorinator is a more passive system than an inline distribution system. That said, the chlorine tablets tend to dissolve more rapidly when the floating chlorinator is moving within the pool due to turbulence created around the chlorinator and the tablets.
Both types of chlorine distribution systems use chlorine tablets (a/k/a “chlorine tabs” or “tabs”) as their chlorine source and over the years the pool industry has adopted standard chlorine tab that is cylindrically shaped, with an approximately three-inch (3″) diameter and one-inch (1″) height. Traditionally, these standard tabs have been made from stabilized forms of chlorine such as dichloroisocyanuric acid (Chemical formula: C3HChN303) (a/k/a “Dichlor”) or, more frequently, trichloroisocyanuric acid (Chemical formula: C3ChN303) (a/k/a “Trichlor”).
Dichlor and Trichlor tabs contain cyanuric acid and potentially other additives in addition to pure chlorine. The cyanuric acid acts as a stabilizing agent that absorbs the sun's ultraviolet rays, which would otherwise break down and burn off the chlorine. Meanwhile, the other additives help to hold the tablet in its cylindrical form or offer other water conditioning properties.
While beneficial in some regards, cyanuric acid also has negative effects. Over time, continued use of Trichlor or Dichlor tabs can lead to a harmful buildup of cyanuric acid in the pool and research has shown increased levels of cyanuric acid decrease the chlorine's oxidation reduction potential and increase the amount of time necessary for the chlorine to kill off bacteria present in pool water. Further, if the cyanuric acid level is too high, chlorine cannot kill the most dangerous microorganisms in pool water: Cryptosporidium parvum.
Furthermore, cyanuric acid does not degrade as fast as the chlorine and requires care to prevent potentially harmful buildup. When too much cyanuric acid builds up in a pool, the typical way to reduce the buildup is by draining and refilling the pool, a costly measure with potential environmental impacts. However, cyanuric acid buildup cannot be prevented by simply adding chlorine with more Dichlor or Trichlor tabs, as doing so would continue to introduce additional cyanuric acid. For example, according to one source, for every one pound of Trichlor added, about half a pound of cyanuric acid is also added.
As a result of the potentially harmful effects cyanuric acid presents there is an ongoing debate about whether stabilized chlorine represents the best way to disinfect pools. Given the potential drawbacks associated with Dichlor and Trichlor, non-stabilized chlorine, such as calcium hypochlorite (Chemical formula: Ca(OCl)2) (a/k/a “Cal Hypo”), has gained popularity in recent years.
Non-stabilized forms of chlorine are not new to the pool industry but, until recently, did not provide a suitable solution for continual chlorine introduction because the previous formats degraded too quickly. Historically, non-stabilized forms of chlorine were available in only granular formats that the pool industry used to “shock” treat pools. In other words, pool technicians would pour the granular nonstabilized chlorine into the pool to rapidly increase the chlorine level, but the nonstabilized chlorine would quickly dissolve and degrade, thereby losing its oxidative properties within a few hours. However, slowly dissolving non-stabilized chlorine tabs (aka “NST tabs”) made from calcium hypochlorite have now been developed, thus creating the ability to use non-stabilized chlorine as a viable option for continual chlorine delivery.
Unfortunately, transitioning from traditional stabilized chlorine tabs to NST tabs is not a matter of simply substituting one for the other. Cal Hypo is extremely reactive and mixing it with stabilized forms of chlorine presents a severe explosion risk. As such, it is inadvisable to use NST tabs in chlorine distribution systems that previously used traditional tabs because even the residual non-stabilized chlorine in the distribution apparatus could cause an explosive reaction.
To diminish the explosion risk for existing pools that have historically used stabilized chlorine, the non-stabilized tabs must be placed somewhere within the system where stabilized tabs have not been used. It has been found the ideal location for NST tab placement is within the skimmer basket for at least two reasons. First, stabilized chlorine tabs are typically not recommended for use in skimmer baskets because that type of chlorine tab tends to rapidly degrade downstream components such as the pool pump, pool filter, and pool heaters, whereas non-stabilized tabs do not. As such, there is a greater likelihood that stabilized tabs have not been used in the skimmer basket location. Second, even if someone had previously placed stabilized tabs in the skimmer basket against the recommended practices, the large amount of water flow through skimmer baskets and the body of open pool water adjacent the skimmer baskets greatly dilutes or washes
away the residual stabilized chlorine, thereby reducing the overall risk of explosion.
Nevertheless, placing NST tabs in the skimmer basket also presents some operational challenges, especially when the skimmer basket needs emptying. Typically a person removes the skimmer basket and turns the basket upside down to remove the leaves and other debris the basket catches. However, when the basket is turned over, the NST tabs in the basket, as well as any fragmented pieces thereof, are also emptied into the debris pile. Accordingly, a person emptying the debris from the skimmer basket must pick through the debris pile to find the remaining pieces of the NST tabs and place those remaining pieces back in the basket. In doing so, the person should use gloves so as not to directly touch the chlorine tab or its fragments, which increases the overall time and hassle associated with emptying unwanted debris from the strainer basket.
Systems and methods of the invention provide a separate compartment within existing strainer baskets for retaining non-stabilized chlorine tablets, isolating them from debris collected in the strainer and allowing for easy emptying of debris from the strainer basket without loss of expensive NST tablets or pieces thereof. The secondary basket can engage with the strainer basket to form a chamber containing the chemical tablets (e.g., NST tabs). When engaged, the secondary basket can allow water to access the chemical tablets via openings that, like the mesh of the strainer basket, are sized to prevent larger debris and objects from passing therethrough. Accordingly, the chemical tablets or pieces thereof remain contained within the chamber while debris is collected within the skimmer basket but outside of the chamber. A user can thereby easily empty collected debris from the skimmer basket without disturbing chemical tablets or pieces thereof within the chamber.
In order to add or remove chemical tablets to the chamber, the secondary basket can detachably engage with a surface of the skimmer basket such that, when disengaged, an opening is presented I the secondary basket through which tablets can be added or removed. The secondary basket may further comprise a handle positioned such that, when engaged with the skimmer basket, the handle is positioned toward the top of the skimmer basket, permitting easier removal of the skimmer basket from the strainer well. The interior of the secondary basket can have a cross-sectional profile similar in size and shape to the chemical tabs to be contained therein (e.g., NST tabs) and may have a height to accommodate a plurality of tablets in a stack.
In certain embodiments, an apparatus for securing NST tabs in a strainer basket is provided. It generally comprises a primary strainer basket, secondary basket, and an attachment means for removeably attaching the secondary basket to the primary strainer basket. The attachment means is preferably a separate piece mountable to the primary strainer basket so that the attachment means and the secondary basket can be offered as a kit to retrofit existing strainer baskets. With the attachment means mounted to the primary strainer basket, the secondary basket attaches to the primary strainer basket through the attachment means and provides a chamber within the primary strainer basket where the NST tabs can be located.
In some embodiments, a method of retrofitting an existing primary strainer basket with the secondary basket and attachment means, and a method of chlorinating a pool using NST tabs placed within a chamber formed by the secondary basket are disclosed herein.
Aspects of the invention include methods for chlorinating a pool. The methods may comprise providing a skimmer basket comprising a sidewall and a bottom with at least one of the sidewall and bottom comprising one or more openings for permitting water to pass therethrough while prohibiting debris from passing therethrough; placing one or more chemical tablets within the secondary basket sized to fit inside the skimmer basket; detachably engaging the secondary basket with the bottom of the skimmer basket to form a chamber on top of the bottom of the skimmer basket, the chamber containing the one or more chemical tablets, the chamber comprising one or more openings for permitting water to pass therethrough; and placing the skimmer basket and chamber containing the one or more chemical tablets in a strainer well of a pool such that the one or more chemical tablets are in contact with water therein.
In certain embodiments, the chamber can comprise a cross-sectional profile and height sized and shaped to receive a plurality of chemical tablets stacked on top of each other, wherein the placing one or more chemical tablet step comprises placing a stack of chemical tablets within the secondary basket. The one or more chemical tablets may comprise chlorine. The one or more chemical tablets can comprise non-stabilized chlorine (NST) tabs.
The secondary basket may comprise a handle positioned on a top surface opposite the bottom of the skimmer basket when detachably engaged thereto. Methods of the invention may further comprise lifting the handle on the secondary basket to remove the skimmer basket from the strainer well; removing debris captured in the skimmer basket; and returning the skimmer basket and chamber containing the one or more chemical tablets to the strainer well.
In certain embodiments, the secondary basket remains engaged with the bottom of the skimmer basket and the one or more chemical tablets remain contained within the chamber throughout the lifting, removing, and returning steps.
The secondary basket can comprise a cylindrical cross-sectional profile. The secondary basket may comprise an octagonal cross-sectional profile. The secondary basket may comprise at least one opening on a top surface opposite the bottom of the skimmer basket when detachably engaged thereto, the method further comprising observing a status of the one or more chemical tablets within the chamber through the at least one opening while the skimmer basket remains within the strainer well. The secondary basket may be detachably engaged with the bottom of the skimmer basket by an attachment means affixed to the bottom of the skimmer basket, the attachment means configured to permit the secondary basket to be detachably engaged with the bottom of the skimmer basket without using any tools. Methods of the invention may futher comprise coupling the attachment means to the bottom of the skimmer basket.
In some embodiments, the attachment means may comprise a cylindrical collar coupled to an inner surface of the bottom of the primary strainer basket, the cylindrical collar including at least one circular notch, each at least one circular notch having a wide opening and a narrow opening formed by an arced ledge. A bottom edge of a sidewall of the secondary basket can then include one or more lips configured to be inserted into the wide opening of a respective one of the at least one circular notch. In such embodiments, the detachably engaging step can comprise inserting the one or more lips of the secondary basket into the wide opening of a corresponding circular notch and then axially rotating the secondary basket to move the one or more lips of the secondary basket from the wide opening of the circular notch to the narrow opening of the circular notch.
Systems and methods of the invention generally relate to distributing chemicals into a body of water such as chlorinating a pool. In various embodiments, a secondary basket, detachably engaged to an existing skimmer basket found in strainer wells in most pools, is used to contain chemical tablets such as NST tabs. The secondary basket can be detachably engaged via an attachment mechanism that can be added to any existing skimmer basket in order to retrofit a chemical distribution system. The secondary basket creates a separate chamber to contain the tablets apart from debris that gets filtered in the skimmer basket. Accordingly, debris can be emptied out of the skimmer basket without disturbing or losing expensive chemical tablets or fragments thereof.
As shown, the embodiment 10 generally comprises a primary strainer basket 16 and a secondary basket 18 attached to the primary strainer basket 16 through an attachment means 20. When attached to the primary strainer basket 16, a chamber 22 is formed between the secondary basket 18 and the primary strainer basket 16 where an NST tab 24 can be placed and held from falling out when the primary strainer basket 16 is turned over to empty of debris.
Preferably, the secondary basket 18 has a circumferential wall comprising a mesh perimeter 26 bounded by a first solid wall section 28 and a second solid wall section 30. The first solid wall section 28 terminates into a closed end wall 32 at the top end 12. The end wall 32 may have vent holes 34 disposed therein to provide a pathway for trapped air to escape when the embodiment 10 is placed within the skimmer well of a pool (not shown), thereby reducing its buoyancy. Meanwhile, the mesh perimeter 26 allows pool water to flow through the chamber 22 and over the NST tab 24 therein.
Additionally, the secondary basket 18 in the embodiment 10 has a handle 36 affixed to the end wall 32. When present, the handle 36 provides an area where the embodiment 10 can be grabbed to lift it out of the strainer well (not shown) of a pool for purposes of emptying the primary strainer basket 16. The handle 36 also provides an area for a user to grab while removing the secondary basket 18 from and attaching the secondary basket 18 to the primary strainer basket 16 through the attachment means 20 as herein described.
Preferably, the circumference of the secondary basket 18 circumferential wall slightly increases as the wall extends from the intersection of the end wall 32 and the first wall section 28 to the second wall section 30. As such, the preferred secondary basket has an overall frustoconical shape. However, the secondary basket 18 may be shaped differently in alternative embodiments (e.g., as a true cylinder, pyramid, square tube, etc.) so long as the chamber 22 created is large enough to accommodate at least one NST tab 24.
In
It should here be noted, that the attachment means 20 may take another form in alternative embodiments. The attachment means 20 is any structure through which the secondary basket 18 attaches to the primary strainer basket 16 in a manner which allows attachment and detachment of the secondary basket 18 from the primary strainer basket 16 to be accomplished without the need of hand tools (e.g., screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, etc.). For example, the attachment means 20 could constitute a threaded attachment between the collar 38 and the secondary basket 18, an interference fit between the collar 38 and the secondary basket 18, a ball detent or other type of clicking system attachment, a clamping attachment, an attachment secured with one or more protrusions that fit within corresponding notches similar to the way an automatic pool cleaner net attaches to the pool cleaner or a bayonet base lightbulb attaches in an automobile taillight, a magnetic attachment, or a hook and loop attachment, as well as other forms of attachment appreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art.
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It should here be noted, however, the NST tab 24 may not be within the collar 38 in alternative embodiments. For example, the NST tab 24 may be located entirely within the secondary basket 18 depending on the form of the particular attachment means 20.
Within the inner circumference 68, the NST tab 24 rests against the mesh bottom surface 60 of the primary strainer basket 16. Depending on the size of the secondary basket 18, one or more additional NST tabs (not shown) may also be stacked on top of tab 24. With the tab 24 or tabs located as such, water from the pool flows over the tab 24 (or tabs), through the mesh bottom surface 60, and into the exterior piping system (not shown). As the water flows over the NST tab 24 it dissolves the tab, which increases the chlorine concentration in the water stream back to the pool filter (not shown).
Once the NST tab 24 is in place within the inner circumference 68, the secondary basket 18 is attached to the primary basket 16 through the attachment means 20. As shown in
It should here be noted that each of the notches 42 in the embodiment 10 are identically formed, as are each of the tabs 70, so a description of one tab or notch applies equally to the other tabs or notches. However, the notches 24 and tabs 70 may not be identical in alternative embodiments.
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To chlorinate a pool using the above-described apparatus, a user removes the apparatus from the strainer well (not shown) of the pool and detaches the secondary basket 18 from the primary strainer basket 16. The user places an NST tab 24 on the bottom surface 60 of the primary basket 16 and reattaches the secondary basket 18 to the primary basket 16 through the attachment means 20, with the secondary basket 18 over the NST tab 24 and the NST tab 24 being located within the chamber 22 formed, or at least partially formed, by the interior of the secondary basket 18. The user then places the primary strainer basket 16 back into the strainer well and turns the pool pump on for normal operation. As previously noted, the present invention also contemplates a kit to retrofit existing strainer baskets. In this regard, the secondary basket 18 may be sold along with the attachment means 20, without the primary strainer basket 16. The attachment means 20 would be mountable to the primary strainer basket 16 so that the secondary basket 18 can be attached and detached from the primary basket 16 without the need for hand tools. For example, following the present embodiment 10, the secondary basket 18 would be sold along with the collar 38 and the threaded fasteners 62, so the collar 38 could be mounted to a primary strainer basket 16 that is already being used in a pool.
The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The foregoing embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects illustrative rather than limiting on the invention described and claimed herein.
This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional No. 63/092,210, filed Oct. 15, 2020, the content of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63092210 | Oct 2020 | US |