GUTTER SYSTEM FOR A SWIMMING POOL AND SWIMMING POOL HAVING THE GUTTER SYSTEM

Abstract

A gutter system is configured for receiving water overflow from a swimming pool. The gutter system has a gutter disposed around at least a part of a border of the swimming pool. Pedestals are disposed within the gutter and support a plurality of removable pavers. Pipes are connected on first ends to the gutter and have second ends for supplying water to a filtration system of the swimming pool. In this manner should a leak occur in the gutter, the pavers can be lifted up and removed so that the gutters can be inspected for leaks, maintenance or repairs.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The invention relates, generally, to a gutter system for a swimming pool and to a swimming pool having a wet edge border and an associated gutter system.

Pools having a knife edge or wet edge perimeter project the visual effect of water vanishing, extending off into the horizon or being over filled, as there are no visible edges on at least one side of the pool. A knife edge pool is also referred to as a wet edge or zero edge swimming pool because of this visual effect created by water that spills over the edge into a catch basis that flows into a tank and/or back into the pool.

Swimming pool borders have two main functions. First the borders must have pleasing aesthetics that make the pool pleasant to look at and second the border must capture, filter and recycle water spilling out of the swimming pool. Many of today's pool have a wet edge system with what is commonly referred to as a knife edge. The knife edge opening can be flat or relatively sharp and adjacent to the edge of the pool and has a width of generally ½-2 inches. The knife edge opening is defined between the pool edge and a concrete border which surrounds the pool. Beneath the knife edge opening is a gutter collection system which collects water spillage from the pool and sends the collected water to a collection tank. The collection tank gallonage varies based on a pool size. The collection tank outputs the collected water via a pump to a filtration system where the water is filtered and returned to the swimming pool.

Overtime the gutter collection system and/or the pipes associated with the gutter collection system become damaged and must be repaired and/or replaced. Unfortunately, this requires the tearing up of the concrete border to allow repair personnel to get to and repair the gutter and associated pipes and other components. Because the concrete border is torn up, significantly damage is done to the border area of the pool resulting in significant repair expenses, time and undue complexity.

Therefore, there is a need for a pool border and gutter collection system which allows easier access to the gutters, pipes and associated components without doing damage to the concrete structure bordering the pool.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a gutter system for a swimming pool and a swimming pool having the gutter system that overcomes the herein-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices of this general type, which is configured to be easier to repair, maintain and install than existing pool configurations.

With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a gutter system for a swimming pool having an outer wall defining a border of the swimming pool and a filtration system. The gutter system contains a gutter disposed adjacent to at least a part of the border of the swimming pool, pedestals disposed in the gutter, a removable covering supported on the pedestals and covering the gutter, and a pipe having a first end connected to the gutter and a second end for supplying water to the filtration system of the swimming pool.

In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the removable covering is spaced from the outer wall of the swimming pool and defines a gap between the removable covering and the outer wall of the swimming pool. The gap receives a spillage of water from the swimming pool and leads the water to the gutter.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the removable covering is held to the pedestals only by a weight of the removable covering and can be removed by lifting the removable covering off of the pedestals. The pedestals are arranged either in one or two rows and the pool's back gutter wall holds the backside of the covering (e.g. paver).

In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the removable covering are pavers, tiles and/or cement slabs.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, the pedestals each have a base and a top piece, and the top piece is height adjustable with regards to the base. The pedestal has a central tower extending from the base and supports the top piece. The central tower is circular shaped and has a first threading. The top piece has a second threading for engaging the first threading and adjusts a height of the top piece with regards to the base.

In accordance with another further feature of the invention, the gutter extends at least around the majority of the swimming pool and typically holds between 100-3,000 gallons of water. Of course, the actual size of the gutter is based on the size and design of the pool.

In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, the pedestals can be secured to the gutter.

With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention a swimming pool. The swimming pool contains an outer wall defining a border of the swimming pool to be filled with water. A gutter system contains a gutter disposed adjacent to at least a part of the border, pedestals disposed in the gutter, and pipes having a first end connected to the gutter and a second end for supplying water to a filtration system. A removable covering is supported on the pedestals and covers the gutter.

Other characteristic features of the invention are set forth in the appended claims.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a gutter system for a swimming pool and a swimming pool having the gutter system, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.

The construction of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, sectional view of a Lautner Knife Edge pool border and associated gutter system according to the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a perspective, top view of a swimming pool according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a border area of the pool according to a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a second embodiment of the border area according to the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a pedestal according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In all the figures of the drawing, sub-features and integral parts that correspond to one another bear the same reference symbol in each case.

Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly, to FIG. 1 there is shown a typical prior art knife edge pool border of a swimming pool 1. A knife edge opening 2 is formed between an edge wall 3 of the swimming pool 1 and a concrete slab 4 which surrounds the swimming pool 1. Water W spilling out of the swimming pool 1 enters the knife edge opening 2 into a gutter system 5 which surrounds the swimming pool 1. The water W is collected in a gutter 8 and when the water W reaches an overflow level, the water is transported by pipes 6 to a large, diagrammatically illustrated 1,000-2,000 plus gallon collection tank 7 disposed near the swimming pool 1. From the collection tank 7 the water is pumped through a filtration system 19 and then returned to the swimming pool 1. Unfortunately, should components of the gutter system 5, such as the pipes 6 or the gutter(s) 8 need to be replaced or maintained, parts of the concrete slab(s) 4 surrounding the pool 1 must be broken and uplifted to gain access to the gutter 8, the pipes 6 and other components. The gutter 8 shown in FIG. 1 appears exaggerated in size but generally has a height of 1-4 inches and a width of 1-9 inches.

FIG. 2 shows a swimming pool 10 according to the invention. The swimming pool 10 is surrounded by a gutter-based border 11.

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged, sectional view of the gutter-based border 11 shown in FIG. 2. The gutter-based border 11 has a gutter 12 that is positioned next to a pool wall 13. A 30-60° and even sometimes 90° knife edge opening 14 is formed between the pool wall 13 and a plurality of pavers 15. The pavers 15 forming the knife edge opening 14 are supported by a plurality of pedestals 16 which support the pavers 15 over an area of the gutter 12. In addition to the pedestal 16, the pavers 15 forming the knife edge opening 14 are further supported on a deck beam 28. The deck beam 28 also forms a side wall 27 of the gutter 12. As shown, the gutter 12 has a base 26, two side walls 27, and an open top area 29 which is covered by the paver 15.

Two unique features of the invention need to be stressed at this point. First, the dimensions of the gutter 12 are significantly larger than that of the prior art shown in FIG. 1. Because the gutter 12 is enlarged (e.g. deeper (6″-2 ft) and/or wider (6″-3 ft)) it can hold a significant quantity of water and no separate collection tank 7 is needed. More specifically, the gutter 12 alone on an average dimensioned pool can hold 100-2,000 plus gallons of water. The physical design of the gutter 12 can vary significantly so long as it maintains a capacity to hold a significant gallonage of water W. The gutter 12 is generally trough shaped and is adapted for burial below grade at the site of installation.

Second, because smaller pavers 15 are used and not large slabs of concrete, the individual pavers 15 can be lifted-off of the height adjustable pedestals 16 and one has immediate access to the gutters 12 and its associated pipes 6 in order to perform inspections, maintenance and repairs.

FIG. 4 shows a further pool edge having a 90° offset knife edge opening 20. The opening 20 leads into a gutter 21 having two pedestals 16 supporting a covering 15 hereinafter a paver 15. The opening 20 is offset a few inches from a sidewall 22 of the pool. Piping 23 is provided which connects the gutter 21 to a filtration system 24. A pump 25 disposed in the piping 23 pumps the water W from the gutter 21 directly to the filtration system 24 without the imposition of a water collection tank 7. After the water W is filtered and chemically treated it is returned to the swimming pool 1. Therefore, the expense and technical complexity of the collection tank 7 can be dispensed with. At this point we note that we gloss over many component parts of the swimming pool 1 that are not illustrated such as but not limited to a heater, a chemical treatment device, drains, skimmers, auto-chlorinators, further pumps, etc.

FIG. 5 shows the height adjustable pedestal 16 that is configured for carrying four pavers 15 but may easily be reconfigured for carrying only two pavers 15. The pedestal 16 has a circular shaped base 30 with openings 31 formed therein for receiving anchoring bolts 17, if necessary, to secure the pedestal 16 to a bottom of the gutter 12, 21. Extending from the base 30 is a circularly shaped central tower 32 having an outer threading 33. Engaging the outer threading 33 is an inner threading of a top piece 34 which has a matching interior circular shape. Due to the inner and outer threading a height of the top piece 34 is adjustable by rotating the top piece 34 and thus the height of the paver 15 is also adjustable. The top piece 34 has a top surface 35 with dividers 36 for engaging with and holding the pavers 15 in place. The pavers 15 lie on the top surface 35 and can simply be held in place due to the weight of the pavers 15 or be attached to the top surface 35 (e.g. glued). The top surface 35 of the pedestal 16 can be configured for carrying two or four pavers 15. The pedestal 16 shown in FIG. 5 can carry four pavers 15 in a uniform grid pattern. The paver dividers 36 can guide the paver placement, with the corner of each paver 15 located at the center of the paver pedestal 16, with the paver sides separated by the paver dividers 36. By removing two of the dividers 36, the pedestal 16 can be configured for carrying two pavers 15. Because the pavers 15 only lay on the pedestals 16 due to the force of gravity, the pavers 15 can be easily removed (e.g. uplifted). Optionally, the pavers 15 can be attached to the pedestal 16 in which case the lifting of the paver 15 may damage the pedestal 16. However, a new pedestal 16 can easily replace a broken pedestal 16 should the pedestal 16 be broken for any reason. Of course there are many different available designs for a height adjustable pedestal and this is merely one example of the design.

The pedestals 16 are preferably formed from plastic which is resistant to corroding and is an inexpensive material.

Pavers 15 can vary in shape, size, and material but are typically square, ranging from 12″ to 36″ in width with a thickness dependent on the paver material, but are generally 2″ or less, so that they are heavy enough to avoid uplifting but at a size and strength that allows for installation by workers without the needs for heavy equipment. Payers that are 1-inch thick weigh about 11 lbs. per square foot and 2-inch-thick pavers weigh twice that, or about 22 lbs. Thus, a typical paver weighs between 11-198 pounds.

The pavers 15 are typically aligned edge-to-edge with little or no space between each paver 15 and being loose laid, each paver 15 can be removed as necessary to access the surface underneath.

Each paver 15 rests on a portion of the pedestal 16 so that each pedestal 16 can hold multiple corners of adjacent pavers, creating an interlocking deck. The number of paver 15 corners depends on the geometric shape of the paver 15. For example, square or rectangular pavers, aligned in a grid like a chessboard, would have a paver pedestal with four pedestal corners, each paver corner accounting for approximately one corner of the pedestal 16. In an alternative design, two pavers 15 are supported on the interior pedestals and the backside of those pavers sit on the back beam of the pool.

Additional pedestals 16 can be positioned at other support points to accommodate larger or heavier pavers 15.

In essence, the invention relates to a “smart gutter” that is different from the existing pool borders. Because pedestals 16 are used as deck beams to support the covering 15 which spans over the gutter 12, 21 such as pavers 15, tiles, wood, concrete pieces, etc., the individuals pieces of the covering 15 (e.g. pavers) can be individually lifted as needed as concerns repairs, maintenance and inspection of the gutter system. Because of this, the invention of the instant application solves a multitude of problems and additionally provides a system that is easier and theoretically less expensive to install. Some of these advantages are:

• a) Ease of cleaning of the inside of the gutter 12, 21.
• b) Because it provides a significantly larger gutter area, which in turn allows a much greater amount of gallonage held in the gutter 12, 21, we are then able to use much larger plumbing directly in the gutter, rather than many smaller pipes leading to larger trunk lines.
• c) Because it provides a significantly larger gutter area, which in turn allows a much greater amount of gallonage held in the gutter, one does not need to install a separate collection tank. That tank requires additional area on the property and the cost of additionally installing that tank and the plumbing required.
• d) Because one can easily remove the covering 15 (pavers, tiles, etc.) on top of the gutter, one can locate and repair leaks that are inevitable without breaking up concrete as you have to do with the conventional wet edge gutter system.

Claims

1. A gutter system for a swimming pool having an outer wall defining a border of the swimming pool and a filtration system, the gutter system comprising: a gutter disposed adjacent to at least a part of the border of the swimming pool;pedestals disposed in said gutter;a removable covering supported on said pedestals and covering said gutter; anda pipe having a first end connected to said gutter and a second end for supplying water to the filtration system of the swimming pool.

2. The gutter system according to claim 1, wherein said removable covering is spaced from the outer wall of the swimming pool and defines a gap between said removable covering and the outer wall of the swimming pool, said gap receiving a spillage of the water from the swimming pool and said gap leading the water to said gutter.

3. The gutter system according to claim 1, wherein said removable covering is held on said pedestals only by a weight of said removable covering and can be removed by lifting said removable covering off of said pedestals.

4. The gutter system according to claim 1, wherein said removable covering is selected from the group consisting of pavers, tiles and cement slabs.

5. The gutter system according to claim 2, wherein said pedestals each have a base and a top piece, said top piece is height adjustable with regards to said base.

6. The gutter system according to claim 5, wherein each of said pedestals have a central tower extending from said base and supporting said top piece.

7. The gutter system according to claim 6, wherein: said central tower has a first threading; andsaid top piece has a second threading for engaging said first threading and adjusting a height of said top piece with regards to said base.

8. The gutter system according to claim 6, wherein said gutter extends at least around a majority of said swimming pool and holds between 100-3,000 gallons of water.

9. The gutter system according to claim 1, wherein said pedestals are secured to said gutter or lay freely in said gutter.

10. The gutter system according to claim 9, further comprising fasteners; andwherein said gutter has a base and sidewalls, said pedestals are fastened to said base of said gutter by said fastener.

11. The gutter system according to claim 1, wherein said removable covering is supported only by said pedestals.

12. The gutter system according to claim 10, wherein said removable covering is supported only by said pedestals and one of said sidewalls of said gutter.

13. A swimming pool, comprising: an outer wall defining a border of the swimming pool to be filled with water;a gutter system containing a gutter disposed adjacent to at least a part of said border, pedestals disposed in said gutter, and pipes having a first end connected to said gutter and a second end supplying water to a filtration system; anda removable covering supported on said pedestals and covering said gutter.

14. The swimming pool according to claim 13, wherein said removable covering is spaced from said outer wall and defines a gap between said removable covering and said outer wall, said gap receiving a spillage of the water from the swimming pool and said gap leading the water to said gutter.

15. The swimming pool according to claim 13, wherein said removable covering is held to said pedestals only by a weight of said removable covering and can be removed by lifting said removable covering off of said pedestals.

16. The swimming pool according to claim 13, further comprising a filtration system connected to said gutter system without an imposition of a water collection tank between said filtration system and the swimming pool.

17. The swimming pool according to claim 13, wherein said pedestals each have a base and a top piece, said top piece is height adjustable with regards to said base.

18. The swimming pool according to claim 17, wherein each of said pedestals have a central tower extending from said base and supports said top piece.

19. The swimming pool according to claim 18, wherein: said central tower is circular in shape and has a first threading; andsaid top piece has a second threading for engaging said first threading and adjusting a height of said top piece with regards to said base.

20. The swimming pool according to claim 13, wherein said gutter extends at least around a portion of said swimming pool and is configured to hold between 100-3,000 gallons of water.