Modular Pump and Filter System and Method

Abstract

A pump and filter system and method. The system includes a housing with a housing inlet, a housing outlet, and a housing cavity, where the housing inlet is positioned above the housing outlet. The system also includes filtration media positioned inside the housing cavity and separating the housing inlet from the housing outlet, and a pump positioned at least partially inside the housing cavity. The pump includes a magnetic drive motor.

1 . A pump and filter system comprising:
 a housing including a housing inlet, a housing outlet, and a housing cavity, the housing inlet being positioned above the housing outlet;   filtration media positioned inside the housing cavity and separating the housing inlet from the housing outlet; and   a pump positioned at least partially inside the housing cavity, the pump including a magnetic drive motor.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the pump includes a pump inlet and a pump outlet, the pump inlet being separated from the housing inlet by the filtration media, and the pump outlet being in direct communication with the housing outlet. 
     
     
         3 . system of  claim 2 , wherein the pump further includes a pumping cavity adjacent the pump inlet, and an outlet cavity positioned between the pumping cavity and the pump outlet, wherein the outlet cavity includes a spiral geometry. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the filtration media is one of a circular filter cartridge and a sheet-type filter cartridge. 
     
     
         5 . system of  claim 1 , wherein the pump is located in a substantially filtered region of the housing cavity downstream from the filtration media. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the pump is positioned in the housing cavity to create a suction pressure to force a fluid outside of the filtration media to flow across the filtration media toward a pump inlet of the pump. 
     
     
         7 . system of  claim 1 , wherein the magnetic drive motor is located in a motor cavity, and the pump further includes an impeller driven by the motor, the impeller being located in a pumping cavity in communication with the housing cavity, wherein the motor cavity and the pumping cavity are substantially sealed from one another. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the pump includes a pump housing integral with the housing. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1  and further comprising a controller in communication with the pump and configured to control the pump. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the housing is a modular housing including a housing base and a housing cover assembly, and wherein the housing cover assembly includes the housing inlet and the housing base includes the housing outlet. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the modular housing includes a housing insert stacked between the housing base and the housing cover assembly to increase a volume of the housing cavity, accommodating a second set of the filtration media. 
     
     
         12 . system of  claim 1  and further comprising a pre-filter assembly positioned between the housing inlet and the housing cavity. 
     
     
         13 . A method of filtering fluid from an aquatic application, the method comprising:
 providing a housing with an inlet, an outlet, and a housing cavity;   splitting the housing cavity into a filtered region and an unfiltered region with filtration media;   positioning a pump in the filtered region of the housing cavity; and   operating the pump to>pull the fluid from the aquatic application through the housing inlet into the unfiltered region, to pull the fluid across the filtration media into the filtered region via suction pressure of the pump, and to force the fluid through the pump to the housing outlet.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the filtration media is formed as a cylindrical filter cartridge and the pump is positioned inside the cylindrical filter cartridge. 
     
     
         15 . method of  claim 13  and further comprising providing a pre-filter element between the housing inlet and the unfiltered region. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13  and further comprising positioning the inlet above the outlet. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the step of operating the pump includes operating the pump with a magnetic drive motor. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  and further comprising sealing at least a rotor and a stator of the magnetic drive motor from the housing cavity. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the pump is one of a one-speed pump, a two-speed pump, and a variable speed pump. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 13  and further comprising coupling the inlet to a drain of an above-ground swimming pool, and coupling the outlet to a supply inlet of the above-ground swimming pool.