Cleaning of a body of liquid by surface agitation

A support unit for an apparatus for cleaning a body of liquid, which includes

• a buoyant support element;
• a first hollow connecting element having an inlet connectable to a source of pressurised liquid and an outlet, the connecting element being rotatably mounted on one side of the support element to be rotatable about a substantially vertical rotational axis, with the inlet being transversely directed and the outlet being axially directed;
• a second hollow connecting elemnet rotatably mounted on the first connecting element co-axially with the rotational axis and having an axially directed inlet in fluid communication with the outlet of the first connecting element and a transversely directed outlet connectable to a length of hose;
• and
• a rotation limiting means for limiting relative angular rotation between the first and second connecting elements.

A surface agitating unit for agitating the surface of a body of liquid, which includes

• a buoyant and movable support element;
• a rotatable member mounted on the support element to be rotatable about a rotational axis;
• a connecting means carried by the support element and connectable to a source of liquid flow;
• a fluid operable displacing means carried by the rotatable member and in fluid communication with the connecting means for rotating the rotatable member;
• and
• a wobble means for imparting a wobble to the rotatable member as it rotates such that the support element disturbs the surface of the liquid.

A support unit for an apparatus for cleaning a body of liquid, which includes

• a buoyant and movable support element;
• a first hollow connecting element that is rotatably mounted on one side of the support element to be rotatable about a substantially vertical rotational axis and has an inlet connectable to a soruce of pressurised liquid and an outlet;
• a second hollow connecting element rotatably mounted on the first connecting element co-axially with the rotational axis and having an inlet in fluid communication with the outlet of the first connecting element and an outlet connectable to a hose;
• and
• a rotation limiting means for limiting relative angular rotation between the first and second connecting elements.

A method of cleaning a body of liquid, which includes charging a liquid under pressure into an inlet of a first hollow connecting element in a substantially horizontal direction and below a surface defined by the liquid;

• passing some of the liquid into a displacing element that is rotatably fast with the first connecting element and which floats on a surface defined by the liquid to be rotatable about a substantially vertically disposed rotational axis that passes through the first connecting element;
• releasing liquid from the displacing element to cause it to rotate about the rotational axis and to displace it through the body of liquid;
• passing liquid from the first connecting element downwardly into a second hollow connecting element that is rotatably fast with the first connecting element with the rotational axis passing therethrough, and horizontally therefrom into a drive hose intermediate its ends;
• releasing liquid from the drive hose into the body of liquid to displace the drive hose and the displacing element through the body of liquid and also to rotate the second connecting element about the first connecting element;
• and
• limiting relative rotation of the first and second connecting elements.

A method of agitating a surface defined by a body of liquid, which includes

• supporting a rotatable member at the surface;
• causing the rotatable member to rotate by means of liquid flow;
• and
• causing the member to wobble as it rotates thereby to disturb the surface.

An apparatus for cleaning a swimming pool which has a conduit connected to a pump for supplying water under pressure, which includes

• a supply hose having an inlet end connectable to the conduit;
• a remote outlet end;
• and a displacing jet intermediate its ends that is angled towards the outlet end to exert a thrust on the supply hose where the jet is located which thrust has a transverse component and a longitudinal component directed towards the outlet end;
• a surface support unit which has a buoyant support element that is rotatable about a generally vertically disposed central rotational axis;
• a first hollow connecting element rotatably mounted on the support element on an underneath side thereof co-axially with the rotational axis, the hollow connecting element having a transversely directed inlet connected to the outlet of the supply hose and an axially directed outlet;
• a second hollow connecting element rotatably mounted on the first connecting element co-axially with the rotational axis and having an axially directed inlet in fluid communication with the outlet of the first connecting element and a transversely directed outlet;
• a jet displacing means carried by the support element on its underneath side, in fluid communication with the interior of the first connecting element for generating a thrust on the support element that has a component that passes through the rotational axis to displace the support element and a tangential component to rotate the support element;
• a rotatable member mounted on a top side of the support element to be rotatable about the rotational axis and carrying a jet displacing means in fluid communication with the interior of the first connecting element for rotating the member and for spraying water onto the surface of water in the pool;
• an unbalancing mass carried by the member to substantially unbalance it and for causing the member to wobble as it rotates thereby causing the support element to disturb the surface of the water in the pool;
• and a rotation limiting means for limiting relative rotation between the first and second connecting elements;
• a drive hose which has an inlet end connected to the outlet of the second connecting element;
• an outlet end remote from the inlet end;
• a plurality of drive jets located at spaced positions along the length of the drive hose each jet being angled towards the outlet end to exert a thrust on the hose where it is located which thrust has a transverse component and a longitudinal component directed towards the outlet end to exert a pushing force on the second connecting element;
• and at least one swivel coupling between two adjacent drive jets;
• and
• a non-buoyant debris collecting device which is connected at one end to the outlet end of the drive hose and carries a main displacing jet that is in fluid communication with the outlet end of the drive hose and is angled away from the outlet end to exert a thrust on the device which has a longitudinal component directed towards the outlet end of the drive hose and a transverse component directed towards one side;
• a bag that has a mouth directed towards the outlet end of the drive hose;
• and an auxiliary jet also in communication with the outlet end of the drive hose for providing a jet of water directed generally into the mouth of the bag.