Bidirectional flow vacuum filter for a swimming pool having influent and effluent conduits as structural members

A bi-flow filter for filtering fluids comprised of:

• a sealed enclosure having a bottom and upstanding side walls, each wall having an outside surface;
• a plurality of influent laterals arranged in a spaced-apart and parallel relationship with one another on a first plane near the bottom of said enclosure for receiving fluid to be filtered, each end of each influent lateral being mounted through a wall of said enclosure and sealed thereto;
• an influent conduit having a U-shaped cross-section mounted and sealed to the outside surface of one or more of the walls so that the ends of the influent laterals are in communication with the interior of said conduit, said influent conduit having at least one opening through which influent water to be filtered may be received;
• a plurality of effluent laterals arranged in a spaced-apart and parallel relationship with one another on a second plane, each end of each effluent lateral being mounted through a side wall of said enclosure and sealed thereto;
• an effluent conduit having a U-shaped cross-section mounted and sealed to the outside surface of one or more of said side walls so that the ends of the effluent laterals are in communication with the interior of said effluent conduit, said effluent conduit having at least one opening through which filtered water may be discharged;
• an influent trough having an L-shaped cross-section with one leg being mounted and sealed to the outside of said walls on a third plane above said second plane and the other leg extending above one or more of said side walls so that fluid within the trough rising above the level of said one or more walls will spill over to the inside of said enclosure, said influent trough having at least one opening through which influent water to be filtered may be received and through which backwash water may be released;
• and
• a filtering media substantially filling the enclosure.

A bi-flow filter for filtering fluids comprised of:

• a sealed enclosure having a bottom and upstanding side walls, said enclosure being partially filled with filtering media capable of containing fluid having a level;
• lower influent means for introducing fluid to the filter near the bottom of the media;
• effluent means for collecting filtered fluid at the midlevel of the media;
• upper influent means for introducing fluid above the media;
• means operatively connected to the upper influent means for terminating the flow of fluid therein in response to the fluid level rising to a first predetermined level above the media;
• and
• a discharge trough positioned to receive fluid from the fluid level rising above a second predetermined level above said first level.