Treatment System and Unit for One or More Fluidic Systems

This technology claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/681,027, filed 8 Aug. 2024 by Monaghan and tilted “TREATMENT SYSTEM AND UNIT FOR ONE OR MORE FLUIDIC SYSTEMS”, and from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/619,127, filed 9 Jan. 2024 by Monaghan and titled “TREATMENT SYSTEM UNIT FOR ONE OR MORE BODIES OF WATER”, the subject matter of each and all of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

This disclosure generally relates to treatment unit for one or more fluids of at least one fluidic system. This disclosure also generally relates to a treatment system for at least one fluidic system.

Swimming pools require any combination of water circulation, filtration, sanitizing, disinfecting, heating, cooling, pH balancing. Substantial, potentially complex assemblies of components constructed in a treatment system are often required for installing and/or maintaining a swimming pool. These systems are often constructed in situ comprising electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, chemical, thermal, data, information, sensor, feedback, controller, optical, and/or plumbing components.

The presence of heat and water in portions of known treatment systems may create humidity above a minimum relative humidity, which may have negative effects on certain components of the treatment system, adversely impacting service life and/or operation of such components.

Exposure of certain components of a treatment system to sunlight may also adversely affect the mechanical strength, ductility, appearance, lubrication, or friction, and/or may cause embrittlement of materials and their mechanical dimensions or properties, including appearance. Transparent features, used for inspection, may become opaque, crazed, or cracked making then less useful or unusable. Exposure to chemicals used in sanitation or water quality balancing, may degrade the mechanical, electrical or reliability of data transmission to or from sensors, actuators, controllers or controlled components.

Exposure to severe environmental conditions such as hurricanes, tornados, electrical storms, severe rain, high tides, tidal surges, impact from debris or other manifestations of nature may also interfere with the short-term or long-term operation of certain components of known treatment systems.

Certain components of known treatment systems utilize electromechanical power for, e.g., running pumps, manipulating valves, and driving fluid through filters, pipes, and in tortuous paths. Vibration and noise may be generated via the use of such components, which can render the space immediately surrounding the equipment to be at least partially less usable and/or enjoyable. In some cases, the resulting environment may be above permitted levels for habitation or for workplace regulation.

Installation of a pool including a treatment system to support its water treatment and thermal requirements typically involves coordinating a plurality of trade skills including construction skills for siting, water and/or gas plumbing, electrical wiring, and systems configuration and automation controls installation or programming, general contracting, and design work. Finding these trades, coordinating with them on a design, scheduling work and ensuring the work is completely appropriately, compliantly, and timely is typically a challenge for pool installation or refurbishment projects.

Furthermore, certain treatment systems have aesthetic limitations. When installed inside (e.g., in a dwelling or utility shed), certain known treatment systems may take up more floor space or room volume than preferred. When installed outdoors, certain known treatment systems may be unsightly and incongruent with the adjacent architecture. Certain known treatment systems may also be poorly suited to withstand environmental conditions. Without system-wide coordination among trades and a system designer, there is not driving force to optimize the system's use of space, its acoustic footprint, hydraulic efficiency, serviceability and overall aesthetic fit in the system's visual environment.

In an aspect, alone or in combination with any other aspect, a treatment unit for one or more primary fluids of at least one fluidic system comprises a treatment portion for selectively maintaining, achieving, and/or facilitating a desired condition for the at least one primary fluid of the at least one fluidic system. The treatment unit also comprises a containment portion for structurally supporting the treatment portion. The containment portion comprises a container. The container has a bottom panel with an exterior surface, an opposite interior surface, and a perimeter surface extending vertically from the exterior surface to at least the interior surface. At least a portion of the perimeter surface of the bottom panel is spaced from an adjacent portion of the container by a gap. The gap is configured to permit the passage of at least one secondary fluid into and/or out from the container.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as is commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains.

As used herein, the term “user” can be used interchangeably to refer to an individual who prepares for, assists with, and/or performs the operation of a tool and/or an individual who prepares for, assists with, and/or performs a procedure.

As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” can include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” as used herein, can specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

As used herein, the term “and/or” can include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

As used herein, phrases such as “between X and Y” can be interpreted to include X and Y.

As used herein, the phrase “at least one of X and Y” can be interpreted to include X, Y, or a combination of X and Y. For example, if an element is described as having at least one of X and Y, the element may, at a particular time, include X, Y, or a combination of X and Y, the selection of which could vary from time to time. In contrast, the phrase “at least one of X” can be interpreted to include one or more Xs.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on,” “connected” to, “contacting,” etc., another element, it can be directly on, connected to or contacting the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being, for example, “directly contacting” another element, there are no intervening elements present. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature may not have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the Figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms can encompass different orientations of a device in use or operation, in addition to the orientation depicted in the Figures. For example, if a device in the Figures is inverted, elements described as “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features.

It will be understood that, although the terms “first,” “second,” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. Thus, a “first” element discussed below could also be termed a “second” element without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure. The sequence of operations (or steps) is not limited to the order presented in the claims or Figures unless specifically indicated otherwise.

The invention comprises, consists of, or consists essentially of the following features, in any combination.

schematically illustrates a treatment systemfor at least one fluidic system. In the example configuration shown in, the at least one fluidic system includes two bodies of water, which, in this example, are artificial bodies of waterin the form of a swimming pooland a spa. A treatment unitof the treatment systemmay be operatively connected to the swimming pooland to the spa. The treatment unit, however, may be connected to any number of bodies of water(and/or other fluidic systems), whether they be artificial or otherwise, whether they be configured to be used for therapy, rehabilitation, exercise, training, relaxation, or any other purpose, and whether they be configured to be utilized by humans or non-humans. The treatment systemmay also include one or more ancillary devices(e.g., a pooling cleaning device, a filtering device, etc.) operatively connected to the treatment unitand to one or more of the bodies of watervia the treatment unit.

The treatment unitdepicted inincludes a treatment portionand a containment portionfor the treatment portion. As shown in, the treatment portioncomprises one or more componentsfor selectively maintaining, achieving, and/or facilitating a desired condition for one or more fluids (e.g., one or liquids, such as water) of the at least one fluidic system (which, in this example configuration, is the pooland/or the spa) to which it is operatively connected. The one or more fluids that are treated via the treatment portionmay be referred to as “primary fluids” herein, while all other fluids may be referred to as “secondary fluids”. The treatment portion componentsmay include, for example, at least one of a water supply line, a temperature regulator(s), a chlorinator(s),, an Ozone/UV sanitizer, a pool cleaner pump, a spa jet pump, a spa blower, a filtration pump(s),, a control box, a fluid line(s)/pipe(s), a valve(s), any other component configured to selectively maintain/achieve/facilitate a desired condition for a body of water, or any combination of such components.

The water supply line, when provided, selectively connects the pooland the spato a source of water. The source of water may be internal (e.g., an internal tank) or external (e.g., a municipal water source, a well, a pond, a lake, a stream, a river, a creek, or an externally stored source of water) to the treatment unit. Therefore, water from the water source may be selectively provided to each of (or a selected one of) the pooland the spavia the water supply lineto achieve and/or maintain a desired water level (or volume of water) in the pooland the spa. The water supply linemay include plumbing elements to at least partially prevent backflow from the pooland/or the spato the source of water. Such backflow-preventing plumbing elements may include, for example, a one-way valve.

The temperature regulator, when provided, is operable to achieve a desired water temperature for the pooland the spa. The temperature regulatorshown in the example configuration ofis a gas heater that utilizes gas (e.g., natural gas) provided via a fluid lineto heat the water to a desired temperature as it flows through the temperature regulator. The gas temperature regulatormay also include at least one air intakeand/or at least one exhaustfor maintaining and/or achieving a desirable operating condition. As shown in, in addition to a gas temperature regulator(shown here as), the treatment portionmay, in certain embodiments, also include a second temperature regulator(shown here as) in the form a heat pump (e.g., a reversible heat pump). The heat pump temperature regulatoris configured to selectively heat and cool the water to a desired temperature as it flows through the heat pump temperature regulator. Such a heat pump temperature regulatormay be powered via electricity. Having both a gas temperature regulatorand an electric heat pump temperature regulatorallows for redundant temperature regulation of the water and/or for utility cost/consumption optimization (e.g., via a selective use of one or both of the gas temperature regulatorand the electric heat pump temperature regulator). However, certain other embodiments of the treatment unit, may omit one or both of the gas temperature regulatorand the heat pump temperature regulator

Although the treatment portionhas been described as having a temperature regulatorthat utilizes gas (e.g., the gas temperature regulator,) and/or a temperature regulatorthat is in the form of a heat pump (e.g., the heat pump temperature regulator,), a desired water temperature for the pooland/or the spamay instead or additionally be at least partially maintained and/or achieved via a temperature regulatorthat is and/or includes a heat sink or heat source (e.g., a geothermal well where the water is circulated through plumbing in contact with a well or earth at a lower or higher temperature), a heat exchanger where water is brought to a desired temperature by circulating primary water or heat exchanging secondary fluids through a warmer/cooler environment (such as, e.g., a living space, underground, a well, or an aquafer), an air/water heat exchanger (such as, e.g., an air conditioning system), a liquid/water heat exchanger (e.g. a geothermal system with an isolated head conducting fluid that passes through a heat exchanger to affect the temperature in the primary water system), one or more solar-powered heat sources, one or more geothermal sources, one or more hydro-powered heat sources, one or more wind-powered heat sources, one or more electrical heat sources, one or more air sources (e.g. through an evaporative cooler), and/or one or more fossil fuel sources.

The/a temperature regulatorof the treatment portionmay also or instead include features to recover heat from passive heat sources of the treatment unitand use such recovered heat to heat the pool/spa water and/or to capture and dispose of unwanted heat. For example, a passive heat source of the treatment unit(e.g., at least one of the pumps,,,or other components of the treatment unitthat may at least partially produce heat during operation) may be wrapped with heat-conducting (e.g. copper) tubing through which some portion of the pool/spa water passes. As the pool/spa water passes through the tubing wrapped around the passive heat source, the pool/spa water may extract heat from the passive heat source that would otherwise be released into the surrounding environment. Additionally or instead, the pool/spa water may be directed to an external heat sink (geothermal or air/water heat exchanger) to release at least a portion of undesirably captured heat, which may also be directed for other useful purposes, such as to condition the living environment of an attached dwelling.

The treatment portionmay comprise any number of chlorinators,, though certain configurations of the treatment portion may be free of chlorinators,as desired. The example treatment portion ofincludes pool and spa chlorinators,. The pool and spa chlorinators,are configured to selectively dispense chlorine or bromine into the water flowing through the treatment unitto at least partially sanitize the water before it returns to the pooland the spa

The Ozone/UV sanitizer system, when provided, includes any combination of ozone generation and an ultraviolet (“UV”) light source (e.g., a high output UV light source) that emits UV light. The Ultraviolet light, ozone, or combination of both agents at least partially sanitizes the water via at least partially killing or otherwise making inactive the microbes, micro-organisms or other infectious agents (such as viruses) that are in the water that flows through the Ozone/UV sanitizer system. The emitted UV light and/or ozone may also oxidize the water flowing through the Ozone/UV sanitizer system, which at least partially kills or deactivates additional micro-organisms or other harmful infectious agents carried by the water.

Although not shown, the treatment portionmay include a salt-based sanitizer (not shown) in addition to or instead of the pool chlorinator, the spa chlorinator, and/or the Ozone/UV sanitizer system.

The pool cleaner pump, when provided, is typically an electric motorized pump that is selectively and operatively connected to the pool cleaner(e.g., a manual or automated pool vacuum) via a fluid line. When actuated, the pool cleaner pumpgenerates a pressure and flow of water that is utilized by the in-pool cleanerto remove debris from the pool

The spa jet pump, when provided, may be selectively operable to circulate water in and out of the spa. By controlling the output of the spa jet pump, the force at which the water returns to the spacan be set as desired. For example, the spa jet pumpmay be fluidically connected to one or more “jets” in the spa. Therefore, the force at which the water enters the spathrough the jets may be controlled via the spa jet pump. In other embodiments, a separate jet pump is not used and instead a series of valves can be made to divert filtered water to spa jets.

The spa blower, when provided, is operable to force air into the spaso as to create bubbles in the spa's water. The spa blowermay be configured as a combination air pump and fan that is fluidically connected to the spavia a fluid line. In some configurations, air may be entrained in the jet flow by venturi action connecting a source of flowing water to a source of air.

The treatment portionmay comprise any number of filtration pumps,, though certain configurations of the treatment portion may be free of such filtration pumps,. The example treatment portionofincludes pool and spa filtration pumps,. The pool and spa filtration pumps,are configured to selectively direct water from the pooland the spato the filtering device. The force generated via the pool and spa filtration pumps,may also cause water to return from the filtering deviceto the pooland the spa, though the filtering devicemay have its own internal pump(s) for returning water to the pooland/or the spa

Although the filtering deviceis shown and described as being an ancillary devicethat is separate from the treatment unitand the treatment portion, the treatment portionmay be configured to have one or more integral filtering devices for the pooland/or the spa. In such a configuration, the ancillary filtering devicemay be omitted or provided for redundant filtering.

The control box, when provided, includes one or more electrical components configured for controlling at least one treatment portion component, though the control boxmay also be configured to selectively control other devices of the treatment unitand/or any ancillary device. For example, the control boxmay be electrically or otherwise operatively connected to one or more of the water supply line, the temperature regulator, the pool chlorinator, the spa chlorinator, the Ozone/UV sanitizer system, the pool cleaner pump, the spa jet pump, the spa blower, the pool filtration pump, the spa filtration pump, and the valve(s). The control boxmay also be electrically or otherwise operatively connected to one or more sensors for monitoring and/or displaying one or more conditions of the pool's and/or spa's water. Via the control box, the user may thus selectively maintain, achieve, and/or facilitate a desired condition for the water of the pooland the spa, though the control boxmay be configured produce the desired condition(s) without user input. The control boxmay also control the operation of the treatment systemor any combination of its components to optimize its effectiveness with respect to utility cost, operating time, and/or the time of day (e.g., via controlling certain treatment portion componentsto power down or operate in such a manner that reduces noise at particular times and/or takes advantage of lower costs of utilities at certain times) to meet a user's needs (e.g., by balancing water or energy use with other demands). The control boxmay also include and/or be connected to one or more elements to sense, measure, calculate, report, alarm and/or act on the usage of make-up water, for the purpose of detecting leaks, reporting or managing make-up water consumption or for tracking make-up water consumption due to evaporation, leaks or for sanitizer dosing. For example, the control boxmay (and/or be connected to one or more sensors that) track the usage frequency of the supply lineand/or the volume of fluid being supplied to the pooland/or the spavia the supply line.

The control boxmay also include short-range wireless communication protocol, such as Bluetooth, internet connectivity, such as WiFi, or any other communication wireless or wired protocol/connectivity for transmitting data and communicating with external devices or systems. The control boxmay also provide means to control ancillary systems that are part of the pool environment, such as, e.g., lights, music, irrigation, and/or other elements the user wishes to control.

As shown in, the treatment portion componentsmay include one or more fluid lines or pipesfacilitating the movement of fluid (e.g., water, fuel, and/or air) into, out from, and through the treatment unit. The fluid linesmay fluidically connect certain treatment portion componentsto the pool, the spa, and/or to other treatment portion components. The fluid linesmay also connect at least one of the pool, the spa, and a selected one or more treatment portion componentsto the ancillary devices. Select fluid linesmay include connectorsvia which these select fluid linesmay be fluidically connected to fluid lines/pipes of the pool, the spa, and/or the ancillary devices. At least one of the fluid linesmay be insulated to minimize heat loss or gain from the fluid/gas within the insulated fluid line(s)and/or at least partially prevent the development of condensation on the insulated fluid line(s).

The treatment portion componentsmay include one or more valvesoperatively connected to one or more of the fluid linesfor controlling at least one of the direction, flow rate, and/or flow volume of fluids flowing into, out from, and/or through the treatment unit. The one or more valvesmay also be used to select a body of waterto be treated. The valvesmay be operated manually via the user and/or at least semi-automatically via the control box.

Via the various treatment portion components, the treatment portionmay define one or more treatment circuits. An example pool treatment circuit may include directing water from the poolto the filtering devicevia the pool filtration pump, filtering the pool water in the filtering device, heating/cooling the pool water via the temperature regulator, sanitizing the pool water via the pool chlorinator, and then further sanitizing the pool water via the Ozone/UV sanitizer systembefore directing the pool water back to the pool. Similarly, an example spa treatment circuit may include directing water from the spato the filtering devicevia the spa filtration pump, filtering the spa water in the filtering device, heating/cooling the spa water via the temperature regulator, and then sanitizing the spa water via the spa chlorinatorbefore directing the spa water back to the spa. These or other treatment circuits may be created or adjusted as desired (e.g., to target or avoid certain treatment portion componentsand/or certain ancillary devices) either manually or via the control boxto maintain and/or achieve a desired condition for the water of the pooland/or the spa. Furthermore, each body of watermay have its own desired condition(s) to be maintained/achieved. These unique desired conditions may be maintained/achieved via the user/control boxspecifically tailoring treatment circuits to a selected body of waterand/or via tailoring the settings of certain treatment portion componentsto a selected body of water.

Each of the treatment portion componentsare structurally supported by (e.g., by being received in and/or mounted to) the containment portion. As shown in, the containment portioncomprises a containerhaving a frameand a plurality of panels,,,,, each of which is joined to the frameand/or to at least one other panel,,,,. Each panel,,,,includes opposing exterior and interior surfaces,. The interior surfacesof the panels,,,,define a containment chamberin which at least one of the treatment portion componentsis at least partially received. One or more electrical lines for powering treatment portion components, other components of the treatment unit, and/or ancillary devices, and/or for providing electrical communication with or between the treatment portion components, other components of the treatment unit, and/or ancillary devices, one or more surge protectors, short-circuit protector(s), system automation and/or control circuitry, circuitry for at least one of communication, remote telemetry, sensing, and diagnosis, any other associated/desired electronic lines and/or devices, or any combination thereof may also be at least partially provided in the containment chamber. One or more of the panels,,,,may be at least partially transparent for visually accessing the treatment portionand electrical components provided in the containment chamber.

An acoustic attenuating material may be provided on the interior surfaceof at least one of the panels,,,,for at least partially preventing, damping, or absorbing noise generated in the container, though the acoustic attenuating material may also or instead be provided on the exterior surfaceof at least one of the panels,,,,. Therefore, at least one of the panels,,,,may, for example, be metal (or some other rigid material) with an acoustic attenuating material provided on at least one of its interior and exterior surfaces,. The acoustic attenuating material may include rubber or rubber-like elastomeric material, fiberglass, rock wool, various open- and closed-cell polymeric foam materials, viscoelastic adhesive or non-adhesive materials that dampen sound, the mass of panel materials effective in reducing noise of undesirable frequencies, any other sound damping material, or any combination thereof.depicts an example of a portion of one panelthat includes the acoustic attenuating materialprovided on the interior surfacethereof, though any of the other panels,,,,may also or instead include the acoustic attenuating material provided on at least a portion of its/their interior and/or exterior surfaces,

In addition to or instead of passive noise cancellation elements (such as, e.g., the acoustic attenuating material, etc.), the containment portionmay include one or more active noise cancellation devicesthat at least partially counteract acoustic energy generated within the containment chamberso as to at least partially prevent such acoustic energy/noise from emanating out from the containment chamber. The active noise cancellation deviceshown in at least, for example, includes one or more microphones or sensors for sensing sound waves generated in the containment chamber, one or more processors for analyzing the sensed sound waves and determining opposing sound waves that are opposite to the sensed sound waves, and one or more speakers for emitting the opposing sound waves so as to at least partially neutralize the sound waves generated in the containment chamber. The active noise cancellation deviceofis configured to be provided in the containment chamber(e.g., mounted to the interior surfaceof one of the panels,,). However, the active noise cancellation devicemay instead be external to the containment chamber(e.g., mounted to the exterior surface of one of the panels,,,). As another alternative, a portion of the active noise cancellation device(e.g., the one or more microphones) may be provided in the containment chamber, while another portion of the active noise cancellation device(e.g., the one or more speakers) may be provided externally to the containment chamber.

As shown in, the panels,,,,include at least one front panel, at least one rear panel, two side panels, a top panel, and a bottom panel. In the example configuration shown in, the containerincludes two front panels. Each of the front panelsare connected to the frameand/or an adjacent one of the side panelsvia one or more hingessuch that the containment chambermay be selectively opened and closed via the front panels. Should the embodiment be other than rectilinear or faceted, then the equivalent surfaces would have the same purpose and effect as the panels shown.

The container, as is shown in, includes two rear panelsspaced laterally from the front panels. At least one of the rear panelsmay be removably connected to at least one of the frame, an adjacent side panel, the top panel, and the bottom panelsuch that components within the containment chambermay be accessed by removing the removable rear panel(s). Therefore, by removing one or both of the rear panels, the user and/or a technician are/is able visually and/or physically access portions of the treatment unitthat would otherwise be inaccessible (or at least difficult to access) through opening just the front panels.

Returning to, the containerincludes two side panelsspaced longitudinally from one another and extending laterally between the front and rear panels,. Each of the side panelsincludes fluid openingsvia which certain fluid linesof the treatment unitmay extend so as to be selectively connected to, for example, one or more bodies of water, the source of water, a fuel (e.g., gas) source, and one or more ancillary devices. The side panelsmay also include electrical openingsthrough which the electrical lines may extend. Therefore, the fluid and electrical openings,of the side panelssupport ready-made fluidic and electrical connections to the one or more bodies of water, the source of water, the fuel source, an electrical source, and/or one or more ancillary devices.

As shown in, the exterior surfaceof one of the side panels(shown as a first one of the side panels) may include the control boxmounted thereto, while the exterior surfaceof the other of the side panels(shown here as a second one of the side panels) may have the Ozone/UV sanitizermounted thereto. Furthermore, as shown in, one of the side panels(shown here as the first side panel) may include an exhaust openingin which an exhaust fanis mounted, though the exhaust opening and fan,may be provided on any other panel,,,,. The exhaust fanis operable (rotatable in an air exhaust direction) to expel air from the containment chamberto an area outside the treatment unit. The exhaust fanthus functionally removes unwanted airborne moisture, humidity, odors and other particles from the containment chamber. The exhaust fanmay also be selectively controlled to draw air into the containment chambervia rotating the fanin a direction opposite to the air exhaust direction.

Operating characteristics (e.g., fan speed and/or rotational direction) of the exhaust fanmay be set directly via the user and/or via the control boxso that the containment chambermay achieve and/or be maintained at a desired humidity/moisture level suitable for the components housed in the containment chamber. Therefore, the humidity/moisture control provided via the exhaust fanmay be beneficial in at least partially maintaining/extending the life of the components inside the container.

The top panel, which is shown in, extends laterally between the front and real panels,and longitudinally between the side panels. The top panelmay include one or more openings,,for use by the treatment portion. For example, the top panelmay include an air intake openingfor the air intakeof the temperature regulator, a top exhaust openingfor the exhaust of the temperature regulator, and a blower openingfor the spa blower.

As shown in the example configuration of, at least some embodiments of the containermay have a sloped roofso as to at least partially prevent the pooling/collection of rainwater and/or snow, to at least partially prevent animals from inhabiting or otherwise forming habitats/homes on top of the container, and/or for any other purpose. In the example configuration shown in, the sloped roofis provided via a roof structurethat is attached (substantially permanently and/or removably) to the container(e.g., to the top paneland/or a portion of the framethat is adjacent to the top panel), though the sloped roofmay instead be provided or defined by at least the top panel. The roof structuremay include a top surfacethat slopes downward from a front panel side of the containerto a rear panel side of the container, though the top surfacemay slope downward in any other direction. The top surfacemay include one or more openingsthat correspond to (e.g., by being vertically aligned or otherwise associated with) or take the place of the one or more openings,,of the top panel.

As shown in, the bottom panelis spaced vertically from the top panel, extends laterally between the front and real panels,, and extends longitudinally between the side panels. At least one treatment portion componentmay be supported on the interior surfaceof the bottom panel. For example, as shown in, the pool cleaner pump, spa jet pump, pool filtration pump, spa filtration pump, and the pool chlorinatormay be supported on the interior surfaceof the bottom panel. At least one of (or each of) the treatment portion componentssupported on the interior surfaceof the bottom panelmay be indirectly supported on and/or mounted to the bottom panelvia a support platform, though at least one of the treatment portion componentsmay be directly supported on and/or mounted to the bottom panel. For example, as shown in, at least one of the pumps,,,(shown here as each pump,,,) may be indirectly supported on the bottom panelvia a support platform. At least one of the support platformsmay be formed integrally with the bottom panelas a single monolithic piece or may be separately formed and subsequently connected to the interior surfaceof the bottom panel. Such indirect connection to the interior surfaceof the bottom panelhelps prevent the mounting hardware/fasteners utilized in mounting/securing at least one of the treatment portion componentsto the interior surfaceof the bottom panelfrom penetrating the bottom panel.