Pedicure chairs and pumps for use with pedicure chairs and related methods
A jet pump has an impeller with a magnet that can be rotated by a shaft having a magnetic drive plate and wherein the impeller and the magnetic drive plate are separated from one another by at least one solid wall surface. The impeller can be located in a pump housing having a base and a cover. The base can have a surface bearing so that the impeller can contact therewith and rotated against the surface of the surface bearing.
1. A pump housing for a spa pump, the spa pump being sized and shaped for use with a basin of a pedicure chair, the pump housing comprising:
a pump cavity defined by a cover attached to a base, the base comprising a base wall;
an impeller located within the pump cavity, the impeller comprising a flange body comprising a magnet, a first end, and a second end;
a surface bearing attached to the base at the base wall, the surface bearing having an upper surface exposed at the base wall;
an axial end face at the first end of the impeller in contact with the upper surface of the surface bearing; and
wherein the impeller is rotatable within the pump cavity without any shaft physically constraining the impeller along a rotational axis.
2. The pump housing of claim 1 , wherein the base comprises a central stub having a central surface that is co-planar or recessed from the upper surface of the surface bearing.
3. The pump housing of claim 1 , further comprising a metal securing ring attached to the base.
4. The pump housing of claim 3 , further comprising a second metal securing ring attached to the base.
5. The pump housing of claim 3 , wherein the metal securing ring comprises an opening and the surface bearing is located within the opening of the metal securing ring.
6. The pump housing of claim 1 , wherein the impeller comprises a plurality of vanes.
7. The pump housing of claim 6 , wherein the magnet of the impeller comprises a plurality of magnet sections arranged in a pattern of north and south poles.
8. The pump housing of claim 1 , wherein the cover comprises a plurality of inlet openings located centrally of a plurality of discharge nozzles.
9. The pump housing of claim 1 , wherein the surface bearing comprises a generally planar surface extending from one edge location to another edge location.
10. The pump housing of claim 9 wherein the surface bearing is made from a low friction Teflon material.
11. The pump housing of claim 1 , wherein the base wall of the base comprises a bottom floor, a first radiused surface radially outwardly of the bottom floor, a first upstanding wall extending from the first radiused surface, a second radiused surface, and a second upstanding wall.
12. The pump housing of claim 11 , wherein the bottom floor, the first radiused surface, and the first upstanding wall define an impeller seat having the impeller located therein.
13. The pump housing of claim 1 , wherein the impeller has a hub with a hollow interior, and an insert attached to the hub.
14. The pump housing of claim 1 , wherein the impeller has a hub and the axial end face is located at the hub and projects axially away from a planar surface defined by a bottom surface of the impeller.
15. The pump housing of claim 14 , wherein the hub is solid without a bore.
16. The pump housing of claim 1 , wherein the base is attached to a mount adaptor comprising a flange, and the mount adaptor is coupled to a motor.
17. The pump housing of claim 16 , wherein the motor comprises a shaft and a magnetic drive plate attached to the shaft and the magnetic drive plate being spaced from the impeller.
18. The pump housing of claim 16 , wherein the mount adaptor projects through an opening of a basin of a pedicure chair.
19. The pump housing of claim 16 , wherein a plurality of stubs located on the base project into corresponding plurality of holes formed on the flange of the mount adaptor.
20. The pump housing of claim 9 , wherein the base wall of the base comprises a central recess, and wherein the surface bearing is located in the central recess.
21. A method of assembling a pump housing for use with a pedicure chair, the method comprising:
placing an impeller comprising flange body with a magnet and a hub into a base cavity of a base, the base cavity defined by a sidewall and a base wall
attaching a cover to the base to enclose the impeller within the base cavity;
wherein a surface bearing having an upper surface is attached to the base wall of the base;
wherein an axial end face at a first end of the hub of the impeller contacts the upper surface of the surface bearing; and
wherein the impeller is rotatable within the base cavity without any shaft physically constraining the impeller along a rotational axis.
22. The method of claim 21 , further comprising attaching the base to a mount adaptor, which is attached to a motor.
23. The method of claim 22 , further comprising a magnetic drive plate attached to a shaft of the motor, and wherein the magnetic drive plate is magnetically attracted to the magnet of the impeller.
24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the mount adaptor is attached to a basin of a pedicure chair.
25. The method of claim 21 , wherein the surface bearing is mounted in a central recess of the base wall of the base.
26. The method of claim 21 , wherein the magnet of the impeller comprises a plurality of magnet sections arranged in a pattern of north and south poles.
27. The method of claim 21 , wherein the cover comprises a plurality of centrally located inlet openings and a plurality of discharge nozzles located radially outwardly of the plurality of centrally located inlet openings.
28. A pump housing for a spa pump, the spa pump being sized and shaped for use with a basin of a pedicure chair, the pump housing comprising:
a pump cavity defined by a cover attached to a base, the base comprising a base wall;
an impeller located within the pump cavity, the impeller comprising a hub having a first end, a second end, a flange body comprising a magnet, and a plurality of vanes extending from the flange body at the second end;
a surface bearing attached to the base at the base wall, the surface bearing having an upper surface exposed at the base wall;
an axial end face at the first end of the hub of the impeller in contact with the upper surface of the surface bearing; and
wherein the impeller is rotatable within the pump cavity without any shaft physically constraining the impeller along a rotational axis.
29. The pump housing of claim 28 , wherein the upper surface of the surface bearing is generally planar and circular.
30. The pump housing of claim 28 , wherein the surface bearing is held in a recessed area of the base.