Patent ID: 8795528

Claim:
A strainer system comprising: a strainer housing having an inlet for raw fluid and an outlet for strained fluid; a strainer basket having a strainer screen and disposed within the housing, an external surface of the strainer screen being in flow communication with the raw fluid inlet and an internal surface of the strainer screen being in flow communication with the strained fluid outlet; a backwash collector assembly comprising a cylindrical backwash conduit having an opening disposed adjacent the external surface of the strainer screen, the cylindrical backwash conduit and the strainer basket being moveable relative to each other, so as to allow the opening to pass across the external surface of the strainer screen; a plurality of strainer modules, each module comprising a cylindrical backwash conduit and at least one strainer basket associated with the cylindrical backwash conduit; and a valve assembly for selectively opening each of the cylindrical backwash conduits to initiate a backwash operation for the strainer baskets associated with that cylindrical backwash conduit, wherein the valve assembly comprises a valve plate having a single valve plate opening therein, the valve plate being moveable to bring the single valve plate opening into alignment with the outlet opening of a cylindrical backwash conduit to thereby directly connect the cylindrical backwash conduit with a single outlet conduit.