US3719594A

US3719594A - Water-softening unit

Info

Publication number: US3719594A
Application number: US00154092A
Authority: US
Inventors: S Borochaner
Original assignee: National Water Pure Corp
Current assignee: National Water Pure Corp
Priority date: 1971-06-17
Filing date: 1971-06-17
Publication date: 1973-03-06
Anticipated expiration: 1990-03-06

Abstract

A portable water-softening unit which can be attached to any source of water, the unit comprising a housing having an ion exchange chamber and a regeneration chamber, in the fluid circuit between the source of water and an outlet means extending from the housing. The regeneration chamber is adapted to selectively contain regeneration material for regenerating the ion exchange resin when necessary.

Description

United States Patent 1 [1 3,719,594 Borochaner 1 March 6, 1973 541 WATERLSQFTENING UNIT 2,627,503 2/1953 Anderson .210/190' 3,204,767 9/1965 Borochaner ..2lO/190 [751 lnvemm- 5mm Bmmchane'i Levnmwn, 3,385,441 5/1968 Lyall ..2l0/l90 x Assisnee: Nafional waterpure Corporation, 2,467,433 4/1949 King ..210/190 Fall t n,P smg o a Primary Examiner-Samih N. Zaharna [22] Filed: June 17, 1971 Attorney-Arthur A. Jacobs 21 A l. N 1 4 9 1 pp 5 2 57 ABSTRACT Related Apphcauon Data A portable water-softening unit which can be attached [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 852,293, Aug. 22, to y Source of water, the unit o p g a gv 1969,1at. No. 3,680,703. having an ion exchange chamber and a regeneration chamber, in the fluid circuit between the source of [52] U.S. Cl ..210/l90 water and an outlet means extending from the hous- [51] Int. Cl. ..B0ld 23/10 ing. The regeneration chamber is adapted to selective- [58] Field of Search .210] 190 1y contain regeneration material for regenerating the ion exchange resin when necessary.

[56] References Cited 3 Clalms, 1 Drawing Figure UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,016,146 1/1962 Smith et a1. ..2l0/190 /4 L 1 7 20 l I I i 24 I 7 i 28 I l ,/6

I /Z5 /2/ I I I a r l 34 l 32 I 36 PATENTED R 1 75 INVENTOR STUART BOROCHANER ATTORNEY WATER-SOFTENING UNIT This is a continuation-in-part of co-pending application Ser. No. 852,293, filed August 22, 1969, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,680,703, issued Aug. 1, 1972.

This invention relates to a water-softening unit, and it particularly relates to a portable water-softening unit that may be attached to any source of water.

Ordinary tap water usually contains calcium or magnesium salts as well as other contaminants which make the water hard." Such hard water generally requires the use of synthetic detergents to make the water effective as a cleansing agent. However, synthetic detergents are not only environmental pollutants but also are unsatisfactory for many purposes such as dental work, shampooing of the hair and scalp, and the like.

Although water softening systems have heretofore been incorporated into mechanisms such as washing machines and the like, it has not, heretofore, been feasible to make a lightweight, portable unit because of the necessity of using valves, pumps, automatic timers, etc.

It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a water-softening unit which is free of valves, pumps, timers, etc. and which may be easily moved and easily attached to any source of water.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a water-softening unit of the aforesaid type that is rela tively simple in construction, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and maintain, and easy to service.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this application will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

The single FIGURE is a somewhat schematic view of a unit embodying the present invention.

Referring now in greater detail to the drawing, there is shown a water-softening unit, generally designated 10, comprising a housing 12 having a removable cover or lid 14. The housing is shown as generally rectangular, but it may be of any feasible and desirable shape. Furthermore, although a lid or cover is provided to permit access into the housing, any other means may be used, such as forming the housing from vertical or horizontal sections removably secured together.

The housing 12 is portable and contains therein an ion-exchange chamber 16 held between brackets 18. The chamber 16 contains a supply of ion-exchange resin of the standard type for softening water.

A conduit 20 extends from the top of the ionexchange chamber 16 and is connected by coupling 22 to a spicket 24 positioned outside the housing. A second conduit 26 leads from the bottom of the chamber 16 upwardly into a regeneration chamber 28 adapted to hold regeneration fluid for regenerating the ion-exchange resin in the chamber 16 after a period of use. The chamber 28 has a removable lid 30 positioned outside the housing to permit insertion of regenerating material into the chamber 28. This regenerating material is preferably granular, such as granular sodium chloride, but may beliquid if desired. Although the lid 30 is illustrated as being a removable screw-cap, it may be a hinged cap or of any other desirable construction.

A conduit 32 leads from the regeneration chamber 28 and is connected, as at 34, to a flexible hose 36 outside the housing. This hose 36 is connected, as at 38 to a manifold having a pair of spaced

adaptor conduits

40 and 42, each of which is provided with a connector, as at 44 and 46, for releasable attachment to respective sources of cold and hot water, such as the faucets of a sink.

During the operation of the unit, the water, either hot, cold, or a mixture thereof, flows through hose 36, through the chamber 28, through conduit 26, through the ion-exchange chamber 16 through conduit 20 and through spicket 24. In the normal flow, the regeneration chamber 28 is empty and the water flows therethrough as through a conduit. This water is softened by the ion-exchange resin in chamber 16.

When the ion-exchange resin is to be regenerated, however, the granular sodium chloride or other regeneration material is inserted into the chamber 28 and hot water is passed through the system until the brine in the chamber 28 is completely washed out and passes through the spicket 24. The ion-exchange resin is now regenerated and the unit is again ready for use.

An important feature of this system is the mounting of the regeneration chamber 28 above chamber 16 and the spicket 24. This permits the water in chamber 28 to flow therefrom by simple gravity operation. In this respect, when the water supply is shut off after use, water remains in the system until the spicket is again opened. This water fills the chamber 28 and, with the lid 30 in place, the water is under pressure. If the water in chamber 28 were not first permitted to flow therefrom prior to addition thereto of new regeneration material, the water would overflow. However, as soon as the lid 30 is opened, atmospheric pressure automatically acts on the water in the chamber to initiate its flow, under the force of gravity, through the system. This water can then drain into the chamber 16 or through the chamber 16 and through the spicket 24, if open, to lower the level in the chamber 28 at least sufficiently to permit insertion of new regeneration material without danger of overflow from the chamber.

I claim:

1. A water-softening unit comprising a housing, an inlet at one end of said housing and an outlet at the opposite end of the housing, said housing having a top cover, a regeneration chamber in said housing, the upper portion of said regeneration chamber extending through an aperture in said cover to be accessible from outside said housing, said regeneration chamber having a filling opening outside said housing and a removable lid on said filling opening outside said housing, an ionexchange chamber within said housing, said ionexchange chamber being separate and laterally spaced from said regeneration chamber, said regeneration chamber being higher than said ion-exchange chamber and being connected thereto by a valveless conduit leading from the lower portion of said regeneration chamber into the lower portion of the ion-exchange chamber, an outside conduit means situated outside said housing, said outside conduit means connecting said inlet of said housing to a source of raw water, a valveless conduit connecting said inlet to the interior of said regeneration chamber, a softened-water dispensing means connected to said outlet of said housing outside said housing, said outlet and dispensing means being positioned below said regeneration chamber, and a valveless conduit connecting the upper portion of said ion-exchange chamber to said outlet.

2. The water-softening unit of claim 1 wherein said outside conduit means comprises a manifold having a pair of separate conduit arms, each arm being adapted to be releasably connected to a separate source of water. 5

3. The water-softening unit of claim 1 wherein said dispensing means is a spicket extending outwardly from said housing.

Claims

1. A water-softening unit comprising a housing, an inlet at one end of said housing and an outlet at the opposite end of the housing, said housing having a top cover, a regeneration chamber in said housing, the upper portion of said regeneration chamber extending through an aperture in said cover to be accessible from outside said housing, said regeneration chamber having a filling opening outside said housing and a removable lid on said filling opening outside said housing, an ion-exchange chamber within said housing, said ion-exchange chamber being separate and laterally spaced from said regeneration chamber, said regeneration chamber being higher than said ion-exchange chamber and being connected thereto by a valveless conduit leading from the lower portion of said regeneration chamber into the lower portion of the ion-exchange chamber, an outside conduit means situated outside said housing, said outside conduit means connecting said inlet of said housing to a source of raw water, a valveless conduit connecting said inlet to the interior of said regeneration chamber, a softened-water dispensing means connected to said outlet of said housing outside said housing, said outlet and dispensing means being positioned below said regeneration chamber, and a valveless conduit connecting the upper portion of said ion-exchange chamber to said outlet.

1. A water-softening unit comprising a housing, an inlet at one end of said housing and an outlet at the opposite end of the housing, said housing having a top cover, a regeneration chamber in said housing, the upper portion of said regeneration chamber extending through an aperture in said cover to be accessible from outside said housing, said regeneration chamber having a filling opening outside said housing and a removable lid on said filling opening outside said housing, an ion-exchange chamber within said housing, said ion-exchange chamber being separate and laterally spaced from said regeneration chamber, said regeneration chamber being higher than said ion-exchange chamber and being connected thereto by a valveless conduit leading from the lower portion of said regeneration chamber into the lower portion of the ionexchange chamber, an outside conduit means situated outside said housing, said outside conduit means connecting said inlet of said housing to a source of raw water, a valveless conduit connecting said inlet to the interior of said regeneration chamber, a softened-water dispensing means connected to said outlet of said housing outside said housing, said outlet and dispensing means being positioned below said regeneration chamber, and a valveless conduit connecting the upper portion of said ion-exchange chamber to said outlet.

2. The water-softening unit of claim 1 wherein said outside conduit means comprises a manifold having a pair of separate conduit arms, each arm being adapted to be releasably connected to a separate source of water.