JP2003019480A - Waste softener and softened water bath - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that exhaustion speed of ion exchange resin is fast in a conventional water softener. SOLUTION: A water softener of this invention is provided with a waste supply pipe 7 for introducing raw water, a T-tube 11 for branching the raw water introduced in the water supply pipe 7, ion exchange resin cartridges 1a, 1b for softening one of the raw water branched by the T-tube 11, a T-tube 12 which can blend the water softened by passing through the ion exchange resin cartridges 1a, 1b with another raw water branched by the T-tube 11 and a delivery tube 8 for delivering water passed through the T-tube 12.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a water softener and a soft water bath equipped with the water softener.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various water softeners have been used for softening treatment of tap water and well water. For example, the presence of a hardness ionic component in the wash water reduces the detergency of the detergent, but the hardness ionic component reacts with the surfactant in the detergent to form an insoluble metal soap, which contributes to washing. This is because the amount of detergent is reduced, and as means for removing the harmful effects of these hardness ion components, JP-A-11-253
There is a washing machine described in No. 694. It is a washing machine compactly equipped with an ion removing means capable of removing cations contained in washing water at a flow rate of 10 L or more per minute.
The ion exchange resin is Na type and is regenerated by salt.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-189955 discloses a bathroom system equipped with a water softener. The water softener in this bathroom system includes a resin container filled with an ion exchange resin, a raw water tank part for storing raw water such as tap water, and a salt tank part for storing a saturated saline solution for regenerating the ion exchange resin. In addition, a water purification section accommodating activated carbon is provided in a line from the resin accommodating section to the soft water outlet.

[0004]

However, the conventional water softener disclosed in the above publication has a problem that the ion exchange resin is consumed at a high rate.

In view of the above conventional problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a water softener in which an ion exchange resin can be used for a long time.

[0006]

In order to solve the above problems, a first aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 1) is a water supply section for taking in raw water and a branching means for branching the raw water taken in to the water supply section. And an ion exchange resin part for softening one raw water branched by the branching means, water softened by passing through the ion exchange resin part, and the other raw water branched by the branching means are mixed. It is a water softener provided with a mixing part which can be performed, and a water discharge part which discharges the water which passed the mixing part.

A second aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 2) is a conductivity meter for measuring the conductivity of water passing through the mixing section, and the conductivity measured by the conductivity meter is within a predetermined range. The raw water supplied to the mixing section and / or
Alternatively, the water softener according to the first aspect of the present invention is provided with a control unit that controls a flow rate of water passing through the ion exchange resin portion.

According to a third aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 3), the branching means does not cause the raw water taken into the water supply section to flow into the mixing section within a predetermined time from the start of operation of the water softener. In the water softener according to the second aspect of the present invention, which is provided with a warning means for issuing a warning when the conductivity measured by the conductivity meter exceeds a predetermined value, when the water is poured into the ion exchange resin portion. is there.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 4), a plurality of the ion exchange resin parts are present, and one of the plurality of the ion exchange resin parts is branched by the branching means. A switching valve for passing raw water is provided, and the switching valve has a flow rate in which the raw water taken into the water supply section flows into the ion exchange resin section without flowing into the mixing section, at which time the conductivity measured by the conductivity meter is The water softener according to the third aspect of the present invention, which changes the flow of the raw water so that the raw water flows to an ion exchange resin part other than the ion exchange resin part where the raw water flows when the predetermined value is exceeded.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 5), an integrator for measuring an integrated amount of water that has passed through the ion-exchange resin portion, and the passage of the ion-exchange resin portion by the measurement of the integrator. The water softener according to the first aspect of the present invention, which is provided with a warning unit that issues a warning when it is found that the amount of the discharged water exceeds a predetermined amount.

In a sixth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 6), there are a plurality of the ion exchange resin parts, and one of the plurality of the ion exchange resin parts is branched by the branching means. A switching valve for passing raw water is provided, and the switching valve is an ion exchange resin part through which the raw water flows when an integrated amount of water passing through any of the plurality of ion exchange resin parts exceeds a predetermined amount. The water softener according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in which the flow of the raw water is changed so that the raw water flows to the ion exchange resin parts other than the above.

A seventh aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 7) is the water softener according to any one of the first to sixth aspects of the present invention, wherein the ion exchange resin portion is removable.

An eighth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 8) is the first aspect.
A soft water bath including at least a water softener according to any one of the present invention to the seventh invention, and a bathtub.

A ninth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 9) includes a faucet and a shower, and the water softener uses water or hot water having a hardness ion component concentration of 2 ppm or less in the bath, the faucet, or the faucet. It is a soft water bath according to the eighth aspect of the present invention, which is supplied to a shower.

The tenth invention of the present invention (corresponding to claim 10) is
A water softener according to the third or fifth aspect of the present invention, a bathtub, and a notification means for notifying the user of the warning in the water softener in the bathroom where the bathtub is installed. It is a soft water bath.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of a water softener according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Raw water supplied from the water supply pipe 7 (raw water in this case means tap water or well water heated by a gas water heater, for example) before reaching the three-way valve 2 as indicated by a broken line. It is divided into two directions by a character tube 11, one of which passes through a three-way valve 2 and a pure water device (ion exchange resin cartridge) 1a for ion exchange of cations and anions,
After passing through the three-way valve 3, it is mixed with the untreated raw water supplied from the water supply pipe 7 by the T-shaped pipe 12 and is supplied to the water discharge pipe 8. An electromagnetic valve 5 (may be a piezo element or the like) for controlling the flow rate of water is arranged between the T-shaped tube 11 and the T-shaped tube 12,
A conductivity meter 4 for measuring the conductivity of water discharged from the T-shaped pipe 12 is arranged in the water discharge pipe 8.

Reference numerals 1a and 1b are mixed-bed type ion exchange resin cartridges in which both cation and anion ion exchange resins are uniformly mixed.
It is filled with about kg. Since the cation ion exchange resin is H type and the anion ion exchange resin is OH type (hydroxy ion type), if regeneration is necessary, remove it from the cartridge and request a regeneration company to regenerate it. Good. Regeneration of this ion exchange resin uses hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide, so it cannot be handled by ordinary households.

Since the Na-type ion exchange resin uses salt for regeneration, it can be regenerated at home, but not only a large amount of salt is required for regeneration, but the salt used for regeneration is frequently used in sewers. It will be discharged to the river, which may lead to river pollution. In this respect, the ion-exchange resin used in this embodiment has the inconvenience that it cannot be regenerated in a general household, but it is regenerated by a specialized recycler. Is possible.

Although pure water obtained by removing hardness ion components and anion components from tap water or well water may be used as the bath water, there is no problem in using the ion exchange resin for a long time.
Use bath water that is a mixture of pure water and tap water. C in FIG.
The foaming degree of soap with respect to a ion concentration is shown. The measurement method used was to add substantially the same amount of pure soap to water of each Ca ion concentration, shake it for 30 seconds, and leave it still for 3 minutes to measure the height of the foamed portion.

Pure water containing almost no Ca ion component has a good foaming property, but only 1 ppm of Ca ion is added,
Foaming worsens rapidly. When 5 ppm is added, almost no bubbling occurs, but when Ca is actually added, the bubbling becomes worse when Ca ions are added, but it is the current situation that Ca ions are not well understood up to about 2 ppm.

The water softener of the present embodiment mixes tap water with pure water and supplies soft water adjusted to have a hardness ion component of 2 ppm or less. When pure water is used as bath water, one ion-exchange resin cartridge, which can be used only for 10 days, can be used for 20 days or more in the present embodiment.

Since the measurement of hardness ion component concentration is somewhat complicated, the hardness ion component concentration is estimated from the conductivity meter 4. For example, water having a conductivity of 20 μS / cm has a hardness ion component of about 1 ppm, and water having a conductivity of 30 μS / cm has a hardness ion component of 2 ppm.
Water with a conductivity of 0 μS / cm has a hardness ionic component of 3.5 ppm. Therefore, the solenoid valve 5 is adjusted so as to be 30 μS / cm or less (the control device is not shown).

When using the water softener of the present embodiment, first, water supply is started from the water supply pipe 7 for 3 minutes with the solenoid valve 5 closed. When the deionizer 1a is used, the three-way valves 2 and 3 are open on the deionizer 1a side and closed on the deionizer 1b side. Although not shown, switching of the three-way valve includes an electromagnetic system and a rotor system. Treated water is conductivity meter 4
Conductivity of the treated water is measured 6 times every 10 seconds and the average value is determined as the conductivity of the treated water. When the conductivity of the water passing through the deionizer 1a exceeds 5 μS / cm, a signal for switching prediction of the ion exchange resin is issued, and when it exceeds 10 μS / cm, the ion exchange resin is switched and a signal prompting regeneration is issued. Emit. A warning means (not shown) issues a signal for switching forecast and a signal for prompting reproduction.

When the conductivity of the water after treating the raw water with the ion exchange resin cartridge 1a with the solenoid valve 5 closed exceeds a predetermined value such as 10 μS / cm, the ion exchange resin cartridge 1b. The three-way valves 2 and 3 may be controlled so as to change the flow path of the raw water so that the raw water is treated at.

In the first embodiment described above, the water supply pipe 7 is an example of the water supply section, the T-shaped tube 11 is an example of the branching means, and the ion exchange resin section is an example of the ion exchange resin section of the water softener of the present invention. As the resin cartridges 1a and 1b, the T-shaped tube 12 was used as an example of the mixing section, and the water discharge tube 8 was used as an example of the water discharge section.

In the first embodiment described above, the solenoid valve 5 is adjusted so that the conductivity of water measured by the conductivity meter 4 is 30 μS / cm or less. Conductivity of water measured by
/ Cm or less, in other words, the flow rate of the reduced water supplied to the T-shaped pipe 12 by the solenoid valve 5 is controlled so that the conductivity of the water measured by the conductivity meter 4 falls within a predetermined range. Alternatively, the flow rate of water passing through the ion exchange resin cartridges 1a and 1b may be controlled.
The flow rate control means for controlling the flow rate of water passing through the ion exchange resin cartridges 1a and 1b may be provided between the T-shaped tube 11 and the ion exchange resin cartridges 1a and 1b, or the ion exchange resin cartridges. 1a, 1b
And the T-tube 12 may be provided.

(Second Embodiment) A second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of the water softener according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

The raw water supplied from the water supply pipe 7 is divided into two directions by a T-shaped pipe 11 before reaching the three-way valve 2 as shown by a broken line, one of which passes through the three-way valve 2 and ion exchanges cations and anions. After passing through the deionizer 1a, passing through the three-way valve 3, passing through the integrating flow meter 20, the T-shaped tube 12
The untreated raw water supplied from the water supply pipe 7 is mixed and supplied to the water discharge pipe 8. An orifice 21 is attached between the T-shaped tube 11 and the T-shaped tube 12 so that the flow rate can be adjusted from the outside of the main body 6 for controlling the flow rate of water.

The conductivity or the hardness ion component concentration of the raw water supplied from the water supply pipe 7 is measured in advance, and the orifice 21 is squeezed to adjust the hardness ion component concentration to, for example, 2 ppm or less. Rejuvenation judgment of ion exchange resin,
When the flow integrator 20 reaches a predetermined value, the ion exchange resin is switched and a signal prompting regeneration is emitted. The signal is emitted by a warning means (not shown).

Further, when it is found by the measurement of the flow rate integrating meter 20 that the integrated amount of water which has passed through the ion exchange resin cartridge 1a exceeds a predetermined amount such as 2000 liters, the raw water is discharged by the ion exchange resin cartridge 1b. The three-way valves 2 and 3 may be controlled to change the path of the raw water so that the treatment is performed.

(Third Embodiment) A soft water bath for supplying soft water generated by the water softener described in the first or second embodiment into a bathtub will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

A gas water heater 44 for heating the bath water is installed outside the bathroom 41. And the gas water heater 4
4 is connected to the water supply pipe of the water softener 6 shown in Embodiment 1 or 2 via the four-way valve 46, and the water discharge pipe of the water softener 6 is connected to the bathtub 42 via the four-way valve 47. The hot water from the gas water heater 44 is supplied into the bathtub 42 via the water softener 6.

Furthermore, a bath 42, a faucet 48, and a shower 49
Is connected to the gas water heater 42 through the four-way valve 46 and the four-way valve 47, and is connected to the water softener 61 by switching the four-way valve 46 and the four-way valve 47, so that tap water and soft water can be supplied. . In addition, the water softener 6, the gas water heater 44,
The four-way valve 46 and the four-way valve 47 are connected to and controlled by the control device 40.

The method of using the soft water bath according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described below. By pressing the water supply button on the control device 40, the opening and closing of the four-way valve 46 and the four-way valve 47 are controlled so that water is supplied from the gas water heater 44 through the water softener 6 into the bath 42 as shown by the thin broken line. When the water softener of the first embodiment is used, the conductivity is measured by passing pure water only for 3 minutes, and the ion exchange resin is switched and regeneration is determined. Next, untreated water is mixed to control the solenoid valve in the water softener 6 so that the conductivity becomes 30 μS / cm or less.

After the water is supplied into the bathtub 42, when the temperature of the bathwater becomes lower than a predetermined temperature due to a person taking a bath or leaving the gas, the gas water heater 44 does not pass through the water softener 6 as indicated by a thick broken line.
The open / close of the four-way valve 46 and the four-way valve 47 is controlled so that the bathtub 42 is directly connected, and the bathwater 43 is circulated until the temperature of the bathwater 43 reaches a predetermined temperature. Further, when tap water or soft water is discharged from the faucet 48 or the shower 49, a switch on the control device 40 is pressed to control the four-way valve 46 or the four-way valve 47 to discharge desired water. Although not shown, a thermistor, a thermocouple, or the like is installed in the gas water heater 44 for monitoring the temperature of the bath water 43.

Further, the first embodiment or the second embodiment
In step 1, a signal for prompting regeneration of the ion exchange resin from the water softener 6 is fetched into the control device 40, and the LED is turned on to inform the regeneration of the ion exchange resin.

When the water softener of the second embodiment is used, it is possible to enjoy bathing with one type of soft water by setting the orifice, but the main feature of the water softener of the first embodiment is that the bath is used. It is possible to enjoy bathing with various bath water by changing the conductivity of soft water used for water for each bath.

For example, the life of the ion exchange resin is a little short, but when the conductivity is set to 1 μS / cm, it is possible to bathe with a bath water close to pure water, and there are very few impurities such as anions and cations. You can enjoy bathing at. Moreover, it is sensually suitable for people who like the feeling of a hot spring and who like a slimy feeling.

When the conductivity is set to 10 μS / cm, the hardness ion component is slightly mixed, but foaming during cleaning is
Very good foaming, especially in washing hair, to increase refreshing feeling. When you enter the bathtub, you feel a slimy feel, but when you soak in a soft water bath that is close to pure water, the soapy components left on the body surface are removed and the slimy feel disappears, so you can feel the feeling of both a hot spring and a normal bath. You can taste it. When the conductivity is further increased, the strength of the slimy feeling decreases. In this way, you can enjoy bathing with various bath water.

As described above, it is possible to enjoy a soft water bath, which is different from the conventional one, with soft water containing neither cation nor anion. Since a small amount of tap water is mixed with pure water for use, the period of use of the ion exchange resin cartridge is extended. Furthermore, since a plurality of ion resin cartridges that can be easily attached and detached are arranged side by side, even if one of the ion resin cartridges is being regenerated by a recycler for regeneration, it is possible to take a bath in the soft water bath by using the other.

[0043]

As is apparent from the above description, the present invention can provide a water softener in which an ion exchange resin can be used for a long time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a water softener according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a water softener according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing the relationship between Ca ion concentration and foaming condition.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a soft water bath according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1a, 1b Ion exchange resin cartridge Two, three-way valve 4 conductivity meter 5 Solenoid valve 6 water softener body 7 water supply pipe 8 Discharge pipe 11, 12 T-shaped tube 20 totalizer 21 Orifice 40 control device 46, 47 four-way valve 48 faucet 49 shower

Continued front page    F-term (reference) 2D005 FA00                 2D032 FA11                 4D025 AA02 AB19 BA11 BA16 BA24                       BB04 BB12 BB19 CA02 CA04                       CA05 CA10

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A water supply part for taking in raw water, a branching means for branching the raw water taken in to the water supply part, an ion exchange resin part for softening one of the raw water branched by the branching means, and its ions. Soft water provided with a mixing section capable of mixing the water softened by passing through the exchange resin section with the other raw water branched by the branching means, and a water discharge section for discharging the water passing through the mixing section. vessel. 2. A conductivity meter for measuring the conductivity of water that has passed through the mixing section, and the conductivity measured by the conductivity meter is supplied to the mixing section so that the conductivity falls within a predetermined range. The water softener according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit configured to control a flow rate of the raw water and / or the water passing through the ion exchange resin portion. 3. Within a predetermined time from the start of operation of the water softener, the branching means causes the raw water taken into the water supply section to flow into the ion exchange resin section without flowing into the mixing section, and at that time, The water softener according to claim 2, further comprising warning means for issuing a warning when the conductivity measured by the conductivity meter exceeds a predetermined value. 4. A plurality of the ion exchange resin parts are present, and a switching valve for passing one of the raw water branched by the branching means to any one of the plurality of the ion exchange resin parts is provided. The raw water taken into the water supply section flows into the ion exchange resin section without flowing into the mixing section, and when the conductivity measured by the conductivity meter exceeds a predetermined value, the raw water flows. The water softener according to claim 3, wherein the flow of the raw water is changed so that the raw water flows to the ion exchange resin parts other than the ion exchange resin part. 5. An integrator that measures an integrated amount of water that has passed through the ion exchange resin part, and that the amount of water that has passed through the ion exchange resin part exceeds a predetermined amount by the measurement of the integrator. The water softener according to claim 1, further comprising warning means for issuing a warning when the above is found. 6. A plurality of the ion exchange resin parts are present, and a switching valve for passing one of the raw water branched by the branching means to any one of the plurality of the ion exchange resin parts is provided. When the integrated amount of water that has passed through one of the plurality of ion exchange resin parts exceeds a predetermined amount, raw water flows to an ion exchange resin part other than the ion exchange resin part where the raw water flows. The water softener according to claim 5, wherein the flow of raw water is changed. 7. The water softener according to claim 1, wherein the ion exchange resin part is removable. 8. A soft water bath comprising at least the water softener according to claim 1 and a bathtub. 9. The soft water bath according to claim 8, comprising a faucet and a shower, wherein the water softener supplies water or hot water having a hardness ion component concentration of 2 ppm or less to the bathtub, the faucet, or the shower. . 10. The water softener according to claim 3 or 5, a bathtub, and when the warning means of the water softener issues a warning,
A soft water bath equipped with an alarm means for notifying the effect to the bathroom where the bathtub is installed.