JP5046180B2 - Water heater with built-in water softener - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a water heater with a built-in water softening device in which a water softening device is integrally incorporated in a water supply route in the water heater.

  Recently, calcium and magnesium components contained in tap water supplied to ordinary households have been called so-called “soap scum” by reacting with soap, facial cleansing foam, body soap, shampoo, etc. used in face washing and bathing. It has been recognized that when it forms a metallic soap that adheres to the skin, it causes a feeling of dryness and dryness of the skin and causes skin diseases such as rough skin and atopic dermatitis. Water called “soft water”, which has a relatively small content of hardness components such as components and magnesium components, has attracted much attention, and has already been used in skin care and other fields where skin irritation is low. As water that is kind to the environment, its use has been put to practical use.

  Such soft water can be relatively easily produced by removing hardness components in water using distillation or ion exchange resin, etc. Among them, an ion exchange resin that is advantageous in terms of running cost is used. The production of soft water by a water softening device (water softener) has become the mainstream for both industrial and household use. Currently, in general households, a water softener with a small and simple structure (for example, Patent Document 1 below) -5) has become widespread.

JP-A-10-216537 JP 2000-42427 A JP 2000-271568 A JP 2000-334450 A JP 2001-239263 A

  These water softeners are usually used in a secondary (additional) connection to the end of a water supply route in a general household, such as a shower or hot water faucet in a bathroom, washroom, or kitchen. However, it is difficult to secure the installation location of the water softener, and it is installed around the water. Hygienic problems such as the propagation of various germs have been pointed out.

  Moreover, in the recent home bath system, in addition to hot water supply by a shower and a hot water supply faucet, an automatic hot water supply system in which hot water is directly stored in a bathtub has become common, but for the water supply route in this automatic hot water supply system, It is difficult to provide a water softener secondarily, so for showers and hot water faucets, a water softener is installed and soft water is used, but it is stored in a bathtub using an automatic hot water supply system. Concerning the hot water to be used, there is a contradiction in that tap water is used as it is rather than soft water.

  Of course, it is possible to store hot water in the bathtub via a shower or hot water faucet, but it is common to take a bath almost every day because a convenient automatic hot water system that can store an appropriate amount of hot water at the scheduled time cannot be used. This is a very complicated problem for users at present.

  For this reason, research and development have been conducted on a water heater with a built-in water softening device in which a water softening device is integrally incorporated in the water heater (see, for example, Patent Documents 6 to 8).

JP-A-6-125851 JP-A-7-68256 JP 2000-274818 A

  Here, each of the water heaters with built-in water softening devices described in Patent Documents 6 to 8 processes raw water before being heated by a heat exchanger in the water heater in the water softening device, that is, water softening. In incorporating the apparatus into the water supply route in the water heater, the water softening device is arranged on the primary side (before the inlet side) with respect to the heat exchanger provided in the water heater.

  However, in the water heater with a built-in water softening device configured to arrange the water softening device on the primary side with respect to the heat exchanger provided in the water heater, a large amount of ion exchange resin is required. There was a drawback that the water softening device was enlarged and the water heater itself was inevitably enlarged.

  Therefore, as a result of intensive studies to solve such problems, the present inventor is a water heater with a built-in water softening device in which a water softening device is integrally incorporated in a water supply route in the water heater. In particular, when the water softening device is incorporated in the water supply route, the water softening device is arranged on the secondary side (after the outlet side) with respect to the heat exchanger provided in the water heater. Thus, the water softener built-in type water heater according to the present invention has been completed.

  That is, the present inventor is about about 20 to 50% of the ability to remove raw water components by heating with a relatively high temperature rather than the raw raw water as it is with respect to the ability to remove hardness components in water by the ion exchange resin. In order to incorporate the water softening device into the water supply route in the water heater, the water softening device is arranged on the secondary side with respect to the heat exchanger provided in the water heater. For example, the raw water heated by the heat exchanger can be processed in the water softening device, which makes it possible to reduce the size of the water softening device by reducing the amount of ion exchange resin. They have obtained the knowledge that a water heater with a built-in water softening device can be provided.

The present invention has been completed on the basis of the above knowledge, and has a very small and compact structure , and has a built-in water softening device that recharges automatic hot water to a bathtub or additional hot water and hot water in the bathtub. An object of the present invention is to provide a water heater with a built-in water softening device that can prevent the propagation of germs in the water softening device .

In the present invention , which is a means for solving the above problems, when hot water supply from a shower or hot water supply faucet is required, the raw water passing through the first water supply route is heated by the first heat exchanger, and the shower or Hot water is supplied from the hot water tap,
When automatic hot water supply or additional hot water supply to the bathtub is required, the first water supply route, the second side of the first heat exchanger of the first water supply route, and the second branched from the shower or hot water tap The second heat exchanger heat exchanger provided in the third water supply route which is connected to the second water supply route and the third water supply route which is the circulation path of the bathtub additional cooking system is connected to the second water supply route, and / or Heated by the first heat exchanger, hot water is supplied to the bathtub,
When it is necessary to reheat the hot water in the bathtub, the hot water in the bathtub is circulated through the third water supply route by the operation of a pump provided in the third water supply route and reheated by the second heat exchanger. And hot water in the tub again
A water softening device is provided on the secondary side or the second water supply route of the first heat exchanger of the first water supply route .
Hereinafter, the water heater with built-in water softening device of the present invention will be described in detail.

  The “water heater with built-in water softening device” of the present invention does not include a water softening device as a secondary (additional) to the water heater, and the water softening device is integrated in the water supply route in the water heater. It is built in, and is mainly installed in a bathroom, washroom, kitchen, etc. in a general household.

  As the structure of the “hot water heater”, ground water such as tap water supplied as water supply or well water pumped up by a pump or the like is used as raw water, and this is used in a water supply route (distribution pipe) in the water heater. It is not particularly limited as long as it can be introduced and heated by a heat exchanger provided at an appropriate place to supply hot water.

  The “water softening device” is not particularly limited as long as the raw water is brought into contact with an ion exchange resin to remove hardness components such as calcium components and magnesium components dissolved in the raw water. It is not something.

  Then, the water heater with built-in water softening device of the present invention incorporates the water softening device with respect to the heat exchanger provided in the water heater when the water softening device is incorporated into the water supply route in the water heater. It has the biggest feature in the point arranged on the next side.

  That is, the ability to remove hardness components in water by the ion exchange resin is generally higher than that of raw water supplied at a relatively low temperature of about 15 to 20 ° C. Therefore, if the water softening device is arranged on the secondary side of the heat exchanger provided in the water heater, it is heated to an appropriate temperature by the heat exchanger. The raw water can be treated in the water softening device, which makes it possible to reduce the size of the water softening device by reducing the amount of ion exchange resin, and as a result, the water heater built-in water softening device with a very small and compact structure. A vessel can be constructed.

  By the way, the ion exchange resin in the water softening device adsorbs hardness components (ion exchange) every time it comes into contact with raw water, and its processing ability gradually decreases, so that after a certain period of use according to the usage frequency, Therefore, it is necessary to replace the ion exchange resin itself or to regenerate the ion exchange resin.

  However, since the regeneration treatment of the ion exchange resin can be easily performed by contact with an electrolyte solution such as a saline solution, the regeneration treatment is usually performed rather than replacing the ion exchange resin itself. Particularly, in recent water softening devices, there are many that automatically perform this regeneration process.

  Here, it is natural that water heaters used in general households are automatically supplied with hot water only by twisting the faucet or operating a hot water button or the like. For this reason, most of the water heaters used in general households have a structure in which the water heater automatically operates by sensing the flow of water in the water supply route.

  However, if such a structure is given to the water heater with a built-in water softening device according to the present invention in which the water softening device is arranged on the secondary side with respect to the heat exchanger provided in the water heater, the regeneration is performed. Since the water heater automatically operates by sensing the flow of water in the water supply route during processing, useless energy such as gas and electricity is consumed during the regeneration processing.

  Therefore, in the water heater with a built-in water softening device of the present invention, it is preferable to include a control mechanism that does not operate the water heater during the regeneration process of the ion exchange resin in the water softening device.

  That is, by providing such a control mechanism, heating by the heat exchanger is not performed during the regeneration process of the ion exchange resin in the water softening device, and wasteful gas and electricity consumption can be prevented during the regeneration process. It can be done.

  The control mechanism is not particularly limited. For example, the user may manually stop the operation of the water heater by using a switch or a lever. Confirming that the regeneration process is in progress and stopping the operation of the water heater by itself is a very complicated task. Therefore, in the present invention, the operation of the water heater is automatically performed during the ion exchange resin regeneration process. It is preferable to provide a control mechanism for regenerating the ion exchange resin in the water softening device at a flow rate equal to or lower than the flow rate at which the operation of the water heater starts.

  More specifically, as the former control mechanism, when starting the regeneration process of the ion exchange resin in the water softening device, for example, a signal indicating that the regeneration process is in progress is transmitted by wire or wirelessly, and this signal is received. Examples of the control mechanism for automatically stopping the operation of the water heater include a flow rate equal to or lower than a set flow rate at which the operation of the water heater is started, that is, the water heater is water in the water supply route. Examples include those that regenerate the ion exchange resin at a flow rate that does not sense the flow.

  By the way, in the water heater with a built-in water softening device of the present invention, since the water softening device is arranged on the secondary side with respect to the heat exchanger provided in the water heater, the ion exchange resin in the water softening device. When the regeneration process is started, there is a problem that hot water cannot be supplied until the process is completed.

  Of course, a method of temporarily interrupting the regeneration process and starting hot water supply is also conceivable, but hot water cannot be used until the discharge of the electrolyte solution that has been in contact with the ion exchange resin is completed, which may be very inconvenient.

  Therefore, in the water heater with a built-in water softening device of the present invention, it is preferable to provide a bypass route that does not pass through the water softening device in the water supply route in the water heater. If it is necessary to use hot water when the regeneration process of the ion exchange resin is started, hot water can be used as soon as possible by selecting a water supply route that passes through the bypass.

  Here, since manually selecting the water supply route that passes through this bypass path is a cumbersome operation, in the present invention, particularly when hot water is required during regeneration of the ion exchange resin in the water softening device, automatic It is preferable to provide an automatic bypass mechanism that selects a water supply route via the bypass path.

  More specifically, as the automatic bypass mechanism, when hot water is required when the regeneration process of the ion exchange resin is started in the water softening device, for example, a signal for requesting hot water is transmitted by wire or wirelessly. In response, the automatic bypass valve is activated to select a water supply route that passes through the bypass path, thereby enabling hot water supply that does not pass through the water softening device.

  Of the water heaters with built-in water softening devices of the present invention, those equipped with a control mechanism that automatically stops the operation of the water heater during the above-described ion exchange resin regeneration process, Since the operation of the water heater is stopped, hot water cannot be used even if the bypass path is provided.

  Therefore, among the water heaters with a built-in water softening device of the present invention, those having a control mechanism that automatically stops the operation of the water heater during the ion exchange resin regeneration process, receive a hot water request during the regeneration process. In such a case, it is preferable to provide a control mechanism that exceptionally restarts the operation of the water heater.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention , in the water heater with a built-in water softening device which replenishes automatic hot water supply to a bathtub, additional hot water supply, and hot water in a bathtub, miscellaneous bacteria propagation of a water softening device can be prevented .

  That is, when the water softener built-in type water heater of the present invention is incorporated into the water supply route in the water heater, the water softener is secondary to the heat exchanger provided in the water heater. Since the raw water heated by the heat exchanger can be processed in the water softening device, the water softening device can be miniaturized by reducing the amount of ion exchange resin. A water heater with a built-in water softening device having a very small and compact structure can be constructed.

  Further, in the water heater with a built-in water softening device of the present invention, the one having a control mechanism that does not operate the water heater during the ion exchange resin regeneration process in the water softener is in the process of regenerating the ion exchange resin in the water softener. In addition, since the operation of the water heater is stopped, it is possible to prevent the consumption of useless energy such as gas and electricity during the regeneration process.

  Furthermore, in the water heater with a built-in water softening device of the present invention, the water supply route in the water heater is provided with a bypass route that does not pass through the water softening device. However, it is possible to use hot water as soon as possible.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the water heater with a built-in water softening device of the present invention will be described with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

<Water heater>
Fig.1 (a) is a schematic diagram which shows the hot water heater 1 'for bathrooms equipped with the automatic hot water supply and reheating system currently used in the general household.

  That is, the water heater 1 'introduces the raw water W into the water heater 1' and converts the raw water W passing through the water supply route 2 (2a, 2b, 2c) in the water heater 1 'to the heat exchanger 3 (3a 3b), which is appropriately heated to selectively supply hot water to the shower 11, hot water supply faucet 12 and bathtub 13 (in the figure, 15 is a water supply faucet, which does not heat the raw water W and supplies water as it is. is there.).

  More specifically, when hot water supply from the shower 11 or the hot water supply tap 12 is required, as shown in FIG. 1 (b), the raw water W via the water supply route 2a (with the bath pouring valve 14 closed) is shown. However, it is heated by the heat exchanger 3 a to become hot water, and hot water is supplied from the shower 11 and the hot water supply faucet 12.

  On the other hand, when automatic hot water supply or additional hot water supply to the bathtub 13 is required, as shown in FIG. The raw water passed in sequence is heated by the heat exchangers 3 a and / or 3 b to become hot water and supplied to the bathtub 13.

  In addition, when the hot water in the bathtub 13 needs to be reheated, as shown in FIG. 1 (d), an automatic detection by a temperature sensor (not shown) or a user's manual instruction is received. The hot water in the bathtub 13 circulates through the water supply route 2c by the operation of the pump 16 and is reheated by the heat exchanger 3b, and is again supplied to the bathtub 13 as hot water of appropriate temperature.

FIGS. 2A to 2B are schematic views showing a water heater 1 with a built-in water softening device of the present invention in which a water softening device 4 is integrally incorporated in a water supply route 2. In the case of incorporating the water softening device 4 into the water supply route 2, the apparatus built-in water heater 1 is arranged on the secondary side with respect to the heat exchanger 3 provided in the water heater 1. Is. FIG. 2 (c) is a comparison of the present invention.

That is, the water softener-equipped water heater 1 of the present invention shown in FIGS. 2A to 2B is secondary to the heat exchanger 3 provided with the water softener 4 in the water heater 1. Since the raw water heated to an appropriate temperature by the heat exchanger 3 can be processed in the water softening device 4, the water softening device 4 can be downsized by reducing the amount of ion exchange resin. As a result, the water heater 1 with a very small and compact structure can be obtained.

Also, each of the water heaters 1 with built-in water softening devices of the present invention shown in FIGS. 2 (a) to 2 ( b) receives a signal during the ion exchange resin regeneration process, and operates the water heater 1 (heat exchanger). 3 is provided, and the operation of the water heater 1 is stopped during the ion exchange resin regeneration process in the water softening device 4 by providing such a control mechanism 5. In addition, useless energy such as gas and electricity can be prevented during the regeneration process.

  More specifically, the water heater 1 with a built-in water softening device of the present invention shown in FIG. 2A is provided on the secondary side with respect to the heat exchanger 3 a provided with the water softening device 4 in the water heater 1. The water softening device 7 is arranged on the water supply route 2a, and has the advantage that soft water can be supplied to any of the shower 11 direction, the hot water faucet 12 direction, and the bathtub 13 direction. is there.

  In addition, the water softening device built-in type water heater 1 of the present invention shown in FIG. 2B is arranged on the secondary side with respect to the heat exchanger 3 a provided in the water heater 1. The water softening device 4 is arranged on the water supply route 2b and can supply soft water only in the direction of the bathtub 13. However, since the burden on the water softening device 4 is reduced, the amount of ion exchange resin required is small. There is an advantage that the water softening device 4 can be further reduced in size.

Furthermore, and FIG. 2 (c) are shown versus proportional water softener built-water heater 1, upon distribution to the secondary side of the heat exchanger 3b which is provided with a water softener 4 in the water heater 1, The water softening device 4 is arranged on the water supply route 2c, and as in FIG. 2B, soft water can be supplied only in the direction of the bathtub 13, but the burden on the water softening device 4 is small. Therefore, there is an advantage that the amount of ion exchange resin required is reduced and the water softening device 4 can be further reduced in size. However, since the water supply route 2c is also a circulation route of the reheating system, the bathtub 13 Since hot water after being used inside the water softening device 4 enters, bacteria may propagate on the ion exchange resin in the water softening device 4.

  FIG. 3A shows a water heater 1 with a built-in water softening device of the present invention in which a water softening device 4 (resin tube 41, salt water tank 42, control valve 43) is integrally incorporated in a water supply route 2. FIG. This water heater 1 with a built-in water softening device is a heat exchanger 3 provided in the water heater 1 especially when the water softening device 4 is incorporated into the water supply route 2. On the other hand, it is arranged on the secondary side.

  In addition, in this figure, the connection part of the water supply route 2 and the water softening device 4 is expanded and shown so that the connection relationship of the water softening device 4 with respect to the water supply route 2 can be understood easily.

  More specifically, in the water heater 1 with a built-in water softening device shown in FIG. 3A, when the water softening device 4 is arranged on the secondary side with respect to the heat exchanger 3a provided in the water heater 1, The water purification device 7 is arranged on the water supply route 2b, and the water supply route 2b is provided with a bypass passage 6 and automatic bypass valves 7 (7a, 7b, 7c) that do not pass through the water softening device 4.

  That is, the water heater 1 with a built-in water softening device according to the present embodiment automatically receives a hot water request signal when hot water is required when the water softening device 4 starts the regeneration process of the ion exchange resin. In addition, an automatic bypass mechanism for selecting a water supply route via the bypass passage 6 is provided, and during the regeneration process (bypass valves 7b and 7c are closed and the bypass valve 7a is opened, the raw water is softened by the water softening device 4). When the use of hot water by an automatic hot water filling system or the like is required, the automatic bypass valve 7 is activated (bypass valve 7c is closed and bypass valve 7a, as shown in FIG. 3B). 7b is opened), the water supply route 2 passing through the bypass 6 is selected, and hot water can be used immediately.

  In addition, the water heater 1 with a built-in water softening device according to the present embodiment receives a signal during the ion exchange resin regeneration process, automatically stops the operation of the water heater 1, and also requests a hot water supply request during the regeneration process. In the case of having received, the control mechanism 5 which exceptionally restarts the operation of the water heater is provided.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a hot water heater for baths equipped with an automatic hot water supply / reheating system used in general households. Figure 2 (a) (b) is Ri schematic diagram showing a water softener built-water heater of the present invention according to Example 1, FIG. 2 (c), water softener built comparative example of the present invention It is a schematic diagram which shows a type | mold water heater. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a water heater with a built-in water softening device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Water softener built-in water heater 2 Water supply route 3 Heat exchanger 4 Water softener 5 Control mechanism 6 Bypass path 7 Automatic bypass valve

Claims (1)

When hot water supply from the shower (11) or the hot water supply faucet (12) is required, the raw water (W) via the first water supply route (2a) is heated by the first heat exchanger (3a), Hot water is supplied from the shower (11) or hot water tap (12),
When automatic hot water supply or additional hot water supply to the bathtub (13) is required, the secondary side of the first heat exchanger (3a) of the first water supply route (2a) and the first water supply route (2a) The raw water that has passed through the second water supply route (2b), which is branched from between the shower (11) or the hot water supply faucet (12), is connected to the second water supply route (2b) in order to follow the bathtub (13). Heated by the second heat exchanger (3b) and / or the first heat exchanger (3a) provided in the third water supply route (2c) which is the circulation path of the cooking system, )
When it is necessary to reheat the hot water in the bathtub (13), the hot water in the bathtub (13) is moved to the third water supply route (by the operation of the pump (16) provided in the third water supply route (2c) ( 2c) and reheated by the second heat exchanger (3b), again hot water is supplied to the bathtub (13),
Built-in water softening device characterized by comprising a water softening device (4) on the secondary side of the first heat exchanger (3a) of the first water supply route (2a) or the second water supply route (2b) Type water heater .