MXPA97008080A - Automatic variation demand flow regulator - Google Patents

Abstract

A variable demand flow regulator (10) regulates the flow of water within a building based on a variable water supply and variable demand pressures. When the demand for water downstream of the flow regulator increases, the water pressure on the downstream side of the piston valve (200) decreases and a piston (201) of the piston valve (201) moves on the piston valve (201). downstream direction. This results in a greater number of access holes (320) being exposed to the flow of water thus allowing a greater flow of water when demand increases. An adjustable purge valve (500) controls the flow characteristics of the regulator (10) affecting the movement of the piston (20).

Description

AUTOMATIC VARIABLE DEMAND FLOW REGULATOR REFERENCE TO RELATED REQUESTS This is a partial continuation of the application with serial number 08-603,078 of the United States registered on February 20, 1996.

BACKGROUND This invention relates to water flow regulators and in particular to a variable demand flow regulator with a mobile piston valve that regulates and controls water flow based on water demand. Many commercial residential buildings such as rental apartment buildings or condominium complexes pay your monthly water bill as part of your rent or monthly condominium expenses. In an apartment building, the master piping that supplies water to the individual apartment units of the apartment building has a single flow meter for the entire apartment building. Tenants generally have little or no control over the rate of water flow to their apartment units, and tenants are charged for the use of water based on the total volume of water used in the entire apartment building, as appropriate. determined by the single meter of water flow in the water main pipe.

The following is an example of how the water flow velocity may vary depending on the water demand. If the demand for water is high, such as during morning hours, the user would use a relatively smaller total volume of water for a particular use during those morning hours of higher demand than he would use for the same use during the hours of little demand. In other words, the flow velocity of the water during the hours of greatest demand is less and, consequently, a greater volume of water would flow from the same outlet in the same period. Tenants are responsible for paying for increased water use during periods of lower demand since typically apartment buildings do not have regulators that automatically adjust the flow rate of the water in response to water demand. However, tenants are generally not concerned about conserving water since their water use expenses are included in their rent or condominium maintenance expenses. For example, there is less chance that tenants of apartment buildings install water saving devices than homeowners, who restrict the flow of water to their homes, and when such devices are installed in apartment units they are the same. generally disconnected by the tenants of the apartment building. As a result, the use of water for the apartment building increases and all tenants end up absorbing the costs of the largest volume of water used in the apartment building. Of course, public water utility companies are not particularly concerned about the additional expense incurred by the tenants of the apartment building, since a greater use of water results in greater profits for them. Therefore, there is a need for an automatic variable demand flow regulator to overcome the problems presented above.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a device for automatically regulating the flow of water through a water supply pipe using a piston valve. Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for automatically regulating and controlling the flow of water based on demand. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic flow regulating device that regulates the flow of water between a water flow meter for a master water supply pipe of a building and the water users of the building. According to a configuration of the present invention, water consumption is automatically regulated and restricted by a mechanical device using a piston valve with a sliding piston to regulate the flow of water. The piston valve varies a flow area through which the water must pass to reach a downstream demand outlet, and the flow area varies to reflect the variable water demand. The position of the piston inside the piston valve is controlled by the water pressure on the supply side of the device and by the water pressure on the demand side of the device. The piston assumes a fixed position when equilibrium is reached and the water pressure inside the device is in a state of equilibrium. To achieve maximum efficiency, the device includes a compression spring that directs the piston to the upstream supply side against the natural tendency of the water flow to push the piston to the demand side downstream to a maximum flow position of Water. When the valve piston is in a closed position, there is an equal water pressure on both sides of the piston so that the piston is in a fixed state and the flow of water through the device is minimal. The only flow made is through small ducts in the piston and / or the flow around the periphery of the piston. The piston remains fixed in the minimum flow position until there is an increase in the demand for water downstream of the device. When demand increases on the downstream or outlet side of the device and the water flow through the device is not adequate to provide an equal water pressure on both sides of the piston, the piston will respond to pressure imbalance by moving in the direction from downstream to the outlet side of the device to expose an additional flow area for the water to pass, thus providing additional water to the outlet side of the device. Simultaneously, the compression spring of the device is compressed when the piston moves in the downstream direction. The position of the piston is adjusted until the impression is equalized between the supply and demand sides of the piston. Accordingly, the piston valve provides a variable flow of water that adjusts in response to water demand. The device includes a purge valve, which allows adjustments to the water flow characteristics of the device controlling the movement of the piston. For the device to provide maximum flow reduction, the purge valve has compression characteristics that are designed to allow a pressure drop across the device without compromising or altering the building's water demand. The device includes a central access spout with a closed upstream end, a closed downstream end, and an access hole arrangement through which the water passes as it flows downstream. In operation, the water flows into the access holes to a central conduit of the access pipe and exits downstream through the open end of the access pipe. The surface area of the access holes corresponds to the flow area discussed above, and the flow velocity is regulated by controlling the total flow area or the total surface area of the access holes through which the flow passes. Water. The access holes are arranged to provide maximum flexibility for the device under a variable demand for water and water flow conditions. Each building system for which such a device is installed will be individually evaluated to determine the desired characteristics of the water flow and the appropriate requirements of the compression ring and the purge valve. According to another configuration of the present invention, the device includes a purge or differential pressure valve installed between an intermediate inlet chamber and an outlet chamber. The differential pressure valve detects changes in downstream pressure and independently discharges or dumps water from the intermediate inlet chamber to the outlet chamber upon detecting a low downstream pressure. When the water is discharged into the intermediate chamber of entrance to the exit chamber, the valve piston moves in the downstream direction towards the intermediate inlet chamber, thus exposing the additional access holes in the access tube of the device so that the water flows downstream to the outlet chamber towards the location of water demand of the building. The water pressure in the outlet chamber increases until it equilibrates with the water pressure in the intermediate inlet chamber. At this point, the differential pressure valve is closed and the piston of the piston valve is directed in motion in the direction of current by, action of the compression ring until equilibrium is reached and the water pressure inside the device is in a balanced state. The device of the present invention continuously regulates the flow of water and allows the automatic regulation of the flow of water of variable demand.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1 is a plan view of a variable demand flow regulator according to a configuration of the present invention. Figure 2 is a sectional view of the variable demand flow demand regulator of Figure 1. Figure 3A is a front view of the input plate of the variable demand flow regulator of Figure 2, as seen at length of the arrow B. Figure 3B is a side view of the input plate of the variable demand flow regulator of Figure 2. Figure 4A is a side view of the piston valve of the variable demand flow regulator of Figure 2. Figure 4B is a front view of the piston valve of Figure 2, as viewed along the arrow B. Figure 5 is a side view of an access spout of the variable demand flow regulator. of Figure 2. Figure 6 is a side view of an external frame of the variable demand flow regulator of Figure 2. Figure 7 is a sectional view of a purge valve for use with the demand flow regulator variable of Figure 2. Figure 8A is a a front view of an output plate of the variable demand regulator of Figure 2, as viewed along the arrow B. Figure 8B is a side view of the output plate of the variable demand flow regulator of the Figure 2.

Figure 9A is a plan view of a purge valve for use with the variable demand flow regulator of Figure 2. Figure 9B is a sectional view of a purge valve of Figure 9A. Figure 10 shows a pattern of access holes and lists the number of exposed access holes and the cumulative surface area for different piston positions of the variable demand flow regulator of Figure 2, according to a preferred configuration.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED CONFIGURATIONS The preferred configurations of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like or similar elements. Figure 1 is a plan view of a variable demand flow regulator 10 placed in position in a water pipe 3 between a water supply master pipe 2 and a water pipe of building 12 connected to a building 14. Building 14 can be a residential apartment building, a condominium complex, an office building and the like. Water flows from the water supply master pipe 2 to the water pipe 3 in the direction of the arrow A. A single water flow meter 5 measures the volume of water supplied to the building 14. In a preferred configuration, the variable demand flow regulator 10 is positioned in position between the water flow meter 5 and the water pipe of the building 12. The variable demand flow regulator 10 can be used in conjunction with the bypass valves 4, 6, and a bypass pipe 8, which allows water to be diverted from variable demand flow regulator 10 so that maintenance service can be effected in variable demand flow regulator 10 without having to interrupt the supply of water to building 14. Fig. 2 shows a partial view of the variable demand flow regulator of Fig. 1. This variable demand flow regulator 10 includes an input plate 100 (also indicated in Figs. 3A and 3B), a piston valve 200 (also indicated in Figures 4A and 4B) with a piston 201 which slides back and forth in the directions indicated by the double arrow C, and an access pipe 300 (shown also in Figure 5) extending through the piston valve 200. The piston 201 has a current end down which touches the end 392 of a compression spring 300. A downstream end 394 of the compression spring 390 touches the upstream side of an outlet plate 600 (also illustrated in Figures 8A and 8B). An adjustable purge valve 500 (also illustrated in Figures 7), 9A, and 9B) allows the operator control of the variable demand flow regulator 10 so that an operator can adjust the piston valve 200 to produce the desired flow characteristics by controlling the movement of the piston 201. The flow regulator variable demand 10 may include input couplings 22, 26, threaded to connect with a coupling spout 24. The inlet coupling 26 connects the coupling spout 24 to an upstream end of an inlet hollow flange 30 which, a in turn, is threaded to its downstream end to connect with an upstream end of an external frame 400 (also illustrated in Figure 6) of the variable demand flow regulator. A hollow outlet flange 40 is threaded to its upstream end to connect to a downstream end of the outer shell 400. A downstream end of the outlet flange 40 is connected to an upstream end of a pipe of coupling 54 by a coupler 56. A downstream end of the coupling pipe 54 is connected to a water pipe of the building 12 (illustrated in Figure 1) by a coupler 52. Figure 3A is a front view of the plate input 100 of the variable demand flow regulator 10 of Figure 2 as viewed along the arrow B, and Figure 3B is a side view of the input plate 100 of the variable demand flow regulator 10 of the Figure 2. The inlet plate 100 has an annular shape with a central axial opening 102 and inflow ports. The axial opening 102 is located around a threaded end 3023 of the access pipe 300, as illustrated in Figure 5, and touches a nut 312. As illustrated in Figures 2 and 3B, the water flows into the hollow flange of the pipe. inlet 30 and through the inflow ports 110 of the inlet plate 100, as indicated by the arrows F. Figure 4A is a side view of the piston valve 200 of the variable demand flow regulator 10 of the Figure 2, and Figure 4B is a front view of the piston valve 200 as viewed along the arrow B of Figure 2. The piston valve 200 includes a piston 201, which may include small longitudinal conduits 212, 214, extending from an upstream end 202 to a downstream end 204. According to a preferred configuration, the piston 201 does not include the ducts 212, 214, but instead the size of the piston 201 is such that it allows the water fluy around the outer periphery of it. A central axial opening 210 is of such a size that it can slidably receive the access spout 300. In operation, the water flows into the inlet flange 30, through the inlet orifices 110 of the inlet plate. 100, through the conduits 212, 214, and / or around the outer periphery of the piston 201 within the intermediate input chamber 15 (shown in Figure 2) of the variable demand flow regulator 10. In addition, the flow of water through the flow orifices 110 of the inlet plate 100 exerts pressure on the upstream end 202 of the piston 201 to push the piston 201 toward the downstream direction and push the downstream end 404 of the piston 201 against the upstream end 392 of the compression spring 390. Figure 5 is a side view of the access spout 300 of the variable demand flow regulator 10 of Figure 2. The access spout 300 is provided with access holes 320 through which the water flows. The access holes 320 can be specially arranged in a pattern that promotes the desired flow characteristics, such as those illustrated in Figure 10. Referring to Figures 2 and 5, the access spout 300 extends through the central axial opening 210 of the piston 201. An end plug 60 closes the upstream end 302 of the access spout 300 to the water flow and forces water to flow around the periphery of the piston 201 (and / or through the conduits 212, 214 , on the piston 201) and through the exposed access ports 320. When the piston 201 moves in the downstream direction, some or all of the access holes 320 in the access pipe 300 are exposed to water, allowing so that water flows through the exposed access ports 320 into a central conduit 330 of the access pipe 300, as indicated by arrow G in Figure 5. Therefore, the higher the pressure upstream of the water in the main water supply pipe 2, plus the piston 201 moves in the downstream direction, resulting in a greater number of exposed holes 320 along the access pipe 300. Optionally, the jam nuts 314 can be used to hold the downstream end 304 of the access spout 300 in the central opening 620 of the outlet plate 600, as shown in Figures 2 and 8A. Referring to Figures 1, 2, and 5, the piston 201 adjusts its position in accordance with changes in water pressure in the water supply pipe 2 according to the compression of the compression spring 390, which is affected by changes in the water demand in the building 14. More specifically, as the demand for water in the building 14 increases, the water pressure on the downstream side 204 of the piston 201 decreases, thus allowing the piston 201 to move further in the downstream direction and subject to the compression spring 390 to further compression. According to a preferred configuration, the access holes 320 are arranged in such a way that the number of exposed access holes through the piston 201 increases in a non-linear manner as the piston 201 moves in the downstream direction. In other words, the cumulative surface area of the exposed access holes 320 increases by an amount increasing as the piston 201 moves in the downstream direction. Figure 10 shows an access hole pattern 320 for the access spout 300 of the variable demand flow regulator 10 according to the preferred configuration. The number of exposed access holes 320 and the cumulative surface area of the exposed access holes 320 for different positions of the piston 201 along the access spout 300 of the variable demand flow regulator 10 is also listed in Figure 10. The access pipe 300 can be manufactured with materials such as PVC, acrylic and metal, for example. Figure 6 is a side view of the outer frame 400 of the variable demand flow regulator 10 of Figure 2. The frame 400 has the ends 402 and 404 which respectively connect with the inlet flange 30 and the outlet flange 40, as illustrated in Figure 2. Frame ends 402, 404, and inlet and outlet flanges 30, 40, may include threaded sections for matching pieces together. The frame 400 may optionally include the index 410 such as a scale engraved or printed indicating the position of the piston 201 in units of inches, centimeters, and the like. The frame 400 can be made of a transparent material such as acrylic and also PVC, for example. Figure 7 is a sectional view of an adjustable purge valve 500 used to control the flow characteristics of the variable demand flow regulator 10 of Figure 2, intervening in the movement of the piston 201. Figure 8A is a front view of the outlet plate 600 of the variable demand flow regulator 10 of Figure 2, as viewed along the arrow B, and Figure 8B is a side view of the outlet plate 600 of the variable demand flow regulator 10 of Figure 2. The purge valve 500 includes an upstream end 502 which fits into an opening 610 of the outlet plate 600. The valve Purge 500 can be fixed to outlet plate 600 by a nut 503 to hold purge valve 500 in place. The purge valve 500 includes a frame 505 having external purge ports 510, which allow water entering the purge valve 500, along the arrow H to exit to the outlet flange 40. A spring 530 it is located between a spacer 550 and a piston 520. The spacer 550 can be adjusted to move in the directions indicated by the arrow R by turning the end plug 506. The additional holes 540 in the frame 505 of the purge valve 500 allow more water flows to the outlet flange 40. When there is a high water pressure on the piston 520 the additional holes 540 are exposed, which pushes the piston 520 in a downstream direction against the action of the spring 530, or when the separator 550 it is retracted in a downstream direction by the proper rotation of the end plug 506. Figure 9A is a side view and Figure 9B is a sectional view of the purge valve 700, in accordance with a preferred configuration. The bleed valve 700 includes an upstream end 702 that fits within an opening 610 of the outlet plate 600. The bleed valve 700 can be fixed to the outlet plate 600 by a nut 703 to hold the valve in place 700. Purge valve 700 includes a frame 705 having external purge ports 710 that allow water entering the purge valve 700 to exit outlet flange 40. A compression spring 730 is located between a separator 750 on the downstream side and a piston 720 on the upstream side. The piston 720 has an upstream beveled end 725 that can be used to cut the purge valve 700 from the water flow by blocking the opening of the nipple 727 in the bleed valve 700. The separator 750 can be adjusted to move in the axial directions advancing or retracting a screw 707 connected to the separator 750 by rotating a head 708 of the screw 707. The additional holes 740, 745, in the frame 705 of the bleed valve 700 allow more water to flow into the outlet flange 40. The additional holes 740 and 745 are exposed when there is a high water pressure on the piston 720, which pushes the piston 720 in a downstream direction against the action of the compression spring 730, or when the separator 750 is retracted in a downstream direction by rotating the head 708 of the threaded rod 707 to retract the threaded rod 707. The positions of the additional holes 740 and 745 allow graduating several levels of water purge in the purge valve 700 depending on the position of the threaded rod 707 and the upstream pressure of the water pushing against the piston 720. The purge orifices 710 need not be arranged as illustrated in the Figure 9A, but instead may have other provisions that achieve the purpose discussed above. Optionally, a purge valve 500 or 700 may be used in the variable demand flow regulator 10. When more than one purge valve 500 or 700 is used, each purge valve 500 or 700 is connected as described above. Purge valve 500 or 700 can be maintained or repaired using bypass line 8 and bypass valves 4, 6, to redirect the water flow away from the variable demand flow regulator, as illustrated in Figure 1. The configurations described above are illustrative examples of the present invention and should not be construed as meaning that the present invention is limited to those particular configurations. Various changes and modifications may be made by a person skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the attached assertions. For example, although the variable demand flow regulator of the present invention is described above with respect to regulating a flow of water to a building such as an apartment building, the present invention is also applicable to the regulation of water flow to other types of structures such as group homes, single-family residences and the like.

Claims (22)

1. A variable demand flow regulator system to regulate the flow of water to a water system of a building, comprising the variable demand flow regulator system: a water supply; and a regulator that has an inlet connected to the water supply and an outlet connected to the building's water system, including the regulator a purge valve to establish the desired flow characteristics, by which the regulator automatically responds to variations in the demand for water increasing the flow of water to the building when the demand for water increases and decreasing the flow of water to the building when the demand for water decreases.

2. A variable demand flow regulator for regulating liquid flow based on a variable liquid feed pressure and a variable liquid demand pressure, the variable demand flow regulator comprising: a hollow frame with an inlet and a departure; a longitudinal hollow valve member disposed within the frame, the valve member having a closed inlet end, an open outlet end and a wall that closes a hollow interior, the wall containing a plurality of openings; a piston disposed within the frame and circumscribing the valve member, the piston being longitudinally slidable along the wall of the valve element from a first position substantially covering the plurality of openings in the wall to a second position exposing an opening so less of the plurality of openings in the wall; and a purge valve connected to the frame, the purge valve controlling the flow characteristics of the liquid controlling the movement of the piston, where: an imbalance in the liquid pressure between the inlet and outlet of the frame causes the piston to slide along the wall of the valve element in response to the imbalance such that when the pressure of the liquid at the entrance of the frame is greater than the pressure of the liquid at the exit of the frame, the liquid passes to the entrance of the frame and slides the piston along the wall of the valve element towards the exit of the frame thus exposing an opening of at least the plurality of openings in the wall, and the liquid flows through the openings exposed within the hollow interior from the valve element and then through the open outlet of the valve element, a balance in the liquid pressure between the inlet and the outlet d the frame causes the piston to stop in an equilibrium position along the wall of the valve element, and the purge valve controls the movement of the piston affecting the balance of the liquid pressure between the entrance and exit of the frame.

3. The variable demand flow regulator of claim 2, further comprising compression means disposed within the frame to provide a pressure directed on the piston, the pressure directed toward the entrance of the frame, where the compression means are compressed by the piston, when the pressure of the liquid at the entrance of the frame exceeds the pressure of the flow at the outlet of the frame and the directed pressure of the compression means.

4. The variable demand flow regulator of claim 2, wherein the plurality of openings in the wall of the valve element are arranged in a pattern such that a surface cumulative area of the plurality of openings increases by an amount increased from the inlet end of the valve member to the outlet end of the valve member.

5. A variable demand flow regulator comprising: a hollow frame with an inlet end and an outlet end; an access spout disposed within the frame and with a closed inlet end, an open outlet end, and a plurality of access holes through a wall, the end of the access spout being in liquid communication with the outlet end of the frame; a piston circumscribing a portion of the access spout and arranged for a sliding movement along the access spout within the frame, the piston sliding between a position in which the plurality of access holes in the access spout are covered and a position in which an access hole of at least the plurality of access holes is exposed; compression means disposed within the frame for exerting a force directed on the piston in a direction towards the entrance of the frame; and a bleed valve connected to the frame to tightly control the flow characteristics through the frame by controlling the movement of the piston, where: the incoming liquid at the entrance of the frame exerts a force on the piston in a direction towards the exit of the frame. that when the force of the liquid exceeds the directed force, the piston moves in the direction towards the exit of the frame to the position in which an access hole of at least the plurality of access holes is exposed, allowing at least liquid flowing through one of the exposed holes into an interior portion of the access spout to the outlet end of the access spout and out of the frame through the outlet end of the frame, and the purge valve controls the Piston movement affecting a pressure balance of the liquid between the entrance and exit of the frame.

6. The variable demand flow regulator of claim 5, wherein the access holes are arranged in a pattern such that a surface cumulative area of the access holes increases by an increased amount from the inlet end of the spout of access to the outlet end of the access pipe.

7. The demand flow regulator of claim 5, wherein the piston has small conduits extending through the entrance end of the frame to an intermediate chamber of the frame.

8. The variable demand flow regulator of claim 7, wherein the purge valve is connected between the intermediate chamber and the outlet end of the frame, and the purge valve comprises: a hollow frame with an inlet end liquid communication with the intermediate chamber, a closed outlet end, and openings in a wall for liquid flow from the entrance end of the framework to the exit end of the framework; a sliding piston disposed within the frame between a position covering the openings in the frame and a position in which at least one of the openings is exposed; compression means disposed within the frame to direct the piston towards the entrance end of the frame; position adjustable means for adjustably positioning the compression means within the frame; where the liquid entering the entrance end of the frame from the intermediate chamber of the frame exerts pressure on the piston, causing the piston to slide in the direction towards the closed end of the frame thereby exposing one of the openings of at least the openings of the frame to allow the flow of liquid between the intermediate chamber and the exit end of the frame through the openings exposed in the frame of the purge valve.

9. The variable demand flow regulator according to claim 8, wherein: the openings in the purge valve are positioned in an arrangement that allows several levels of purge, and the piston is positioned by the adjustable position means and the compression means for exposing several portions of the arrangement, thereby providing several purge levels selectable by the regulator user. The variable demand flow regulator of claim 8, wherein the purge valve piston has an inlet beveled end that can be used to substantially block the flow of fluid from the intermediate chamber through the intermediate valve to through the purge valve into the outlet end of the frame. 11. A variable demand flow regulator valve system to regulate the water supplied by the city to a multi-use building, the system comprising: an external water supply pipeline; a building water meter with an inlet and an outlet, where the inlet is connected to the external water supply pipe; a variable demand flow regulator valve with one inlet and one outlet, where the inlet is connected to the outlet of the building's water meter; an incoming water master pipe for the building connected to the outlet of the variable flow regulator valve; and a bypass line including a bypass valve with an open position and a closed position, wherein the open position allows water from the external water supply pipe to be diverted from the variable demand flow regulator valve and to pass through through the building bypass pipe, and the closed position causes the water from the external water supply pipe to pass inside the variable demand flow regulating valve. 12. The variable demand flow regulating valve system of claim 11, wherein the multipurpose building in a multi-unit apartment building, a multi-unit condominium building or a multi-unit office building. 13. A variable demand flow regulating valve for regulating the flow of past liquid in a variable pressure supply and a variable pressure demand, the valve comprising: a cylindrical frame with an inlet side and an outlet side; a hollow spout coaxial with the cylindrical frame, the hollow spout having a closed inlet end and an open outlet end, the hollow spout also having a plurality of openings along the outer wall adjacent to the inlet end; a cylindrical sliding piston valve which slides on the outer circumference of the hollow spout adjacent to the inlet end, the piston valve having a first position to substantially cover the openings of the hollow spout outer wall, the piston valve having an orifice at least extending from the first to the second end; a compression spring mounted coaxially on the hollow spout adjacent to the open outlet end, the compression spring having a first and a second end, touching the first end of the piston valve, and the second end touching the edge adjacent to the side of the piston; exit from the cylindrical frame, where the liquid passing through the entrance side of the cylindrical frame passes through at least one hole in the piston valve until the pressure on the supply side of the incoming liquid and the pressure on the demand side of the outgoing fluid causes the piston valve to compress against the compression spring to allow the incoming liquid to pass into the plurality of openings in the outer wall of the hollow spout and to the open outlet end of the hollow spout. The variable demand flow regulating valve of claim 13, further comprising a bleed valve positioned adjacent the outlet side of the hydraulic frame to adjust the position of the piston valve. The variable demand flow regulating valve of claim 13, further comprising a bypass line, including a bypass valve with an open position and a closed position, wherein the open position allows the liquid coming from a pipeline power supply is derived from the variable demand flow regulating valve, and passes through the bypass pipe, and the closed position causes the liquid from the external water supply pipe to pass to the variable demand flow regulating valve . 16. The variable demand flow regulating valve of claim 15, is for use with a building meter having an inlet and an outlet, where the meter inlet is connected to the external liquid supply pipe, and the outlet of the meter is connected to the bypass valve. 17. The variable demand flow regulating valve of claim 13, is for use in a multi-use building, being the multi-use building, a multi-unit apartment building, a multi-unit condominium building, or a multi-unit office building. 18. The variable demand flow regulating valve of claim 13, wherein the closed inlet end of the hollow spout further comprises: an inlet end plate that closes at the inlet end of the cylindrical shell, having the end plate entrance a central orifice opening to the inlet end of the hollow spout, and a second opening adjacent to an edge of the inlet end plate to enable communication of the liquid between a first side and a second side of the inlet end plate; and a screw cap for sealing the central hole of the inlet end plate and the inlet end of the hollow spout. The variable demand flow regulating valve of claim 14, further comprising an outlet end plate that closes the outlet end of the cylindrical frame, the exit end plate having a central orifice opening to the outlet end of the hollow spout, and a second opening adjacent an edge of the outlet end plate to allow liquid communication between a first side and a second side of the outlet end plate, where the purge valve is positioned in the second opening of the outlet end plate. 20. The variable demand flow regulating valve of claim 19, wherein the closed inlet end of the hollow spout further comprises: an inlet end plate that closes the inlet end of the cylindrical shell, having the end plate entrance a central orifice opening to the inlet end of the hollow spout, and a second opening adjacent an edge of the inlet end plate to allow liquid communication between a first side and a second side of the inlet end plate , and a screw cap for sealing the central hole of the inlet end plate and the inlet end of the hollow spout. 21. A variable demand flow regulating valve to regulate the liquid based on a variable pressure supply and a variable pressure demand, the valve comprising: a hollow frame with an inlet and an outlet; a hollow valve member within the frame, the valve element having a closed inlet and an open outlet, and having a plurality of openings through an external wall, to allow the flow of liquids within the interior of the hollow member of the valve; and a piston within the frame and circumscribing the hollow element of the valve, the piston being slidable along the external wall of the hollow member of the valve, from a first position substantially covering the plurality of openings of the valve element to a second position exposing one or more of the plurality of openings, wherein the liquid passing through the entrance of the frame, pushes the piston toward the exit of the frame, thereby exposing one or more of the plurality of openings in the hollow element of the frame. the valve, and the liquid flows through the plurality of openings into the hollow element of the valve and from there through the open outlet, until the pressure of the incoming liquid supply side and the demand side pressure of the outgoing liquid causes the piston to reach an equilibrium position within the frame. 22. The valve of the variable demand flow regulator of claim 21, further comprising compression means within the frame to allow the piston to slide from the first position to the second position and reach the equilibrium position.