Water softener abstract
A by-pass water softener system including a water softener made
from a tube and two end caps, enclosing a charge of ion-exchange
resin. A port passes through each end cap. One port is connectible
to a hose which leads to a water distributor such as a hand-held
shower head. The other port is connected to a diverter valve which
selectively directs water from a water supply either to some other
water distributor such as a wall-mounted shower head, or to a hose
which leads to the other port of the water softener. A suspension
device is provided to suspend the water softener, perhaps from the
wall of a shower stall.
Water softener claims
We claim:
1. A by-pass water softener system comprising:
a water softener comprising an elongated tube having a first and
a second end, for holding a change of ion exchange resin, a first
and a second retention means adjacent said respective first and
second ends, said retention means having perforations for passage
of water which are sized to retain said resin in said tube, a first
and a second end cap sealingly and structurally attached to the
tube so as to close said respective first and second ends, each
of said end caps having a port passing therethrough, and first and
second hose attachment means at respective first and second ports;
suspension means attachable to said water softener;
a diverter valve having an inlet port, a first and a second outlet
port, and selector means for directing water from said inlet port
to a selected one of said outlet ports, said inlet port being connectible
to a water supply, said first outlet port being connectible to a
first water distributor;
a first flexible hose connected to said second outlet port and
to said first hose attachment means; and
a second flexible hose connected at one of its ends to said second
hose attachment means, its other said end being unattached to fixed
structure so it is free for spatial movement relative to said tube.
2. A system according to claim 1 in which the free end of said
second hose is connected to a second water distributor.
3. A system according to claim 2 in which hanger means is provided
to be positioned at substantially the same elevation as the uppermost
of said end cap ports for supporting said second water distributor
at or above said elevation.
4. A system according to claim 1 in which both of said end caps
include a peripheral collar surrounding and extending beyond the
outer wall of said tube, said ends of said tube being telescopically
received in said collar.
5. A system according to claim 1 in which both of said collars
are tapered so as to become thinner as they extend away from the
respective ends of said tube.
6. A system according to claim 4 in which said suspension means
includes a rigid ring surrounding said tube between said end caps,
having an inside dimension which forms a clearance with said tube
and which interferes with said end caps, and a flexible member adapted
to be trapped and retained between said ring and one of said end
caps, and held there by the weight of the water softener.
7. A system according to claim 5 in which said suspension means
includes a rigid ring surrounding said tube between said end caps,
having an inside dimension which forms a clearance with said tube
and which interferes with said end caps, and a flexible member adapted
to be trapped and retained between said ring and one of said end
caps, and held there by the weight of the water softener.
8. A system according to claim 6 in which said suspension means
additionally includes a straight suspension bar having first and
second ends mitered to fit flush with a pair of corner walls whereby
to be cemented to them in shear relationship, with the flexible
member looped over said bar.
9. A system according to claim 7 in which said suspension means
additionally includes a straight suspension bar having first and
second ends mitered to fit flush with a pair of corner walls whereby
to be cemented thereto in shear relationship with the flexible member
looped over said bar.
10. A system according to claim 3 in which each said retention
means comprises a screen and a rigid perforated plate, said screen
being disposed between said resin and said plate.
11. A system according to claim 1 including said charge of said
resin in said tube.
12. A system according to claim 7 including said charge of said
resin in said tube.
13. A system according to claim 1 in which said first water distributor
is a shower head.
14. A system according to claim 3 in which said first water distributor
is a shower head.
15. In combination: A shower enclosure having a pair of intersecting
walls, and a water supply pipe passing through one of said walls;
suspension means fixed to one of said walls;
hanger means fixed to one of said walls; and
a by-pass water softener system comprising a water softener comprising
an elongated tube having a first and a second end, a charge of ion
exchange resin inside said tube, a first and a second retention
means adjacent said respective first and second ends, said retention
means having perforations for passage of water which are sized to
retain said resin in said tube, a first and a second end cap sealingly
and structurally attached to the tube so as to close said respective
first and second ends, each of said end caps having a port passing
therethrough, and first and second hose attachment means at respective
first and second ports;
a diverter valve having an inlet port, a first and a second outlet
port, and selector means for directing water from said inlet port
to a selected one of said outlet ports, said inlet port being connectible
to said water supply pipe, said first outlet port being connectible
to a first shower head;
a first flexible hose connected to said second outlet port and
to said first hose attachment means;
a second flexible hose connected at one of its ends to said second
hose attachment means, its other said end being unattached to fixed
structure so it is free for spatial movement relative to said tube;
a second shower head connected to said other end of said second
flexible hose;
said water softener being supported by said suspension means, with
said first end of the tube higher than said second end, said hanger
means being disposed at an elevation substantially the same as that
of the said first end, whereby releasably to support said second
shower head at an elevation at least as high as the upper end of
the charge of resin.
16. A combination according to claim 15 in which both of said end
caps include a peripheral collar surrounding and extending beyond
the outer wall of said tube, said ends of said tube being telescopically
received in said collars.
17. A combination according to claim 15 in which both of said collars
are tapered so as to become thinner as they extend away from the
respective ends of said tube.
18. A combination according to claim 16 in which said suspension
means includes a rigid ring surrounding said tube between said end
caps, having an inside dimension which forms a clearance with said
tube and which interferes with said end caps, and a flexible member
adapted to be trapped and retained between said ring and one of
said end caps, and held there by the weight of the water softener.
19. A combination according to claim 17 in which said suspension
means includes a rigid ring surrounding said tube between said end
caps, having an inside dimension which forms a clearance with said
tube and which interferes with said end caps, and a flexible member
adapted to be trapped and retained between said ring and one of
said end caps, and held there by the weight of the water softener.
20. A combination according to claim 18 in which said suspension
means additionally includes a straight suspension bar having first
and second ends mitered to fit flush with said walls, whereby to
be cemented to them in shear relationship, with the flexible member
looped over said bar.
21. A combination according to claim 19 in which said suspension
means additionally includes a straight suspension bar having first
and second ends mitered to fit flush with a pair of corner walls
whereby to be cemented to them in shear relationship, with the flexible
member looped over said bar.
22. A system according to claim 15 in which said tube and end caps
are made of organic plastic material, and are solvent-welded together.
Water softener description
This invention relates to a by-pass water softener system and to
an installation of this system in a shower stall.
By-pass water softener systems are known. Their characterizing
feature is that they can deliver unsoftened water directly from
the water supply, or alternatively a supply of softened water. One
such system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3653514 issued Apr. 4
1972 to Holler and King, which is characterized by the inclusion
of a diverter valve in a water supply system which can selectively
deliver either unsoftened water directly to an outlet, or to by-pass
the water to a softener and then deliver softened water.
An examination of classical by-pass water systems shows that they
require considerable tooling for manufacturing the parts, and that
the parts are generally complicated so they cannot be produced inexpensively
from elegantly simple components. It is an object of this invention
to provide a water softener which can be produced with very little
tooling cost, and which can provide all the advantages of previously
known by-pass water softener systems, plus additional advantages
as well.
For example, this device is useful in shower installations where
it can be provided with suspension means that can readily be installed
by an unskilled person to suspend the device reliably in a position
which assures its efficient utilization.
A by-pass water softener system according to this invention includes
a water softener which itself comprises an elongated tube having
a first and a second end, for holding a charge of ion exchange resin.
A first and second retention means is placed adjacent to the respective
first and second ends, and have perforations for water passage that
are sized to retain the resin in the tube. A first and a second
end cap are sealingly and structurally attached to the tube so as
to close the respective first and second ends. Each of the end caps
has a port passing therethrough, and first and second hose attachment
means is provided at the respective first and second ports. Suspension
means is attachable to the water softener for suspending it. A diverter
valve has an inlet port and first and a second outlet port and selector
means for directing water from the inlet port to a selected one
of the outlet ports. The inlet port is connectible to a water supply.
The first outlet port is connectible to a first water distributor
perhaps a fixed shower head. A first flexible hose is connected
to the second outlet of the diverter valve and to the first hose
attachment means. A second flexible hose is connected to the second
hose attachment means and can be attached to a second water distributor,
perhaps a hand-held shower head.
According to a preferred but optional feature of the invention,
each end cap includes a peripheral collar surrounding and extending
beyond the outer wall of the tube. The ends of the tube are telescopically
received in the collars and they can interfere with a ring which
forms a portion of the suspension means. The suspension means also
includes a flexible strap which can be held between the ring and
the collar and looped over a suspension bar.
According to another preferred but optional feature of the invention,
the suspension bar is straight and rod-like, having first and second
ends that are mitered to fit flush with a pair of corner walls of
a shower stall, there to be cemented to them in shear relationship,
with the flexible strap looped over the bar.
The above and other features of this invention will be fully understood
from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings,
in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the presently preferred embodiment
of the invention;
FIG. 2 is an axial cross-section of the water softener of FIG.
1;
FIG. 3 is a cross-section taken at line 3--3 in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary axial cross-section of an alternate embodiment
of end cap for use with the invention; and
FIG. 5 is a side-view of a suspension bar useful in the invention.
In FIG. 1 there are shown a pair of intersecting corner walls 1011
which form a portion of a conventional peripheral shower stall.
A water supply pipe 12 ("sometimes called water supply means")
is structurally mounted to wall 10 and projects from it. A first
water distributor 13 is a conventional wall-mounted shower head
and may be the same shower head which was previously installed in
the shower stall prior to the installation of this by-pass water
softener system. It is an advantage of this system that it can readily
be installed in a conventional system, while requiring very little
skill for making the installation.
The by-pass water softener system 15 includes a water softener
16 which is best shown in FIG. 2. The water softener comprises an
elongated tube 17 having an inner wall 18 and an outer wall 19.
The walls extend axially and concentrically. The tube has a first
end 20 and a second end 21. A charge 22 of ion exchange resin is
held in the tube by a first retention means 23 and a second retention
means 24. Because they are identical only retention means 23 will
be described in detail. It comprises a rigid perforated plate 25
with perforations 26 which are conveniently made quite large for
the passage of water. In order to retain the resin, the retention
means also includes a screen 27 which is sized so as to retain the
resin but to permit ready flow of water. The perforated plate acts
as a back up means for the screen. The charge of resin is not intended
to be removed and replaced. For this reason the retention means
will be permanently attached to the tube, as will later be described.
A first end cap 30 and a second end cap 31 are attached to the
first and second end of the tube. The end caps extend across the
ends and include peripheral collars 32 33 respectively. Preferably
they are tapered as shown in FIG. 2 for attractiveness, and also
for providing a certain amount of flexible adaptation to the surface
of the tube. The retention means and the end caps are conveniently
attached to the tube by cementing or by solvent welding.
The first and second end caps have respective first and second
ports 3435 and in each port there is a hose attachment means 36
37 respectively. These extend beyond the end caps and provide ribs
or threads 38 39 or other convenient irregularities for retention
of the end of the hose. It will be seen that water introduced through
one of the ports will pass through the resin charge and flow out
the other port.
Suspension means 45 comprises a straight suspension bar (FIGS.
1 and 5) which may conveniently be a piece of rigid rod or tubing
46 with ends 47 48 mitered so as to fit flush with walls 10 and
11. If the walls are at right angles to one another, then the ends,
if extended far enough, would form a right dihedral angle. The mitered
ends are planar so they will fit flush against a planar wall. The
suspension means further includes a flexible strap 50 which can
be provided as two separable pieces if desired for convenience in
removing the water softener, or if preferred can be made in only
one piece. The suspension means also includes a rigid ring 51 which
fits around the tube with a clearance 52 between it and the outer
wall of the tube but having an inner wall 53 which will interfere
with the peripheral collar so that it cannot come loose. The ring
becomes a permanent part of the water softener.
As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 the ends of the flexible strap
can be placed inside the ring and against the peripheral collar,
and the ring brought up tightly against it. The strap will have
been looped around the suspension bar. Thereafter the weight of
the water softener will cooperate to keep the flexible strap jammed
between the peripheral ring and the end cap. The taper on the peripheral
collar assists this reaction. The inside of the ring can also be
somewhat tapered, if desired.
A diverter valve 55 is a three-way valve with a selector 56. The
purpose of the selector is to select which of a first outlet port
57 or a second outlet port 58 water from inlet port 59 flows to.
Inlet port 59 receives water from the water supply pipe 12. The
first water distributor 13 is connected to the first outlet port.
A first flexible hose 60 is connected to the second outlet port
and to the first port 34 of the water softener at hose attachment
means 36. A second flexible hose 61 is connected to the second port
35 by hose attachment means 37 and carries at its other end a second
water distributor means 62 such as a hand held shower head. Hanger
means 63 is mounted to wall 10 at an elevation substantially equal
to that of the upper end of the water softener for reasons yet to
be disclosed. The second water distributor means 62 is mounted to
the free end of second flexible hose 61.
As best shown in FIG. 4 the end caps need not be externally tapered.
Instead tube 17 is shown with an end cap 70 which has a peripheral
collar which will interfere with the ring, but which has a square
end 72 instead of a tapered wall. This is as useful, but it does
not have some of the jamming effectiveness of a tapered end cap
relative to the flexible strap, not does the ring tend to press
the end more tightly against the tube as is the situation in FIG.
2. However, the end cap shown in FIG. 4 can be substituted for the
end caps shown in FIG. 1 and 2.
This system and its installation have many important advantages,
in inexpensiveness of their construction, in the facility of their
installation, and in the advantages which they provide by their
presence. For example, it is a simple matter to insert the diverter
valve 55 between the permanently mounted shower head and the water
supply pipe. Thereafter, it is only necessary to apply a layer of
cement to the mitered ends of the suspension bar and press the suspension
bar against the walls of the shower stall until the cement has set
up. A force analysis of this suspension bar will show that there
is no torque exerted on it. Instead the forces are entirely downward
and in shear along the faces of the mitered ends. Cemented joints
can resist very little torque, but can resist very large shear loads,
therefore this simple installation will serve to hold a very substantial
water softener. The hanger can simply be attached to the wall by
an adhesive means such as cement or even double faced tape. It has
only a light load to support and even this load is all in shear
with no torque loading.
The system is readily used. For example in FIG. 1 if it is desired
to take a conventional shower with unsoftened water, the diverter
valve is set to the operational position not shown in FIG. 1 so
that water does not pass through the softener but instead flows
directly out of shower head 13. Should softened water be desired,
the diverter valve will be set to the condition shown in FIG. 1
and water will flow through the first flexible hose, through the
water softener, and out the second flexible hose and the hand held
shower head 62. This is convenient for rinsing the hair with soft
water. When the use of softened water is to be discontinued, the
selector valve will be reset, and the second hose and its water
distributor means will be placed back in the hanger 63 as shown.
It is an important advantage and feature of this invention that
the hanger be disposed at the elevation as shown because then water
will completely cover the resin bed even when the unit is not in
use. It is better not to permit these resin beds to dry out once
they have been wetted.
Regeneration of the resin is a simple matter. In this invention
it involves the supply of brine to the water softener itself. For
this purpose, first flexible hose is detached from the hose attachment
means and a funnel is placed in the first port. Then the funnel
is filled with brine and the free end of the second flexible hose
is lowered so as to permit escape of water from the water softener,
and so that one can generally expel the water and admit the brine.
It is also convenient to color the brine solution so that one can
tell when the brine has completely filled the water softener. At
that time, the second hose will again be hung up by the hanger,
and the brine will be permitted to remain in contact with the resin
for about two or more hours until the regeneration of ion exchange
resin has been completed. During this time, the first flexible hose
can be reconnected to the first port. Before using the water softener
again, it is best to flush the brine out of the water softener.
The water will no longer be particularly salty to the taste after
the brine has been flushed out. It has been found that by utilizing
a length of tubing of about 24 inches with an internal diameter
of about 3 inches, a resin charge can conveniently be held which
provides about 135 gallons of soft water from feed water of about
15 grain hardness. This is a substantial amount when it is realized
that people utilizing installations of this type will usually do
much of their bathing with standard untreated water and then complete
their shower or shampoo with the soft water. Such a shampoo technique
requires only about two to three gallons of soft water. The need
to regenerate the resin is quite infrequent.
In addition, the water softener hose connections can readily be
reversed in order to back flush it.
There is provided an inexpensive, readily manufactured water softener,
and an easily assembled combination of water softener system and
shower stall. It provides a useful dual type of water supply to
provide either untreated water or soft water in a system which need
not be plumbed into the house plumbing, and which can readily be
installed by unskilled persons. The resin can be regenerated without
the requirement of any skill and it takes little attention. It does
not require complicated valves.
The entire system can be made of relatively inexpensive materials
such as polyvinyl chloride or other organic plastic material.
This invention is not to be limited by the embodiments shown in
the drawings and described in the description which are given by
way of example and not of limitation, but only in accordance with
the scope of the appended claims. |