Water treatment apparatus with means for automatic disinfection thereof

Claim 2

A water treatment apparatus of the type which is fixedly mounted between the supply segment and the delivery segment of a pressurized water line comprising: (a) a media tank having a water treating medium therein; (b) switching means coupled to said media tank for hydraulically coupling said media tank between the supply and delivery segments of the water line to provide a water treating operational mode in which the water is passed through the media tank for treatment purposes, said switching means periodically hydraulically isolating said media tank from the delivery segment of the water line to provide a water treatment media regenerating operational mode in which the water is directed to the media tank for regenerating purposes said switching means adapted to repeatedly cycle between the water treating and the media regenerating operational modes; (c) a disinfectant dispenser vessel coupled to said switching means for enclosingly containing a water soluble disinfectant agent in solid form; and (d) said switching means and said dispenser vessel cooperatively operative to automatically direct a predetermined amount of water into said dispenser vessel at the beginning of each cycle of the water treating operational mode for dissolving a portion of the water soluble disinfectant agent therein to form a saturated solution thereof and to automatically and subsequently extract said solution of disinfectant agent from said dispenser vessel at the beginning of each cycle of said regenerating operational mode and mix it with the water being directed to the media tank for regenerating purposes.

Claim 3

A water treatment apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said disinfectant dispenser vessel comprises: (a) a vessel body having an interior compartment for containing the water soluble disinfectant agent in solid form, said vessel body being closed and having a boss formed therein; (b) fitting means mounted in the boss of said vessel body for coupling thereof to said switching means; and (c) screen means mounted between said fitting and the interior compartment of said vessel body for retaining undissolved portions of said water soluble disinfectant agent in said vessel body.

Claim 4

A water treatment apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said water soluble disinfectant agent is a halogen.

Claim 5

A water treatment apparatus of the type which is fixedly mounted between the supply segment and the delivery segment of a pressurized water line comprising: (a) a media tank having a water treatment medium therein; (b) switching means coupled to said media tank for hydraulically coupling said media tank between the supply and delivery segments of the water line to provide a water treating operational mode in which water is directed through said media tank for treatment purposes and for periodically hydraulically isolating said media tank from the delivery segment of the water line to provide a regenerating operational mode in which the water is directed through said media tank for regeneration purposes, said switching means adapted to repeatedly cycle between the water treating and the media regenerating operational modes; (c) a storage tank containing a water soluble regenerating agent; (d) a shutoff valve in said storage tank; (e) a regenerating line connected between said switching means and said shutoff valve; (f) a disinfectant dispenser vessel coupled to said regenerating line for enclosingly containing a water soluble disinfectant agent in solid form; and (g) said switching means, said dispenser vessel and said shutoff valve cooperatively operative to automatically direct a predetermined amount of water into said storage tank and into said dispenser vessel at the beginning of eacy cycle of the water conditioning operational mode to form a saturated regenerating agent solution and to dissolve a portion of the supply of the water soluble disinfectant agent to form a saturated disinfectant agent solution and cooperatively operative to automatically and subsequently extract said regenerating agent solution from said storage tank and said disinfectant agent solution from said dispenser vessel at the beginning of each cycle of the regenerating operational mode and mix those solutions with the water being directed through said media tank for regenerating purposes.

Claim 6

A water treatment apparatus of the type which is fixedly mounted between the supply segment and the delivery segment of a pressurized water line comprising: (a) a media tank having a water treatment medium therein; (b) switching means coupled to said media tank for hydraulically coupling said media tank between the supply and delivery segments of the water line to provide a water treating operational mode in which water is directed through said media tank for treatment purposes and for periodically hydraulically isolating said media tank from the delivery segment of the water line to provide a regenerating operational mode in which the water is directed through said media tank for regeneration purposes, said switching means adapted to repeatedly cycle between the water treating and the media regenerating operational modes; (c) a storage tank containing a water soluble regenerating agent; (d) a shutoff valve in said storage tank; (e) a regenerating line connected between said switching means and said shutoff valve; (f) a disinfectant dispenser vessel coupled to said regenerating line for enclosingly containing a water soluble disinfectant agent in solid form; and (g) said switching means, said dispenser vessel and said shutoff valve cooperatively operative to automatically direct a predetermined amount of water into said storage tank and into said dispenser vessel at the beginning of eacy cycle of the water conditioning operational mode to form a saturated regenerating agent solution and to dissolve a portion of the supply of the water soluble disinfectant agent to form a saturated disinfectant agent solution and cooperatively operative to automatically and subsequently extract said regenerating agent solution from said storage tank and said disinfectant agent solution from said dispenser vessel at the beginning of each cycle of the regenerating operational mode and mix those solutions with the water being directed through said media tank for regenerating purposes.

Claim 7

A water treatment apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said disinfectant dispenser vessel comprises: (a) a vessel body having an interior compartment for containing the water soluble disinfectant agent in solid form, said vessel body being closed and having a boss formed therein; (b) fitting means mounted in the boss of said vessel body for connection to said regenerating line; and (c) screen means mounted between said fitting and the interior compartment of said vessel body for retaining undissolved portions of said water soluble disinfectant agent in said vessel body.

Claim 8

A water treatment apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said water soluble disinfectant agent is a halogen.

Claim 9

A water treating apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said water soluble disinfectant agent is iodine.

Claim 10

A water treating apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said disinfectant dispenser vessel comprises: (a) a vessel body having an interior compartment for containing the water soluble disinfectant agent, said vessel body being closed and having a boss formed therein; (b) a tee mounted in the boss of said vessel body and connected in said regenerating line; (c) screen means mounted between said tee and said vessel body for preventing undissolved portions of the disinfectant agent from being extracted therefrom during said regenerating operational mode; and (d) an injector nozzle mounted in said tee and oriented therein so that liquid flow in said regenerating line during said regenerating operational mode will produce a reduced static pressure in said vessel body for extracting the regenerating agent solution therefrom.

Claim 11

A water treating apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said switching means comprises: (a) a flow control valve having a first position for hydraulically coupling said media tank to the water line and supplying water under pressure to said regenerating line during the water conditioning operational mode and a second position for hydraulically isolating said media tank from the delivery segment of the water line and producing a reduced static pressure in said regenerating line during the regenerating operational mode; and (b) timing means coupled to said flow control valve for periodically switching said flow control valve between its first and second positions.

Claim 12

A water treating apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said shutoff valve comprises: (a) a valve body connected to said regenerating line; and (b) a float operated plunger valve operatively coupled to said valve body for opening thereof to admit a predetermined amount of water to said storage tank at the beginning of said water conditioning operational mode and subsequently closing said valve body, said float operated plunger valve for opening said valve body to allow flow of the regenerating agent solution to said regenerating line at the beginning of said regenerating operational mode and closing said valve body upon extraction of said regenerating agent solution from said storage tank.

Claim 15

A method for disinfecting a water treatment apparatus as claimed in claim 11 and including the further steps: (I) continuing the direction of water through said water treatment apparatus for regeneration purposes for a predetermined time subsequent to step d for complete purging of the disinfectant agent solution from said water treatment apparatus; and (II) returning said water treatment apparatus to the the water treating operational mode of step a subsequent to step I.

Claim 16

A method for disinfection of a water treatment apparatus as claimed in claim 12 and including the further step of repeating steps b through d and I and II at predetermined intervals for periodically disinfecting said water treatment apparatus.