Patent Application
20070144953
The present invention relates to a bypass valve for use with a water treatment system, and more particularly to a bypass valve with a blending feature.
Bypass valves for use with water treatment systems, such as water softeners and water filters are known in the art. Typically, such bypass valves contain inlet and outlet “service ports” and inlet and outlet “valve ports”. The service ports generally face the source of untreated water and the valve ports face the water treatment system. Bypass valves generally have two configurations: a “service” configuration, where the bypass valve transfers untreated water from a household or commercial supply line to the treatment system and then transfers treated water exiting the treatment system to the household or commercial water system that ultimately leads to faucets, showers, and other end user plumbing attachments. The second configuration is generally referred to as a “bypass” configuration, wherein water flow to and from the treatment system is blocked and water entering the service inlet port passes through a bypass passage to eventually exit the service outlet port without coming into contact with the treatment system. The bypass configuration of a bypass valve is generally used when it is desired to use untreated water or when the treatment system needs to be maintained or repaired.
In addition to bypass functionality, it is sometime desired to have “blended” water (ie., a mix of treated and untreated water) for end use. For instance, in the case of a water softening treatment system, it is sometimes desired to mix some amount of hard water with softened water, if, according to a user's preference, the treated water exiting the water softener is too soft. Most often this blending feature is built into the main control valve of the treatment system. Putting the blending feature on the control valve has some disadvantages: First, the manufacturer must produce and stock a larger variety of control valves, since not all customers wish to pay for the blending feature. Second, a valve is not easily converted from non-blending style to blending style in the field. Third, the blending adjustment itself may be relatively inaccessible to the end user, since the control valve may be hidden in an enclosure. Therefore, it is advantageous to include the blending feature in the bypass valve. Thus, while bypass valves having blending features have been known, there is a need for a bypass valve with a blending feature that is inexpensive, easy to use, and easily added in the field. Other needs will become apparent upon a further reading of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings.
A bypass valve assembly for directing fluid flow having at least one inlet and at least one outlet for fluid flow, the bypass valve assembly being attachable to a fluid treatment system. At least one bypass valve is included in the bypass valve assembly, the bypass valve having a service configuration and a bypass configuration wherein in the service configuration at least a portion of fluid entering the bypass valve assembly through the inlet is transmitted to the water treatment system and wherein in the bypass configuration fluid entering the bypass valve assembly is not transmitted to the fluid treatment system. At least one blending valve is operatively interconnected to the bypass valve assembly, wherein when the bypass valve is in the service configuration the blending valve allows a portion of fluid entering the inlet to be transmitted to the outlet without being transmitted to the fluid treatment system.
This invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following drawings, which are provided for illustrative purposes only:
While the present invention is capable of embodiment in various forms, there is shown in the drawings and described herein will hereinafter be described as a preferred embodiment with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.
With reference to
The bypass valve assembly 10 also includes valve housings 28 and 30, which are preferably cylindrical in shape. Valve body 32 and valve body 34 sit within valve housings 28 and 30, respectively, and are rotatable with respect to the valve housings. Valve body 32 and valve body 34 contain o-rings 33, which act to prevent water from leaking past the walls of the valve housings 28 and 30.
The bypass valve 10 also includes a bypass tube 36, which interconnects valve housings 28 and 30 and is in flow communication with the valve housings 28 and 30. A needle valve 38 threads into center section 40 of valve 32 and is preferably co-axial with the longitudinal axis 42 of valve 32. The needle valve 38 communicates with passageway 44 (
In a normal service mode, valves 32 and 34 are aligned as shown in
In bypass mode, valves 32 and 34 are in the position shown in
Advantageously, other valves or pipes may be attached to the bypass valve 10 via port 52, which is preferably formed in valve housing 30. If no such other valves or pipes are desired, an end cap 54 may be used to seal port 52. A further advantageous feature of one embodiment is that because the bypass valve bodies with and without a blending valve are of the same overall dimensions and shape, a bypass valve body with a blending valve incorporated therein may be replaced with a bypass valve body without a blending valve, or vice-versa. Such replacement may take place in the manufacturing facility, in the field, or after installation of the bypass valve assembly. It will be appreciated, however, that bypass valves having the same overall dimensions and shape is merely a preferred embodiment and that bypass valves having different dimensions and shapes can be used in the practice of the present invention.
The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. The description was selected to best explain the principles of the invention and their practical application to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention not be limited by the specification, but be defined by the claims set forth below.
