Determining calcification in a household appliance
AssigneeWhirlpool Corporation
InventorsPiotr Stanislaw Jakubowski, Wojciech Andrzej Barczyk, Joanna Elzbieta Kochanowska
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Abstract
A method of determining calcification of at least a portion of a water heating assembly in a home appliance having a treating chamber. The method includes supplying heated water to the treating chamber via the water heating assembly. The water heating assembly includes a heating element that is selectively energized. A number of thermostat trips are sensed during at least a portion of a cycle of operation. A water temperature value indicative of a water temperature can be sensed. A calcification level of the heating element or the at least a portion of the water heating assembly can be determined based on the number of thermostat trips and the water temperature value.
Claims20
A method of determining calcification of at least a portion of a water heating assembly in a home appliance having a treating chamber, the method comprising:
- supplying heated water to the treating chamber according to a cycle of operation by operating a pump to flow water through the water heating assembly to the treating chamber, and selectively energizing a heating element of the water heating assembly according to a thermostat to heat the water as it flows through the water heating assembly;
- sensing a number of thermostat trips during at least a portion of the cycle of operation;
- sensing a water temperature value indicative of a water temperature of the heated water corresponding to at least one of the thermostat trips;
- and
- determining a calcification level of the water heating assembly based on the number of thermostat trips and the water temperature value.
A method of determining calcification of a heating element of a water heating assembly in a home appliance having a treating chamber, the method comprising:
- supplying heated water to the treating chamber according to a cycle of operation by operating a pump to flow water through the water heating assembly to the treating chamber, and selectively energizing the heating element of the water heating assembly according to a thermostat to heat the water as it flows through the water heating assembly;
- sensing a number of thermostat trips during the cycle of operation;
- sensing a water temperature value indicative of a water temperature of the heated water corresponding to a first thermostat trip;
- and
- determining calcification of a portion of the water heating assembly when the number of thermostat trips satisfies a thermostat trip threshold and the water temperature value satisfies a water temperature threshold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.