Ozonated laundry system including adapter and sparging rod

Abstract

A system and method for treating laundry with ozone is provided including a controller that receives a load signal based on a wash load selection. In response to the load signal, the controller transmits a power supply control signal to a variable power supply to vary an output potential to an ozone generator. The controller transmits a dryer control signal to an air dryer to provide desiccated air to the ozone generator. The controller transmits a sparging pump control signal to a sparging pump to pump the ozone generated by the ozone generator to a sparging rod adjacent the sump of the laundry machine where the ozone is dispersed directly into the wash liquor. In a preferred embodiment, an adapter removably secures the sparging rod to the wall of the laundry machine so that the sparging rod may be readily removed for cleaning, repair or replacement. In an alternative embodiment, ozone from the ozone generator is also entrained into the wash liquor by a venturi positioned in a side arm recirculation assembly as the wash liquor is returned to the laundry machine for further use in the wash process. Regardless, the concentration of the ozone dispersed directly into the wash liquor, or dispersed and entrained into the wash liquor, can be varied in response to the wash load and the wash chemistry can be balanced with the ozone to minimize ozone off-gasing and to conserve water and energy.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.