Water quality monitoring and transmission system and method

A water quality monitoring and transmission system comprising:

• a detecting unit having a water sensor with an ultraviolet lamp/reactor for detecting a contaminant level in a sample of running water, said detecting unit transmitting a signal when said contaminant level exceeds a predetermined threshold;
• a monitoring unit located proximate and electrically connected to said detecting unit, said monitoring unit receiving said signal from said detecting unit and generating a warning signal indicating unsafe water quality;
• a central monitoring station, remotely located from said detecting unit and said monitoring unit, said central monitoring station in communication with said monitoring unit over a distributed computer network;
• said monitoring unit including a transmission circuit for transmitting said contaminant level to said central monitoring station for processing and storage, said central monitoring station presenting a plurality of water quality data received from a plurality of monitoring units on a web site accessible through the distributed computer network.

A method of monitoring water quality in a household setting, comprising the steps of:

• extracting a water sample from running tap water using a fiber-optic based residual chlorine monitor in combination with an optical flow-through cell and a controlled lamp source as a detecting unit installed in a household environment;
• determining a contaminant level in said water sample using said detecting unit by passing ultraviolet light through the water sample to irradiate said water sample and generate, through use of pre-amplifiers, a current proportional to a number of ions absorbing and being excited by said ultraviolet light, said current indicating the contaminant level within said water sample;
• comparing, by said detecting unit, said contaminant level with a predetermined reference value;
• transmitting, in response to said contaminant level exceeding said reference value, a digital signal to a monitoring unit installed in said household environment;
• generating, by said monitoring unit, a warning indicator detectable within said household environment;
• and
• transmitting, by said monitoring unit, said contaminant level to a remotely located central monitoring station (CMS) over a distributed computer network.

The combination of a water quality monitoring and transmission system and residential plumbing in a household, comprising:

• a water access area having an incoming tap water supply stream and a drain area;
• a detecting unit mounted adjacent said water access area in said household, a water input to said detecting unit connected to said incoming water supply stream, an output of said detecting unit directing water into said drain area, said detecting unit including a fiber-optic based residual chlorine monitor operating in the ultraviolet and visible region in combination with an optical flow-through cell and a controlled lamp source;
• a diverter valve connected to said water input and having a first position for bypassing said detecting unit and a second position for directing a sample of flowing tap water into said detecting unit;
• a user-actuated switch for toggling between said first and second positions, incoming tap water flowing directly into said water access area and through said drain area when said diverter valve is in the first position and, when said diverter valve is in said second position, a sample of said tap water flowing into said detecting unit for analysis before passing to said water access area and drain area;
• a wall-mounted monitoring unit located proximate and electrically connected to said detecting unit, said monitoring unit receiving a signal from said detecting unit indicating a contaminant level and generating a warning signal indicating unsafe water quality which is detectable in said household;
• and
• a central monitoring station, remotely located from said detecting unit and said monitoring unit, said central monitoring station in communication with said monitoring unit over a distributed computer network.