Household appliance using water, namely a washing machine, with improved device for softening the water
AssigneeELTEK S.p.A.
InventorCostanzo Gadini
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A household appliance using water is described, in particular a washing machine, comprising a supply system of water from an external source (8,9), a softening system for at least a portion of the supplied water (10,17), and a control system of the appliance, characterized in that permanent water softening means (10,17,H,21) are provided, which are controlled by said control system and which do not periodic interventions by the user to the appliance, for adding regeneration media and/or replacing components.
Claims23
A household appliance comprising a supply system of water from an external source, a softening system for at least a portion of the water supplied and a control system, whereby permanent means for water softening are provided, comprising an electrochemical cell having a container within which at least a positive electrode and a negative electrode are arranged, in contact with the water, and electric means for supplying said electrodes, wherein at least two ions permeable divisor elements are provided within said container for defining at least:
- a first channel, delimited at one side by at least an anions permeable divisor element,
- a second channel delimited at one side by at least a cations permeable divisor element,
- a third channel defined between said first channel and said second channel, said third channel being delimited at one side by said anions permeable divisor element and at another side by said cations permeable divisor element,
- whereby said channels are free of resins and, in the presence of an electric current flowing through said electrodes,
- cations of water are induced to migrate, through said cations permeable divisor element, at least from said third channel to said second channel,
- anions of water are induced to migrate, through said anions permeable divisor element, at least from said third channel to said first channel,
- the cations permeable divisor element hindering at the same time the anions to migrate from said second channel to said third channel and the anions permeable divisor elements hindering at the same time the cations to migrate from said first channel to said third channel, the above migration leading to an increased concentration of the cations in the water within at least said second channel and a decreased concentration of the cations in the water within at least said third channel, the latter sufficiently softened for being used during an operating cycle of the appliance.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.