Water treating apparatus and system with time and automatic brine refill control

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH A WATER SOFTENER HAVING A SOFTENER TANK HAVING A MINERAL BED THEREIN, A HARD WATER INLET ABOVE THE MINERAL BED AND A SOFT WATER OUTLET AT THE BOTTOM BELOW THE MINERAL BED, A BRINE TANK HAVING A COMMON BRINE SUCTION AND WATER REPLACEMENT CONDUIT LEADING TO ADJACENT THE BOTTOM THEREOF, A HARD WATER SUPPLY PASSAGEWAY, A SERVICE PASSAGEWAY, MEANS CONNECTING THE HARD WATER PASSAGEWAY WITH THE TOP OF SAID SOFTENER TANK, MEANS CONNECTING THE SERVICE PASSAGEWAY WITH THE BOTTOM OF SAID SOFTENER TANK, LIQUID OPERATING MEANS INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND VALVE ELEMENTS SEPARATELY OPERABLE, EACH VALVE ELEMENT HAVING A FIRST AND A SECOND POSITION AND FIRST AND SECOND VALVE MEANS THEREON, SAID FIRST POSITION OF THE FIRST VALVE ELEMENT BEING A SERVICE POSITION, A FIRST DRAIN LINE CONNECTED WITH THE HARD WATER SUPPLY PASSAGEWAY, A SECOND DRAIN LINE CONNECTED WITH THE SERVICE PASSAGEWAY, THE FIRST OF SAID VALVE ELEMENTS HAVING ITS TWO VALVE MEANS OPERATING WITH THE HARD WATER SUPPLY PASSAGEWAY, SAID FIRST VALVE ELEMENT AND THE SECOND VALVE MEANS THEREON IN ITS FIRST POSITION PERMITTING HARD WATER FLOW THROUGH THE SUPPLY PASSAGEWAY AND THE SECOND VALVE MEANS THEREON POSITIONED BETWEEN THE SUPPLY PASSAGEWAY AND THE FIRST DRAIN LINE AND CLOSING OFF FLOW TO SAID DRAIN LINE, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID FIRST VALVE ELEMENT FROM AND TO ITS FIRST AND SECOND POSITIONS, SAID FIRST VALVE ELEMENT IN ITS SECOND POSITION HAVING ITS FIRST VALVE MEANS THEREON CLOSING OFF SAID SUPPLY PASSAGEWAY AND ITS SECOND VALVE MEANS PERMITTING FLOW FROM THE TOP OF SOFTENER TANK TO THE FIRST DRAIN LINE, SAID FIRST DRAIN LINE HAVING A FLUID PRESSURE OPERATED CUT-OFF VALVE MEANS THEREIN ADJACENT ITS CONNECTION WITH THE SUPPLY PASSAGEWAY WHEREBY FLOW FROM THE TOP OF THE SOFTENER TANK IS PREVENTED THERETHROUGH WHEN SAID CUT-OFF VALVE MEANS IS ACTUATED TO PREVENT FLOW THROUGH THAT DRAIN LINE, THE SECOND VALVE ELEMENT HAVING ITS FIRST AND SECOND VALVE MEANS OPERATING WITH THE SERVICE PASSAGEWAY, A BY-PASS LINE MEANS CONNECTING A PORTION OF THE HARD WATER SUPPLY PASSAGEWAY WITH A PORTION OF THE SERVICE PASSAGEWAY, MEANS SUPPLYING HARD WATER TO THE BY-PASS LINE WHEN SAID FIRST VALVE ELEMENT IS MOVED TO SECOND POSITION, SAID SECOND VALVE ELEMENT IN ITS FIRST POSITION POSITIONING THE FIRST VALVE MEANS THEREON IN THE SERVICE PASSAGEWAY TO FURNISH BY-PASS WATER TO THE BOTTOM OF AND UPWARD THROUGH THE SOFTENER TANK AND THE SECOND VALVE MEANS THEREON CLOSING OFF SAID SECOND DRAIN LINE IN ITS CONNECTION TO THE SERVICE PASSAGEWAY, SAID SECOND VALVE ELEMENT IN ITS SECOND POSITION HAVING ITS FIRST VALVE MEANS THEREON CLOSING OFF SAID SERVICE PASSAGEWAY AND ITS SECOND VALVE MEANS PERMITTING FLOW FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE SOFTENER TANK THROUGH A PORTION OF SAID SERVICE PASSAGEWAY TO THE SECOND DRAIN LINE, AN INJECTOR JET FOR DRAWING BRINE THROUGH THE COMMON BRINE SUCTION AND REFILL LINE AND CONDUIT MEANS FROM THE DISCHARGE OF THE JET TO SAID SOFTENER TANK FOR INTRODUCTION OF BRINE ABOVE THE MINERAL BED, HARD WATER PRESSURE SUPPLY MEANS FOR MOVING SAID SECOND VALVE ELEMENT TO ITS SECOND POSITION AND CONNECTED WITH SAID FLUID PRESSURE OPERATED DRAIN CUT-OFF VALVE MEANS AND ACTUATING IT TO CUT OFF FLOW IN THE FIRST DRAIN LINE AND THEREBY PREVENTING FLOW OUT OF THE TOP OF SAID SOFTENER TANK AND CONNECTED TO AND SUPPLYING WATER THROUGH SAID BRINE SUCTION JET TO DRAW BRINE FROM SAID BRINE TANK AND DISCHARGE IT TO SAID SOFTENER TANK FOLLOWING WHICH SAID HARD WATER IN THE HARD WATER PRESSURE SUPPLY MEANS CONTINUES TO FLOW AND PROVIDES A SLOW RINSE TO SAID MINERAL BED THROUGH SAID SAME CONDUIT MEANS EXTENDING FROM SAID DISCHARGE OF SAID JET TO SAID SOFTENER TANK, SAID FIRST VALVE ELEMENT ON RETURNING TO FIRST POSITION OF SERVICE FURNISHING HARD WATER SUPPLY PRESSURE TO THE TOP OF THE SOFTENER TANK CAUSING A FAST RATE OF RINSE AND REPACKING OF THE MINERAL BED AND BRINE MAKING WATER TO FLOW THROUGH SAID JET TO REPLENISH THE SUPPLY IN SAID BRINE TANK BOTTOM, FOLLOWING WHICH SAID SECOND VALVE ELEMENT IS MOVED TO SERVICE OR FIRST POSITION ON RELEASE OF SAID HARD WATER PRESSURE SUPPLY ACTING THEREON AND SOFT WATER IS FURNISHED FROM THE SOFTENER TANK THROUGH SAID SERVICE PASSAGEWAY; THE IMPROVEMENT THEREWITH COMPRISING A FLOW CONTROL MEANS IN SAID COMMON BRINE SUCTION AND WATER REPLACEMENT CONDUIT, SAID FLOW CONTROL MEANS BEING RESPONSIVE TO VARIABLE WATER PRESSURE AND FOR A FIXED TIME OF WATER PASSING THERETHROUGH SUPPLYING A GIVEN QUANTITY OF REPLACEMENT WATER IN SAID BRINE TANK.