A water softener includes a water tank for holding resin beads, the water tank comprising a water inlet for receiving untreated water and a water outlet for discharging treated water, a salt reservoir for generating brine that is used to regenerate the resin beads, a conductivity sensing assembly operably coupled to the water tank, and a controller in operative communication with the conductivity sensing assembly. The controller is configured to obtain an untreated electrical conductivity of the untreated water, obtain a treated electrical conductivity of the treated water, determine that a regeneration cycle is needed based at least in part on the untreated electrical conductivity and the treated electrical conductivity, and perform the regeneration cycle in response to determining that the regeneration cycle is needed.

A water softener includes a water tank for holding resin beads, the water tank comprising a water inlet for receiving untreated water and a water outlet for discharging treated water, a salt reservoir for generating brine that is used to regenerate the resin beads, a conductivity sensing assembly operably coupled to the water tank, and a controller in operative communication with the conductivity sensing assembly. The controller is configured to obtain an untreated electrical conductivity of the untreated water, obtain a treated electrical conductivity of the treated water, determine that a regeneration cycle is needed based at least in part on the untreated electrical conductivity and the treated electrical conductivity, and perform the regeneration cycle in response to determining that the regeneration cycle is needed.

The invention relates to a water softener apparatus comprising a housing, said housing having a chamber for accommodating at least one compressed salt block having an elongate block form, the configuration being such that the compressed salt block is accommodated within said chamber with its longitudinal axis in a vertical orientation. The water softener apparatus includes a manually detachable front cover enclosing the chamber and a non-touch salt level indicator device arranged in the in or on said front cover of the housing above the chamber so as to determine a salt level from an upper end face of a compressed salt block accommodated in the chamber, the non-touch salt level indicator device determining the salt level from the upper end face of the compressed salt block through a wall of said front cover of the housing. The non-touch salt level indicator device is a battery powered device and the water softener apparatus is a non-electric powered water softener apparatus.

The invention relates to a water softener apparatus comprising a housing, said housing having a chamber for accommodating at least one compressed salt block having an elongate block form, the configuration being such that the compressed salt block is accommodated within said chamber with its longitudinal axis in a vertical orientation. The water softener apparatus includes a manually detachable front cover enclosing the chamber and a non-touch salt level indicator device arranged in the in or on said front cover of the housing above the chamber so as to determine a salt level from an upper end face of a compressed salt block accommodated in the chamber, the non-touch salt level indicator device determining the salt level from the upper end face of the compressed salt block through a wall of said front cover of the housing. The non-touch salt level indicator device is a battery powered device and the water softener apparatus is a non-electric powered water softener apparatus.

Water softener includes a soft water tank, a neutralization tank, bypass flow path that sends, as untreated water, raw water to a downstream side of the neutralization tank without passing the raw water through the soft water tank and the neutralization tank, mixer that mixes the untreated water sent from bypass flow path and the neutralized soft water sent from the neutralization tank to generate mixed water, flow rate adjustment unit that adjusts a supply amount of at least one of the untreated water and the neutralized soft water to mixer, and controller that controls a mixing ratio between the untreated water and the neutralized soft water by flow rate adjustment unit. Controller includes mixing ratio determination unit that determines the mixing ratio between the untreated water and the neutralized soft water based on instruction information related to at least one of a regeneration time during which a regeneration process can be performed and a water softening degree of the mixed water, and flow rate controller that adjusts the supply amount to be adjusted by flow rate adjustment unit such that the mixing ratio determined by mixing ratio determination unit is obtained.

Water softener includes a soft water tank, a neutralization tank, bypass flow path that sends, as untreated water, raw water to a downstream side of the neutralization tank without passing the raw water through the soft water tank and the neutralization tank, mixer that mixes the untreated water sent from bypass flow path and the neutralized soft water sent from the neutralization tank to generate mixed water, flow rate adjustment unit that adjusts a supply amount of at least one of the untreated water and the neutralized soft water to mixer, and controller that controls a mixing ratio between the untreated water and the neutralized soft water by flow rate adjustment unit. Controller includes mixing ratio determination unit that determines the mixing ratio between the untreated water and the neutralized soft water based on instruction information related to at least one of a regeneration time during which a regeneration process can be performed and a water softening degree of the mixed water, and flow rate controller that adjusts the supply amount to be adjusted by flow rate adjustment unit such that the mixing ratio determined by mixing ratio determination unit is obtained.

A water softener system includes a brine tank, an ion-exchange resin and a softener control valve fluidly coupling the brine tank and the ion-exchange resin. The softener control valve has an inlet configured to receive a flow of feed-water and an outlet configured to deliver a flow of product water. A flow meter is configured to monitor a flow rate of water to or from the control valve, and a sensor is arranged upstream of the inlet of the softener control valve to measure a fluid property of the flow of feed-water. A controller is configured to calculate an available exchange capacity of the ion-exchange resin using flow rate data from the flow meter and a hardness value of the feed-water, which the controller calculates using a fluid property value from the sensor and a predetermined coefficient. The controller is also configured to initiate a regeneration of the ion-exchange resin using the brine tank and the softener control valve, and to update the predetermined coefficient based at least partially on the calculated available exchange capacity upon initiating the regeneration.

A water softener system includes a brine tank, an ion-exchange resin and a softener control valve fluidly coupling the brine tank and the ion-exchange resin. The softener control valve has an inlet configured to receive a flow of feed-water and an outlet configured to deliver a flow of product water. A flow meter is configured to monitor a flow rate of water to or from the control valve, and a sensor is arranged upstream of the inlet of the softener control valve to measure a fluid property of the flow of feed-water. A controller is configured to calculate an available exchange capacity of the ion-exchange resin using flow rate data from the flow meter and a hardness value of the feed-water, which the controller calculates using a fluid property value from the sensor and a predetermined coefficient. The controller is also configured to initiate a regeneration of the ion-exchange resin using the brine tank and the softener control valve, and to update the predetermined coefficient based at least partially on the calculated available exchange capacity upon initiating the regeneration.

Provided is a water softening apparatus including: soft water tank that softens raw water containing a hardness component with weakly acidic cation exchange resin to generate acidic soft water; neutralization tank that neutralizes a pH of the acidic soft water passed through soft water tank with weakly basic anion exchange resin to generate neutralized soft water; and controller that controls a regeneration process that is a process of regenerating at least one of weakly acidic cation exchange resin and weakly basic anion exchange resin. Controller includes an adsorption amount specification unit that specifies a hardness component adsorption amount in the soft water tank from hardness of the raw water, a water amount of the raw water passed through the soft water tank, and hardness of water after passing through the soft water tank, process and during the regeneration process, based on the hardness component adsorption amount specified by the adsorption amount specification unit, controller controls the regeneration process to be continued in a case where the hardness component adsorption amount is more than or equal to a reference value and to be ended in a case where the hardness component adsorption amount is less than the reference value.

Provided is a water softening apparatus including: soft water tank that softens raw water containing a hardness component with weakly acidic cation exchange resin to generate acidic soft water; neutralization tank that neutralizes a pH of the acidic soft water passed through soft water tank with weakly basic anion exchange resin to generate neutralized soft water; and controller that controls a regeneration process that is a process of regenerating at least one of weakly acidic cation exchange resin and weakly basic anion exchange resin. Controller includes an adsorption amount specification unit that specifies a hardness component adsorption amount in the soft water tank from hardness of the raw water, a water amount of the raw water passed through the soft water tank, and hardness of water after passing through the soft water tank, process and during the regeneration process, based on the hardness component adsorption amount specified by the adsorption amount specification unit, controller controls the regeneration process to be continued in a case where the hardness component adsorption amount is more than or equal to a reference value and to be ended in a case where the hardness component adsorption amount is less than the reference value.