Clack Corporation

Fleck Controls, Inc.

Marquette University

Hellenbrand, Inc.

Clack Corportion

Don D Vaughan

Robert A Clack

Richard Walter Hirthe

Martin Arthur Seitz

Daniel A Klein

Edward T Maas

Charles J Koehler

Richard W Wilder

Alan G Mast

Patrick J Dupies

Jerry N Miller

Greg A Sebastian

Paul D Nielsen

A fluid treatment tank for an aeration filter has an air blocker separating a chamber in fluid communication with a control valve of the filter from a pocket of air above the liquid in the tank and the control valve. The air blocker contains a volume of liquid that acts as a trap that prevents or at least inhibits air in the pocket from backing up into the chamber. Contact between the control valve and air is dramatically reduced. The air blocker may comprise a baffle that directs any air flowing through the air blocker downwardly and then back upwardly before the air can escape the air blocker.

Fluid treatment tank having air blocker

A distributor plate for a fluid tank such as a water softener pressure vessel separates the resin bed from a lower end of the resin tank. The distributor plate includes a disk that is supported on an upwardly facing surface from below and that is restrained from upward motion by a weld bead located above an outer periphery of the disk. The disk may have an inner slotted plate portion and an outer portion, and wherein the outer portion of the disk has an upper surface having an annular protrusion extending above an upper surface of the slotted plate portion, with an upper surface of the protrusion forms an engagement surface for the weld bead. The disk may be formed from a thermoplastic material having a relatively high dimensional predictability such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and unfilled or 30% glass-filled Noryl&#xae;, respectively.

Fluid treatment tank having a distributor plate

A distributor plate for a fluid tank such as a water softener pressure vessel separates the resin bed from a lower end of the resin tank. The distributor plate includes an outer ring that is affixed to the wall of the tank and that is formed of a first thermoplastic material having a relatively low dimensional predictability, and an inner disk that is supported on the outer ring and that is formed from a second thermoplastic material having a relatively high dimensional predictability when compared to that of the first thermoplastic material, the inner disk being fluid permeable but fluid treatment media impermeable. The outer ring and inner disk may be made from high density polyethylene (HDPE) and unfilled or 30% glass-filled Noryl&#xae;, respectively. Also disclosed is a method of assembling a pressure vessel.

A distributor plate for a resin tank of a fluid treatment device such as a water softener includes a central hub, an outer ring, a plurality of ribs extending between the hub and the ring and dividing the distributor plate into discrete segments, and a slotted plate connected therebetween. The distributor plate separates the resin bed from a lower end of the resin tank. The distributor plate further comprises at least one valve plate coupled to an underside of the distributor plate over at least one segment thereof. The valve plate is constructed from a material configured to float in the fluid being treated and is movable between a raised position during upflow and a lowered position during downflow. In this manner, the valve plate acts like a check valve to regulate the manner in which fluid flows through the distributor plate during upflow and downflow, improving resin scrubbing during upflow.

Distributor arrangement for a fluid treatment tank

A fluid treatment device includes a tank containing a fluid treatment medium and a fluid. A distributor plate is received in the tank and separates the bed from a lower end portion of the tank. A baffle is positioned beneath the distributor plate and is configured to direct fluid exiting a riser tube of the fluid treatment device toward the peripheral of the tank to thereby provide a more evenly-distributed flow through the radius of the distributor plate and through the fluid treatment medium. The baffle may have a downwardly facing concave surface that traps air bubbles generated during a brine draw operation.

Baffle plate for a water treatment device

A valve assembly for a twin tank-type water treatment system includes and a tank selector valve assembly that includes first and second rotary selector valves driven in concert with another by a reversible electric motor. The motor drives the first and second selector valves between (a) a first position in which an untreated water inlet and a treated water outlet of the valve assembly are coupled to a first resin tank, and a second resin tank is connected to a regeneration valve, and (b) a second position which the untreated water inlet and the treated water outlet of the valve assembly are coupled to the second resin tank, and the first resin tank is connected to a regeneration valve. The rotary valves may be disks that rotate relatively rapidly on a common shaft driven by the electric motor through an arc of 180&#xb0; or less.

Water treatment system tank selector valve assembly

A float-responsive valve includes a valve actuator that is selectively responsive to operation of a float to move from a first position to a second position in which the valve actuator holds the valve element in its open position. When the valve actuator is in the second position thereof, fluid pressure that would otherwise tend to force the valve element toward its seat is essentially incapable of closing the valve element. Preferably, a force vector applied through a flapper-type valve actuator forms an essentially nonnegative, more preferably generally collinear, angle with a bisector line passing through a pivot axis of the valve actuator and a primary contact point between the valve actuator and the flapper.

Float-responsive valve with premature closure prevention

Mineral contaminants are removed from water in a system in which water is sprayed into an air head at the top of a tank through a diffuser and withdrawn through a pick-up tube. A solenoid valve operates to allows air from a compressor to flow into the top of the tank through a shuttle valve which is opened by the air pressure. Simultaneously a drain valve connected to the shuttle valve opens a drain, venting water and air from the tank. The shuttle valve, closed by the solenoid valve, closes the air supply line and connecting the shuttle valve to atmosphere, and pressure within the aeration tank can close the shuttle valve, which causes closing of the drain valve. The part of the valve which opens the drain is made responsive to excess pressure within the air tank to open the drain and so acts as a pressure relief valve.

Aeration tank control valve system

A flow control includes a conduit and a flow control washer disposed in the conduit between the conduit's inlet and the outlet. A gas inlet passage opens into the conduit, preferably at a location just downstream of the flow control washer, to permit a gas (typically ambient air) to enter a liquid stream flowing through the flow control washer. The admission of a gas into this liquid stream reduces noise generated by liquid flow through the flow control washer. Gas induction and noise reduction capabilities may be enhanced by admitting the gas fluid into a low pressure region of a venturi located in the conduit downstream of the flow control washer. The flow control is particularly useful in a wastewater drain of a water softener control valve, but is also useful in a variety of other applications. A method of reducing noise in a flow control is also provided.

Quiet flow control washer for water softener or the like

A highly versatile drive arrangement that drives a linearly reciprocating piston of a water conditioning unit control valve without imparting any significant side loads on the support structure for the piston's drive rod or the associated seals. The drive arrangement includes a reversible electric motor and a motion converter, such as a lead screw arrangement, that converts the rotary motion of the electric motor's pinion or other output element to reciprocating linear motion of the piston. The reversible motor can be controlled, based on signals from a motion monitor such as an encoder, to drive the piston to any desired position within the piston upon command. This, in turn, permits the operation of the water conditioning unit to be optimized for prevailing conditions and permits the control valve's operation to be altered if, e.g., the piston becomes stuck or encounters an obstruction.

Water conditioning unit control valve

A seal stack, configured for supporting, guiding, and sealing a piston of a water softener control valve or the like, can be preassembled prior to its insertion into the associated valve bore and compressed after it is inserted into the bore. This post-assembly seal stack compression assures reliable assembly of the seal stack, facilitates valve assembly and disassembly, and negates the need to hold tight tolerances in bore diameter design and seal diameter design. The seal stack includes a plurality of static seals, a plurality of dynamic seals which are either combined with or separated from the static seals, and a plurality of spacers that support the seals. Each of the static seals is disposed between two adjacent spacers and seals against a peripheral surface of the bore, and each of the dynamic seals is disposed between two adjacent spacers and seals against the piston. Each of the spacers is connected to an adjacent spacer by a lost motion connector that permits limited axial movement therebetween and axial compression of the seal stack when the seal stack is assembled into the bore. Each of the static seals compresses axially and expands radially upon axial compression of the seal stack to enhance the sealing contact between the static seals and the peripheral surface of the bore.

Water softener control valve with removable seal stack

A control valve is provided for a water conditioning system having a mineral tank. The control valve includes a housing having an upper body portion and a lower body portion. The housing defines a chamber located between the upper and lower body portions. The upper body portion includes a first upper port, a second upper port, and a third upper port. The lower body portion includes a first lower port, second lower port, and a third lower port which provide fluid communication with the tank. A cylindrical disk is located within the chamber and is selectively rotatable about a central axis. The disk includes an upper face having a generally centrally located aperture and a peripherally located aperture. The disk also includes a spaced apart lower face having a first peripherally located aperture and a second peripherally located aperture. A first fluid passage extends through the disk between the centrally located aperture in the upper face and the first peripherally located aperture in the lower face. A second fluid passage extends through the disk between the peripherally located aperture in the upper face and the second peripherally located aperture in the lower face. Rotation of the disk about the central axis to one of various different positions as desired provides selective fluid communication between the upper ports in the upper body portion and the lower ports in the lower body portion of the control valve.

Rotary disk control valve for a water conditioning system

A system to sense changes in the state of an ion exchange resin bed which includes first and second current electrodes spaced from each other, a first electrical circuit electrically connecting the current electrodes and designed to be connected to a source of alternating current, and also including first and second voltage probes spaced from each other and located approximately between said first and second current electrodes with a wire connecting voltage probes. A second electrical circuit consists of the first and second voltage probes, the wire and the portion of the resin bed lying between said voltage probes so that when the first electrical circuit is energized by the source of alternating current a voltage is induced in the second electrical circuit which corresponds to the state of the resin bed located between the first and second voltage probes.

Method and apparatus to sense changes in the state of a resin bed

A control mechanism for a liquid treatment system including a first tank having an inlet and an outlet and a second tank having an inlet and an outlet. The control mechanism includes an inlet passage for receiving liquid to be treated and an outlet passage for dispensing treated liquid. A first valve is provided having a first chamber in fluid communication with the inlet passage and a second chamber in fluid communication with the outlet passage. The first valve is rotatable between a first position and a second position. A second valve is provided in fluid communication with the second chamber of the first valve. The second valve is adapted to selectively open and close a fluid path between the second chamber of the first valve and the first tank and to selectively open and close a fluid path between the second chamber of the first valve and the second tank. When the first valve is located in the first position, the first chamber is in fluid communication with the inlet of the first tank and is sealed from the second tank and the second chamber of the first valve is in fluid communication with the outlet of the first tank. When the first valve is located in the second position, the first chamber is in fluid communication with the inlet of the second tank and the inlet of the second tank and is sealed from the first tank and the second chamber is in fluid communication with the outlet of the second tank.

Control mechanism for controlling regeneration of two water treatment

A control mechanism is provided for operating a control valve in a water conditioning system. The control mechanism includes a timing mechanism for regulating the regeneration cycle and service cycle of the water conditioning system and a control valve positioning mechanism for operating the control valve of the water conditioning system. The control valve positioning mechanism and the timing mechanism are driven by a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism includes a timing drive gear which is in driving engagement with the timing mechanism and a control valve drive gear which is in driving engagement with the control valve positioning mechanism. A clutch selectively couples the control valve drive gear to the timing drive gear to provide selective conjoint rotation of the control valve drive gear with the timing drive gear. The clutch includes a coupling member having a first end wrapped around a stem of the timing drive gear and a second end wrapped around the stem of the control valve drive gear. When the timing drive gear is rotated the coupling member couples the control valve drive gear to the timing drive gear for conjoint rotation. However, when the clutch is selectively gripped by a pivotable cam arm, the control valve drive gear is uncoupled from the timing drive gear such that the timing drive gear rotates without any corresponding rotation of the control valve drive gear.

Growing community of inventors

Brookfield, WI, United States of America

Don D Vaughan