Dishwasher with decalcifier

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to dishwashers, and in particular to a dishwasher provided with a decalcifier from which it is possible to tap decalcified water to be used outside the dishwasher.

[0002] It is known that the network water loaded in a dishwasher must be usually treated to make it less hard, i.e. to reduce the concentration of calcium and magnesium salts that by precipitation form limescale on the surfaces and degrade the washing performance. To this purpose, the water loaded in the dishwasher is first of all passed in a decalcifier provided with a network water inlet and a decalcified water outlet.

[0003] The water loading system of a dishwasher is therefore conventionally made up of a load electrovalve that controls the inflow of network water and is connected through a first pipe to the inlet of an air-break which is in turn connected to a decalcifier. The decalcified water leaving the decalcifier is then sent through a second pipe to the collecting sump located at the bottom of the wash tank to enter the wash circuit of the machine.

[0004] It is also known that in several other instances the use of decalcified water is practically indispensable or at least preferable, typically in steam ironing devices where the formation of limescale damages the iron by clogging it and making it unusable. In order to prevent such problems the user must purchase decalcified water at the supermarket or, in certain cases, recover the condensed vapor from air conditioning systems or use water treated by a specific decalcifying apparatus.

[0005] This results in drawbacks both in terms of cost and inconvenience, since the user must provide a stock of decalcified water to be available when required.

[0006] Therefore the object of the present invention is to provide a dishwasher that allows to tap on request the water decalcified by the decalcifier so as to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks. This object is achieved by means of a dishwasher provided with a valve arranged between the decalcifier outlet and the sump so that it can divert the decalcified water towards a tapping nozzle. Other advantageous features of the present dishwasher are disclosed in the dependent claims.

[0007] The main advantage of this dishwasher resides in making available in a simple and inexpensive way a source of decalcified water that can be used for ironing, cooking, washing laundry and the like. In this way, it is possible to avoid the costs involved with the purchase of decalcified water or with the specific decalcifying apparatus, as well as the inconvenience of recovering condensate from the air conditioning system.

[0008] A further advantage of the present dishwasher stems from the fact that the modifications required to achieve this new function are minimal, whereby also the cost increase for manufacturing and using such a dishwasher is negligible.

[0009] These and other advantages and characteristics of the dishwasher according to the present invention will be clear to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of an embodiment thereof, with reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

Fig.1 is a diagrammatic front view of the dishwasher, with the hydraulic circuit configured for the normal operation of the dishwasher;

Fig.2 is a view similar to Fig.1 with the hydraulic circuit configured for the decalcified water tapping function;

Fig.3 is a perspective view of a decalcified water collecting container that can be used in the configuration of Fig.2; and

Fig.4 is a view similar to Fig.2 that shows a variant of the water collecting system.

[0010] Referring to said figures, there is seen that a dishwasher according to the present invention is conventionally provided with a decalcifier 1 whose outlet 1a is connected through a pipe 2 to a collecting sump 3, from where the decalcified water is drawn off by a wash pump 4 and sent to a sprinkler 5 for washing the dishes housed in a rack 6 (just one sprinkler 5 and one rack 6 are shown for the sake of simplicity, but the dishwasher will usually have two of each).

[0011] The novel aspect of the present invention resides in the fact that between outlet 1a of decalcifier 1 and pipe 2 connecting it to sump 3 there is arranged a valve 7 suitable to divert the decalcified water to a duct 8 ending with a nozzle 9 that projects into the wash tank, preferably from a side wall at a position higher than rack 6.

[0012] The simple and effective operation of the present dishwasher is therefore readily understood in the light of the description given above.

[0013] For the normal operation of the dishwasher the hydraulic circuit is in the configuration of Fig.1, where valve 7 connects decalcifier 1 to sump 3. When the user wishes to tap decalcified water for other uses he/she needs only select the appropriate option on the control panel of the dishwasher and hang a collecting container 10 on nozzle 9, then close the door and wait for the signal on the dishwasher display indicating that it is possible to open the door and fetch the required decalcified water.

[0014] The control unit of the dishwasher, after detecting the user's request and the closing of the door, switches valve 7 so that it connects decalcifier 1 to nozzle 9, according to the configuration of Fig.2, and opens the water load electrovalve to load the preset amount of water or an amount set by the user.

[0015] In case the control unit detects that the dishwasher can not dispense the required amount of decalcified water because the resins of decalcifier 1 are exhausted, it will first proceed with a phase of regeneration and wash of the resins according to the conventional cycle normally used in dishwashers. Only after said cycle, the control unit will switch valve 7 putting outlet 1a of decalcifier 1 into connection with duct 8 that will convey the decalcified water up to nozzle 9 so that it can be collected in container 10, which is provided with a suitable rear hole 10a and a spout 10b (Fig.3).

[0016] Alternatively, as illustrated in Fig.4, the water can be collected by means of an additional small pipe 11 provided with a socket 11a for its mounting on nozzle 9, said small pipe 9 being mounted by the user only when the tapping of decalcified water is requested. In this way, the free end of the small pipe 11 can be introduced into any container placed in rack 6, such as a bottle 12.

[0017] It is clear that the above-described and illustrated embodiment of the dishwasher according to the invention is just an example susceptible of various modifications. In particular, the exact structure and position of the portion of hydraulic circuit intended for tapping the decalcified water can change somewhat according to specific manufacturing needs. For example, valve 7 could be arranged at another position between decalcifier 1 and sump 3, such as in the middle of pipe 2 or downstream therefrom, and nozzle 9 could be located on the ceiling or the bottom of the wash tank.

Claims

1. Dishwasher comprising a wash tank with a collecting sump (3) at the bottom and a decalcifier (1) whose outlet (1a) is connected to said collecting sump (3), characterized in that between said outlet (1a) of the decalcifier (1) and the collecting sump (3) there is arranged a valve (7) suitable to divert the decalcified water to a duct (8) ending with a nozzle (9) that projects into the wash tank.

2. Dishwasher according to claim 1, characterized in that the valve (7) is located adjacent to the outlet (1a).

3. Dishwasher according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the nozzle (9) projects from a side wall at a position higher than a rack (6) intended to receive dishes.

4. Dishwasher according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further includes an additional small pipe (11) provided with a socket (11a) for the mounting on the nozzle (9).

5. Dishwasher according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further includes a container (10) provided with a rear hole (10a) suitable for hanging said container (10) on the nozzle (9).

6. Dishwasher according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further includes control means for setting the amount of decalcified water to be tapped.