UV lamp and anti-scale water treatment water heater apparatus with sanitation loop

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12195378-B2
Application number	US-202217846183-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 22, 2022
Priority date	Nov 20, 2018
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

A water heating and treatment system with UV lamp water treatment sanitation for suppression of pathogens and undesired bacterial content in a domestic water system includes a water heater, and a cold water supply line to supply water to the water heater. The cold water supply line includes a UV sanitation lamp. A single or multiple temperature regulating mixing station supplies a temperature regulated heated water to one or multiple temperature zones. A water heater controller causes an activation of the water heater sanitation loop and a water temperature of the water heater to increase momentarily to a sanitization temperature above 151° F. (66° C.) for one or more periods of at least two minutes in a sanitation loop mode. A method for treating hot water to suppress pathogens including undesired bacterial content in a domestic water system is also described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A water heating and treatment system with an ultraviolet (UV) water treatment sanitation for suppression of pathogens and undesired bacterial content in a domestic water system comprising:
a water heater;
a cold water supply line to supply water to said water heater, said cold water supply line comprising a UV sanitation lamp;
a single or multiple temperature regulating mixing station to supply a temperature regulated heated water to one or multiple temperature zones, said single or multiple temperature regulating mixing station fluidly coupled to said cold water supply line and to a hot water outflow line from said water heater, said single or multiple temperature regulating mixing station to supply said temperature regulated heated water to at least a first temperature zone of the one or multiple temperature zones at a first hot water temperature; and
a water heater sanitation loop connected to the hot water outflow line from said water heater including a sanitation loop pump to circulate hot water within said water heater;
wherein a water heater controller causes an activation of said water heater sanitation loop and a water temperature of said water heater to increase momentarily to a sanitization temperature above 151° F. (66° C.) for one or more periods of at least two minutes in a sanitation loop mode, and wherein said single or multiple temperature regulating mixing station maintains said at least said first temperature zone of the one or multiple temperature zones at said first hot water temperature during operation of said sanitation loop mode.

2. The water heating and treatment system of claim 1 , wherein said water heater controller causes said activation of said water heater sanitation loop on a pre-determined schedule.

3. The water heating and treatment system of claim 1 , wherein said water heater controller is communicatively coupled to at least one of: said UV sanitation lamp, and said water heater controller causes said activation of said water heater sanitation loop in response to a detection of a UV sanitation lamp failure indication.

4. The water heating and treatment system of claim 1 , wherein said cold water supply line comprises a sediment filter.

5. The water heating and treatment system of claim 1 , further comprising a hot water recirculation line.

6. The water heating and treatment system of claim 5 , further comprising a one-way check valve disposed in said hot water recirculation line.

7. The water heating and treatment system of claim 5 , wherein said hot water recirculation line comprises a sediment filter.

8. The water heating and treatment system of claim 5 , wherein said hot water recirculation line comprises an additional UV lamp sanitation device.

9. The water heating and treatment system of claim 1 , wherein said water heater comprises an automatic blow down device including a blow down valve controlled by said water heater controller.

10. The water heating and treatment system of claim 1 , wherein said water heater comprises a gas fired heater with a modulated burner.

11. The water heating and treatment system of claim 1 , wherein said water heater comprises an indirectly fired heat exchanger.

12. The water heating and treatment system of claim 11 , wherein said indirectly fired heat exchanger is selected from the group consisting of: a plate and frame heat exchanger, a brazed plate heat exchanger, and a shell and tube heat exchanger.

13. The water heating and treatment system of claim 1 , wherein said water heater comprises an indirectly fired steam heated heat exchanger.

14. The water heating and treatment system of claim 13 , wherein said indirectly fired steam heated heat exchanger is selected from the group consisting of: a brazed plate heat exchanger, and a shell and tube heat exchanger.

15. The water heating and treatment system of claim 1 , wherein said water heater comprises an electric heater.

16. The water heating and treatment system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one chemical injector downstream of a hot water outlet of said water heater.

17. The water heating and treatment system of claim 1 , comprising a hot temperature water distribution held to about a setpoint temperature by said single or multiple temperature regulating mixing station, and a high temperature water distribution fluidly coupled to an outlet line of said water heater without active water temperature tempering.

18. The water heating and treatment system of claim 1 , further comprising a one-way check valve at a hot water outlet of said water heater.

19. A method for treating hot water to suppress pathogens and undesired bacterial content in a domestic water system comprising:
providing a water heater, a cold water supply line to supply water to said water heater, said cold water supply line comprising: an ultraviolet (UV) sanitation lamp; and a single or multiple temperature regulating mixing station to supply a temperature regulated heated water to one or multiple temperature zones, said single or multiple temperature regulating mixing station fluidly coupled to said cold water supply line and to a hot water outflow line from said water heater, said single or multiple temperature regulating mixing station to supply said temperature regulated heated water to at least a first temperature zone of the one or multiple
temperature zones at a first hot water temperature, a water heater sanitation loop connected to the hot water outflow line from said water heater including a sanitation loop pump to circulate the hot water within said water heater;
sanitizing a cold water before flowing or pumping said cold water to said water heater; and
sanitizing the hot water of said water heater by operating said sanitation loop pump to circulate the hot water within said water heater at an elevated temperature exceeding 151° F. (66° C.) and holding said elevated temperature in said water heater for at least 2 minutes as controlled by a water heater controller.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein said step of sanitizing the hot water of said water heater by operating said water heater sanitation loop comprises sanitizing the hot water of said water heater by operating said water heater sanitation loop on a periodic schedule.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein said step of sanitizing the hot water of said water heater by operating said water heater sanitation loop comprises sanitizing the hot water of said water heater by operating said water heater sanitation loop in response to a fault alarm of said UV sanitation lamp.

Assignees

• Watts Regulator Co

Inventors

• D'Amore Theresa
• Bothner Paul
• Summey Jana
• Trammell Michael
• Schmitt Craig

Classifications

• C02F1/325

  Irradiation devices or lamp constructions · CPC title

• C02F2303/22

  Eliminating or preventing deposits, scale removal, scale prevention (C02F1/042, C02F1/4602, C02F5/00 take precedence) · CPC title

• C02F2301/046

  Recirculation with an external loop · CPC title

• C02F1/001

  Processes for the treatment of water whereby the filtration technique is of importance (C02F1/44 takes precedence; construction of filters in general B01D24/00 - B01D41/00) · CPC title

• C02F1/02

  by heating (methods of steam generation F22B; preheating boiler feed-water or accumulating preheated boiler feed-water F22D) · CPC title