Patent ID: 7556738
Filing Date: 2009-07-07
Classification: B01J,C02F

Abstract:
1. A method for determining the duration of a brine/slow rinse cycle in a process cycle for a water conditioner having a bed of ion-exchange material, comprising: positioning a sensor probe and a reference probe in the bed of ion-exchange material vertically displaced from each other, with the sensor probe upstream of the reference probe; monitoring a voltage from each of the sensor probe and the reference probe over a plurality of time intervals; calculating a rate of change in the impedance ratio of the sensor probe to the reference probe; detecting a first peak in a rate of change between time intervals of impedance ratios of the sensor probe to the reference probe; repeating said monitoring, calculating and detecting steps until a second peak is detected; and terminating the brine/slow rinse cycle after both peaks have been detected.