Abstract:
A portable point-of-use water softener. Settings of a valve put the water softener into three different modes: an “off” mode that excludes water from the water softener, a water softening mode, and a regeneration mode. In water softening mode, water passes from a source of the water through a water softening element to a sink for the softened water. A plurality of water softening elements operate in parallel in water softening mode to increase the flow of water through the water softener. In regeneration mode, a brine solution flows through the water softening element. The solution is made in a chamber in which water from the source flows at a controlled rate over salt tablets and from there through the water softening elements. The number of salt tablets determines the percent of salt in the brine. The valve includes a number of tubes which connect the components as required for the three modes. The valve selects a mode by pinching tubes as required by the mode. The valve uses a cam with a handle to pinch the tubes, and a position of the handle corresponds to each of the modes.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This patent application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application 60/354,634, Carl Sutera, Portable point-of-use water softener, filed Feb. 5, 2002, and from U.S. provisional patent application 60/409,329, having the same inventor and title, and filed Sep. 9, 2002. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The invention relates to water softeners generally and more particularly to water softeners which are installed at the point where the soft water is to be used.  
         [0004]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0005]     Water softeners have been used for many years to remove undesirable minerals from a dwelling&#39;s water supply. Water softeners typically work by running the water through a bed that contains granules of an ion exchange resin. As the water passes through the bed, ions contained in the resin are exchanged for ions of the minerals that harden the water. In the most common case, the ion exchange resin exchanges sodium ions for the undesirable minerals. Of course, the ion exchange resin will work only as long as it has ions to exchange. When the ions are exhausted, the ion exchange reason must be regenerated by passing a solution through the bed which causes the resin to exchange the ions for the undesirable minerals with the ions originally contained in the resin. With ion exchange resins that exchange sodium ions for the undesirable ions, the regeneration is done by passing a brine solution through the bed of ion exchange resin.  
         [0006]     Most water softeners are point-of-entry water softeners. They are located at the point where a dwelling&#39;s water supply enters the dwelling and soften all of the water supplied to the dwelling. As an integral part of the dwelling&#39;s water supply, they are typically installed by plumbers. Once installed, modem point-of-entry water softeners are completely automatic. In addition to the bed of ion exchange resin, they include a tank that contains a saturated brine solution. The brine solution is used to regenerate the ion exchange resin. Under control of either a timer or a device that senses the condition of the softened water, valves are electrically opened and closed so that the resin bed is cut off from the water supply, the saturated brine solution is mixed with water, and the resulting unsaturated brine solution flows through the ion exchange resin until the resin is regenerated. The system then again sets the valves so that the dwelling&#39;s water supply flows through the resin bed. Such systems typically employ a simple float valve to ensure that there is water in the brine tank, so all the person in charge of maintaining the system need do is make sure that there is enough salt in the tank to keep the brine solution in the tank saturated.  
         [0007]     Point-of-entry water softeners work well for their purposes, but they require that a person who wants soft water in his or her dwelling have control over the dwelling&#39;s plumbing. That is easy enough if the dwelling is a house and the person owns the house, but it is another matter entirely when the person merely rents the house or the dwelling is a condominium. Moreover, because point-of entry water softeners soften the entire water supply, they tend to be large and are integrally connected with the rest of the plumbing system and the dwelling&#39;s electrical system. As such, they are not portable. Thus, even if a renter or condominium owner had the necessary control over the dwelling&#39;s plumbing, he or she could not install a point-of-entry water softener by him or herself or uninstall the water softener and take it along to the next apartment or condominium. For the same reasons, a point-of-entry water softener cannot be easily adapted for use in boats, recreational vehicles, or travel trailers.  
         [0008]     Apartment and condominium dwellers have long needed a point-of-use water softener, that is, one that can be easily installed by the user at the point where the soft water is used. For example, soft water is most useful when one is washing one&#39;s hair, and point-of-use water softeners have been designed that provided softened water in a sink or shower for that purpose. Examples of such point-of-use water softeners may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,484, Sasaki, et al, Shower apparatus, claiming priority from a PCT application filed Feb. 8, 1099 and issued Jul. 23, 2002, U.S. Pat. No. 4,242,201, Stephens, et al., By-pass water softener system and installation, issued Dec. 30, 1980, U.S. Pat. No. 3,653,514, Holler, et al., Water softener, issued Apr. 4, 1972, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,016,146, Smith, et al., Portable water treatment device, issued Jan. 9, 1962. All of the point-of-use water softeners disclosed in the above applications have problems that render them difficult to use, and the lack of a successful point-of-use water softener in the marketplace suggests that the art has yet to solve the problems presented by such water softeners. Among the problems are the following: 
        combining small size with enough flow to make the water softener useful with a shower.     ease of regenerating the resin.     simple operation.        
 
         [0012]     It is an object of the present invention to overcome these problems and provide a point-of use water softener that is portable, user-installable, works with a shower, is easily regenerated, and simply operated.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0013]     One aspect of the object of the invention is attained by a user-installable water softener. The user-installable water softener includes a water inlet which is connectable by a user to a source of water at a location where the user has need of softened water, a regeneratable water softening element, a source of a regenerating fluid for regenerating the water softening element, and a valve which has a first setting and a second setting. The first setting causes the water to pass through the water softening element and the second setting causes the regenerating fluid to pass through the water softening element. Further details of this aspect include a manually-operated valve with a single handle which has positions corresponding to the settings of the valve and a third setting of the valve which stops the water from flowing through the water softener. There are further more than one of the water softening elements and the water softening elements operate in parallel. The source of regenerating fluid contains salt and when the valve is in its second setting, water passes to the source of the regenerating fluid.  
         [0014]     Another aspect of the invention is attained by a water softener that includes an input for water, a regeneratable water softening element, a regeneration fluid source that contains a water-soluble substance, with the regeneration fluid being produced by passing water over the substance, and a valve that in one mode causes the water to pass through the water softening element and in another mode causes the water to pass to the regeneration fluid source and the regenerating fluid produced thereby to pass through the water softening element. Further details of this aspect include that the regenerating fluid passes through the water softening element in a direction which is the reverse of the direction that the water passes through the water softening element, that the valve is manually operable, and that the water for the regeneration source passes through a flow reducer which reduces the flow to a rate which achieves an optimal concentration of the water-soluble substance in the regeneration fluid. Details of the water softening element include a chlorine removal medium, a packed-bed ion exchange resin, and a baffle through which water passes from the chlorine removal medium to the packed-bed ion exchange resin.  
         [0015]     A further aspect of the invention is the valve. The valve includes a plurality of pinchable tubes that may be connected to sources and sinks of fluids and a cam having a handle and pinching elements arranged in the cam such that at different positions of the handle, different ones of the plurality of pinchable tubes are pinched. Further details of this aspect include that the plurality of pinchable tubes lie in a single plane and the cam rotates on an axle which is parallel to the plane, that the tubes are reinforced where they are pinched by the pinching elements, and that the pinching elements include axles with rollers, a roller contacting a tube of the plurality when the tube is pinched by the pinching element.  
         [0016]     Yet another aspect of the invention relates to regeneration. Regeneration is done by providing water at a constant rate to a brine source which contains one or more salt tablets, with the number of salt tablets determining the concentration of the salt in the brine solution. The salt tablets as received by the user are packaged in a stack and the user takes the number of salt tablets required for the desired concentration from the stack and places them in the brine source.  
         [0017]     Other objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the arts to which the invention pertains upon perusal of the following Detailed Description and drawing, wherein: 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0018]      FIG. 1  is an overview of a water softener that operates according to the principles of the invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 2  is an overview of a preferred embodiment of the point-of-use water softener of the invention;  
         [0020]      FIG. 3  shows the valve employed in the preferred embodiment;  
         [0021]      FIG. 4  shows the water softening chamber employed in the preferred embodiment;  
         [0022]      FIG. 5  shows the regenerating solution source in a preferred embodiment;  
         [0023]      FIG. 6  shows one way of installing the preferred embodiment at the point of use; and  
         [0024]      FIG. 7  is a detail of the manner in which valve  207  is connected to the other components of water softener  201 .  
     
    
       [0025]     Reference numbers in the drawing have three or more digits: the two right-hand digits are reference numbers in the drawing indicated by the remaining digits. Thus, an item with the reference number  203  first appears as item  203  in  FIG. 2 .  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0026]     The following Detailed description will first provide an overview of the construction and operation of a water softener built according to the principles of the invention and will then provide a detailed disclosure of a preferred embodiment.  
         [heading-0027]     Overview of a Water Softener According to the Invention:  FIG. 1   
         [0028]      FIG. 1  shows an overview of a water softener  101  which is constructed according to the principles of the invention. The components of water softener  101  are contained in and supported by a case  103  which also provides connections  105  to a water source  123  of water at pressures that are typical in residential water systems,  107  to a soft water sink  125  for soft water produced by water softener  101 , and an outlet  109  to a drain for the solution  127  used to regenerate the water softening resin. When water softener  101  is used in a shower enclosure, water source  103  is the source of water for the shower head. Connection  107  is connected to a hose that is in turn connected to a hand-held shower. Outlet  109  simply drains into the shower enclosure&#39;s drain. Case  103  may have any useful and/or ornamental form that serves the purpose and may be supported or attached in any practical way at the point of use for the softened water. For example, when used in the shower enclosure, case  103  may hang from the pipe the enclosure&#39;s original shower head was attached to.  
         [0029]     The chief components of water softener  101  are water softening chamber  117 , which contains a bed of ion exchange resins, regenerating solution source  121 , which is the source of the regenerating solution used to regenerate the ion exchange resins, and valve  119 . Water softening chamber  117  receives water  111  and outputs softened water  113  and also receives and outputs regenerating solution  115 . Regenerating solution source  121  receives water  111  and outputs regenerating solution  115 . Valve  119  routes water  111  to either water softening chamber  117  or regenerating solution source  121 , routes softened water  113  to outlet  107 , and routes regenerating solution  115  from water softening chamber  117  to outlet  109 . Valve  119  thus controls two modes of operation: a water softening mode and a regeneration mode.  
         [0030]     In the water softening mode, valve  119  connects water  111  from source  123  to water softening chamber  117  and softened water  113  from water softening chamber  117  to outlet  107 . As the water from source  123  flows through the resin in chamber  117 , it is softened. Softened water  113  then flows via valve  119  to connection  107 , and thus ultimately to soft water sink  125 . While it is doing this, valve  119  also disconnects water  111  from regenerating source  121 . Since regenerating solution  115  must be under pressure to flow from regenerating source solution  121  to water softening chamber  117 , no regenerating solution reaches water softening chamber  115  in water softening mode.  
         [0031]     In the regeneration mode, valve  119  connects water  111  from source  123  to regenerating solution source  121  and disconnects water  111  from chamber  117 . The regenerating solution  115  produced when water  111  flows through source  121  goes to water softening chamber  117 . Regenerating solution  115  flows through water softening chamber  117 , regenerating the resin as it does so, and passes to valve  119 , which connects water softening chamber  117  to outlet  109 , from which regeneration solution  115  reaches the drain. It should be noted that the regenerating solution  115  could also flow through water softening chamber  117  in a direction opposite to the one shown. The arrangement shown in  FIG. 1  is, however, particularly advantageous, since the reverse flow of regenerating solution  115  through water softening chamber  117  also serves to remove material such as mineral scale which may be clogging water softening chamber  117 .  
         [0032]     Advantages of water softener  101  include the following: 
        operation is simple because it is completely controlled by valve  119 ;     regeneration is completely integrated into the operation of water softener  101 ; and     The regeneration system is pressurized instead of open, which reduces its size and complexity and makes it easy to manage. 
 
 Overview of a Preferred Embodiment:  FIG. 2  
       
 
         [0037]      FIG. 2  provides an overview of a preferred embodiment  201  of water softener  101 . The same three components are present, namely water softening chambers  203 ( a ) and ( b ), a valve  207  that controls whether water softener  201  is operating in water softening or regeneration mode, and a source  205  for the brine that is used to regenerate the ion exchange resins in water softening chambers  203 ( a ) and ( b ). Each water softening chamber  203  has two ports,  219  and  221 . In water softening mode, port  219  receives water  111  and port  221  outputs softened water  113 ; in regeneration mode, port  221  receives brine  115  and port  219  outputs brine that has passed over the resin in chamber  203 . In the preferred embodiment, valve  207  also has an “off” mode in which water  111  is provided neither to water softening chambers  203  nor to brine source  205 . As may be noted from the above, water softening and regeneration are both done in water softening chambers  203  in parallel. The parallel operation of the water softening chambers in water softening mode makes it possible to achieve a large volume of flow in a relatively compact water softener.  
         [0038]     Valve  207  controls the flow of water  111 , softened water  113 , and brine  115  in the preferred embodiment by pinching various combinations of four tubes, which appear as  209 ,  211 ,  213 , and  215  in  FIG. 2 . This arrangement permits complex flow control in a valve which is relatively small, relatively inexpensive, and easy to operate. Further advantages of this type of valve include the following: 
        all of the tubes lie in a single plane, giving a low profile;     there are no conventional sealing devices such as “O” rings or gaskets;     there are no moving parts exposed to the corrosive brine solution;     the valve is non-clogging and self cleaning; it offers no discontinuities where scale can accumulate and the pinching action keeps the tubs in the valve free of accumulations of mineral scale;     when the valve handle is moved from one position to another, a momentary “all open” state exists throughout the network of tubing; this in turn creates a pulse or “water hammer” effect which shakes loose sediment from surfaces throughout the system; and     the complex flow control can be achieved using a single handle with three positions.        
 
         [0045]     Operation is as follows: when water softener  201  is in “off” mode, valve  207  pinches tubes  209  and  215 , blocking the flow of water  111  to both water softening chambers  203  and brine source  205 , when water softener  201  is in water softening mode, valve  207  pinches tubes  209  and  213 , but does not pinch tubes  215  and  211 . As a result, water  111  flows to water softening chambers  203  but not to brine source  205 . The water enters the chambers at port  219  and the softened water leaves at port  221 , from whence it goes through tube  211  and outlet  107  to soft water sink  125 . When water softener  201  is in regeneration mode, valve  207  pinches tubes  215  and  211  but does not pinch tubes  209  and  213 . As a result, water  111  flows to brine source  205 , where it passes over salt and becomes brine, and from brine source  205  through ports  211 , across the ion exchange resin, through ports  219 , and via tube  213  to outlet  109 .  
         [heading-0046]     Details of Valve  207 :  FIGS. 3, 6 , and  7   
         [0047]      FIG. 7  presents a detail of the connections  701  between valve  207  and the other components of preferred embodiment  201 . Beginning with tube  209 , this tube connects water supply  123  to brine source  205 ; when it is pinched, brine source  205  is cut off from water supply  123 . Tube  211  connects ports  221 ( a,b ) to soft water sink  125 ; when the tube is pinched, no soft water flows to soft water sink  125 . Tube  211  is joined above valve  207  by tube  707  from the output of brine source  205 ; when tube  211  is pinched and tube  209  is open, water  111  flows into and brine  115  out of brine source  205  and from thence via tubes  707  and  211  to ports  221 ( a,b ). Tube  213  connects ports  219 ( a, b ) to brine outlet  109 ; thus when tubes  209  and  213  are open and tubes  211  and  215  are pinched, the brine flows from ports  1221 ( a, b ) through chambers  203 ( a, b ), out ports  219 ( a, b ), and through tube  213  to brine outlet  209 . Tube  213  is joined above valve  207  by tube  711 , which in turn is connected to tube  215 . When tubes  211  and  215  are open and tubes  209  and  213  are pinched, water  111  flows through tube  215 , through tube  711 , and through tube  213  to ports  219 ( a,b ) and soft water  113  flows from ports  221 ( a,b ) through tube  211  to soft water sink  125 .  
         [0048]      FIG. 3  shows details of the construction of a preferred embodiment of valve  207 . Valve  207  has two chief components: tube bed  306 , which holds tubes  209 - 215  so that they can be pinched, and cams  301 , which are attached by axle  311  to tube bed  306  and can be rotated by means of handle  319  to pinch various ones of tubes  209 - 215 . As shown at  605 ,  607 , and  609  in  FIG. 6 , handle  319  has three positions: off position  605 , in which the cams pinch tubes  209  and  215 , soft water output position  607 , in which the cams pinch tubes  209  and  213 , but do not pinch  211  and  215 , and regenerating position  609 , in which the cams pinch tubes  211  and  215  but do not pinch tubes  209  and  213 .  
         [0049]     Continuing with details of tube bed  306  and cams  301 , the reinforced tubes  305  in tube bed  306  are double extruded silicone tubes reinforced with reinforcing yarn. Reinforced tubes  305  are made by extruding the first layer, placing a mesh of reinforcing yarn over the first layer, and then extruding the second layer. Tubing made using this technique combines good flexibility with a good pressure rating. Clamps  309  clamp the reinforced tubes to tube bed  306  and also to connections to the non-reinforced tubing used elsewhere in water softener  201 . Bed sides  303  carry axle  311 . With regard to cams  301 , the individual cams  314  are all rigidly connected to axle  311  and are also joined by axles  317 , which carry rollers  315 . Two of the individual cams  314  are rigidly connected to handle  319 . Axles  317  are placed in the cams such that the rollers  315  pinch the tubes as required for each position of handle  319 . Axle  311  is rotatably connected to tube bed  306 . As shown by the locations of the rollers, in “off” position  605 , rollers  315 ( a ) and  315 ( e ) pinch tubes  209  and  215 , blocking the flow of water  111  through water softener  201 . In soft water output position  607 , roller  315 ( b ) pinches tube  209  and roller  315 ( d ) pinches tube  213 , leaving tubes  211  and  215  unpinched, as required for water softening mode. In regenerating position  609 , rollers  315 ( c ) and  315 ( f ) pinch tubes  211  and  215 , leaving tubes  209  and  214  unpinched, as required for regeneration mode.  
         [heading-0050]     Details of Water Softening Chamber  203 :  FIG. 4   
         [0051]      FIG. 4  shows details of water softening chamber  203 . Chamber  203  has a port  219  at its top and a port  221  at its bottom; each of these ports is connected by plastic tubing to valve  207 . In water softening mode, water  111  flows in at port  219  and soft water flows out at port  221 ; in regeneration mode, brine flows in at port  221  and out at port  219 . Inside, chamber  203  is divided into primary chamber  403 , which contains media for removing chlorine from the water being softened, and secondary chamber  411 , which contains the ion exchange resin. The ion exchange resin is retained in chamber  203  by stainless steel screens  405  and  406 . The primary and secondary chambers are additionally separated by turbulence baffle  407 , which contains perforations  409 . The turbulence baffle&#39;s functions include: 
        increasing the period during which water  111  is in contact with the chlorine removal media; preventing the buildup of contaminants on the incoming surface of the chlorine removal media; and     distributing the input water across the entire surface of the exchange resin, which greatly reduces the chance of uneven flows of water through the resin bed.          
         [0054]     These functions should be performed without any unnecessary loss of flow through chamber  203 ; for this reason, the open area provided by perforations  409  should be at least as large as the area of port  219 &#39;s opening. In a preferred embodiment, water softening chamber  203  has an inside diameter of 3″ and a length of 12″. In general, the wider the chamber is, the greater the rate of flow through it, and the longer it is for a given width, the longer the period between regenerations of the ion exchange resin.  
         [0055]     The ion exchange resin bed in secondary chamber  411  employs a packed resin bed design. This design prevents movement of resin granules within the bed and ensures that the resin depletes from the top of chamber  203  down, so that the last resin the water passes over is the least depleted. This insures the maximum possible reduction in hardness. The design is also advantageous for counter-flow regeneration, since the brine regenerates the resin from the bottom up, beginning with the least depleted and ending with the most depleted resin.  
         [heading-0056]     Details of Brine Source  205   
         [0057]     Brine source  205  is a tube  501  that receives water  111  from valve  207 , as shown at  509 , and provides brine to ports  221 ( a,b ) of water softening chambers  203 ( a,b ). Flow reducer  511  reduces the rate of flow of water  111  into brine source  205 . In a preferred embodiment, the flow reducer is a coupling which contains a Teflon® tube which is of smaller diameter than the tube connected between valve  207  and flow reducer  511 . The ratio of the diameters of the tubes determines the degree to which the flow reducer reduces the flow. Output of brine from brine source  205  is via tube  513 , which connects to tube  707 . Check valve  514  prevents flow of softened water from tube  707  into chamber  503  when valve  207 &#39;s handle  319  is moved from one position to another.  
         [0058]     Chamber  503  of brine source  205  contains salt tablets  505 , which are placed in brine source  205  by unscrewing plug  507  from the end of the tube, placing the tablets in the tube, and replacing plug  507 . The percentage of salt in the brine solution is determined by the amount of salt in chamber  503  and the rate at which the water  211  flows through chamber  503 . That rate is in turn determined by the pressure of the water from source  123  and flow reducer  511 . Since the pressure of the water from water source  123  will be more or less constant and the rate of flow through brine source  205  is determined by that pressure and the size of the Teflon tube in flow reducer  511 , the percentage of salt in the brine solution will depend primarily on the number of salt tablets  505  in chamber  503 . An optimal strength for the brine solution is around 10% salt. To make it easier to both calibrate the amount of salt required to make the 10% brine solution and to put the right amount of salt into chamber  503 , the user is provided with the salt in the form of a stack of shrink-wrapped salt tablets  515 . The user need only take as many tablets from the stack as are required to produce the 10% salt solution. In a preferred environment, tube  501  is made of transparent plastic and a view port in case  103  permits the user to see how much salt remains in chamber  503 .  
         [heading-0059]     Details of Regeneration  
         [0060]     In the preferred embodiment, it is up to the user to ensure that water softener  201  is operated in regeneration mode sufficiently to keep the ion exchange resin in water softening chambers  203 ( a,b ) able to produce softened water  113 . The time required to fully regenerate the resin depends on three factors: the hardness of the water, the flow rate of water from the shower head, and the length of time water softener  201  is in use. The latter is the overriding factor. Some ways in which the user may regenerate the resin in the course of his or her normal showering routine are the following: 
        1. Put water softener  201  into regeneration mode while waiting for the water to warm up enough to take a shower; when the water is warm, switch to water softening mode.     2. Put water softener  201  into water softening mode while getting wet and put it into regeneration mode while lathering, shampooing, or shaving; when ready to rinse, put the water softener back into water softening mode.     3. Put water softener  201  into regeneration mode while drying off.        
 
         [0064]     The user may of course always regenerate the resin at a set time using a set amount of salt over a set period. Over time, the user will be able to determine the amount or regeneration necessary for the hardness of his or her water and his or her use of the shower. In other embodiments, a timer may be included in the water softener. For example, because of the presence of flow reducer valve  511 , the water entering brine source  205  is flowing in a comparatively small tube at comparatively low volume; consequently, a timer might work like this: when the user moves the handle to the position for regeneration mode, the movement of the handle sets the timer, either mechanical, electrical, or electronic, going. While the timer is running, a valve on the input tube is held open; when the timer stops running, the valve closes, cutting off the flow of water to brine source  205  and ending the regeneration period. An example of a timer that would work for this purpose is a 9-volt solenoid valve/timer. An example of a valve would be a pinch valve that worked on the input tube. Other types of timers and valves could of course also be used.  
         [heading-0065]     An Exemplary Installation of Water Softener  201 :  FIG. 6   
         [0066]     The manner in which a given water softener  201  will be installed at the point where it is used will of course depend on details of the point of use.  FIG. 6  shows an installation  601  of water softener  201  on the wall of a shower enclosure that has the shower head. Case  103  has a support strap  613  which can be placed over water source  123 , which is here the pipe that would normally have the shower head. Support strap  613  carries the weight of water softener  201 ; to keep water softener  201  from sliding on shower enclosure wall  601 , double sided suction cups are provided on the back of case  103 . These grip on both case  103  and wall  603 . The user connects water softener  201  to water source  103  by removing the shower head and connecting hose  611  in its place. The user then connects hose  611  to inlet  105  of water softener  201 . The user then connects a shower head on a second hose to softened water outlet  107  of water softener  201 . Once water softener  201  is connected as just described to water source  123 , the user places valve handle  319  in “off” position  605  and sets the water supply to water source  123  as he or she would normally do for a shower. To take the shower, the user simply places valve handle  319  in soft water output position  607 . When the user changes apartments or condominiums, all the user has to do to take water softener  207  along to his or her new dwelling is turn off the water supply to water source  123 , disconnect hose  611 , and take down case  103 . Water softener  207  is thus truly portable in that it can be easily installed and uninstalled by the user and easily transported to the next point of use.  
         [0067]     In other applications, the small size and manual mode switching offered by water softener  201  may be more important than portability. Examples of such applications are in boats, recreational vehicles, and travel trailers. In these applications, the water softener may be installed at the point of use in a manner which can withstand the stresses caused by the motion of the boat, RV, or travel trailer or the water softener may even be installed at the point of entry for the plumbing system, that is, at the outlet of the supply tank for the vehicle or boat. In either case, water softener  201  may be installed as a permanent part of the vehicle or boat&#39;s plumbing. In an exemplary embodiment for use in a travel trailer, three “J” channels are attached in “U” form to a wall on which the water softener is installed and the case  103  slides into the “U” formed by the “J” channels. Other features of this embodiment include placing the water inlet on the bottom of case  103  to make connecting to the water source easier and shortening the valve handle so that it does not take up too much space in the trailer&#39;s tiny shower stall. In still other applications, only the manual mode switching may be of interest, and water softener  201  may be as large as and installed in the same fashion as standard point of entry water softeners with electrical mode switching.  
         [heading-0068]     Conclusion  
         [0069]     The foregoing Detailed description has disclosed to those skilled in the relevant technologies how to make and use water softeners that incorporate the inventions described herein and has further disclosed the best mode presently known to the inventor of making such water softeners. As part of disclosing the best mode, the inventor has disclosed the best combination known to him of the inventive elements of the water softener, but it will be immediately apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts that various characteristics of the invention may be achieved by using embodiments other than those disclosed herein.  
         [0070]     For example, the convenience of the water softener stems in great part from the fact that regeneration may be done by simply setting the valve to its second setting. The planar pinch valve used in the preferred embodiment is particularly advantageous for the purpose, but any other valve which permits the user to place the water softener into regeneration mode would also work. The brine source used in the preferred embodiment is also particularly advantageous, since the water pressure from the water source drives the brine solution through the water softening chambers, but any other source of brine that could be turned on by the valve would also work. By the same token, a brine source with the easy calibration features of the one disclosed herein is advantageous, but not necessary to the broad concept of the invention. The same is true of such detailed features of the water softening chamber as the chlorine chamber, the baffle between the chlorine chamber and the water softening chamber, or the packed bed resin in the water softening chamber. As one would expect, the number of water softening chambers, the manner in which the valve connects the components, and the manner in which the water softener is installed and connected to the water source and/or the soft water sink may also vary from embodiment to embodiment.  
         [0071]     For all of the foregoing reasons, the Detailed Description is to be regarded as being in all respects exemplary and not restrictive, and the breadth of the invention disclosed here in is to be determined not from the Detailed Description, but rather from the claims as interpreted with the full breadth permitted by the patent laws.