Patent ID: 8865001

Claim:
A method for treating water, said method comprising: providing a water treatment device having a programmable controller configured to manage a first regeneration sequence followed by a second regeneration sequence, each of the first and second regeneration sequences comprising one or more correlative regeneration cycles, wherein the controller has been programmed with: a predetermined capacity of the treatment device, a predetermined time period for the second regeneration sequence to begin, a first predetermined duration for each regeneration cycle of the first regeneration sequence, and a trigger limit of at least one characteristic of the water treatment device to trigger a regeneration sequence; prior to an initiation of the second regeneration sequence, measuring a volume of water passed through the water treatment device since the completion of a prior regeneration sequence; initiating with the controller the first regeneration sequence; after the first regeneration sequence, programming the controller with a second predetermined duration for each correlative regeneration cycle of the second regeneration sequence, the second predetermined duration of each cycle of the second regeneration sequence being substantially equivalent to the first predetermined duration of the correlative regeneration cycle of the first regeneration sequence multiplied by the measured volume of water divided by the predetermined capacity of the treatment device; if at least one characteristic reaches the trigger limit prior to the second predetermined time period, initiating with the controller the second regeneration sequence of the water treatment device prior to the second predetermined time period utilizing the second predetermined duration for each correlative regeneration cycle; and if the second predetermined time period occurs prior to at least one characteristic achieving the trigger limit, initiating with the controller the second regeneration sequence of the water treatment device at the second predetermined time period utilizing the second predetermined duration for each correlative regeneration cycle.