Patent ID: 7008530

Claim:
A water softener comprising: a vessel for containing a softening substance; a distributor having a manifold body associated with said vessel, the manifold having an inlet pipe for water to be treated, an outlet pipe for treated water and a plurality of inner ducts, a spool having flow ways slidable in said manifold body, the flow ways selectively intersecting the inner ducts; and an actuator unit for operating the spool; a plurality of valves positioned in a valve body adjacent the spool, a control device positioned adjacent the manifold body including a motor and mechanical members adapted to control opening and closing of the valves during various operation stages of said softener; a control unit for programming execution of operative cycles of said softener; an actuator unit comprising a cylinder fixed to said spool and sliding in a barrel whose volume is divided into a first chamber portion and a second chamber portion opposite to said first chamber, said actuator unit being adapted to move said spool to define different mutual positions of said flow ways relative to said inner ducts, each position being adapted to set different water paths; wherein said control unit comprises interface means and a processing unit for data inputted through said interface means, said data being adapted to set the opening and closing times of said valves, said water softener comprises a saline solution tank containing a fluid regenerating said softening substance and a seeping way connecting said distributor to said saline solution tank; and in wherein first chamber of said cylinder has at least one way directly communicating with said inlet pipe and said second chamber has at least a first water feeding way communicating with the inlet pipe through a valve and at least a second seeping way for water outlet.