Patent ID: 8356628

Claim:
An electronic bypass system for a water softener having a raw water inlet and a bypass outlet, comprising: a valve assembly associated with the water softener including at least one piston; a cam driving said piston; a position feedback gear matingly engaged with said cam and including a plurality of slots, wherein said slots are separated into sets, each of said sets including a designated number of said slots and corresponding to a cycle of the water softener, said position feedback gear being configured to indicate a cycle of the water softener based on said sets; a controller in communication with said at least one piston, said at least one piston configured for automatically controlling water flow in a conduit between the raw water inlet and the bypass outlet in response to a signal sent from said controller; and said cam includes at least one peak and at least one valley that contact said at least one piston, said at least one peak and at least one valley projecting along an axis that is parallel to an axis of reciprocation of said at least one piston.