Patent ID: 7988790

Claim:
A washing appliance connected to a water supply which supplies raw water to said washing appliance, said washing appliance comprising: a wash chamber adapted to accommodate items to be washed during a wash cycle; a programmed controller; a water softener comprising a resin container connected to the water supply and to said wash chamber, resins within said resin container, said resins suitable for softening raw water received from the water supply, said resin container in use receiving raw water from the water supply and supplying softened water to said wash chamber, a brine container connected to the water supply and to said resin container, said brine container having a salt inlet for the introduction of salt into said brine container, a water inlet for the supply of raw water from the water supply into said brine container, and an outlet for supplying brine from said brine container to said resin container; and a flow directing arrangement providing a first connection between the water supply and said resin container when said flow directing arrangement is in a first configuration and providing a second connection between the water supply and said wash chamber when said flow directing arrangement is in a second configuration, wherein raw water from the water supply is supplied directly to said resin container when said flow directing arrangement is in said first configuration, and wherein raw water from the water supply is supplied directly to said wash chamber when said flow directing arrangement is in said second configuration, said flow directing arrangement in use being controlled by said controller to provide raw water from the water supply to said resin container or to said wash chamber so as to provide a blend of raw water and softened water to said wash chamber.