Recirculating Shower System With Sump Filtration for Water Conservation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shower systems consume a significant amount of fresh water and produce waste, leading to water pollution and wasteful consumption.
Innovation Solution
A recirculating shower system that includes spray heads, a sump to collect water, a recirculation skid to control water supply, and a flow control valve to mix fresh and recirculated water, reducing water consumption by recycling water within the system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a traditional shower system is used, then fresh water is supplied continuously to ensure adequate water flow and pressure, but water consumption increases significantly and waste is produced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a recirculating shower system that captures used shower water in a sump, filters it, and recirculates it back through the spray heads. This allows the system to recover and reuse water that would otherwise be discarded, significantly reducing fresh water consumption while maintaining adequate water flow and pressure for showering
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously recirculates water through the shower system rather than using intermittent flushing. The recirculation pump operates continuously or periodically to maintain a supply of recirculated water, ensuring that useful water action continues without interruption while reducing overall water consumption
2Object-affected harmful factors
If fresh water is continuously supplied to maintain water flow, then adequate shower performance is achieved, but water pollution increases due to waste discharge
Solution Approach 1:
By capturing and recirculating used shower water instead of discharging it as waste, the system eliminates water pollution from shower discharge. The recirculated water is reused multiple times before eventual disposal, dramatically reducing the volume of polluted water released into the environment while maintaining full shower functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates automatic filtration and recirculation mechanisms that operate without user intervention. The vacuum breaker prevents backflow automatically, the filter captures debris, and the recirculation pump maintains water flow, allowing the system to service itself and maintain shower functionality without requiring user action
3Quantity of substance
If a recirculating system is implemented to reduce water consumption, then water conservation is enhanced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The recirculating shower system is divided into distinct functional modules: a sump for water collection, a filter for debris removal, a vacuum breaker for backflow prevention, a recirculation pump for water movement, and spray heads for water delivery. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, making the complex system easier to design, install, and maintain while achieving significant water conservation
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Reduces water usage and waste by effectively recycling water for multiple uses, enhancing water conservation and reducing pollution.
Implementation Method 1
The recirculation pump may in some examples operate in conjunction with a sump pump that moves the recirculated water towards the recirculation skid
Implementation Method 2
a sump pump that moves the recirculated water towards the recirculation skid
Implementation Method 3
The fresh water supplied to the recirculation skid via the flow control valve can be used to recover the recirculated water, producing a recirculated-fresh water mixture
Data Source
AI summary
A recirculating shower system that can supply recirculated water to one or more spray heads to conserve water consumption during use and reduce water pollution. The recirculated water may be combined with fresh water to maintain comfortable conditions of the water being dispensed via the one or more spray heads. The recirculating shower system may include a flow control valve that operates to control the fresh water supply and a recirculation skid that controls the supply of the recirculated-fresh water mixture. The recirculation skid may include one or more inline cleaning devices that are operable to generate cleaned water that can be distributed throughout the recirculated water plumbing for intermittent or periodic cleaning.