1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in a water recycling system and more particularly, to a water circulation system which is highly effective for use in recycling water from a water catchment basin, e.g. of a shower and reissuing the same a through dispensing head along with an intermittent mixing of fresh water from a supply source.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In many parts of the United States and other countries throughout the world, there are periodic draught conditions which may last for one or more years. In many other countries there is a permanent drought condition as a result of geographic locale and the climatic conditions for that geographic area and hence a chronic shortage of fresh consumable water. As a result, water becomes a precious commodity. Various governmental institutions, as a matter of necessity, impose restrictions on the quantity of water which may be used. These restrictions generally apply to commercial institutions such as hotels and industrial users, as well as to private users.
Coupled with the problem of rationing is the fact that many municipalities have severe restrictions on the use of waste water or gray water and also have restrictions on the use of underground water sources since these sources may potentially be contaminated. As a result of these restrictions, and the rationing of water, one of the principal uses to which water conservation is directed is shower wash water.
Many municipalities, in water shortage periods, instruct the citizens to use shower water only for purposes of rinsing off soap lather, and to cease all water flow during lathering and the like. Moreover, by governmental regulation, all homes in certain municipalities must be outfitted with flow-restricting shower nozzles which materially reduce the water flow rate and hence, the reduction in the quantity of water which issues from a shower head.
The problem of water rationing is particularly pronounced in countries which do not have a large available source of fresh water. Many countries have resorted to the use of desalination plants for purposes of producing fresh water from sea water. However, with the present-day technology, the cost of desalinized water is quite substantial and while there may not be a supply restriction, the cost of the water is quite substantial and therefore, there is an effective economic restriction on the amount of water which can be used in any activity.
Many people are accustomed to and particularly enjoy long showers with an abundance of available hot water. Not only does the flow restricting head reduce the amount of water delivered, but since the flow restricter literally serves as a restriction in the line, water issues at a substantial pressure. As a result, there is not a soft water flow, but rather a high pressure stream of water which does not produce a pleasing sensation when striking upon a person's body in any significant quantity which users may desire.
In many societies of the world, bathing is often a tradition or a ritual. Thus, even if sources of fresh water are readily available, there is still a cost associated with purification and delivery of water from a public source to private facilities. Thus, water conservation still has substantial cost benefits. Further, the bathing is oftentimes not only a traditional ritual, but does provide many aesthetic benefits, as well as therapeutic benefits. Thus, water recycling has a significant advantage in essentially all societies.
When one replaces a government issued or government approved flow-restricting shower head with another high-flow rate conventional shower head, that person risks potential civil penalties, not to mention the substantial cost for exceeding a rationed limit of water. Hotels and similar institutions have a particularly pronounced problem in that there is no effective control on the quantity of shower water used by a temporary occupant. Nevertheless, hotels and similar institutions are almost always subjected to rationing of water on the same basis as the private population. Consequently, these institutions have a particular need for some mechanism to control the amount of water used or otherwise to provide a water-conserving shower bath system.
In view of the foregoing, there is clearly a need of water rationing in those regions where only a limited amount of fresh water may be available, particularly in vehicles such as boats, planes, trains, submarines, space stations, recreational vehicles, mobile homes and the like. These vehicles in particular are uniquely limited in their ability to provide extended shower capacity, due to the finite capacity of water on board the vehicle, or otherwise the ability of the vehicle to create fresh water. Thus, a water recycling system in this type of environment would be particularly effective.
In addition, closely related to the need for water conservation is the problem of energy consumption. The heating of water alone accounts for a substantial energy use in many countries. For those institutions and private residences for reasons of minimizing expense and conserving energy resources and reducing the associated pollution, the reduction of the need to heat water may become as vital a goal as the conservation of the water itself. Use of all forms of heating energy, such as fossil fuel energy, electrical energy and the like, results in increased costs. Further, many commercial and industrial institutions, and the private sector in general, have found it necessary to also restrict the use of fossil fuel energy, as well as restrict the use of water consumption.
In addition to the restrictive constraints on the availability, cost and ecology of heating energy, is the basic limitation or capacity of the supply source to meet the demand. As a simple example, if a hot water heater is limited in its ability to provide sufficient yield when successive and/or multiple demands are placed on this heating system, the consequence of depleting and utilizing all of the available hot water are frequent. In a household environment, with a limited hot water supply capacity, only a limited number of family members can shower within a limited time period without otherwise depleting the availability of hot water. As a result, the traditional therapeutic and healthful ritual of bathing is often degraded into a brief, unsatisfying guilt-ridden utilitarian function of merely cleaning.
The present invention obviates these and other problems in the provision of a water recycling apparatus and method which is highly effective for use in showers and which maintains both energy and water conservation, while greatly improving performance, capacity and satisfaction.