JPH0687877B2 - Hot water circulation device for bath having means for generating ionized water - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hot water circulating device that circulates hot water in a bathtub into ionized water.

[0002]

It is known that ionized water has a bactericidal effect. Ionized water is obtained by electrolyzing hot water. When water is electrolyzed to separate it into alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water, the separated water exhibits extremely unique properties. Acidic ionized water has excellent properties for cleaning, sterilizing and bleaching. Alkaline ionized water exhibits excellent solubilizing power and penetrating power, in addition to the swelling action that softens the product. Taking advantage of these effects, the acidic ionized water is used as washing water for fruits and vegetables, cleaning water, boiled water for noodles, water for boiling beans, boiled water for eggs and the like. Also,
Alkaline ionized water is used for drinking water, water for watering, coffee and tea water.

When water is electrolyzed, acidic ionized water gathers in the vicinity of the + electrode and alkaline ionized water gathers in the vicinity of the-electrode. The acidic ionized water that collects at the + electrode contains a negative electrolyte. -The alkaline ionized water that collects at the electrode contains a + electrolyte. Water contains + electrolytes such as calcium ions, sodium ions, magnesium ions, and potassium ions, and − ions such as chlorine and sulfur, or silicic acid.

A device for electrolyzing and circulating hot water in a bath has been developed (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-53734).
This publication describes a hot spring device in which an electrolyzer is connected to a bath via a circulation pump. This device is effective in sterilizing hot water by circulating electrolyzed acidic ionized water.

[0005]

By the way, since a person takes a bath naked in a bathtub and the whole body comes into contact with water, which easily flows electricity, with an extremely low electric resistance, the voltage for electrolyzing water should be as low as possible. Need to lower. This is to reduce accidents caused by electric shock as much as possible, so that you can take a bath safely. However, the concentration of ionized water increases in proportion to the voltage applied to the electrodes. The reason is that the current increases as the inter-electrode voltage increases. Therefore, in order to increase the ion water concentration of bath water, it is necessary to increase the voltage between the electrodes. The concentration of ionized water and the safety against electric shock are contradictory characteristics, and both cannot be satisfied at the same time. Furthermore, ion water concentration
If the voltage between the electrodes is increased to increase the
Loss due to Joule heat, which is wasted
I hear The heat loss during ionization is the electrical loss between the electrodes.
Because it increases in proportion to the product of the resistance and the square of the current.
It When the loss due to Joule heat increases, the power is
Can not be effectively used for ionization of
It is necessary to increase the power capacity of the generating means. others
Therefore, it is necessary to increase the size of the means for generating ionized water.
There is a drawback that the cost becomes extremely high. Energize the hot water
The degree to which the ion concentration can be increased is directly related to the voltage between the electrodes.
Irrespective of the
Exist. When the charge of ionized water changes with the current between the electrodes
This is because it is proportional to the product between them and does not depend on the voltage. electrode
The voltage between affects the magnitude of Joule heat,
There is no direct effect on concentration. However, increase the voltage between the electrodes
Then, the current increases and the ion concentration increases, but
The current increased, not because the voltage was higher
Because. Therefore, a means for generating a small amount of ionized water
To efficiently increase the ionic concentration of hot water
Is how to reduce the electrical resistance between the electrodes.
It is extremely important. Electric resistance between electrodes can be reduced by half
Then, by limiting the loss due to Joule heat to half,
It has the feature that the concentration can be the same. Small electrical resistance between electrodes
A conductive material may be added to reduce the thickness. But
Add conductive material such as sodium chloride to hot water.
Is impossible. Because you can't comfortably take a bath
It Therefore, this method can improve the conductivity of hot water.
I can not do such a thing.

The conductivity of water varies significantly depending on the concentration of impurities contained therein. For this reason, for example, if tap water having a low impurity concentration, which is often found in mountainous areas, is filled in the bathtub, the current value is remarkably reduced, and high concentration ion water cannot be obtained.
Therefore, by increasing the interelectrode voltage, it is necessary to increase the energizing current, by Rutotomoni Joule heat to decrease safety
There is a drawback that the loss becomes large .

By the way, the present inventor has used 24
We have developed and put into practical use a hot water circulation device for a bath that circulates continuously for hours and can be bathed at any time. This device measures the temperature of hot water and heats it to a constant temperature, and also removes dirt, bacteria, etc. contained in the hot water and keeps it clear. Since this device can be used daily without being replaced with fresh water, it is possible to satisfy both the characteristics of water saving and energy saving at the same time. 1 more
You can take a bath 24 hours a day at any time and you can use it very conveniently.

In this type of bath, warm water is heated to a set temperature, and the warm water is continuously filtered for 24 hours by a filter member to keep it clear. Since this device does not replace hot water, it is important to reduce the number of bacteria in the hot water as much as possible. To achieve this, this type of device uses a special filtering element using natural stone.
As the filter member, natural stone is crushed into particles, or natural stone is crushed and sintered into a porous material. When hot water is passed through this filter member, the number of bacteria contained in the hot water can be reduced.

However, the natural stone filter member has a drawback that it cannot be made cloudy and transparent for several days after the hot water is exchanged. This is because it takes several days for natural stones to have a bactericidal effect on hot water. That is, since the natural stones clarify the warm water by the action of the microorganisms inhabiting here, there is a drawback that the clarifying action of the warm water is weak until the microorganisms propagate.

The present inventor repeated various trials and errors for the purpose of solving the drawbacks of the hot water circulation device capable of bathing continuously for 24 hours and the ion water generating means, and as a result, both of them were made into a unique combination. By doing so, we succeeded in solving the conventional drawbacks. Therefore, an important object of the present invention is to increase the concentration of ionized water at a low voltage so that it can be safely bathed, and in addition, a hot water circulation device for a bath having a means for generating ionized water that can be rapidly sterilized after replacing water. To provide.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a hot water circulating apparatus for baths having ion water generating means of the present invention has heating means connected to the suction side of the ion water generating means. ing. The means for generating ionized water is hot water in the bathtub.
Circulates and circulates warm water through the electrodes to supply ionized water.
It is what The electric resistance of the hot water heated by the heating means decreases. The reason is that the hot water having an increased temperature has a higher free moving velocity of ions and a higher mobility. Since the heating means also serves as a heater or the like for heating the hot water in the bathtub to a constant temperature, it warms the hot water temperature and increases the conductivity of the hot water to increase the ion water concentration. That is, since the heating means for heating the hot water is used together with the means for increasing the conductivity of water, it is possible to increase the ion water concentration by applying low voltage power to the electrodes without equipping a special mechanism. You can

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the examples shown below are examples of a hot water circulation device for a bath for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the device of the present invention is made of materials, shapes, and
The structure and arrangement are not specified in the structure below. The device of the present invention can be variously modified within the scope of the claims. Further, in this specification, in order to facilitate understanding of the claims, the numbers corresponding to the members shown in the embodiments are referred to as "claims" and "means for solving problems". It is added to the members shown. However,
The members shown in the claims are not limited to the members of the embodiment.

The hot water circulation device for a bath shown in FIG. 1 has a hot water circulation path connected to a bathtub 11 via a circulation pipe 1,
The circulation pump 2, the filtering member 3, the heating means 4, and the ion water generating means 5 are connected.

The circulation pump 2 sucks the hot water in the bath 11 and forcibly circulates it in the hot water circulation path. Therefore, the suction side of the circulation pump 2 is at the suction port of the bath 11, and the discharge side is at the filtering member 3.
Are linked to. The circulation pump 2 is continuously operated for 24 hours.

The filter member 3 filters the warm water in the bath 11 in a clear manner. The filtering member 3 contains a filter material for clarifying warm water. As the wood material, a natural stone crushed into particles or a natural stone crushed into a porous material can be used. This blu wood provides a comfortable environment for the reproduction of microorganisms,
Aerobic microorganisms parasitize. Microorganisms decompose by eating ammonia and protein contained in warm water as food. Therefore, sweat and dirt in the warm water are effectively removed by the microorganisms, and the warm water is kept clear. When foreign matter is deposited on the filtering member 3 and the circulating amount of hot water is reduced, the fining action is reduced.

Therefore, in the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the primary filter 9 is connected to the suction side of the circulation pump 2. The primary filter 9 filters the warm water sucked into the circulation pump 2 to remove foreign matters such as hair and organic soft material. The primary filter 9 is a filter material that physically filters hot water, for example,
Built-in open-cell synthetic resin foam, non-woven fabric, filter paper, wire mesh, etc.

As the heating means 4, an electric heater or a burner heating means can be used. These heating means 4 are controlled by a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of hot water to heat the hot water to a constant temperature.

Ionized water generating means 5 is connected to the discharge side of the heating means 4. Ionized water generating means 5 is heating means 4
It is provided with a + electrode 6 for making the warm water heated by the above and flowing into the electric field tank into acidic ion water, and a-electrode 7 to make it into alkaline ion water. An acidic ion channel 9 is provided in the vicinity of the + electrode 6, and an alkaline ion channel 1 is provided in the vicinity of the-electrode 7.
0 is provided.

In the ion water generating means 5 shown in the figure, the case of the electrolytic cell is also used as the negative electrode 7. The case is made of a conductive and corrosion-resistant metal such as stainless steel, and is formed into a cylindrical tank type having a strength to withstand the pressure of tap water. Further, the lower end of the case is connected to the filtering member 3.

The + electrode 6 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is provided at the center of the case. Negative ions such as chlorine ions collect on the positive electrode 6 during electrolysis. As the + electrode 6, a material having sufficient corrosion resistance to chlorine ions, for example, a titanium surface coated with platinum or iridium dioxide is used. Both ends of the + electrode 6 are insulated and protrude to the outside of the case. A non-conductive material is used for the supporting portion of the + electrode 6 of the case.

The + electrode 6 and the-electrode 7 are connected to a DC power supply 8. The voltage between both electrodes is determined in consideration of the flow rate of hot water, the electrode area, and the required ion concentration. Normally, the voltage between both electrodes is adjusted in the range of 5 to 100 volts. The content of ions ionized by the ionized water generating means 5 is proportional to the current between the electrodes. The current between the electrodes is approximately proportional to the voltage. Therefore, the ion concentration contained in the acidic ionized water can be adjusted by the voltage of the electrode. The higher the voltage between the electrodes, the higher the concentration of ions contained in the acidic ionized water. The power source 8 for supplying DC power to the electrodes is preferably of a type capable of changing the output voltage.

The power source 8 continuously energizes the electrodes or intermittently energizes the electrodes. When the electrodes are energized intermittently, the electrodes are energized when the heating means heats the hot water. Further, in order to prevent the ion water concentration from becoming too high, the energization state of the power source 8 can be controlled by a timer or a pH meter. The timer limits the time that the power is on and limits the concentration of ionized water. The pH meter measures the pH of the warm water, and turns off the power supply 8 when the ion water concentration exceeds a certain value. The pH of warm water decreases as the concentration of acidic ionized water increases. Therefore, the pH
The meter turns off the power supply 8 when the pH of the hot water drops below the set value. The setting value of the pH meter is usually 4 to
7, preferably in the range of 5 to 6.5.

A cylindrical porous plate 12 is provided between the + electrode 6 and the case, as shown by a chain line. Perforated plate 12
Prevents the acidic ionized water and the alkaline ionized water separated near the + electrode 6 and the − electrode 7 from mixing with each other. The inside of the upper end of the porous plate 12 is an acidic ion water channel 9, and the outside of the porous plate 12 is an alkaline ion water channel 10.

The acidic ion water channel 9 is connected to the bath 11 via the three-way valve 14, and the alkaline ion water channel 10 is connected to the drainage channel via the three-way valve 14 and the drain valve 13. The acidic ionized water ionized in the electrolytic cell of the ionized water generating means 5 passes through the three-way valve 14 and is returned to the bath 11. The alkaline ionized water is drained to the outside of the bath 11. The alkaline ion water channel 10 of the electrolyzer is a three-way valve 14
The drain valve 13 is connected via. The drain valve 13 adjusts the amount of alkaline ionized water drained. The drainage amount of the alkaline ionized water is adjusted to a range of a few fractions to a tenth of the flow volume of the acidic ionized water. The three-way valve 14 is switched to the solid line position in a normal use state.

In the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, acidic ionized water is used in the bath 1
Reflux to 1 to drain alkaline ionized water. However, when the three-way valve 14 is switched to the position shown by the chain line, the alkaline ionized water can be returned to the bath 11 and the acidic ionized water can be drained. Warm water, which is the flow of alkaline ionized water, has a treatment effect that softens the skin,
It can moisturize the skin after bathing.

As the + electrode 6 and the-electrode 7 are used, the electrolytic substance in water is adsorbed by an electric attraction force, and the electric resistance is increased. When the resistance of the electrode surface increases, the current flowing through water decreases and the ion concentration decreases. By applying the opposite voltage to the electrodes, the deposits on the electrode surfaces can be removed.
In this state, the electric resistance of the electrode is lowered, and the energizing current of water can be largely recovered. When the electrodes are washed by applying the opposite voltage, the alkaline ionized water is drained from the acidic ionized water channel 9. Therefore, at this time, the three-way valve 14 is switched to the chain line position to drain the alkaline ionized water drained from the acidic ionized water channel 9 out of the bath 11.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ion water generating means 5 is used.
The device in which the filtering member 3 is connected to the suction side of the device and the warm water clarified by the filtering member is caused to flow into the ion water generating means 5 has a feature that the electrode contamination of the ion water generating means can be reduced.

[0028]

In the hot water circulating apparatus for a bath according to the present invention, heating means for heating the hot water in the bath is connected to the suction side of the ion water generating means. Therefore, the warm water heated by the heating means flows into the ion water generating means. That is,
The warm water temperature flowing into the ionized water generating means is higher than the bath water. In hot water having a high temperature, the moving speed of the ions contained in the hot water is increased and the conductivity is improved.

By the way, in the experiment actually conducted by the present inventor, the resistance was measured by immersing copper needles having a diameter of 2 mm and a length of 15 mm at intervals of 8 mm and immersing them in warm water.
The resistance at 7 ° C was 7500Ω, but when heated to 75 ° C, it became 3000Ω and decreased to less than half. This realizes the feature that the voltage applied to the electrodes is reduced to one half and the ion water concentration can be made higher than in the conventional case. The conductivity of hot water decreases linearly with temperature.
It gets worse . For example, the conventional ionized water generating means adjusts the inter-electrode voltage to 20 to 40 volts. For this reason,
An apparatus for heating hot water to 70 ° C. and energizing it has a feature that the voltage between the electrodes can be made extremely low at 10 to 20 V to increase the concentration of ionized water. Therefore, in the hot water circulation device for a bath having the ionized water generating means of the present invention, the voltage applied to the electrodes can be lowered to increase the ionized water concentration. That is, there is a feature that the concentration of ionized water can be increased without losing high safety. Furthermore, the voltage between the electrodes
The device of the present invention that can lower the ion concentration to increase the ion concentration is
Higher ion concentration of hot water by miniaturizing the means for generating on-water
There is a feature that can be done. It lowers the electrode voltage and
Since it can be the same, the output of the ion water generation means can be reduced.
This is because the ion concentration can be increased. From ionized water
The output power of the raw means is proportional to the product of the output voltage and the current.
When the current is the same and the voltage is halved, the means for generating ionized water
Output power is halved. Therefore, the device of the present invention
Generation of ionized water without decreasing the ion concentration of warm water
There is a feature that the raw means can be miniaturized and inexpensive. further,
The ability to reduce the output of the ionized water generation means
There is also a high cost in that the utilization efficiency of the power consumption can be improved and the power can be saved.

Furthermore, a remarkable feature of the present invention is that the connecting position of the heating means for heating the bath water is changed,
Achieves high ion water concentration at low voltage. Therefore, there is also a feature that a special device is not required to raise the ion water and the entire device can be manufactured at low cost.

Furthermore, the hot water circulation device of the present invention is
When hot water is replaced, it can be sterilized with ionized water, so you can always take a hygienic bath.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a hot water circulating device for a bath having an ionized water generating means according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Circulation pipe 2 ... Circulation pump
3 ... Filtering member 4 ... Heating means 5 ... Ionized water generating means 6 ... + Electrode 7 ...- Electrode 8 ... DC power supply
9 ... Acid ion channel 10 ... Alkaline ion channel 11 ... Bathtub
12 ... perforated plate 13 ... drainage valve 14 ... three-way valve

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An electrode for circulating hot water by circulating hot water in a bathtub.
In the hot water circulation device, which is connected to the ion water generating means (5) for energizing via the water, the heating means (4) for heating the hot water to the suction side of the ion water generating means (5) Connected to warm water heated by the heating means (4)
A hot water circulating device for a bath having an ionized water generating means configured to be energized .