US 12,065,810 B2
Systems and methods for automatically performing a flush operation for a water supply
Ryan James Scheckelhoff, Louisville, KY (US)
Assigned to Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc., Wilmington, DE (US)
Filed by Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc., Wilmington, DE (US)
Filed on Nov. 4, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/518,740.
Prior Publication US 2023/0135904 A1, May 4, 2023
Int. Cl. E03B 7/08 (2006.01); A47L 15/00 (2006.01); E03B 7/07 (2006.01); E03B 7/12 (2006.01)
CPC E03B 7/08 (2013.01) [A47L 15/0018 (2013.01); E03B 7/071 (2013.01); E03B 7/12 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of operating an appliance, the appliance comprising a water supply, a temperature sensor provided in the water supply, a container, and a drain pump, the method comprising:
receiving a flushing initiation trigger to perform a flushing operation, wherein the flushing initiation trigger is based on at least one of an ambient atmospheric temperature, a user input, a time of day, a time of year, or a predetermined schedule;
initiating the flushing operation, the flushing operation comprising supplying flushing water to the container via the water supply and draining the flushing water from the container via the drain pump, wherein initiating the flushing operation comprises activating the drain pump simultaneously with the supplying of the flushing water to the container;
measuring, via the temperature sensor, a temperature of the flushing water supplied to the container;
determining that the temperature of the flushing water is above a predetermined temperature threshold; and
stopping the flushing operation upon determining that the temperature of the flushing water is above the predetermined temperature threshold, wherein the user input comprises a vacancy setting, the vacancy setting denoting a period of inoccupancy of a building containing the appliance.