Water heater with flow bypass
AssigneeRheem Manufacturing Company
InventorJozef Boros
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A water heater has a water supply line, a heat exchanger in fluid communication with the water supply line, a heating element positioned proximate to the heat exchanger, such that when activated, the heating element conveys heat to the heat exchanger and thereby heating water supplied by the water supply line, an output line in fluid communication with the heat exchanger and configured to receive heated water therefrom, a flow sensor configured to cause the heating element to activate in response to sensing a predetermined water flow rate through the water heater, and a bypass flow line operably connected between the water supply line and the output line.
Claims17
A water heater comprising:
- (a) a heat exchanger in fluid communication with a water supply line;
- (b) a heating element positioned proximate to the heat exchanger, so that, when activated, the heating element conveys heat to the heat exchanger, thereby heating water supplied to the heat exchanger by the water supply line;
- (c) an output line in fluid communication with the heat exchanger and configured to receive heated water therefrom;
- (d) a water flow sensor in operative communication with water flow to or in the water heater to detect water flow from the water supply line to the water heater and in operative communication with the heating element to cause the heating element to activate in response to detection of a predetermined water flow rate by the water flow sensor;
- (e) a bypass water flow line operably connected between the water supply line and the output line;
- (f) a pressure sensor in operative communication with the water supply line to detect a pressure of water in the water supply line;
- (g) a valve in operative communication with the bypass water flow line so that operation of the valve controls water flow in the bypass water flow line;
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- (h) process circuitry configured to receive pressure data indicative of the pressure of water in the water supply line and cause the valve to open in response to the pressure of water in the water supply line being below a predetermined pressure threshold.
A water heater comprising:
- (a) a heat exchanger in fluid communication with a water supply line;
- (b) a heating element positioned proximate to the heat exchanger so that, when activated, the heating element conveys heat to the heat exchanger, thereby heating water supplied to the heat exchanger by the water supply line;
- (c) an output line in fluid communication with the heat exchanger and configured to receive heated water therefrom, wherein the output line comprises a storage vessel configured to store a volume of the heated water;
- (d) a water flow sensor in operative communication with water flow to or in the water heater to detect water flow from the water supply line to the water heater and in operative communication with the heating element to cause the heating element to activate in response to sensing a predetermined water flow rate by the water flow sensor;
- and
- (e) a bypass water flow line operably connected between the water supply line and the output line.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.