Sanitary operation of a hot water heat pump
AssigneeCarrier Corporation
InventorsBryan Eisenhower, Tobias Sienel, Nicolas Pondicq-Cassou
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of sanitizing pipes, etc. in a hot water supply system includes the steps of normally heating water by driving water from a water storage tank, into a heat exchanger. Typically, a water pump is stopped once the water storage tank receives a particular percentage of hot water. However, when a sanitation mode is desired, the pump is not stopped, such that the water tank becomes all, or almost all, hot water. The hot water is then delivered to the pump, and from the pump to the heat exchanger. This hot water is thus operable to sanitize pipes and the pump.
Claims12
A method of operating a hot water supply system comprising the steps of:
- (1) providing a hot water supply system including a water storage tank, and a pump for delivering water from said water storage tank to a heat exchanger;
- (2) operating said pump under normal conditions to draw a cool water from said water storage tank, through pipes communicating said water storage tank to said pump and to said heat exchanger;
- and
- (3) operating said system in a sanitation mode at which hotter temperature water is brought through said pipes and said pump.
A hot water supply system comprising:
- a water storage tank;
- a pump for delivering water from said water storage tank to a heat exchanger;
- at least one pipe for connecting said water storage tank to said heat exchanger;
- and
- a control for operating the system in a sanitation mode at which hotter temperature water is brought through said pipes and said pump.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.