Fireplace chimney furnace
OwnerLarry P. Shermaninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heat exchanging chimney in the form of a tubular heat exchanger which functions as a furnace and which is mounted above a conventional fireplace with a preferably transparent or translucent closure means over the front is described. The fireplace is constructed such that it draws outside air for combustion of the fuel and not air from the rooms being heated. The chimney is specifically in the form of at least one vertically oriented multiple tube shell type heat exchanger in place of the conventional fireplace chimney wherein the flue gases pass inside the tubes and the room air is heated inside the shell. In operation, the fireplace and heat exchanging chimney achieve substantial economies in utilization of fuel, particularly wood, over fireplaces with conventional chimneys.
Claims12
In a building with a fireplace having a combustion chamber, a front opening leading into a room and means for closing the opening and having a flue gas exit from the fireplace, the improvement as a replacement for a conventional fireplace chimney which comprises:
- a. multiple heat exchanging tubes mounted above the flue gas exit of the fireplace such tht the flue gases vent upward through vertically oriented openings in the tubes, wherein the tubes extend substantially between at least the exit of the fireplace and a ceiling of a room of the building;
- b. a housing surrounding, supporting and enclosing the tubes except for the openings with at least one conduit from a room of the building for cold air inlet into the housing and at least one conduit for hot air exit from the housing into at least one room of the building wherein the tubes and housing are in the form of a heat exchanger unit;
- c. a chimney sealed in gaseous connection with the openings in the tubes and leading outside the building which provides an exit for the flue gases from the tubes of the heat exchanger;
- and
- d. an air conduit leading from outside of the building to the bottom of the combustion chamber including a thermostatically controlled valve in the conduit which regulates the amount of air to the chamber.
A heat exchanger for installation in a building with a fireplace having a combustion chamber, a front opening leading into a room and having a flue gas exit from the fireplace, as a replacement for a conventional fireplace chimney which comprises:
- a. multiple heat exchanging tubes mounted above the flue gas exit of the fireplace such that the flue gases vent upward through vertically oriented openings in the tubes wherein the tubes will extend substantially between at least the exit of the fireplace and a ceiling of a room of the building when installed;
- b. a housing surrounding, supporting and enclosing the tubes with at least one opening adapted for attachment to a cold air inlet conduit which leads into the housing from a room of the building and at least one opening adapted for attachment to a hot air exit conduit which leads from the housing into at least one room of the building wherein the tubes and housing are in the form of a heat exchanger unit;
- and
- c. cold and hot air conduits adapted to lead from at least one room of the building and to be attached to the inlet and exit openings in the housing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.