Sediment agitating apparatus for water heater
AssigneeA. O. Smith Corporation
InventorFred E. Barrett
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An agitating mechanism to aid in preventing the buildup of sediment in a gas fired water heater. The agitating mechanism includes a pump located outside of the tank and a first conduit connects the inlet of the pump to the interior of the tank, while a second conduit connects the discharge side of the pump to the lower end of the tank. Operation of the pump will withdraw water from the tank and discharge the water back into the tank adjacent the lower head to help provide agitation and prevent the buildup of sediment. The conduits, as well as the pump, can be mounted on a cleanout panel which encloses a cleanout opening in the lower end of the tank.
Claims5
A water heater, comprising a tank to contain water to be heated and having a pair of apertures, a first of said apertures being located in the upper portion of said tank and a second of said apertures being located in the lower portion of said tank, outlet conduit means for withdrawing heated water from the tank and disposed in said first aperture, inlet conduit means for introducing cold water to said tank and disposed within said second aperture, and water circulating means including a pump, a first line connecting the inlet side of the pump to the interior of said tank and disposed within said first aperture, and a second line connecting the discharge side of the pump to said interior of the tank and disposed within said second aperture, operation of said pump acting to withdraw water from said tank through said first line and discharge water through said second line into the lower end of the tank.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.