Water heating system
AssigneeRinnai America Corporation
InventorsScott Gilman Humphrey, Timothy J. Shellenberger, James Stuart York
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A water heating system including a water container having a cold water inlet that connects to a water supply, a hot water outlet, a water heater outlet and a water heater inlet; an instantaneous water heater mounted to the water container and having a tank supply inlet connected to the water heater outlet, a tank supply outlet connected to the water heater inlet, a burner, and a heat exchanger located adjacent the burner between the tank supply inlet and the tank supply outlet; a pump connected between the water container and the instantaneous water heater that moves water between the water container and the instantaneous water heater; and a controller that operates the pump and the burner.
Claims18
A water heating system comprising:
- a water container having a top and bottom, a cold water inlet that connects to a water supply, a hot water outlet, a water heater outlet and a water heater inlet;
- an instantaneous water heater mounted to the water container and having a tank supply inlet connected to the water heater outlet, a tank supply outlet connected to the water heater inlet, a burner, and a heat exchanger located adjacent the burner between the tank supply inlet and the tank supply outlet;
- a dip tube connected to the cold water inlet and having an end that extends toward a lower portion the water container, a pump connected between the water container and the instantaneous water heater that moves water between the water container and the instantaneous water heater, and a controller that operates the pump and the burner
- said water container hot water inlet is located in the upper portion adjacent to the top and above the dip end, and wherein said water heater inlet includes a tube having a horizontally pointing opening such that water exiting the opening will create a horizontal swirling motion in the upper portion of the container, so that water in the upper portion will be heated more quickly by water from injected from the instantaneous water heater, thus prolonging the availability of hot water to a user.
A method of substantially maintaining a selected temperature of water in the water container of a water heating system having a water container having a cold water inlet that connects to a water supply, a hot water outlet, a water heater outlet and a water heater inlet;
- an instantaneous water heater, and having a tank supply inlet connected to the water heater outlet, a tank supply outlet connected to the water heater inlet;
- a pump connected between the water container and the instantaneous water heater that moves water between the water container and the instantaneous water heater, and a controller that operates the pump and the burner;
- the method comprising the steps of:
- sensing temperature of the water in the water container;
- comparing a sensed water temperature to a selected water set temperature;
- engaging the pump if the sensed water temperature is less than the selected water set temperature;
- and igniting the burner;
- locating a hot water inlet tube the water container hot water in an upper portion of the container adjacent to the top thereof and above the dip tube end,
- placing the tube to have a horizontally pointing opening such that water exiting the opening will create a horizontal swirling motion in the upper portion of the container, so that water in the upper portion will be heated more quickly by water injected from the instantaneous water heater, thus prolonging the availability of hot water to a user.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.