Apparatus for Supporting a Furnace with its Bottom Spaced Above a Support Surface

Abstract

A furnace for heating a building has its bottom supported spaced above a support surface by an apparatus which comprises a furnace engagement member defining a generally planar top surface for contacting the bottom of the furnace and an underside which is opposite to the top surface; an attachment arrangement respectively located at or adjacent each end of the furnace engagement member and arranged for facilitating connection thereof to a respective flange of the furnace defining the bottom of the furnace; and a leg oriented transversely to the generally planar top surface and coupled to the underside of the furnace engagement member at a location thereon which is spaced in a longitudinal direction from a respective end of the furnace engagement member further inwardly than the attachment arrangement disposed thereat or adjacent thereto.

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus for supporting a bottom of a furnace which is for heating a building where the bottom of the furnace is defined by a plurality of flanges extending inwardly from a periphery of the furnace collectively defined by a front, a rear and opposite sides of the furnace.

BACKGROUND

A furnace for heating a building typically is mounted with its bottom spaced above a support surface, such as a concrete floor in a basement of the building. Conventional means of supporting the furnace include inserting shims under the furnace bottom to bridge a gap between the bottom of the furnace and the support surface or locating the bottom on concrete pads which are rested on the support surface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus for supporting a furnace used to heat a building, the furnace having a bottom which is spaced above a support surface of the building and which is defined by a plurality of flanges extending inwardly from a periphery of the furnace collectively defined by a front, a rear and opposite sides of the furnace, the apparatus comprising:

a furnace engagement member extending longitudinally from a first end of the furnace engagement member to a second end thereof;

the furnace engagement member defining a generally planar top surface for contacting the bottom of the furnace and an underside which is opposite to the top surface;

an attachment arrangement respectively located at or adjacent each one of the first and second ends and arranged for facilitating connection of the furnace engagement member to a respective one of the flanges of the furnace; and

at least one leg oriented transversely to the generally planar top surface and coupled to the underside of the furnace engagement member at a location thereon which is spaced in a longitudinal direction from a respective one of the first and second ends of the furnace engagement member further inwardly than the attachment arrangement disposed at or adjacent the respective one of the first and second ends.

This provides a relatively simple arrangement that mounts to a conventional style of furnace bottom so that the furnace is supported by the support surface thereunder.

In one arrangement, the furnace engagement member is a channel having a base wall and opposite side walls upstanding from a common side of the base wall, and the underside is defined laterally between the side walls and the top surface is defined on an opposite side of the base wall to the side walls.

In one arrangement, the attachment arrangement comprises a hole which opens at the top surface and at the underside for passing a fastener through the furnace engagement member for interconnecting with the furnace.

In one arrangement, the at least one leg comprises a plurality of legs connected at longitudinally spaced locations on the furnace engagement member.

Preferably, the at least one leg is adjustable in height measured from the underside of the furnace engagement member to a foot of the leg disposed distally thereto.

When there are provided a plurality of furnace engagement members, preferably each is mounted to the bottom of the furnace at a location spaced from the other in a direction from the front to the rear of the furnace and in a manner so as to extend from one of the sides of the furnace to the other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating in inverted orientation an arrangement of apparatus for supporting a furnace used to heat a building, according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view schematically showing a plurality of the apparatus of FIG. 1 mounted to a bottom of a furnace with a stiffening member omitted for clarity of illustration; and

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along line 3-3 in FIG. 2 but with the stiffening member now shown.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The accompanying figures show an apparatus 20 for supporting a furnace 1 used to heat a building. More specifically, the apparatus 20 supports a bottom 2 of the furnace which is spaced above a support surface S of the building by bridging a gap G between the furnace bottom and the support surface S. The furnace bottom 2 is defined by a plurality of flanges 3 through 6 extending inwardly from a periphery 7 of the furnace which is collectively defined by a front 8, a rear 9 and opposite sides10 and 11 of the furnace. Inner edges 13 of the flanges 3-6 which are spaced inwardly from the furnace periphery define an opening.

The apparatus 20 thus comprises a furnace engagement member 22 which extends longitudinally from a first end 24 to a second end 25. The furnace engagement member 22 defines between its opposite ends 24, 25 a generally planar top surface 27 for contacting the bottom 2 of the furnace, which also is planar, and further defines an underside 29 which is opposite to the top surface 27 and generally faces downwardly towards the support surface S when the apparatus 20 is mounted to the furnace bottom 2. In the illustrated arrangement, the underside 29 also is generally planar and is substantially parallel to the top surface 27.

As more clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, in the illustrated arrangement the furnace engagement member 22 is a channel having a base wall 32 and opposite side walls 34 and 35 upstanding from a common side of the base wall 32 such that the channel is regarded as being generally C or U shaped in cross-section. The underside 29 of the furnace engagement member is defined laterally between the side walls 34, 35 and the top surface 27 is defined on an opposite side of the base wall to the side walls 34, 35 such that a whole of the top surface is available for engaging the furnace bottom 2. Furthermore, there is provided a stiffening member in the form of an elongate plate 36 interconnecting the side walls 34, 35 of the channel so as to bridge therebetween for further stiffening the furnace engagement member. Thus the furnace engagement member of the illustrated arrangement is generally tubular in shape.

The apparatus 20 further includes an attachment arrangement 38 respectively located at or adjacent each one of the first and second ends 24, 25 that is arranged for facilitating connection of the furnace engagement member 22 to a respective one of the flanges 3-6 of the furnace. In the illustrated arrangement, and as more clearly shown in FIG. 3, the attachment arrangement 38 comprises a pair of holes 40 each of which is laterally spaced from the other and opens at the top surface 27 and at the underside 29 so as to be formed through a thickness of the furnace engagement member 22 for passing a fastener 42 through the same for interconnecting the furnace engagement member 22 with the furnace 1. Each of the holes 40 are slightly spaced from the respective one of the first and second ends 24, 25 to which they are located most closely but are otherwise generally located at the ends of the furnace engagement member 22. Each one of the pair of the holes 40 defines a distinct element of the attachment arrangement 38 located at a common end 24, 25 of the furnace engagement member. It will be appreciated that the stiffening member 36 is sized shorter in length between its opposite ends 43, 44 which generally are adjacent the ends 24, 25 of the channel than the length of the channel so as not to obstruct passage of the fasteners 42 through the holes 40.

Furthermore, the apparatus 20 includes at least one leg 45 oriented transversely to the generally planar top surface 27 and coupled to the underside 29 of the furnace engagement member 22 at a location thereon which is spaced in a longitudinal direction from a respective one of the first and second ends 24, 25 of the furnace engagement member further inwardly than the attachment arrangement 38 disposed at or adjacent the respective one of the first and second ends 24, 25. In other words, relative to the longitudinal direction of the furnace engagement member the attachment arrangement 38 is located intermediate the respective leg 45 and the respective furnace engagement member end 24 or 25. Also, as the underside 29 is generally planar, the respective leg 45 is oriented transversely thereto, too.

In the illustrated arrangement, the at least one leg comprises a plurality of legs 45 connected at longitudinally spaced locations on the furnace engagement member 22. Each leg is disposed generally laterally centrally of the furnace engagement member and are aligned in the longitudinal direction of the engagement member.

In the illustrated arrangement each leg 45 is formed by an internally threaded barrel 47 welded to the underside 29 of the furnace engagement member which itself is metallic. The leg 45 further comprises a threaded rod 48 which is received coaxially of the barrel 47 so as to be movable axially thereof by threadable mating of the rod and barrel. A foot 50 is provided on the end of the rod 48 which is distal to the barrel 47 and the underside 29 of the furnace engagement member. As such, each leg 45 is adjustable in height measured from the underside 29 of the furnace engagement member 22 to the foot 50 of the leg disposed distally thereto. A nut 52 is threadably engaged on the rod 48 of each leg for selective engagement with an exposed end of the barrel 47 so as to fix the height of the leg 45. Furthermore, the stiffening member 36 includes a respective hole 53 which is registered with each leg 45 and is formed through a thickness of the stiffening member from a top side which is opposite the underside 29 of the channel to a bottom side which faces the support surface S, so as that the respective leg 45 extends through the plate 36 to its foot 50 presented below the stiffening member 36.

In use, prior to connecting to ductwork of the building, the furnace 1 is inverted so that its bottom 2 is facing upwardly, and the apparatus 20 is attached to the bottom 2. Referring now to FIG. 2, each furnace engagement member 22 typically is longitudinally elongated and thus a plurality of the apparatuses 20 are provided for attaching to the furnace bottom 2, each being mounted to the bottom of the furnace at a location spaced from the other in a direction from the front 8 to the rear 9 of the furnace and in a manner so as to extend from one of the sides 10 of the furnace to the other 11. The holes 40 of the attachment arrangement 38 are registered with the one of the flanges 3-6 of the furnace so that the respective fastener 42 can be passed through the furnace engagement member 22 and into the furnace flange to mount the apparatus 20 to the furnace 1. Each one of the holes 40 at a common end 24 or 25 of the furnace engagement member facilitate connection to a different flange of the furnace. In the mounted condition of the apparatus 20, the legs 45 thereof are spaced further inwardly from the periphery of the furnace 1 as compared to the inner edges 13 of the flanges 3-6.

Referring to FIG. 3, with the apparatus 20 mounted to the bottom 2 of the furnace, the furnace can be re-oriented so that the bottom 2 is adjacent the support surface S, and the ductwork (not shown) is connected to the furnace 1. The legs 45 depend from the mounted furnace engagement member 22 and extend downwardly to the support surface S which is engaged by the foot 50, so as to bridge the gap G. The leg 45 is adjusted to the proper height thereof so that the furnace 1 is supported by the support surface S thereunder via the apparatus 20.

Thus is provided a relatively simple arrangement that mounts to a conventional style of furnace bottom so that the furnace is supported by the support surface thereunder.

Generally speaking, as described herein, a furnace for heating a building has its bottom supported spaced above a support surface by an apparatus which comprises a furnace engagement member defining a generally planar top surface for contacting the bottom of the furnace and an underside which is opposite to the top surface; an attachment arrangement respectively located at or adjacent each end of the furnace engagement member and arranged for facilitating connection thereof to a respective flange of the furnace defining the bottom of the furnace; and a leg oriented transversely to the generally planar top surface and coupled to the underside of the furnace engagement member at a location thereon which is spaced in a longitudinal direction from a respective end of the furnace engagement member further inwardly than the attachment arrangement disposed thereat or adjacent thereto.

The scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set forth in the examples but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the specification as a whole.

Claims

1. Apparatus for supporting a furnace used to heat a building, the furnace having a bottom which is spaced above a support surface of the building and which is defined by a plurality of flanges extending inwardly from a periphery of the furnace collectively defined by a front, a rear and opposite sides of the furnace, the apparatus comprising: a furnace engagement member extending longitudinally from a first end of the furnace engagement member to a second end thereof;the furnace engagement member defining a generally planar top surface for contacting the bottom of the furnace and an underside which is opposite to the top surface;an attachment arrangement respectively located at or adjacent each one of the first and second ends and arranged for facilitating connection of the furnace engagement member to a respective one of the flanges of the furnace; andat least one leg oriented transversely to the generally planar top surface and coupled to the underside of the furnace engagement member at a location thereon which is spaced in a longitudinal direction from a respective one of the first and second ends of the furnace engagement member further inwardly than the attachment arrangement disposed at or adjacent the respective one of the first and second ends.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the furnace engagement member is a channel having a base wall and opposite side walls upstanding from a common side of the base wall, and the underside is defined laterally between the side walls and the top surface is defined on an opposite side of the base wall to the side walls.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the attachment arrangement comprises a hole opening at the top surface and the underside for passing a fastener through the furnace engagement member for interconnecting with the furnace.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one leg comprises a plurality of legs connected at longitudinally spaced locations on the furnace engagement member.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one leg is adjustable in height measured from the underside of the furnace engagement member to a foot of the leg disposed distally thereto.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, in combination with the furnace, wherein there are provided a plurality of furnace engagement members each mounted to the bottom of the furnace at a location spaced from the other in a direction from the front to the rear of the furnace and in a manner so as to extend from one of the sides of the furnace to the other.

7. A furnace used to heat a building comprising: a housing having a bottom which is spaced above a support surface of the building and which is defined by a plurality of flanges extending inwardly from a periphery of the furnace collectively defined by a front, a rear and opposite sides of the furnace;and an apparatus for supporting the furnace comprising:a furnace engagement member extending longitudinally from a first end of the furnace engagement member to a second end thereof;the furnace engagement member defining a generally planar top surface for contacting the bottom of the furnace and an underside which is opposite to the top surface;an attachment arrangement respectively located at or adjacent each one of the first and second ends and arranged for facilitating connection of the furnace engagement member to a respective one of the flanges of the furnace; andat least one leg oriented transversely to the generally planar top surface and coupled to the underside of the furnace engagement member at a location thereon which is spaced in a longitudinal direction from a respective one of the first and second ends of the furnace engagement member further inwardly than the attachment arrangement disposed at or adjacent the respective one of the first and second ends.

7. The furnace of claim 7 wherein the furnace engagement member is a channel having a base wall and opposite side walls upstanding from a common side of the base wall, and the underside is defined laterally between the side walls and the top surface is defined on an opposite side of the base wall to the side walls.

8. The furnace of claim 7 wherein the attachment arrangement comprises a hole opening at the top surface and the underside for passing a fastener through the furnace engagement member for interconnecting with the furnace.

9. The furnace of claim 7 wherein said at least one leg comprises a plurality of legs connected at longitudinally spaced locations on the furnace engagement member.

10. The furnace of claim 7 wherein said at least one leg is adjustable in height measured from the underside of the furnace engagement member to a foot of the leg disposed distally thereto.

11. The furnace of claim 7 wherein there is provided a plurality of furnace engagement members each mounted to the bottom of the furnace at a location spaced from the other in a direction from the front to the rear of the furnace and in a manner so as to extend from one of the sides of the furnace to the other.