Claims
- 1. A method of operating a fuel-fired heating apparatus having a combustion chamber, a burner structure operative to create hot combustion products in said combustion chamber, and a flow path external to said combustion chamber and operative to deliver combustion air into said combustion chamber, said method comprising the steps of:sensing an undesirable temperature increase in said combustion chamber caused by a reduction in air flow through said flow path into said combustion chamber which increases the level of carbon monoxide created in said combustion chamber during firing of said burner structure; said sensing step being performed using a temperature sensing structure projecting into said combustion chamber and supporting within said combustion chamber a heat-frangible element shatterable at a set point temperature; and responsively terminating combustion air flow through said flow path in a manner terminating burner combustion prior to the concentration level of carbon monoxide in said combustion chamber reaching a predetermined magnitude.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein:said step of responsively terminating combustion air flow through said flow path is performed using a spring-loaded damper member held in an open orientation by said temperature sensing structure until said heat-frangible element is shattered.
- 3. A method of operating a fuel-fired heating apparatus having a combustion chamber, a burner structure operative to create hot combustion products in said combustion chamber, and a flow path external to said combustion chamber and operative to deliver combustion air into said combustion chamber, said method comprising the steps of sensing in said combustion chamber an elevated combustion temperature correlated to and indicative of a predetermined, undesirably high concentration of carbon monoxide in said combustion chamber, created by a reduction in air flow through said flow path into said combustion chamber, and responsively preventing combustion air flow through said flow path, said sensing step being performed using a temperature sensing structure including a frangible element disposed within said combustion chamber and being heat shatterable at said elevated combustion temperature.
- 4. The method of claim 3 wherein:said step of responsively preventing combustion air flow through said flow path is performed using a spring-loaded damper member held in an open orientation by said temperature sensing structure until said heat frangible element is shattered.
- 5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of disposing said spring-loaded damper member externally of said combustion chamber.
- 6. A method of operating a fuel-fired heating apparatus having a combustion chamber, a burner structure operative to create hot combustion products in said combustion chamber, and a flow path external to said combustion chamber and operative to deliver combustion air into said combustion chamber, progressive clogging of said flow path creating the generation of progressively greater concentrations of carbon monoxide within said combustion chamber during firing of said heating apparatus, said method comprising the steps of:sensing, during firing of said heating apparatus, a degree of clogging of said flow path corresponding to the creation within said combustion chamber of a predetermined maximum concentration of carbon monoxide, said sensing step being performed by sensing within the combustion chamber a temperature correlated to and indicative of said predetermined maximum concentration of carbon monoxide, and responsively precluding further delivery of air to said combustion chamber via said flow path.
- 7. The method of claim 6 wherein:said step of sensing the temperature within said combustion chamber is performed using a frangible, heat shatterable element disposed within the combustion chamber.
- 8. The method of claim 6 wherein:said step of sensing the temperature within said combustion chamber is performed using a fluid-containing glass bulb member disposed within the combustion chamber.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/200,234, filed on Jul. 22, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,451 and entitled “FUEL-FIRED HEATING APPLIANCE WITH COMBUSTION CHAMBER TEMPERATURE-SENSING COMBUSTION AIR SHUTOFF SYSTEM”, which in turn was a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/801,551 filed on Mar. 8, 2001 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,497,200), the full disclosures of such prior applications being hereby incorporated herein by reference.
US Referenced Citations (41)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0040373 |
Nov 1981 |
EP |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (2)
Entry |
Star Sprinkler Catalog Sheets—Sep., 1992. |
Battelle Final Report “Evaluation of Firexx . . . ” Aug. 15, 1994. |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09/801551 |
Mar 2001 |
US |
Child |
10/200234 |
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US |