Radiator with cover and mounting board and method of installation

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6550688
  • Patent Number
    6,550,688
  • Date Filed
    Wednesday, May 31, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, April 22, 2003
    21 years ago
Abstract
A baseboard radiator having notched fins, a mounting strip, a mounting clamp, and a cover is described. The resulting system offers ease of leveling and installation, secure mounting, reduced noise and wear, and is aesthetically pleasing.
Description




BACKGROUND




Baseboard radiators, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,406,937 are mounted on a wall.




U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,033, incorporated herein by reference, notes the desire for easier installation of baseboard heaters, and the desire for attractive coordinating covers. CLAIMS




U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,470 notes that present baseboard heaters are relatively complicated to install.




Baseboard heaters can be heavy and bulky. Flow of fluid in the pipes can be affected by improper leveling or the radiator during installation, and the radiator must be mounted above Floor level for proper air circulation.




Among the considerations for installation are is the need for an air space. For example, an article on Hydronic Baseboard Basics by John Siegenthaler, P. E. states, “When baseboard is installed before finish flooring, remember to leave at least a 1 inch space beneath the enclosure. This ensures that the finished floor will not block air coming into the enclosure.” Also to prevent noise, it suggests using hangers that flex as the pipe expands and which are coated for handing copper tubing.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




A first objective of the present invention is to provide ease of leveling and installation.




A second objective of the present invention is to provide extra securement of a baseboard radiator to the wall.




A third objective is to provide a readily attachable, attractive radiator cover for a baseboard heater.




A fourth objective is to accommodate expansion and contraction of the heating elements to reduce noise and wear on the system.




Disclosed herein are a mounting strip, a mounting clamp, a baseboard radiator having notched fins and an easily installed attractive cover.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1A

is a cross sectional view of a first embodiment of the invention.





FIG. 1B

is a cross sectional view of a second embodiment of the invention.





FIG. 2

is an isometric view of the mounting board.





FIG. 3A

is an isometric view of a first embodiment of the radiator cover.





FIG. 3B

is an isometric view of a second embodiment of the radiator cover.





FIG. 3C

is an isometric view of a third embodiment of the radiator cover.





FIG. 3D

is an isometric view of a fourth embodiment of the radiator cover.





FIG. 3E

is an isometric view of a fifth embodiment of the radiator cover.





FIG. 4

is an isometric view of the mounting clamp.





FIG. 5

is an isometric view of an installed radiator and cover.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




For ease of mounting, the fins


4


of a radiator having one or more pipes passing through apertures


6


have been provided with a rear notch


12


on the lower edge. For ease of attaching a cover


2


, a front notch


10


has been provided on lower edge.




To mount the radiator


4


of the invention, a mounting board


16


is first leveled on the wall


18


near the floor


14


. The mounting board


16


may rest on the floor


14


or be mounted slightly higher to leave room for a carpet. When leveled, the mounting board


16


, is attached to the wall


18


with screws


22


. With the mounting board


16


in place, mounting clamps


50


are secured to the wall


18


at intervals of about 40 inches, by one or more screws


52


through an elongated slot


54


. The slot


54


allows the mounting clamp


50


to be raised during placement of the radiator and lowered to secure the radiator. When lowered, the lower edge


66


of the mounting clamp


50


rests on the top of the back plate


28


of the mounting board


16


. With the mounting board


16


, and mounting clamps


50


in a raised position, the fins


4


of the radiator are placed against the wall


18


so that the rear notches


12


rest on the top edge of the mounting board


16


. If no cover


2


is to be added, the mounting clamps


50


are lowered, securing the fins


4


of the radiator in place. The radiator is the secured to the wall by screws


20


as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,406,937. If a cover


2


is to be installed, the rear notch


12


in the lower edge of the fin and/or the size of the mounting strip flange is chosen to that a space


80


is maintained between the wall and the rear flange of the radiator fin


4


, so that the radiator is mounted with a gap


80


between the wall


18


and the radiator. The cover


2


is placed over the fins


4


with the mounting clamps


50


raised, and the back flange


32


between the wall


18


and the radiator fins


4


. Then the securing edge


41


or edges


40


,


42


are snapped into the notch


10


on the lower front edge of the radiator fins


4


. The mounting clamps


50


are then lowered, and the radiator is secured to the wall


18


by screws


20


. This method of installation means that the radiator does not have to be held up during installation, more firmly secures the radiator to the wall and insures that the radiator remains level during installation. By properly choosing the materials and design of the mounting strip


16


, the fins


4


of the radiator can slide to accommodate expansion during heating and contraction during cooling, since the point of contact is small. In a preferred embodiment, the mounting strip


16


is first formed from a strip of aluminium, which is light weight, and rapidly conducts heat. The top flange


24


and optionally the base flange


26


each make an angle of about 45° with the back plate


30


. This provides that force vectors are evenly distributed against the wall


18


and the floor


14


. A hole


28


is used for holding the mounting strip


16


during electrostatic powder coating. Such a coating provides an attractive, slick, heat and corrosion resistant finish. Suggested dimensions for the finished mounting strip


16


are: thickness 1 mm; depth of top flange


24


about 0.5 inches; depth of bottom flange


26


about 0.5 inches; height of back plate


30


about 1 inch; and the overall height about 2.75 inches.





FIGS. 3A

to


3


E show a variety of radiator covers for use with the invention. They are provided with securing edges


40


,


41


,


42


to engage the front notch


10


on the lower edge of the flange.




The cover


2


shown in

FIG. 3A

has a back flange


32


that is placed between the radiator fins


4


and the wall


18


, a top surface


34


, an upper front surface


36


, front surface


38


, and lower securing edges


40


and


42


for engaging the front notch


10


shown in FIG.


1


A. The exposed surfaces are provided with a series of apertures


44


to allow for free air circulation.




The cover shown in

FIG. 3B

has a lower securing edge


41


for engaging the front notch


10


shown in FIG.


1


B. The large elongated apertures


46


are close together, and allow for the cover the be attached to the radiator prior to the securing of the radiator fins


4


to the wall


18






The cover shown in

FIG. 3C

is similar to that shown in

FIG. 3B

, however the apertures


48


are oval.




The cover shown in

FIG. 3D

has small multiple apertures in the upper front surface


36


.




The cover shown in

FIG. 3E

has a curved upper front surface


60


, eliminating corners on the exposed areas.




The mounting clamp


50


has a top section


56


, a front section


64


, and a rear section


62


. The rear section


62


, has a lower edge


66


and a slot


54


through which one or more screws


52


may be fastened. When in a lowered position, the top


56


and front sections


64


secure the radiator in place.




If desired, an end cap


70


may be placed on the end of the radiator.



Claims
  • 1. A radiator having fins, said fins having a lower edge, wherein said lower edge is provided with a rear notch for engaging a mounting system.
  • 2. The radiator of claim 1 wherein said lower edge is further provided with a front notch for engaging a cover.
US Referenced Citations (13)
Number Name Date Kind
2355629 Carrier Aug 1944 A
3464177 Amato Sep 1969 A
3627984 Bollinger Dec 1971 A
3780797 Gebelius Dec 1973 A
3827202 Phillips Aug 1974 A
4273990 Steiner et al. Jun 1981 A
4471991 Matthias Sep 1984 A
4689470 Cunningham Aug 1987 A
4714194 Eckman Dec 1987 A
5406937 Uglietto et al. Apr 1995 A
5597033 Caili Jan 1997 A
5651224 Brabant Jul 1997 A
5950720 Klix Sep 1999 A
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry
John Siegenthaler, Hydronic Baseboard Basics, The Journal of Light Construction Online.