The present disclosure is generally in the field of high efficiency gas storage water heaters and more particularly an exhaust tee for neutralizing condensate from the water heater.
Most residential and commercial heating and hot water systems include a furnace, boiler, or domestic water heater of the high efficiency condensing type. High-efficiency condensing-type appliances extract additional heat from the water vapor in the flue gas. As a result, the flue gas drops below its dew point and vapor present in the flue gas starts to condense. Condensation of flue gas produces an acidic solution typically containing nitric, nitrous, sulfuric, sulfurous and hydrochloric acids, which are produced from the nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and hydrogen chloride present in natural gas.
Most state and local codes prohibit introducing acidic liquid into a drainage system. Acidic condensate can damage piping systems, sewerage systems, treatment facilities, septic systems and other items with which it may come in contact. Neutralization of the acidic condensate is required to avoid damage and to comply with the state and local codes. Presently, it is the responsibility of the plumbing professional to install a cartridge or other vessel containing a neutralizing agent at a point in the drain line to follow state and local plumbing codes.
There are several disadvantages with current designs. For example, there is a chance the neutralizing cartridge is never installed putting the piping system at risk. Many purchasers of high efficiency appliances may not be aware of this additional step to confirm the cartridge has actually been installed. Also, depending on the volume of condensation, such vessels can be unsightly or awkward to incorporate into the space provided for the appliance.
The foregoing background information is provided to reveal information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present disclosure. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present disclosure.
The present disclosure is directed to an exhaust conduit, e.g., an exhaust tee, that can form part of an exhaust duct of, e.g., a gas storage water heater, and that has a chamber to facilitate the pooling of condensate formed as flue gas cools within the exhaust duct. The exhaust tee includes a fluid outlet configured to couple with a drain line for draining the pooled condensate, and is configured so that exhaust gas does not exit through the fluid outlet. The chamber of the exhaust tee is sized and shaped to hold a neutralizing agent to neutralize acidic condensate pooled therein. Moreover, the exhaust tee includes upwardly extending ridges within the chamber that define a channel to guide condensate formed in the exhaust tee through the neutralizing agent within the chamber and towards the fluid outlet.
High input units require a larger exhaust tee for pressure relief and such heaters are commonly vented with 4″ venting. Accordingly, the exhaust conduits described herein may be configured to accommodate at least 4″ venting. As will be understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art, the exhaust conduit may accommodate smaller venting, e.g., 3″ venting or smaller. The exhaust conduits described herein make replacement easier for the installer and neutralizes the condensate before leaving the heater instead of having to add a kit to the condensate line which could leak. Moreover, the exhaust conduits described herein allow for easier servicing of neutralizer over current methods that require removing the venting to access the exhaust tee.
Some representative embodiments will be described more fully hereinafter with example reference to the accompanying drawings that illustrate embodiments of the invention. Embodiments may take many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those appropriately skilled in the art.
In accordance with some aspects of the present invention, a gas storage water heater having an exhaust outlet configured to be coupled to an exhaust conduit is provided. The exhaust conduit is configured for neutralizing condensate in exhaust gas from the gas storage water heater having the exhaust outlet as the exhaust gas is expelled via an exhaust vent. The exhaust conduit may include an inlet configured to be coupled to the exhaust outlet, an outlet configured to be coupled to the exhaust vent, and a condensate chamber having an interior in fluidic communication with the inlet and the outlet. The condensate chamber includes a lower portion configured to receive a neutralizer and an upper portion having a service port configured to provide access to the lower portion of the condensate chamber in an open state. The exhaust conduit further may include a fluid outlet in fluidic communication with the condensate chamber, and one or more ridges disposed in the chamber. The one or more ridges may be arranged to define a channel configured to direct condensate from the inlet across the neutralizer toward the fluid outlet.
The outlet may be disposed at an end of a first tubular member extending from the upper portion of the condensate chamber. In addition, the exhaust conduit may include a sensor mount disposed on an exterior surface of the first tubular member, such that the sensor mount is configured to support one or more sensors. The exhaust conduit further may include one or more support ribs extending along an interior surface of the first tubular member, such that an upper end of the one or more support ribs is spaced a predefined distance from the outlet. Accordingly, a portion of the exhaust vent may extend within the first tubular member along the predefined distance and sits on the one or more support ribs.
Moreover, the inlet may be disposed at an end of a second tubular member extending laterally from the first tubular member. The second tubular member may extend in a direction perpendicular to the first tubular member. In addition, a lower portion of the second tubular member may be coupled to a lower portion of the first tubular member via a curved surface disposed within the interior of the condensate chamber. The curved surface may have an opening to provide fluid communication between the first and second tubular members and the interior of the condensate chamber. The upper portion and the lower portion of the condensate chamber may be removably coupled, such that the lower portion may have an upwardly extending lip sized and shaped to receive a lower edge of the upper portion therein.
The fluid outlet may be disposed at an end of a first tubular member extending laterally from the condensate chamber. Moreover, the first tubular member may be in fluid communication with a second tubular member extending from the first tubular member downwardly along an interior surface of the condensate chamber, such that a lower end of the second tubular member is spaced a predefined distance from a bottom surface of the condensate chamber defining an opening into the second tubular member. The second tubular member further may include an air hole vent configured to vent the interior of the condensate chamber to atmospheric pressure via the fluid outlet. In addition, the second tubular member may have a semi-circular cross-sectional area. Moreover, at least one ridge of the one or more ridges may be disposed adjacent to second tubular member, such that condensate flows over the at least one ridge through the opening into the second tubular member and out the fluid outlet.
At least one ridge of the one or more ridges may extend upwardly from a bottom surface of the lower portion of the condensate chamber. Additionally, at least another ridge of the one or more ridges may extend from the upper portion of the condensate chamber. An end of the at least another ridge of the one or more ridges may have a geometry sized and shaped to engage with a corresponding end of the at least one ridge of the one or more ridges. In addition, at least one ridge of the one or more ridges may have a curved shaped.
The service port may include a tubular member extending upwardly from the upper portion of the condensate member. The exhaust conduit further may include a lid configured to be removably coupled to the service port. For example, the service port may have a first threaded portion and the lid may have a second threaded portion configured to mate with the first threaded portion.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Upper portion 204 includes intake member 206 having inlet 208, and exhaust member 210 having outlet 212. As shown in
For example, exhaust tee 200 may include one or more support ribs, e.g., ribs 214a and 214b, extending upwardly along an interior of exhaust member 210. The upper edge of the one or more support ribs may be disposed a predefined distance from outlet 212 of exhaust member 210, thereby providing a gap sized and shaped to receive a portion of the lower end of exhaust vent 104. For example, the upper edge of the one or more support ribs may be, e.g., 0.1 to 0.5 inches, or 0.15 to 0.4 inches, or 0.2 to 0.3 inches, or preferably 0.22 inches, from the edge of outlet 212, and ribs 214a and 214b may be separated by a distance of, e.g., 2 to 6 inches, 3 to 5 inches, 3.5 to 4.5 inches, 4 to 4.2 inches, or preferably 4.16 inches. Accordingly, when exhaust vent 104 is coupled to exhaust member 210, a portion of exhaust vent 104 extends within exhaust member 210 from outlet 212 along the predefined distance and sits on the one or more support ribs. The one or more support ribs assist in preventing the operator/installer from inserting exhaust vent 104 too far into exhaust member 210, which would prevent proper airflow and make it more difficult to remove exhaust vent 104 if collector service is required. The one or more support ribs may be evenly spaced apart within the exhaust member 210 to provide even support to exhaust vent 104. As will be understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art, although only two support ribs are shown in
As shown in
Referring again to
Exhaust tee 200 includes service port 218 for providing access to the interior of condensate chamber 201. Accordingly, service port 218 may be an opening sized and shaped to permit at least an operator's hand therethrough, for example, to permit the operator to add neutralizing agent, e.g., neutralizing rocks, into the interior of condensate chamber 201, remove neutralizing agent from the interior of condensate chamber 201, confirm the amount of neutralizing agent within condensate chamber 201 is such that the neutralizing agent does enter fluid outlet 225, inspect the interior of condensate chamber 201 to see if there has been a build-up of scale that needs to be removed from condensate chamber 201, clean the interior of condensate chamber 201 if the scale build-up is excessive to provide better airflow through exhaust tee 200, etc., all without having to remove exhaust vent 104 from outlet 212 of exhaust tee 200 in order to perform any of the above operations, which is a current method for existing exhaust ducts with condensate neutralizing components. Moreover, service port 218 may include lid 220, which may include handle 222 to facilitate coupling of lid 220 to service port 218. Lid 220 forms an airtight seal when coupled to service port 218 in a closed state.
Service port 218 may be positioned directly on the upper surface of upper portion 204, or preferably, service port 218 may have an extended portion extending upwardly from the upper surface of upper portion 204 to reduce intrusion into the interior of condensate chamber 201, as shown in
As shown in
Referring now to
Lower portion 230 further may include one or more ridges, e.g., ridges 232a-232e, that extend upwardly from the bottom surface of lower portion 230, and are arranged to define channel 234 configured to direct condensate from intake member 206 and exhaust member 210 across the neutralizing agent toward fluid outlet 225. Ridges 232a-232e may be individual components, or in some embodiments, at least some ridges of ridges 232a-232e may be formed as a single integrated component. At least some ridges 232a-232e may have a curved shaped to guide fluid flow across channel 234. Ridges 232a-232e may have a height that extends from the bottom surface to the upper surface of the interior of condensate chamber 201 when lower portion 202 and upper portion 204 are coupled together. For example, the ridges may have a height of, e.g., 1 to 5 inches, or 1.5 to 4 inches, or 1.7 to 3.5 inches, or 2 to 3 inches, or preferably 2.75 inches.
As shown in
In addition, the outward facing edges of ridges 232b, 232e may be spaced away from lip 203 a distance sized to receive the lower edge of upper portion 204 therein. For example, rib 232c may be positioned, e.g., 0.5 to 2 inches, or 0.8 to 1.5 inches, or preferably 1.04 inches from the front wall of upper portion 204, 1 to 4 inches, or 2 to 3 inches, or preferably 2.83 inches from the side wall of upper portion 204, and 1 to 4 inches, or 2 to 3 inches, or preferably 2.89 inches from rib 232b, and rib 232d may be positioned, e.g., 0.5 to 3 inches, or 1 to 2 inches, or preferably 1.21 inches from the back wall of upper portion 204, 0.5 to 4 inches, or 1 to 3 inches, or preferably 2.28 inches from the side wall of upper portion 204, and 0.5 to 4 inches, or 1 to 3 inches, or preferably 2.02 inches from rib 232e.
As will be understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art, ridges 232a-232e may have different shapes/curvatures than what is shown in
Exhaust tee 200 further may include ridge 236 spaced away from lip 203 a distance sized to receive the lower edge of upper portion 204 therein. Ridge 236 may have a curved shaped corresponding to the curved shaped of the fluid column coupled to extended portion 224 of fluid outlet 225, as described in further detail below. Ridge 236 may extend upwardly from the bottom surface of lower portion 202, and may have a height selected to permit condensate to pool in reservoir 230 by a predetermined amount before the condensate flows over ridge 236 and into the fluid column for draining via fluid outlet 225. For example, the center of ridge 236 may be positioned 0.5 to 2 inches, or 0.7 to 1 inch, or preferably 0.93 inches from a back wall of lip 203, the edges of ridge 236 may be positioned, e.g., 0.1 to 1 inch, or 0.2 to 0.5 inches, or preferably 0.29 inches from the back wall of lip 203, the inside edges of ridge 236 may be positioned apart by, e.g., 0.5 to 3 inches, or 1 to 2 inches, or preferably 1.51 inches apart, and lip 203 may have a height of, e.g., 0.2 to 2 inches, or 0.5 to 1 inch, or preferably 0.75 inches.
Referring now to
As described above, at least a portion of intake member 206 and exhaust member 210 may be disposed within the interior of upper portion 204. As shown in
Referring now to
Modifications and variations of the methods and devices described herein will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the foregoing detailed description. Such modifications and variations are intended to come within the scope of the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 63/402,798, filed Aug. 31, 2022, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63402798 | Aug 2022 | US |