FIELD
This disclosure relates generally to water heaters and more particularly to systems and methods for adjusting thermostats relative to heating elements for water heaters.
BACKGROUND
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art mounting bracket 100. The mounting bracket 100 includes a heating element receiving portion 102, a first engaging arm 104, and a second engaging arm 106. The first engaging arm 104 is connected to the heating element receiving portion 102. The second engaging arm 106 is additionally connected to the heating element receiving portion 102. The heating element receiving portion 102 has a heating element passthrough 112 configured to enable a resistive element of a heating element to pass therethrough. The first engaging arm 104 has an engagement passthrough 108 disposed therein. Similarly, the second engaging arm 106 has an engagement passthrough 110 disposed therein. The first engaging arm 104 is separated from the second engaging arm 106 by a space 114 to enable a thermostat to be disposed therein.
FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of a prior art heating element 202, the mounting bracket 100, a thermostat 208, and a water tank 210. The heating element 202 includes a resistive element 212, a male screw thread 214, a hex head 216, and a wire receptacle face 218. The resistive element 212 is configured to slide through a gasket 204, through a female threaded receiving port 206, and though a passthrough 220 in the water tank 210. In this manner, the resistive element 212 will be submerged in water within the water tank 210 after the water tank 210 is filled. The hex head 216 enables a wrench to be used to turn the heating element 202, such that the male screw thread 214 screws into the female threaded receiving port 206 to tightly fix the heating element 202 against the water tank 210. The gasket 204 is a compressible gasket that prevents water from leaking out from the passthrough 220 between the male screw thread 214 and the female threaded receiving port 206. The mounting bracket 100 mounts the thermostat 208 at a fixed position.
FIG. 3 illustrates a prior art heating element 300, which includes a resistive element 302 and a mounting head 304. The mounting head 304 includes a hex head 306, a male screw thread 308, a wire receiving screw 312, and a wire receiving screw 314. A compressible gasket 310 is disposed on the mounting head 304. The resistive element 302 includes an input leg 316 and a return leg 318 that together form a loop. The loop includes a rising portion 320 that turns to a lowering portion 322. The rising portion 320 and the lowering portion 322 form the “folded” resistive element.
In operation, a power wire will be connected to the wire receiving screw 312, and a neutral wire will be connected to wire receiving screw 314. Electricity will flow from the power wire, through the wire receiving screw 312, through the input leg 316, through the return leg 318, through the wire receiving screw 314, and finally back through the neutral wire. The electricity passing through input leg 316 and return leg 318 will heat the input leg 316 and the return leg 318 via resistive heating.
FIG. 4 illustrates another prior art heating element 400, which includes a resistive element 402 and a mounting head 404. The mounting head 404 includes a hex head 406, a male screw thread 408, a wire receiving screw 412, and a wire receiving screw 414. A compressible gasket 410 is disposed on the mounting head 404. The resistive element 402 includes an input leg 416 and a return leg 418 that together form a loop.
In operation, a power wire will be connected to the wire receiving screw 412, and a neutral wire will be connected to wire receiving screw 414. Electricity will flow from the power wire, through the wire receiving screw 412, through the input leg 416, through the return leg 418, through the wire receiving screw 414, and finally back through the neutral wire. The electricity passing through input leg 416 and the return leg 418 will heat the input leg 416 and the return leg 418 via resistive heating.
FIG. 5 illustrates a more detailed side view of the prior art thermostat 208. FIG. 6 illustrates a front view of the prior art thermostat 208. As depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6, the thermostat 208 includes a body 502 and a mounting bracket 504. Typically, the body 502 is made of plastic, and the mounting bracket 504 is made of a metal, such as stainless steel. The body 502 includes a temperature detector 506, a reset button 508, a plurality of wire receptacles (an example of which is indicated as wire receptacle 510), and a temperature setting dial 512. The mounting bracket 504 includes a locking flange 516 that is configured to lock into the mounting bracket 100 so as to mount the thermostat 208 to the water tank at a fixed position.
FIG. 7 illustrates the thermostat 208 mounted to a water tank by the mounting bracket 100 and the heating element 202. A power wire 702 is connected to a wire receptacle 710 on the thermostat 208, and a neutral wire 704 is connected to a wire receptacle 510 on the thermostat 208. Further, a power wire 708 is connected to a wire receptacle 712 on the thermostat 208 and is additionally connected to a wire receiving screw 716 on the heating element 202. Still further, a neutral wire 706 is connected to a wire receiving screw 718 on the heating element 202 and is additionally connected to a wire receptacle 707 on the thermostat 208.
The thermostat 208 is mounted to the water tank by sliding the thermostat 208 down into the space 114, as shown in FIG. 1, such that the locking flange 516 on the thermostat 208 locks into the engagement passthrough 110 of the engaging arm 106 of the mounting bracket 100, and a corresponding locking flange on the other side of the thermostat 208 locks into the engagement passthrough 108 of the engaging arm 104 of the mounting bracket 110.
In operation, electricity is provided to the wire receptacle 710 via the power wire 702. The electricity is used to power the temperature detector 506, after which the wire receptacle 510 provides a return path of the electricity via the neutral wire 704. An internal bus connects the electricity at the wire receptacle 710 to other wire receptacles on the left side of the thermostat 208, including the wire receptacle 712. As such, the wire receptacle 712 provides electricity to the wire receiving screw 716 of the heating element 202 via the power wire 708. The electricity is provided to the resistive element.
For example, as shown in FIG. 3, electricity provided at the wire receiving screw 312 is input to the input leg 316 of the resistive element 302, around through the return leg 318 of the resistive element 302, and back out to the wire receiving screw 314. The electricity passing through the resistive element 302 causes the resistive element 302 to heat up and heat the water surrounding the resistive element 302. It should be noted that the electricity is alternating current (AC), thus the description of the electricity traveling in a single direction is used only for purposes of brevity. In particular, the electricity will be oscillating in the traveling direction through the heating element 300.
Similarly, as shown in FIG. 4, electricity provided at the wire receiving screw 412 is input to the input leg 416 of the resistive element 402, around through the return leg 418 of the resistive element 402, and back out to the wire receiving screw 414. The electricity passing through the resistive element 402 causes the resistive element 402 to heat up and heat the water surrounding the resistive element 402. Again, in this case, the electricity will be oscillating in the traveling direction through the heating element 400.
Returning to FIG. 7, the wire receiving screw 718 provides a return path of the electricity via the neutral wire 706. The wire receptacle 714 receives the return path of electricity via the neutral wire 706. An internal bus connects the electricity at the wire receptacle 714 to other wire receptacles on the right side of the thermostat 208, including the wire receptacle 510.
The temperature setting dial 512 enables a user to set the temperature in the water tank to a predetermined temperature, e.g., 120° F. When the temperature detector 506 senses that the temperature in the water tank matches the temperature set by the temperature setting dial 512, an internal switch opens to prevent electricity from passing to the heating element 202, thereby turning off the heating. When the temperature detected by the temperature detector 506 drops below a predetermined threshold, for example 110° F., the internal switch closes to pass electricity to the heating element 202 to heat the water within the water tank.
The reset button 508 is provided to enable a user to temporarily electrically disconnect the heating element 202. In particular, in the event that either the thermostat 208 or the heating element 202 is not working correctly, a user may press the reset button 508 to electrically disconnect the heating element 202 and immediately restart the system. In some cases, this reset may correct an improperly functioning thermostat 208 or heating element 202.
A problem with the prior art water heater systems discussed above with reference to FIGS. 1-7 is that the thermostat 208 is fixed at a universal position from the heating element 202. However, there are many differently shaped and sized resistive elements that may be incorporated into a heating element, as evidenced by the examples discussed above with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. As such, the water within the water tank may heat at different rates. Because of this, the performance of the water heater as a whole my not be optimized when one heating element having one type of resistive element is replaced by another heating element having a different type of resistive element.
In particular, when the thermostat 208 is mounted to the water heater, the thermostat 208 is locked into a specific location such that the temperature detector 506 is located at a distant DT from the heating element. Accordingly, the thermostat 208 will detect the temperature of the water at a specific location within the water heater, regardless of the type of heating element used. Because of the different shapes of the resistive elements, each heating element will provide a different heating profile.
For example, FIG. 8A illustrates a heating profile 820 of a heating element 806 after heating the water 818 within a water tank 802 after a predetermined time period Δt. A thermostat 804 is mounted to the water tank 802 via a mounting bracket 810, such that a temperature detector 816 on the rear side of the thermostat 804 is adjacent to the water tank 802 at a distance DT from the heating element 806. Here, the thermostat 804 is mounted by the mounting bracket 810 in the same manner as discussed above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 5-7.
A resistive element 814 of the heating element 806 is inserted into the water tank 802, and the heating element 806 is tightly screwed into the wall of the water tank 802 via a hex head 808 for screwing the heating element 806 into a passthrough 812 of the water tank 802.
For purposes of discussion, in this example, the resistive element 814 is similar to the resistive element 402 discussed above with reference to FIG. 4. Further, as an example, let Δt be five minutes. As shown in FIG. 8A, the resistive element 814 has a heating profile shown by the curve 820 around the resistive element 814. The curve 820 represents water heated by the resistive element 814. Clearly, heat is transferred throughout the water 818 via conduction and convection, wherein the heat transfer is a continuous heat transfer, as opposed to a delineated difference of heat represented by the curve 820. With this in mind, the curve 820 represents some threshold of temperature, wherein the water within the curve 820 is above the threshold of temperature, and the water outside of the curve 820 is below the threshold of temperature. It is noted that the resistive element 814 is not centered within the curve 820 because hot water rises, such that more hot water will be located above the resistive element 814. In this example, the curve 820 is a distance DHE1 from the temperature detector 816. As such, the temperature detector 816 will not detect the hot water for an additional time period.
FIG. 8B illustrates the heating profile 820 (as a dotted line) and a heating profile 828 of a heating element 822 after heating the water 818 within a water tank 802 after the predetermined time period Δt. Again, the thermostat 804 is mounted to the water tank 802 via a mounting bracket 810, such that the temperature detector 816 on the rear side of the thermostat 804 is adjacent to the water tank 802 at the distance DT from the heating element 806. A resistive element 826 of the heating element 822 is inserted into the water tank 802, and the heating element 822 is tightly screwed into the wall of the water tank 802 via a hex head 824 for screwing the heating element 822 into the passthrough 812 of the water tank 802.
For purposes of discussion, in this example, the resistive element 826 is similar to the resistive element 402 discussed above with reference to FIG. 4, but longer in length than the resistive element 814 discussed above with reference to FIG. 8A. Further, again, let Δt be five minutes. As shown in FIG. 8B, the resistive element 826 has a heating profile shown by the curve 828 around the resistive element 826. The curve 828 represents water heated by the resistive element 826. Again, the curve 828 is used to represent some threshold of temperature, wherein the water within the curve 828 is above the threshold of temperature, and the water outside of the curve 828 is below the threshold of temperature. It is noted that the resistive element 826 is not centered within the curve 828 because hot water rises, such that more hot water will be located above the resistive element 826.
In this example, the curve 828 is a distance DHE2 from the temperature detector 816. As such, the temperature detector 816 will not detect the hot water for an additional time period. However, DHE2 is less than DHE1 discussed above with reference to FIG. 8A. Accordingly, the temperature detector 816 will detect the hot water in less time than when the heating element of FIG. 8A is used. Further, as compared to FIG. 8A, when the heating element 822 is used, wherein the resistive element 826 is longer than the resistive element 814, more water is heated in the same time period as shown by the curve 828 being wider and longer than the curve 820.
FIG. 8C illustrates a heating profile 836 of a heating element 830 after heating the water 818 within a water tank 802 after the predetermined time period Δt. The thermostat 804 is mounted to the water tank 802 via the mounting bracket 810, such that the temperature detector 816 on the rear side of the thermostat 804 is adjacent to the water tank 802 at the distance DT from the heating element 830. A resistive element 834 of the heating element 830 is inserted into the water tank 802, and the heating element 830 is tightly screwed into the wall of the water tank 802 via a hex head 832 for screwing the heating element 830 into the passthrough 812 of the water tank 802.
For purposes of discussion, in this example, the resistive element 834 is similar to the resistive element 302 discussed above with reference to FIG. 3. Further, let Δt be five minutes. As shown in FIG. 8C, the resistive element 834 has a heating profile shown by the curve 836 around the resistive element 834. The curve 836 represents water heated by the resistive element 834. Again, the curve 836 is used to represent some threshold of temperature, wherein the water within the curve 836 is above the threshold of temperature, and the water outside of the curve 836 is below the threshold of temperature. It is noted that the resistive element 834 is not centered within the curve 836 because hot water rises, such that more hot water will be located above the resistive element 834.
In this example, the curve 836 is a distance DHE3 from the temperature detector 816. As such, the temperature detector 816 will not detect the hot water for an additional time period. However, DHE3 is less than DHE2 discussed above with reference to FIG. 8B. Accordingly, the temperature detector 816 will detect the hot water in less time that that when the heating element of FIG. 8B is used.
What is needed is a water heating system that can optimize the efficiency of the water heater even when a resistive element is replaced with a differently shaped or sized resistive element.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings. In some instances, the use of the same reference numerals may indicate similar or identical items. Various embodiments may utilize elements and/or components other than those illustrated in the drawings, and some elements and/or components may not be present in various embodiments. Throughout this disclosure, depending on the context, singular and plural terminology may be used interchangeably.
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art mounting bracket.
FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of a prior art heating element, the mounting bracket of FIG. 1, a thermostat and a water tank.
FIG. 3 illustrates a prior art heating element.
FIG. 4 illustrates another prior art heating element.
FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of a prior art thermostat.
FIG. 6 illustrates a front view of the prior art thermostat of FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 illustrates the thermostat of FIG. 6 mounted to a water tank by the bracket of FIG. 1 and a heating element.
FIG. 8A illustrates a heating profile of a heating element.
FIG. 8B illustrates a heating profile of another heating element.
FIG. 8C illustrates a heating profile of yet another heating element.
FIG. 9 illustrates a heating element and a thermostat mounted to a water tank by a bracket in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 10 illustrates a side view of the thermostat of FIG. 9 in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 11 illustrates the bracket of FIG. 9 in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 12 illustrates a side view of the bracket of FIG. 11 in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 13A illustrates a side view of the thermostat mounted to the water tank by the bracket of FIG. 9 at a first position in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 13B illustrates a side view of the thermostat mounted to the water tank by the bracket of FIG. 9 at a second position in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 14 illustrates a method of determining the optimal performance for a heating element in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
This disclosure relates generally to a water heater thermostat for use with a mounting bracket. In certain embodiments, the position of the thermostat relative to a heating element may be adjustable. In some instances, the mounting bracket may include two engaging arms, each of which may engage with a respective side of the thermostat such that the thermostat can move up or down to change the relative distance of the thermostat from the heating element. Once at a desired position, a setting mechanism, such as a screw or the like, within a body of the thermostat may be adjusted to apply a setting force normal to the water tank of the water heater. This setting force may generate a frictional force to maintain the desired position of the thermostat. In the event the user would like to move the position of the thermostat, the setting mechanism may be released, the thermostat may be moved to another position, and the setting mechanism may be reset. In this way, the thermostat may be maintained at the new position.
In certain embodiments, each of the engaging arms of the mounting bracket may include a slot configured to receive a respective engaging portion of the body of the thermostat. In some instances, the slot of the engaging arm of the mounting bracket may act as a female receiver of the male protrusion of the engaging portion of the body of the thermostat. In this manner, the thermostat may be configured to slide along the mounting bracket up and down to different positions relative to the heating element. Alternatively, in certain embodiments, each of two engaging portions of the body of the thermostat may include a slot configured to receive an engaging portion of a respective engaging arm of the mounting bracket. In some instances, the slot of the body of the thermostat may act as a female receiver of the male protrusion of the engaging arm of the mounting bracket. In this manner, the thermostat may be configured to slide along the mounting bracket up and down to different positions relative to the heating element.
Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 9 illustrates a thermostat 902 in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The thermostat 902 may be mounted to a water tank by a mounting bracket 904, which may also be configured to attach the heating element 202 to the water tank. Elements of the thermostat 902 that are similarly numbered with the thermostat 208 of FIG. 7 will not be described again for purposes of brevity. In certain embodiments, the thermostat 902 may differ from the thermostat 208 of FIG. 7 in that the thermostat 902 may include a setting mechanism 916, a mounting body including a guide arm 918, and a guide arm 920. The setting mechanism 916 may be disposed within the body of the thermostat 902 and may be configured to apply a setting force normal to the water tank to generate frictional force to maintain a position of the mounting body relative to the heating element 202.
In certain embodiments, each of the guide arm 918 and the guide arm 920 may be configured to engage with the mounting bracket 904 to enable the thermostat 902 to move along an axial direction about the mounting bracket 904. Further, in some instances, at least one of the guide arm 918 and the guide arm 920 may include a position indicator line. In this example, the guide arm 918 may include a position indicator line 921. Further, in some embodiments, at least one of engaging arm 908 and engaging arm 910 can have position index lines, one of which may indicate as position index line 923. The position index lines may be provided to enable a user to align with indicator line 921 of the thermostat 902 to position the thermostat 902 at an optimal distance from the heating element 202.
In some instances, the mounting bracket 904 may include a heating element receiving portion 906, an engaging arm 908, an engaging arm 910, and a bracing arm 912. The heating element receiving portion 906 may include a passthrough to receive the heating element 202. The engaging arm 908 and the engaging arm 910 may be connected to the heating element receiving portion 906. The engaging arm 908 and the engaging arm 910 may be additionally connected to the bracing arm 912 so as to surround a thermostat receiving area 914.
The engaging arm 908 may be configured to engage with the guide arm 918 of the thermostat 902. Similarly, the engaging arm 910 may be configured to engage with the guide arm 920 of the thermostat 902. In certain embodiments, the bracing arm 912 may prevent the engaging arm 908 from bending away from the engaging arm 910 when the thermostat 902 is disposed within the thermostat receiving area 914. For example, the engaging arm 908 may be engaged with the guide arm 918 of the thermostat 902, and the engaging arm 910 may be engaged with the guide arm 920 of the thermostat 902.
FIG. 10 illustrates a side view of the thermostat 902 of FIG. 9. As depicted in FIG. 10, the thermostat 902 may include a body 1002, the temperature detector 506, the reset button 508, the temperature setting dial 512, the setting mechanism 916, the guide arm 918, and a mounting body 1004. The guide arm 918 may be part of the mounting body 1004. In some instances, the guide arm 918 may include a slot 1006. In certain embodiments, the slot 1006 may be configured to engage with the mounting bracket 904.
For example, FIG. 11 illustrates a plan view of the mounting bracket 904 of FIG. 9. As depicted in FIG. 11, the engaging arm 908 may include an engaging portion 1104. Similarly, the engaging arm 910 may include an engaging portion 1106. Further, the heating element receiving portion 906 may include a passthrough 1102 that is configured to enable a resistive element to pass through into the water tank. Turning to FIG. 12, which illustrates a side view of the mounting bracket 904 of FIG. 11, the engaging portion 1104 may include a protrusion 1202 configured to engage with the slot 1006 of the mounting body 1004 of the thermostat 902 as shown in FIG. 10.
FIG. 13A illustrates a side view of the thermostat 902 mounted to a water tank by the mounting bracket 904 of FIG. 9 at a first position. As depicted in FIG. 13A, the thermostat 902 may be mounted a distance DT1 from the heating element 202. In particular, the slot 1006 of the guide arm 918 may be engaged with the protrusion 1202 of the engaging portion 1104. In this manner, in this embodiment, the guide arm 918 has a female slot 1006 that is configured to engage with a male protrusion 1203 of the engaging portion 1104 of the engaging arm 908. It should be noted that, in some embodiments, this engagement can be reversed. For example, in some embodiments, the guide arm 918 may include a male protrusion, and the engaging arm 908 may include a slot. In these embodiments, the male protrusion of the guide arm 918 may engage with the slot of the engaging arm 908.
In any event, with the engagement between the engaging arms 908 and 910 of the mounting bracket 904 and the guide arms 918 and 920 of the thermostat 902, the thermostat 902 may be positioned within a range of distances relative to the heating element 202.
In certain embodiments, once positioned at a desired position, the user may set the setting mechanism 916. In some embodiments, the setting mechanism 916 may include a screw disposed within the body of the thermostat. For example, as shown in FIG. 13A, when the setting mechanism 916 is turned (e.g., tightened), the setting mechanism may place a force on the wall 1302 of the water tank. In some instances, because the engaging arms 908 and 910 of the mounting bracket 904 are engaged with the guide arms 918 and 920 of the thermostat 902, the thermostat may be retained adjacent to the wall 1302 of the water tank. However, the force indicated by arrow 1304 caused by the setting mechanism may cause an equal and opposite force indicated by arrows 1306 and 1308 away from the wall 1302 of the water tank. These forces may create a frictional force that retains the thermostat 902 at the position DT1 from the heating element 202. Conversely, if the user would like to relocate the position of the thermostat 902, then the setting mechanism 916 may be unset (e.g., loosened in the opposite direction). Once loose, the thermostat 902 may be relocated along the axis that is horizontal to that of the heating element 202.
For example, FIG. 13B illustrates a side view of the thermostat 902 mounted to the water tank by the mounting bracket 904 at a second position. As shown in FIG. 13B, the thermostat 902 has been moved to be a distance DT2 from the heating element 202, which may be different than the distance DT1. In this manner, because the thermostat 902 may be moved to different positions in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a change in the heating profile of different heating elements may be taken into account in order to optimize performance of the water heater.
FIG. 14 illustrates a method 1400 of determining the optimal performance for a heating element in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 1400 starts (S1402) and the thermostat is positioned at an initial position (S1404). For example, as shown in FIG. 13A, the thermostat 902 may be position a distance DT1 from the heating element. After the thermostat 902 positioned the distance DT1, the setting mechanism 916 may be set to apply a setting force normal to the water tank to generate a frictional force to maintain a position of the mounting body 1004 relative to the mounting bracket 904. In some instances, as depicted in FIG. 9, the position indicator line 921 may be aligned with one of the position index lines.
Returning to FIG. 14, after the thermostat is positioned (S1404), the water heater is operated (S1406). For example, as discussed above with reference to FIG. 9, electricity may be supplied to the heating element 202 to heat the water within the water heater.
Returning to FIG. 14, after the water heater is operated (S1406), a parameter of the water is determined (S1408). For example, in some instances, the heating time at which the temperature sensor detects that the water within the water tank reaches the temperature set by the temperature setting dial 512 may be determined. In certain embodiments, this time is based on the distance at which the thermostat is positioned relative to the heating element as indicated by the alignment of the indicator line 921 on the guide arm 918 and the position index line 923. In other instances, the determined parameter may be the time between when the heating element 202 stops heating the water in the water tank and the time when the heating element 202 again starts heating the water in the water tank (i.e., the heating interval).
After the parameter of the water is determined (S1408), the thermostat is repositioned (S1410). For example, as discussed above with reference to FIG. 13B, the setting mechanism 916 can be released (e.g., loosened), the thermostat 902 can be moved, and the setting mechanism 916 can be reset (e.g., tightened) such that the thermostat 902 is positioned at a new distance from the heating element 202. In particular, the thermostat 902 may be moved such that the indicator line 921 on the guide arm 918 aligns with a different index line on the engaging arm 908. The thermostat 902 may be moved to any suitable position.
Returning to FIG. 14, after the thermostat is repositioned (S1410), the water heater is operated (S1416) and the parameter is again determined (S1418). These operations may be performed in the same manner as discussed above (see S1406 and S1408, respectively). After the parameter is again determined (S1418), the optimum position is determined (S1420). For example, the determined parameters from each of the positions of the thermostat may be compared to determine which location of the thermostat 902 provides a more optimal performance.
After the optimal position is determined (S1420), method 1400 stops (S1422).
It should be noted that method 1400 may be repeated for multiple different positions of the thermostat 902. Further, method 1400 may be implemented for multiple different types of heating elements, such as those discussed above with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.
In some embodiments, a thermostat manufacturer may test multiple types of heating elements with multiple different types of water heaters using method 1400 discussed above. In doing so, the manufacturer may develop a look-up table for use by users. The look-up table may associate a particular water heater type and a particular heating element type with the corresponding optimal position of the thermostat, as may be defined by an innumerate index line on the engaging arm 908. Accordingly, when a consumer purchases a replacement heating element for an existing water heater, the consumer may find their water heater and replacement heating element in the look-up table and determine where to position the thermostat to optimize performance of the water heater.
Still further, returning to FIG. 9, it should be noted that if heating element 202 is replaced, when the replacement heating element is installed, it may be possible that the wire receiving screws of the replacement heating element will be in a different location as wire receiving screws 716 and 718. Further, it is possible that the location of the wire receiving screws of the newly installed replacement heating element may be located such that it may be difficult to either connect power wire 708 to a receiving screw or to connect the neutral wire 706 to a receiving screw. However, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, because the thermostat 902 is able to be positioned at different locations from the heating element, the thermostat 902 may be lowered to enable easy connection of both the power wire 708 to a receiving screw and the neutral wire 706 to a receiving screw of a newly installed heating element.
As noted above, a problem with prior art water heating systems is that the thermostat is positioned at a fixed location, regardless of the type of heating element that is used. For this reason, the efficiency of the water heater may not be optimized. The present disclosure addresses this problem by providing a thermostat that may be configured to moveably engage with a mounting bracket such that the thermostat may be positioned at an ideal location from the heating element. Further, the thermostat may include a setting mechanism that induces a frictional force to maintain the thermostat at the ideal location. In this manner, the disclosed moveable thermostat in conjunction with the engaging mounting bracket may provide a system and method to optimize the efficiency of the water heater.
It should be apparent that the foregoing relates only to certain embodiments of the present disclosure and that numerous changes and modifications may be made herein by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the general spirit and scope of the disclosure.
Although specific embodiments of the disclosure have been described, numerous other modifications and alternative embodiments are within the scope of the disclosure. For example, any of the functionality described with respect to a particular device or component may be performed by another device or component. Further, while specific device characteristics have been described, embodiments of the disclosure may relate to numerous other device characteristics. Further, although embodiments have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as illustrative forms of implementing the embodiments. Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments could include, while other embodiments may not include, certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments.
Patent Application
20250035341
