GB2255631A - Water heater - Google Patents

Abstract

An auxiliary water heater (1) is provided for a kitchen range (10) and comprises a ring-form heat exchange body having a cold water inlet and a hot water outlet. The heater (1) is intended for location adjacent and over a flame ring (13A) of a burner (13), by means of suitable connecting pipework (19, 20), and the arrangement is such that the diameter of the through-opening of the heat exchange body is not less than the flame ring diameter so facilitating the flow of hot burner gas to other heating zones of the range e.g. hot plates (15). <IMAGE>

Description

"WATER HEATER FOR STOVE, AND A STOVE FITTED WITH THE HEATER" The present invention relates to a water heater for fitting in a stove, especially an oil or gas fired stove, and also relates to a stove fitted with the water heater.

Domestic stoves, such as the Aga (TM) stove, include a hot gas producing zone eg by an oil or gas burner, and passageways for delivering the hot gases to various utilisation zones eg ovens and hot plates. It is also known to include a water heater in the stove, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a water heater for such a stove giving, overall, improved efficiency in the stoves operation.

According to the present invention there is provided a water heater for a stove comprising a water-holding heat exchanger body and an inlet and an outlet for relatively cold and heated water respectively on the body, the body including a through - opening whereby when the heater is installed in a stove, hot gases from a stove burner or heater can pass through the opening and serve to heat water in the body. The water heater can be adapted for location adjacent and over a stove burner.

Preferably the body is an annular body defining said through opening for the hot gases, and conveniently the annular body can comprise a hoop formed by concentric cylindrical walls closed by annular top and bottom plates.

The present invention is also a stove fitted with the above water heater. The water heater of the present invention makes it possible for the bulk of the heat from the burner hot gases to pass to the basic utilisation zones (ie ovens/hotplates) and only a relatively marginal heat amount to be taken by the heater, so that water heating can occur without serious adverse effect on heating at the other stove zones. For installation of the heater, appropriate holes will be formed in the stove casing for the feed water and return heated water ducting connected via the heater inlet and outlet, and suitable support means will be present for the heat exchanger body in the stove: it is possible for the water feed and return ducting to serve as these support means.The water heater therefore can be retrofitted conveniently in many stoves, especially so as to be located adjacent the stove burner The present water heater could be used of course with solid fuel heating.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein; Fig 1 shows a plan view of a water heater for a stove; Fig 2 shows a side view of the heater; Fig 3 shows a front view through section A-A in Fig 4 of a stove fitted with the heater; and Fig 4 shows mid-section view of the stove through section B-B Fig 3.

Referring to Figs 1 and 2, a water heater 1 for a stove comprises hoop form casing having concentric cylindrical walls 2,3 closed by annular top and bottom plates 4, 5, the central through-opening 6 of the hoop serving for passage of heating gas (especially products of combustion from a burner or fire). A tapped hole 7 in the wall 3 serves as a cold water inlet while a similar tapped hole 8 on wall 3 constitutes a heated water outlet. A partition wall 9 in the casing separates the cold inlet and hot outlet. The casing is made from suitable metal eg steel and the casing parts can be joined by welding.

In Figs 3 and 4, the water heater 1 is shown installed in a domestic stove 10 comprising a stove casing 11 housing a burner chamber 12 for burner 13 (gas or oil fired), ovens 14 and hot plates 15 for cooking. Hot gas passageways 16 serve for gas passage to the various stove zones, while passage 17 is a gas return or feed to the burner 13. The gas discharge flue 18 is also present.

As can be seen, the heater 1 is located above and relatively close to the burner 13, and it is preferred that the burner flame ring 13A arranged concentric with the heater casing has a diameter not greater than that of the casing wall 2. Pipework 19, 20 serve for passage of cold feed water and heated water to and from the heater 1 respectively, suitable apertures being provided in the stove casing wall for the pipework 19, 20. and the pipework 19, 20 can be adapted to support the heater 1 in position in the burner chamber 12. The relevant ends of the pipework 19, 20 are fitted to the tapped inlet and outlet 7, 8 for example using suitable connectors. As will be noted, it is very possible to retro-fit the heater 1 in the stove 10.

The heater 1 enables the bulk of the heating gases to pass to the ovens 14 and hot plates 15 with only a small portion serving to heat water in the heater, so that cooking operations are not adversely affected. The stove may include heat storage means as is present in some stoves which are available.

The heater 1 can be relatively small with a maximum diameter (o/d) in the range 8 ins (20.32 cm) to 12 ins (30.48 cm) and an inside diameter (ill) in the range 4 ins (10.16 cm) to 8 ins (20.32 cm), preferred valued being o/d 10 ins (25.4 cm) and i/d 6 ins (15.24 cm). The heater can have a depth of 3 ins (7.62 cm) to 5 ins (12.7 cm) with 4 ins (10.16 cm) preferred. However the heater can be dimensioned to suit the particular stove in which it is to be fitted.

Modifications are possible. Thus, the heater casing could be of some other form while still providing the through-opening for hot burner gases. The heater 1 could constitute an auxiliary heater for water to a further main water heater in the stove.

Claims (12)

1. A water heater for a stove comprising a waterholding heat exchanger body, and inlet and an outlet for relatively cold and heated water respectively on the body, the body including a through-opening whereby when the heater is installed in a stove, hot gases from a stove burner or heater can pass through the opening and serve to heat water in the body.

2. A water heater as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heater is adapted for location adjacent and over a stove burner, the heater utilising connecting pipework for support in said location.

3. A water heater as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the body is an annular body defining said through opening for the hot gases.

4. A water heater as claimed in claim 3, wherein the annular body comprises a hoop formed by concentric cylindrical walls closed by annular top and bottom plates.

5. A water heater as claimed in claims 3 or 4, wherein the interior of the annular body, defining a water heating zone, is partitioned by a transverse partition to define the beginning and the end of said heating zone, said water inlet and water outlet being located at the beginning and the end of said heating zone respectively.

6. A water heater as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the water inlet and outlet are in close proximity thereby enabling pipework to said inlet and outlet to lie in substantial side-by-side relationship.

7. A stove fitted with a water heater in accordance with any one of the preceding claims.

8. A stove as claimed in claim 7, wherein the stove includes a burner with a flame ring, said water heater being located adjacent and over the burner, the arrangement being such that the diameter of the flame ring is substantially equal to or less than the width of the through-opening.

9. A stove as claimed in claim 7 or 8, wherein said heater includes inlet and outlet water pipes extending to the rear of the stove.

10. A stove as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein said water heater is located in a hot -gas passage of the stove leading to further heating zones of the stove, for example hot plates.

11. A water heater for a stove substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

12. A stove including a water heater, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.