GB2530731A

GB2530731A - Solid Fuel Stove

Info

Publication number: GB2530731A
Application number: GB1417199.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Andrew Price; Ian Hughes; Alex Watson; Kevin Simpson; Walter Bloodworth
Original assignee: Be Modern Ltd
Current assignee: Be Modern Ltd
Priority date: 2014-09-30
Filing date: 2014-09-30
Publication date: 2016-04-06
Also published as: GB201417199D0

Abstract

Disclosed is a solid fuel stove 1, comprising a stove body 10 defining a firebox 14, an opening 18 for providing access to the interior of the firebox 14 and a fire door 20 having a front side and a rear side. The fire door 20 is coupled to the stove body such that it can be moved between at least an open position in which the opening is exposed and a closed position in which the opening is covered. A shaft hole extends through the fire door and a shaft supporting sleeve 30 is attached to the fire door and projects inwardly beyond a rear surface of the fire door. The supporting sleeve is coaxial with the shaft hole and a rotatable shaft 32 extends through the shaft hole and shaft supporting sleeve. A latch member 34 is provided which is coupled to the rotatable shaft 32 and disposed on the rear side of the fire door.

Description

SOLID FUEL STOVE

The invention relates to a solid fuel stove, in particular a solid fuel stove having a fire door with a shaft hole extending through the fire door and a shaft supporting sleeve attached to the fire door.

Solid fuel stoves, such as wood burners or multi-fuel stoves, are well known. They typically comprise a stove body defining a firebox having a grate which supports the solid fuel which is combusted within the firebox. A door assembly is provided which is mounted to the front of the stove body over an opening which provides access to the firebox. The door assembly comprises a door which can be moved between an open position and a closed position. Typically, a handle and a latch are provided which allows the door to be held closed. However, depending on the construction of the fire door, over time the handle may become loose or unstable.

It is therefore desirable to provide an improved solid fuel stove that may address this problem to at least some extent.

According to an aspect there is provided a solid fuel stove, comprising: a stove body defining a firebox; an opening for providing access to the interior of the firebox; a fire door having a front side and a rear side, the fire door being coupled to the stove body such that it can be moved between at least an open position in which the opening is exposed and a closed position in which the opening is covered; a shaft hole extending through the fire door; a shaft supporting sleeve attached to the fire door and projecting inwardly beyond a rear surface of the fire door, the supporting sleeve being coaxial with the shaft hole; a rotatable shaft extending through the shaft hole and shaft supporting sleeve; and a latch member coupled to the rotatable shaft and disposed on the rear side of the fire door; wherein with the fire door in the closed position, the rotatable shaft can be rotated between a first position in which the latch member is engaged with another part of the stove to prevent the fire door from being moved to the open position, and a second position in which the latch member is disengaged such that the fire door can be moved to the open position. The shaft supporting sleeve acts as a bushing and supports the rotatable shaft over a portion of its length. This stabilises the rotatable shaft and keeps it horizontal, thereby improving operability.

It should be appreciated that usage of terms such as "front", "rear", "outer", "inner", "above", "below" and "lateral" are used with reference to the orientation of the stove in normal use.

The shaft supporting sleeve may be welded to the fire door. The shaft supporting sleeve may be welded to the rear surface of the fire door. The shaft supporting sleeve may be in the form of a tube. The shaft supporting sleeve may comprise steel. The shaft supporting sleeve may project beyond the rear surface of the fire door by at least 5mm, or by at least 7mm, or by at least 10mm, or by at least 12mm. The thickness of the fire door in the region of the shaft hole may be less than 15mm, less than 12mm, less than 10mm, or less than 8mm. The inner diameter of the shaft supporting sleeve may be substantially the same as the outer diameter of the rotatable shaft.

The fire door may comprise steel. The fire door may be at least partly formed from steel plate.

The latch member may be shaped such that in use with the fire door in the closed position, rotation of the rotatable shaft from the second position to the first position draws the fire door closer to the stove body.

The inner side of the fire door may be provided with a rope channel which extends around the periphery of the fire door. The shaft hole may be located inwardly of the rope channel.

The stove may further comprise one or more stops which define the first position and/or second position of the rotatable shaft. The latch member may comprise one or more stops which limit the rotation of the rotatable shaft. The stops provided on the latch member may cooperate with another part of the stove, such as an outside wall of a rope channel (if present).

The stove may further comprise a handle coupled to the rotatable shaft and disposed on the front side of the fire door. The handle may comprise a coupling such that a tool can be coupled to the handle. The coupling may comprise a hole in the handle. The stove may further comprise a tool which can be coupled to the handle.

According to another aspect there is provided a fire door assembly for a solid fuel stove, comprising: a fire door having a front side and a rear side and arranged to be coupled to a stove body; a shaft hole extending through the fire door; a shaft supporting sleeve attached to the fire door and projecting inwardly beyond a rear surface of the fire door, the supporting sleeve being coaxial with the shaft hole; a rotatable shaft extending through the shaft hole and shaft supporting sleeve; and a latch member coupled to the rotatable shaft and disposed on the rear side of the fire door.

According to yet another aspect there is provided a method of manufacturing a fire door assembly for a solid fuel stove comprising: forming a fire door having a shaft hole extending therethrough; attaching a shaft supporting sleeve to the fire door such that it projects inwardly beyond a rear surface of the fire door and is coaxial with the shaft hole; inserting a rotatable shaft through the shaft hole and shaft supporting sleeve; and attaching a latch member to the rotatable shaft.

Attaching the shaft supporting sleeve may comprise welding the shaft supporting sleeve to the fire door. The shaft supporting sleeve may be welded to the rear surface of the fire door. The fire door may comprise steel. Forming the fire door may comprise bending and welding steel plate.

The method may further comprise attaching a handle to the rotatable shaft.

According to yet a further aspect there is provided a method of manufacturing a solid fuel stove, comprising: forming a stove body which defines a firebox and which has an opening for providing access to the interior of the firebox; manufacturing a fire door assembly according to the method in accordance with any statement herein; and coupling the fire door assembly to the stove body such that the fire door can be moved between at least an open position in which the opening is exposed and a closed position in which the opening is covered.

It should be appreciated that the method steps may be performed in any order and the order in which they are described is not limiting, except where one step cannot be performed before another has been carried out.

The invention may comprise any combination of the features and/or limitations referred to herein, except combinations of such features as are mutually exclusive.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 schematically shows a perspective view of a solid fuel stove; Figure 2 schematically shows the stove of Figure 1 with the door open; Figure 3 schematically shows a rear view of the fire door assembly of Figure 1; Figure 4 schematically shows an enlarged view of the latching member; and Figure 5 schematically shows a perspective view of a tool which can be used to operate the handle.

Figures 1 and 2 show a solid fuel stove 1 such as a wood burning stove or a multi-fuel stove. The stove 1 is substantially a rectangular cuboid and comprises a stove body which defines a combustion chamber, known as a firebox 14, and a grate 16 which is disposed and supported within the firebox 14. An opening 18 (Figure 2) is provided in the stove body 10 which provides access to the firebox 14. The stove 1 further comprises a door assembly 12 hingedly mounted to the front of the stove body 1 over the opening 18. The door assembly 12 can be moved between a closed position (Figure 1) in which it covers the opening 18 and an open position (Figure 2) in which the opening 16 is exposed to provide access to the firebox 14.

In order to operate the stove, the door 20 is opened and fuel is loaded into the firebox 14 and supported on the grate 16. The door 20 is then closed and the fuel is combusted within the firebox 14. Exhaust gases exit the firebox 14 through one of two flue outlets 30 provided in the stove body 10 (the flue outlet 30 not being used is sealed).

Referring to Figure 3, the fire door assembly 12 comprises a door 20 having a door frame 22 having a central opening within which is located and secured a glass panel 24. In this embodiment, the door frame 22 is formed from steel plate. The door frame 22 comprises four turned edges 26, and the corners of the door frame 22 are welded together. A rope channel 28 is provided on the inside of the door 20 which extends around the periphery of the door frame 22. The rope channel 28 is formed by four steel strips 29 which are attached to the inside of door frame at positions spaced from and parallel to the turned edges 26.

A shaft hole is formed in the door frame 22 in a lateral side of the frame 22 (right side when viewed from the front). The shaft hole is located inwardly of the rope channel 28.

As shown in Figure 4, a shaft supporting sleeve 30, in the form of a tubular steel member, is welded to the rear surface of the door frame 22 such that it is coaxial with the shaft hole. The shaft supporting sleeve 30 projects inwardly away from the rear surface of the door frame 22 such that in use it projects inwards towards the firebox 14.

The end of the shaft supporting sleeve 30 is therefore offset from the rear surface of the door frame 22. In this embodiment, the thickness of the door frame 22 is approximately 7mm whilst the length of the shaft supporting sleeve 30 (i.e. the distance beyond which it projects from the rear surface of the door frame) is approximately 12mm. The diameter of the shaft hole is approximately the same as the internal diameter of the shaft supporting sleeve 30, which in this embodiment is approximately 9mm.

A rotatable shaft 32 extends through the fire door 20, passing through the shaft hole and the interior of the shaft supporting sleeve 30. The shaft supporting sleeve 30 acts as a bushing and supports the rotatable shaft 32 over a portion of its length. This stabilises the rotatable shaft 32 and keeps it horizontal. The diameter of the rotatable shaft 32 is slightly less than that of the shaft hole and the inner diameter of the shaft supporting sleeve 30. A latch member 34 is attached to an end of the rotatable shaft 32 on the inner (rear) side of the fire door 20 and a handle 36 is attached to the opposing end of the rotatable shaft 32 on the outer (front) side of the fire door 20. The latch member 34 and handle 36 are attached to the rotatable shaft 32 such that they are constrained to rotate with it. Although not shown, nuts may be provided to secure the latch member 34 in place.

The latch member 34 comprises a latching projection 38 that is located rearwardly of the rope channel 28. The latching projection 38 is curved out of a vertical plane such that it has a sloped surface. The latching member 34 also comprises first and second stops 40, 42 which limit the rotation of the rotatable shaft 32. Specifically, the stops 40, 42 define a first position of the rotatable shaft 32 in which, with the door 20 closed the latching projection 38 engages behind the front frame of the stove body 10 to keep the door 20 closed, and a second position of the rotatable shaft 32 in which, with the door closed the latching projection 38 is disengaged, thereby allowing the door to be opened. The stops 40, 42 abut one of the steel strips 29 of the rope channel 28 to limit the rotation of the rotatable shaft 32. The first and second positions are 90° apart and the handle 36 can be used to rotate the shaft 32 and latch member. In use, with the door 20 in the closed position and the rotatable shaft 32 in the second position the door can be freely opened and closed. In order to secure the door 20 closed, the handle 36 is turned through 90° in a clockwise direction and the curved latching projection 38 engages behind the frame of the stove to keep the door closed. The curved shape of the latching projection 38 means that the door 20 is drawn closer to the stove body 10 as the handle 36 is turned, thereby compressing the rope in the rope channel 28 and forming a tight seal against the stove body 10.

As can be seen in Figure 2, the handle 36 is provided with a coupling hole or bore 44 in its end. Referring to Figure 5, a tool 46 is provided having a projection 48 which can be inserted into the coupling hole/bore 40. Thus the tool 46 can be used to turn the handle 36. If the handle 36 is hot, this allows a user to safely and conveniently open the fire door.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A solid fuel stove, comprising: a stove body defining a firebox; an opening for providing access to the interior of the firebox; a fire door having a front side and a rear side, the fire door being coupled to the stove body such that it can be moved between at least an open position in which the opening is exposed and a closed position in which the opening is covered; a shaft hole extending through the fire door; a shaft supporting sleeve attached to the fire door and projecting inwardly beyond a rear surface of the fire door, the supporting sleeve being coaxial with the shaft hole; a rotatable shaft extending through the shaft hole and shaft supporting sleeve; and a latch member coupled to the rotatable shaft and disposed on the rear side of the fire door; wherein with the fire door in the closed position, the rotatable shaft can be rotated between a first position in which the latch member is engaged with another part of the stove to prevent the fire door from being moved to the open position, and a second position in which the latch member is disengaged such that the fire door can be moved to the open position.
2. A solid fuel stove according to claim 1, wherein the shaft supporting sleeve is welded to the fire door.
3. A solid fuel stove according to claim 2, wherein the shaft supporting sleeve is welded to the rear surface of the fire door.
4. A solid fuel stove according to any preceding claim, wherein the shaft supporting sleeve is in the form of a tube.
5. A solid fuel stove according to any preceding claim, wherein the shaft supporting sleeve comprises steel.
6. A solid fuel stove according to any preceding claim, wherein the shaft supporting sleeve projects beyond the rear surface of the fire door by at least 5mm, or by at least 7mm, or by at least 10mm, or by at least 12mm.
7. A solid fuel stove according to any preceding claim, wherein the inner diameter of the shaft supporting sleeve is substantially the same as the outer diameter of therotatable shaft.
8. A solid fuel stove according to any preceding claim, wherein the fire door comprises steel.
9. A solid fuel stove according to any preceding claim, wherein the fire door is at least partly formed from steel plate.
10. A solid fuel stove according to any preceding claim, wherein the latch member is shaped such that in use, with the fire door in the closed position, rotation of the rotatable shaft from the second position to the first position draws the fire door closer to the stove body.
11. A solid fuel stove according to any preceding claim, further comprising one or more stops which define the first position and/or second position of the rotatable shaft.
12. A solid fuel stove according to claim 11, wherein the latch member comprises one or more stops which limit the rotation of the rotatable shaft.
13. A solid fuel stove according to any preceding claim, further comprising a handle coupled to the rotatable shaft and disposed on the front side of the fire door.
14. A solid fuel stove according to claim 13, wherein the handle comprises a coupling such that a tool can be coupled to the handle.
15. A solid fuel stove according to claim 14, wherein the coupling comprises a hole in the handle.
16. A solid fuel stove according to claim 1401 15, further comprising a tool which can be coupled to the handle.
17. A fire door assembly for a solid fuel stove, comprising: a fire door having a front side and a rear side and arranged to be coupled to a stove body; a shaft hole extending through the fire door; a shaft supporting sleeve attached to the fire door and projecting inwardly beyond a rear surface of the fire door, the supporting sleeve being coaxial with the shaft hole; a rotatable shaft extending through the shaft hole and shaft supporting sleeve; and a latch member coupled to the rotatable shaft and disposed on the rear side of the fire door.
18. A solid fuel stove or fire door assembly substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.
19. A method of manufacturing a fire door assembly for a solid fuel stove comprising: forming a fire door having a shaft hole extending therethrough; attaching a shaft supporting sleeve to the fire door such that it projects inwardly beyond a rear surface of the fire door and is coaxial with the shaft hole; inserting a rotatable shaft through the shaft hole and shaft supporting sleeve; and attaching a latch member to the rotatable shaft.
20. A method according to claim 19, wherein attaching the shaft supporting sleeve comprises welding the shaft supporting sleeve to the fire door.
21. A method according to claim 20, wherein the shaft supporting sleeve is welded to the rear surface of the fire door.
22. A method according to any of claims 19-21, wherein the fire door comprises steel.
23. A method according to any of claims 18-22, wherein forming the fire door comprises bending and welding steel plate.
24. A method according to any of claims 18-23, further comprising attaching a handle to the rotatable shaft.
25. A method of manufacturing a solid fuel stove, comprising: forming a stove body which defines a firebox and which has an opening for providing access to the interior of the firebox; manufacturing a fire door assembly according to the method of any of claims 18-24; and coupling the fire door assembly to the stove body such that the fire door can be moved between at least an open position in which the opening is exposed and a closed position in which the opening is covered.
26. A method according to claim 19 and substantially as described herein.