JP2011033203A - Water heater - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a water heater capable of properly setting information relating to actual specification of a drain pipe while properly preventing problems such as increase of builder's work burden. <P>SOLUTION: A control section 4 of this water heater WH can execute processing for acquiring basic data to determine magnitude of flow channel resistance in discharging drainage in a storage tank 3 to a desired part outside of a device through the drain pipe 6 by driving a pump P3 for discharging the drainage, deciding discrimination data for discriminating the magnitude of the flow channel resistance on the basis of the basic data, and memorizing the decided discrimination data in a storing section. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention makes it possible to heat hot water by performing heat recovery from a heating gas such as a combustion gas by using a heat exchanger, and to discharge the drain generated by the heat recovery to the outside of the apparatus. The present invention relates to a hot water apparatus such as a hot water heater.

  As an example of a conventional hot water apparatus, there is one described in Patent Document 1. The hot water apparatus described in the document is configured to recover sensible heat and latent heat from combustion gas generated by the combustor using a heat exchanger, and perform hot water heating. When latent heat is recovered from combustion gas, an acidic drain is generated. This drain is stored in a neutralization drain tank (reservoir) and neutralized, and then the drain pump. By driving, the water is guided to a predetermined location outside the hot water apparatus via the drain pipe and discharged.

  However, the conventional hot water apparatus as described above still has room for improvement as described below.

  That is, when the hot water apparatus is actually installed and used at a desired location, there are cases where the diameter of the drain pipe is relatively large and the flow path resistance is small, and when it is not. . More specifically, in Patent Document 1, a drain pipe is arranged along the outer surface of two bath pipes for performing hot water supply to a bathtub or reheating a bath. The structure which extended piping to the drain outlet of a bathroom is disclosed. In such a configuration, the size of the drain pipe is not greatly restricted, and the diameter of the drain pipe can be made relatively large to reduce the channel resistance. On the other hand, if the drain pipes are arranged along the outer surfaces of the two bath pipes, these three pipes are large and bulky, and the occupied space becomes large. As a means for solving this problem, it is conceivable to insert a drain pipe into the bath pipe and to make this part a double pipe structure. However, when such a double pipe structure is employed, the drain resistance needs to be made smaller by an appropriate dimension than the inner diameter of the bath pipe, so that the flow path resistance increases.

  The flow rate (flow rate per unit time) when discharging the drain in the storage tank to the outside of the apparatus is different between the case where the diameter of the drain pipe is large and the flow path resistance is small. Further, when the drain pipe is inserted into the bath pipe, the flow path resistance of the bath pipe increases, so that the hot water flow rate in the bath pipe decreases. Therefore, from the viewpoint of appropriately dealing with such a situation, it is desired to be able to set information on the actual specifications of the drain piping in the control unit of the hot water device. .

  As one means for realizing the above-mentioned demand, for example, a dip switch is provided in the hot water device, and whether or not the diameter of the drain pipe is large by operating the dip switch by the contractor of the hot water device. It may be possible to set information. However, adopting such means imposes an extra burden on the contractor of the hot water apparatus, which is not preferable from the viewpoint of reducing the burden on the contractor. In addition, there is a possibility that the contractor will set incorrect contents.

JP 2006-112763 A

  The present invention has been conceived under the circumstances as described above, and appropriately avoids problems such as an increase in the work burden on the contractor, and accurately provides information on the actual specifications of the drain piping. An object is to provide a hot water device that can be set.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention takes the following technical means.

  A hot water apparatus provided by the present invention includes a heat exchanger for recovering heat from a heating gas to perform hot water heating, a storage tank capable of storing a drain generated by the heat recovery, and the storage tank A drain pump for discharging the drain inside to a desired location outside the apparatus via a drain pipe, wherein the drain in the storage tank is driven by the pump. Identification data for acquiring basic data for determining the magnitude of the flow resistance when discharged to a desired location outside the apparatus, and identifying the magnitude of the flow resistance based on this basic data Control means capable of executing the process of determining and storing the determined identification data in the storage unit is provided.

  According to such a configuration, identification data for identifying the magnitude of the channel resistance of the drain discharge path configured using the drain pipe is stored in the storage unit by the data processing of the control means. Therefore, after the identification data is stored in the storage unit, it is possible to determine the actual magnitude of the flow path resistance based on the identification data, and the hot water corresponding to the magnitude of the flow path resistance. This is suitable for switching the operation control specifications of each part of the apparatus. In addition, since a series of processing from acquisition of basic data to storage of identification data in the storage unit is performed by the control means, for example, there is no inconvenience such as operating a dip switch by a contractor of the hot water device, It is also possible to appropriately reduce the burden on the contractor and prevent human error.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the basic data is data of a time required for discharging a predetermined amount of the drain in the storage tank by driving the pump, and the control means has the predetermined time. In the case of a time longer than a threshold, the identification data suggesting that the flow path resistance is large is stored in the storage unit as the identification data, while in the case where the time is shorter than the threshold, As the identification data, identification data suggesting that the flow path resistance is small is stored in the storage unit.

  According to such a configuration, the following effects can be obtained. That is, the flow path resistance of the drain discharge path and the time required to discharge a predetermined amount of drain are closely related. For this reason, if the time data is used as basic data, accurate basic data corresponding to the actual flow resistance can be obtained, and identification data suggesting that the flow resistance is large and small is reliable. It can be.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control means discharges the drain in the storage tank to the outside of the apparatus when the pump is driven in a state where the identification data is not yet stored in the storage unit. The basic data is acquired based on the operation when the pump is re-driven and the drain pipe in the storage tank is discharged to the outside of the apparatus after the operation is executed a preset number of times. Has been.

  According to such a configuration, in a stage where the unused hot water apparatus in which the identification data is not yet stored in the storage unit is installed at a desired location and the trial operation is performed, basic data is obtained, and The process of storing the corresponding identification data in the storage unit can be performed at an early stage. In addition, since the drain discharge operation is executed a predetermined number of times before acquiring the basic data, it is possible to acquire the basic data in a state where troubles such as air entrapment in the pump are reduced. It is also preferable to make the basic data value accurate.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the control means stores identification data suggesting that the flow path resistance is small in the storage unit, the drain storage amount in the storage tank is the first place. When the fixed amount is reached, the pump is driven to perform drain discharge, while when the identification data suggesting that the flow path resistance is large is stored in the storage unit, the drain storage amount is the first amount. When the second predetermined amount that is smaller than the predetermined amount is reached, the pump is driven to perform drain discharge control.

  According to such a configuration, when the flow path resistance of the drain discharge path is large, the pump is driven when the drain storage amount reaches the second predetermined amount that is smaller than the first predetermined amount. The drain discharge operation starts early. Therefore, it is suitable for avoiding the problem that the drain in the storage tank overflows due to the large flow path resistance and the small drain discharge flow rate. On the other hand, when the flow path resistance of the drain discharge path is small, the pump starts driving when the first predetermined amount larger than the second predetermined amount is reached. The drive start timing can be delayed to reduce the drive frequency of the pump.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a bath pipe for performing a hot water filling operation and a bath replenishing operation to a bathtub, and a bath circulation pump connected to the bath pipe are provided, and the control means includes When the identification data suggesting that the flow path resistance is large is stored in the storage unit, the identification data suggesting that the flow path resistance is small is compared with when the storage unit is storing the identification data. , Control for increasing the time from the start of driving the bath circulation pump to the temperature detection of the bath hot water in the bath pipe, when the bath circulation pump is driven to agitate the bath hot water At least one of the control for increasing the stirring time and the control for increasing the output of the pump for circulating the bath.

  According to such a configuration, the following effects can be obtained. That is, a case is considered in which a small-diameter pipe is used as the drain pipe and a double pipe structure in which the drain pipe is inserted into the bath pipe is employed. In this case, since the flow passage area of the bath pipe decreases, the flow passage resistance in the bath pipe increases. Therefore, as compared with the case where the double pipe structure is not adopted, the hot water flow rate when the bath circulation pump is driven is insufficient, and the bath water temperature is accurately detected. There is a risk of causing a phenomenon that cannot be performed, or a phenomenon that the stirring operation of the bath water is insufficient. On the other hand, according to the said structure of this invention, such a possibility can be prevented appropriately (the detail is demonstrated in the column of the form for inventing).

  Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is a schematic explanatory drawing which shows an example of the hot water apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a principal part schematic sectional drawing of the hot water apparatus shown in FIG. It is a principal part schematic explanatory drawing which shows the example from which the piping for drains was made into the specification from which it differs in the hot water apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation processing procedure of the control part with which the hot water apparatus shown in FIG. 1 was equipped. It is a flowchart which shows the other example of the operation processing procedure of the control part with which the hot water apparatus shown in FIG. 1 was equipped. It is a flowchart which shows the other example of the operation processing procedure of the control part with which the hot water apparatus shown in FIG. 1 was equipped. It is a flowchart which shows the other example of the operation processing procedure of the control part with which the hot water apparatus shown in FIG. 1 was equipped. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the storage tank for drains which is a component of the hot water apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the storage tank for drains which is a component of the hot water apparatus which concerns on this invention.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

1 and 2 show an example of a hot water apparatus according to the present invention. As shown well in FIG. 1, the hot water device WH of this embodiment includes hot water device main body portions 1A and 1B for hot water supply and heating, a neutralizer 2 having a drain storage tank 3, and a drain water device. Encloses the main components of the pump P3, the drain pipe 6, two bath pipes 7A and 7B connected to the bathtub 9, the bath circulation pump P1, the control part 4 for controlling the operation of each part, and the hot water device WH. The outer case 5 is protected by The control unit 4 corresponds to an example of a control unit referred to in the present invention.
In addition, this hot water apparatus WH may be made into the specification from which the structure of a drain discharge path | route differs by using 6 A of drain pipes as shown in FIG. 3 instead of the pipe 6 for drains. However, the configuration of FIG. 3 will be described later.

  In FIG. 1, a hot water supply main body 1A for hot water supply is a part for heating and generating hot water supplied to, for example, a kitchen, a washroom, and a bathroom. The heating hot water device main body 1B is a portion for heating hot water (including antifreeze liquid) as a heating medium of a heating device (not shown) such as a hot water floor heating device. These two hot water apparatus main body parts 1A and 1B are composed of combustors 12a and 12b disposed in casings 11a and 11b into which combustion air is sent by fans 10a and 10b, and combustion gases generated by the combustors 12a and 12b. Primary heat exchangers 13a and 13b and secondary heat exchangers 14a and 14b capable of recovering sensible heat and latent heat from the heat.

  The heat exchangers 14a and 13a for hot water supply can sequentially heat the hot water supplied from the outside via the water inlet 80a and the piping part 80, and the heated hot water passes through the piping part 81 to the outlet 81a. Can be supplied to a desired hot-water supply destination. On the other hand, the heat exchangers 14b and 13b for heating can sequentially heat the hot water flowing from the heating device via the water inlet 83a, the pipe 83, the expansion tank 85, and the pump P2, and are heated. The hot water is delivered to the heating device after reaching the hot water outlet 84a.

  The hot water heated by the heat exchangers 14a and 13a for hot water supply can be used for filling the bathtub 9 with hot water. That is, the pipe part 81 is connected to the bath pipe 7B via the auxiliary pipe part 82 having the on-off valve V1, and hot water is supplied from the pipe part 81 to the bath pipe 7B when the on-off valve V1 is opened. As a result, part of the hot water supplied to the bath pipe (bath return pipe) 7B passes through the bath circulation pump P1 and also flows into the bath pipe (bath pipe) 7A, and the bath pipes 7A and 7B. Hot water is supplied to the bathtub 9 from both sides. The two bath pipes 7A and 7B are connected to the bathtub 9 at one end to constitute a constant hot water circulation flow path. After being pumped up to the bath circulation pump P1 through 7B, it is heated by the heat exchanger HE and then returned to the bathtub 9 through the bath piping 7A.

  The neutralizer 2 is for neutralizing an acidic drain generated by the latent heat recovery by the secondary heat exchangers 14a and 14b. It has a configuration in which the Japanese medicine 21 is accommodated. The basic configuration of the neutralizer 2 is the same as that described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-54781 proposed by the present applicant, and includes a storage tank 3 for drain. The drain generated in the secondary heat exchangers 14a and 14b is introduced into the neutralizer 2 from the drain receiving portion 15 through the pipe portion 60 and neutralized by contact with the neutralizing agent 21, and then the storage tank 3 It flows into and is stored.

  As clearly shown in FIG. 2, a drain pump P <b> 3 is connected to the discharge port 38 of the storage tank 3 by piping. About the drain in the storage tank 3, it can send out to the predetermined location mentioned later via the piping 6 for drains by the drive of the pump P3, and can be discarded. The storage tank 3 is provided with a total of four electrodes 33 a to 33 d as means for detecting the drain water level in the storage tank 3. The electrode 33a is a ground electrode, and the electrodes 33b to 33d are electrodes to which a voltage is applied to cause electrical continuity with the electrode 33a via the drain. With such a configuration, it is possible for the control unit 4 to determine whether the drain water level is at each of the predetermined high water level LH, middle water level LM, and low water level LL.

  The drain pipe 6 is for guiding the drain discharged from the pump P3 to a desired discharge destination, and is configured using a flexible hose having a relatively small diameter (for example, the inner diameter d1 is about 2 mm). ing. The drain pipe 6 is inserted into the bath pipe 7A, and this insertion portion is a double pipe structure D. The drain pipe 6 is inserted into the bath pipe 7A using, for example, a hole 70a provided in the joint 70 for attaching the bath pipe 7A to the exterior case 5. A joint 71 for attachment to the adapter 90 of the bathtub 9 is provided at the end of the bath pipe 7A, and the end 6a of the drain pipe 6 is drawn out from a hole 71a provided in the joint 71. . The terminal end 6a of the drain pipe 6 is arranged so that the drain can be discharged to, for example, a bathtub hot water drain (not shown) provided on the floor of the bathroom. In the configuration provided with such a double-pipe structure D, compared to the configuration shown in FIG. 3 to be described later, a total of three pipes 6, 7A, 7B are suppressed from becoming large and bulky, and their occupied space is reduced. The advantage of reducing the size is obtained.

  In FIG. 3, a drain pipe 6A is connected to the drain pump P3. The drain pipe 6A is provided, for example, in a state extending along the outer surface of the bath pipes 7A and 7B to the bath hot water discharge port, and its inner diameter d2 is larger than the inner diameter d1 of the drain pipe 6. (For example, about 7 mm). When the hot water device WH is installed at a desired location, the specification shown in FIG. 3 may be used instead of the specification shown in FIGS. Since the drain pipes 6 and 6A have large differences in their inner diameters d1 and d2, when the drain pipe 6 is used, the flow path resistance during drain discharge is more than when the drain pipe 6A is used. Becomes quite large.

  The control part 4 is comprised using the microcomputer etc., is provided with the memory | storage part 40, and performs operation | movement control of each part of the hot water apparatus WH. In addition, in the present embodiment, as will be described later, the control unit 4 performs data processing for determining the magnitude of the channel resistance of the drain discharge path, and performs different operation control according to the data processing result. Is configured to run.

  Next, a specific example of the action of the hot water device WH and the operation processing procedure of the control unit 4 will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

  First, when the installation work of the hot water apparatus WH is completed, a trial operation is performed to determine whether or not the hot water apparatus WH operates properly. In this trial operation stage, the drain discharge path discrimination process is performed as described below.

  That is, in the trial operation of the hot water device WH, for example, when the combustor 12a is driven and combusted, the control unit 4 first determines whether or not a predetermined flag F is set. This flag F is for indicating whether or not the drain drainage path discrimination processing has already been completed. In the initial state of the hot water device WH at the time of factory shipment, the flag F is not set, and F = 0 (S1: YES).

  When the combustor 12a is driven and combusted and latent heat recovery is performed using the secondary heat exchanger 14a, the drain generated is introduced into the neutralizer 2 and flows into the storage tank 3 to be stored. Is done. When the drain water level of the storage tank 3 rises to the middle water level LM, the control unit 4 drives the pump P3 to start drain discharge, and then the pump P3 is driven when the drain water level falls to the low water level LL. (S2: YES, S3, S4: YES, S5). Such a series of operations is repeated until a predetermined number of times is reached (S6: NO, S2). Such a series of operations corresponds to a preliminary operation for obtaining an accurate measurement value so that air is not caught in the pump P3 when the drain discharge path determination process to be performed thereafter is performed. . At the time of this preliminary operation, the pump P3 is started early when the drain water level reaches the middle water level LM, so that this preliminary operation can be completed in a short period of time.

  When the drain water level rises again to the middle water level LM after the completion of the preliminary operation, the control unit 4 starts driving the pump P3 at that time and starts measuring the time required for draining (S6: YES, S7: YES, S8). When the drain water level subsequently drops to the low water level LL, the control unit 4 stops the driving of the pump P3 and ends the time measuring operation (S9: YES, S10). As a result, the control unit 4 acquires data of the time Ta required for the drain water level to drop from the middle water level LM to the low water level LL (S11). The data of the time Ta corresponds to an example of basic data in the present invention, and is closely related to the flow path resistance of the drain discharge path. When the drain pipe 6 is used, the flow path resistance is large and the drain discharge flow rate is small, so the time Ta is long. On the other hand, when the drain pipe 6A is used, the time Ta is short because the flow resistance is small and the drain discharge flow rate is large compared to the case where the drain pipe 6 is used. It will be time. In addition, when many drains continue to flow into the storage tank 3 at the time of measuring the time Ta, the time Ta may be an incorrect value. It is also possible to control to stop the driving of the combustor 12a during the measurement.

  Next, the control unit 4 determines the specification of the drain discharge path by comparing the value of the time Ta described above with a predetermined threshold value, determines the identification data for suggesting the determination content, and stores it. Perform processing. More specifically, when the time Ta is longer than a predetermined threshold time, the control unit 4 selects the first identification data “1” determined in advance (S12: YES, S13), and so on. If not, the predetermined second identification data “0” is selected (S12: NO, S16). When the drain pipe 6 is used and the flow path resistance is large, the time Ta becomes long as described above, so the first identification data “1” is selected. On the other hand, when the drain pipe 6A is used and the flow path resistance is small, the second identification data “0” is selected. In the present embodiment, “1” and “0” are used as the first and second identification data. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various code data can be used.

  After determining the above-described identification data, the control unit 4 stores the identification data in the storage unit 40 and sets the flag F as F = 1 (S14, S15). After the flag F is set, the drain discharge path determination process as described above is not executed (S1: NO). The storage unit 40 is preferably configured using a non-volatile memory, and the identification data stored in the storage unit 40 is continuously stored, and is referred to as appropriate when the hot water apparatus WH is subsequently operated.

  After the identification data is stored in the storage unit 40, for example, the following control is executed.

[Drain discharge operation]
In the drain discharge operation from the storage tank 3, the control unit 4 first refers to the identification data stored in the storage unit 40 (S21). When the identification data is the second identification data “0”, that is, when the drain pipe 6A is used, the drain water level is the high water level LH (an example of the first predetermined amount in the present invention). If it rises to the equivalent), the driving of the pump P3 is started at that time, and then the driving of the pump P3 is finished when it is lowered to the low water level LL (S21: YES, S22: YES, S23, S24: YES, S25). ). According to such operation control, since the pump P3 is not driven until the drain water level in the storage tank 3 reaches the high water level LH, the pump P3 is prevented from being frequently driven during the operation of the hot water apparatus WH. can do.

  On the other hand, unlike the above, when the first identification data “1” is stored in the storage unit 40, that is, when the drain pipe 6 is used, the drain water level is the middle water level LM (in the present invention). The driving of the pump P3 is started at the time when the pressure has risen to an amount corresponding to an example of the second predetermined amount, and thereafter the same operation as described above is performed (S21: NO, S26: YES, S23). According to such a control operation, since the drain discharge operation is started early when the drain water level reaches the middle water level LM, the drain discharge flow rate is reduced by using the drain pipe 6. As a result, the drain water level in the storage tank 3 is suppressed from rising above the high water level LH, which is preferable for avoiding drain overflow.

[Bath water temperature detection operation]
When detecting the hot water temperature of the bathtub 9, the controller 4 basically drives the bath circulation pump P1 (S31), pumps the hot water of the bathtub 9 into the bath pipes 7B and 7A, and then the temperature sensor Sa ( The hot / cold water temperature is detected by using (see FIG. 1) (S34), and then the driving of the bath circulation pump P1 is stopped (S35). However, in the present embodiment, after the bath circulation pump P1 is driven, the identification data is referred to, and when this is the second identification data “0”, the hot water from the start of driving the bath circulation pump P1. While the time until the temperature is detected is set to Tb, when the first identification data is “1”, the time is set to Tc (S32: YES, S33, S32: NO, S36). Here, the times Tb and Tc are in a relationship of Tb <Tc, and when the drain pipe 6 is used, the hot water temperature detection timing is later than when the drain pipe 6A is used. It is controlled to become.

  When the double pipe structure D is constructed by using the drain pipe 6, the bath circulation pump P1 is driven because the flow area of the bath pipe 7A is small and the flow resistance is large. The hot water flow rate in the bath pipes 7A and 7B at that time is smaller than the original flow rate. In such a state, if the hot water temperature is detected early after the start of the operation of the bath circulation pump P1, the hot water in the bathtub 9 is not sufficiently pumped up to the temperature sensor Sa, and the temperature detection is inaccurate. There is a risk of being made. However, according to the operation control as described above, such a concern is appropriately eliminated. When the drain pipe 6A is used, since the hot water flow rate in the bath pipes 7A and 7B is large, the above-mentioned fear does not occur originally, and after the start of the driving of the bath circulation pump P1. Hot water temperature detection can be completed early.

[Bath chasing operation]
The bath reheating operation is performed by driving the bath circulation pump P1 and heating the hot water in the bathtub 9 using the heat exchanger HE. When the hot water temperature reaches a predetermined temperature, the heating is finished at that time. (S41, S42, S43: YES, S44). After this heating is completed, the control unit 4 refers to the identification data stored in the storage unit 40. When this is the second identification data “0”, the control unit 4 agitates the hot water in the bathtub 9. A predetermined time Td is selected as the time, and the driving of the bath circulation pump P1 is stopped when the time Ta has elapsed (S45: YES, S46: YES, S47). On the other hand, when the identification data is the first identification data “1”, a predetermined time Te is selected as the stirring time (S45: NO, S48). Here, the stirring times Td and Te are in a relationship of Td <Te, and the stirring time is longer when the drain pipe 6 is used than when the drain pipe 6A is used. .

  According to such operation control, when the drain pipe 6 is used and the double pipe structure D is provided, the stirring of the bath hot water after the hot water heating of the bath 9 is finished is relatively long. Will be done over time. When the double-pipe structure D is provided, since the hot water discharge flow rate from the bath pipes 7B and 7A into the bathtub 9 is small, the hot water in the bathroom 9 is not sufficiently stirred. Although it is easy, such a problem is preferably solved by the operation control described above.

[Agitating operation after filling the bathtub]
Although explanation with reference to the flowchart is omitted, even after the hot water supply operation to the bathtub 9 is completed, the agitation operation of the bathtub hot water that drives the bath circulation pump P1 is performed. Also in this case, the control unit 4 refers to the identification data stored in the storage unit 40, and the first identification data “1” is greater than the case where the second identification data “0” is stored. In the case where it is stored, control for increasing the stirring time of the bathtub hot water is executed. According to such control, in the case where the double pipe structure D is provided and the momentum when hot water is dropped into the bathtub 9 is weakened, the subsequent bath hot water stirring time is lengthened, There is an advantage that a large deviation in temperature distribution can be prevented.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the bath circulation pump P1 is driven at a constant output has been described. Instead, the output of the bath circulation pump P1 is variable, and the flow path resistance of the bath pipes 7A and 7B is changed. When is large, the output of the bath circulation pump P1 may be made higher than when the flow path resistance is small. According to such a means, even if the flow path resistance is large, the hot water flow rate in the bath pipes 7A and 7B is not reduced, and for example, the agitation of bathtub hot water is suppressed from being insufficient. It is possible. Similarly, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the output of the drain pump P3 is variable, and the output is changed according to the magnitude of the flow path resistance of the drain discharge path.

  8 and 9 show another example of means capable of detecting the drain water level in the drain storage tank 3A in three stages of a high water level LH, a middle water level LM, and a low water level LL.

  In the configuration shown in FIG. 8, an electrode corresponding to the electrode 33c of the above-described embodiment is not provided, and the high water level LH and the low water level LL can be detected by the three electrodes 33a, 33b, and 33d. The intermediate water level LM is obtained by calculation processing by the control unit 4 (not shown in the figure). That is, the drain generation amount can be obtained by calculating based on values such as the combustion amount (combustion number) of the combustor, the incoming water temperature to the heat exchanger, and the incoming water flow rate. It is possible to detect that the drain water level in the tank 3A has reached a predetermined middle water level LM. According to such a configuration, an electrode for detecting the middle water level LM becomes unnecessary, and the total number of electrodes can be reduced.

  In the configuration shown in FIG. 9, the electrode 33 e having the lowest height among the three electrodes 33 e to 33 g is connected to the ground at the same potential as that of the outer case 5 by the switching operation of the power supply switching circuit 37. It is possible to switch between the state and the second state in which the exterior case 5 is insulated and a voltage is applied. When the electrode 33e is set to the first state, the middle water level LM and the high water level LH are changed by turning on and off the electrical conduction through the drain between the electrode 33e and the electrodes 33f and 33g. It can be detected. On the other hand, when the electrode 33e is set to the second state, the potential difference between the electrode 33e and the outer case 5 is different depending on whether the electrode 33e is immersed in the drain or not. Therefore, the low water level LL can be detected by this principle. Even with such a configuration, the total number of electrodes for water level detection can be reduced.

  The present invention is not limited to the contents of the above-described embodiment. The specific configuration of each part of the hot water device according to the present invention can be varied in design in various ways.

  The basic data referred to in the present invention is data that can be used to determine the magnitude of the flow resistance when the drain pump is driven and the drain in the storage tank is discharged to a desired location outside the apparatus. I just need it. For example, although not preferable from the viewpoint of cost reduction, the drain discharge flow rate can be measured using a flow meter, and the data of the measured value can be used as basic data. The identification data referred to in the present invention may be any data for identifying the magnitude of the flow path resistance. Here, “the magnitude of the channel resistance” does not need to be a specific value of the channel resistance, as can be understood from the above-described embodiment, and is simply the magnitude of the channel resistance. It may be a degree or degree of the above, or a relative distinction when compared with a predetermined size.

  In the above-described embodiment, it is assumed that the drain discharge path is configured using one of the two types of drain pipes 6 and 6A, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when three types of drain piping having different inner diameters are used, the flow path resistance of the drain discharge path is identified in three stages, and any of the three types of drain piping is actually used. It can also be made to be able to judge.

  As the heating gas in the present invention, it is also possible to use high-temperature exhaust gas (gas containing latent heat) discharged from a gas engine for a cogeneration system, for example, instead of the combustion gas generated by the combustor. is there. It does not matter whether the drain storage tank is integral with the neutralizer. The present invention does not focus on the neutralization treatment of the drain, and the neutralizer itself is not essential. The drain outlet can be a part other than the bathroom drain.

  Unlike the above-described embodiment, the hot water device according to the present invention may not have a configuration in which two hot water device main bodies for hot water supply and heating are combined, for example, for hot water supply that does not have a heating function. Of course, it may be configured as a hot water device.

Claims (5)

A heat exchanger for performing heat recovery from the heating gas to perform hot water heating,
A storage tank capable of storing a drain generated along with the heat recovery; and
A drain pump for discharging the drain in the storage tank to a desired location outside the apparatus via the drain pipe;
A hot water device comprising:
Basic data for determining the magnitude of flow path resistance when the pump is driven and the drain in the storage tank is discharged to a desired location outside the apparatus is obtained, and the flow is determined based on the basic data. A hot water apparatus comprising control means capable of determining identification data for identifying a magnitude of road resistance and executing a process of storing the determined identification data in a storage unit. The basic data is data of time required to discharge a predetermined amount of drain in the storage tank by driving the pump,
When the time is longer than a predetermined threshold, the control means stores identification data suggesting that the flow path resistance is large as the identification data in the storage unit, while the time is the threshold. 2. The hot water device according to claim 1, configured to store identification data suggesting that the flow path resistance is small as the identification data in the storage unit in the case of the following short time.   In the state where the identification data has not yet been stored in the storage unit, the control unit performs an operation of discharging the drain in the storage tank to the outside of the apparatus by driving the pump a predetermined number of times. After that, the basic data is acquired based on an operation when the pump is re-driven and the drain pipe in the storage tank is discharged to the outside of the apparatus. The hot water apparatus as described.   The control means drives the pump when the drain storage amount in the storage tank reaches a first predetermined amount when the identification data suggesting that the flow path resistance is small is stored in the storage unit. When the drain data is discharged and the identification data indicating that the flow path resistance is large is stored in the storage unit, the drain storage amount is smaller than the first predetermined amount. The hot water device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein control is performed to drive the pump and perform drain discharge when a predetermined amount of 2 is reached. It has a bath pipe for performing hot water filling operation to the bathtub and bathing operation, and a bath circulation pump connected to this bath pipe.
When the control means stores identification data suggesting that the flow path resistance is large in the storage unit, and stores identification data suggesting that the flow path resistance is small in the storage unit Compared to the above, the control for lengthening the time from the start of the driving of the bath circulation pump to the temperature detection of the bath hot water in the bath piping, the bath hot water pump being driven 5. The control device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the control for increasing the stirring time when stirring the water and the control for increasing the output of the pump for circulating the bath is executed. A hot water device according to any of the above.

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