JP2012137249A - Drain neutralizer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drain neutralizer capable of reliably detecting an abnormal water level increase in a control part side of a water heater.SOLUTION: The drain neutralizer provided with a drain inlet 71 connected to a heat exchanger 4 of the water heater 1 transversely arranges a pair of water level detecting electrodes 76 in the neighborhood of the drain inlet 71, and is arranged so that a lower end 761 of a first electrode 76A distant from the drain inlet 71 out of the electrodes 76 is at a lower level than a lower end 762 of a second level 76B near to the drain inlet 71.

Description

  The present invention relates to a drain neutralizer incorporated in a water heater.

  A conventional drain neutralizer that neutralizes strongly acidic drain generated in a heat exchanger, which is equipped with a water level detection electrode for detecting an abnormal rise in the water level in the container. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  In this conventional drain neutralizer, a pair of electrodes connected to the controller of the hot water heater are juxtaposed in the upper part of the container, and the water level in the container is arranged due to freezing or clogging of the drain discharge path. When it reaches the installation part and both lower ends thereof are immersed in the drain, it is electrically connected.

JP 2009-189931 A

  However, in this case, when the water heater is installed in a tilted state and the drain neutralizer is tilted, when one of the electrodes is placed in the upper part of the container as the water level rises, There is a risk that the control unit may fail to detect an abnormal rise in the water level without being immersed in the drain as it is arranged in the air pocket.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the point which concerns, and makes it a subject to provide the drain neutralizer which can detect the abnormal raise of a water level reliably on the control part side of a water heater.

The drain neutralizer according to the present invention is:
A drain neutralizer with a drain inlet leading to the heat exchanger of the water heater,
In the vicinity of the drain inlet, a pair of water level detection electrodes are provided side by side,
Among the electrodes, the lower end of the first electrode far from the drain inlet is arranged so as to be lower than the lower end of the second electrode near the drain inlet.

  If the water heater is installed in a tilted state and the drain neutralizer is tilted, the above-described air pool is likely to be formed on the side farther from the drain inlet, but in this case, it is disposed on the side farther from the drain inlet. Since the lower end of the first electrode is located below the lower end of the second electrode disposed on the side closer to the drain inlet, when the water level in the drain neutralizer rises, Both lower ends are immersed in the drain.

  In the drain neutralizer, it is desirable that the first electrode and the second electrode have the same structure, and the attachment portion of the first electrode is disposed below the attachment portion of the second electrode. .

  In this case, even if both electrodes are attached to any mounting portion, the lower end of the electrode far from the drain inlet is lower than the lower end of the electrode near the drain inlet, so that it is possible to reliably prevent electrode assembly failure. .

  Since the present invention has the above configuration, the present invention has the following specific effects.

  Even if the drain neutralizer is inclined, it is possible to provide a drain neutralizer that can reliably detect an abnormal rise in the water level on the controller side of the water heater.

It is a front view which shows the internal structure of the water heater incorporating the drain neutralizer which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a front view partial sectional view of the drain neutralizer concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a perspective partial sectional view of the drain neutralizer concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a fragmentary cross section which shows the electrode periphery of the drain neutralizer which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the electrode periphery of the drain neutralizer which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

  Next, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in an outer case 10 of the water heater 1, a burner unit 2, a main heat exchanger 3 that recovers sensible heat in the combustion gas discharged from the burner unit 2, and the combustion gas The auxiliary heat exchanger 4 for recovering the latent heat therein is arranged so as to be stacked upward in this order. A valve unit 5 that adjusts the amount of gas supplied to the burner unit 2 is disposed in the space below the burner unit 2 and on the lower right side in the outer case 10.

  On the lower surface side of the bottom wall 101 of the outer case 10, a water supply piping connection port 12, a hot water piping connection port 13, and a gas piping connection port 15 are provided. The water supply pipe connection port 12 is connected to a water inlet (not shown) of the auxiliary heat exchanger 4 through a water inlet pipe 120 extending in the outer case 10, and the hot water pipe connection port 13 is connected to the inside of the outer case 10. The hot water outlet is connected to a hot water outlet (not shown) of the main heat exchanger 3 through a hot water outlet pipe 130. The gas pipe connection port 15 is directly connected to a gas inlet (not shown) of the valve unit 5.

  On the lower left side of the burner unit 2, an air supply fan (not shown) for sending air outside the water heater 1 to the burner unit 2 is disposed. The drain neutralizer 7 according to the embodiment of the present invention is It is incorporated in the space on the front side of the air supply fan and on the left side of the valve unit 5.

  A hollow container 70 constituting the outline of the drain neutralizer 7 is composed of a box-shaped container body 70A whose upper surface is opened and an upper lid 70B that covers the opening 700 on the upper surface, and an upper portion of the upper lid 70B. Is provided with an electrode housing portion 703 for incorporating a water level detection electrode 76 described later.

  A drain inlet 71 connected to the inside of the container main body 70 </ b> A through a space inside the electrode housing portion 703 is provided at the upper portion of the electrode housing portion 703, and extends from the sub heat exchanger 4 into the outer case 10. The drain pipe 170 is connected to the drain inlet 71. Accordingly, the drain generated in the auxiliary heat exchanger 4 is guided to the drain inlet 71 through the drain pipe 170 and collected in the container 70.

  On the other hand, a drain outlet 72 is provided on the lower surface 701 of the container main body 70A and on the right side of the front view. The drain outlet 72 is integrally formed with the container main body 70 </ b> A and protrudes below the bottom wall 101 of the outer case 10 as a drain discharge port of the water heater 1. Although not shown, the drain outlet 72 is directly connected to a drain pipe extending to the outside of the water heater 1. Therefore, the drain collected in the container 70 is neutralized by the neutralizing agent 7N loaded in the container body 70A, and then discharged from the drain outlet 72 to the outside of the water heater 1 through a drainage pipe (not shown). Is done.

  Further, a drain plug 73 is provided at the approximate center of the lower surface 701 of the container body 70A. The drain plug 73 protrudes below the bottom wall 101 of the outer case 10 and can be opened to discharge drain accumulated in the container body 70 </ b> A to the outside of the water heater 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the internal space of the container body 70 </ b> A includes a neutralizer storage chamber C <b> 1 that stores the drain neutralizer 7 </ b> N, and a drain that guides the drain collected in the neutralizer storage chamber C <b> 1 to the drain outlet 72. It is divided into a lead-out chamber C2, and the drain neutralizing agent 7N is loaded into the neutralizing agent storage chamber C1. The drain outlet 72 is provided at the bottom of the drain lead-out chamber C2, and the drain plug 73 is provided at the bottom of the neutralizing agent storage chamber C1.

  The periphery of the upper lid 70B is fixed in a watertight manner with respect to the periphery of the opening 700 of the container body 70A. An electrode storage portion 703 is provided on the left side of the upper lid 70B and on the upper left side of the neutralizing agent storage chamber C1. Is formed.

  The electrode accommodating portion 703 is formed in a substantially U-shaped cross section when viewed from the front, and a space C3 (hereinafter referred to as an “electrode chamber”) C3 is formed through the opening 700 of the container body 70A. It is connected to the neutralizing agent storage chamber C1. On the other hand, the inner opening 711 of the drain inlet 71 is opened on the inner side of the upper wall (hereinafter referred to as “electrode chamber upper wall”) 704 of the electrode housing portion 703, and the neutralizing agent housing chamber via the electrode chamber C3. Connected to C1.

  A pair of electrodes 76 for detecting an abnormal rise in the water level in the container 70 is provided on the upper wall 704 of the electrode chamber and in front of the drain inlet 71. More specifically, two circular seat surfaces 77 are formed side by side in the left-right direction of the drain neutralizer 7 at different height positions on the upper surface of the housing upper wall 704 as electrode attachment portions. 77, electrodes 76 having a round small screw shape and the same length are attached to each of them.

  The electrode 76 extends from the upper part of the seating surface 77 into the electrode chamber C3, and is connected to a control unit (not shown) of the water heater 1 through electric wiring. When the water level in the container body 70A reaches the electrode chamber C3 and the lower ends 761 and 762 of the electrodes 76 are both immersed in the drain, the electrode lower ends 761 and 762 are electrically connected to each other, and the control unit It is configured to detect on the side.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the drain inlet 71 is disposed at the left rear position of the electrode chamber upper wall 704, and the two seat surfaces 77 are juxtaposed on the front right side of the drain inlet 71. Further, a seat surface (hereinafter referred to as “first seat surface”) 77A disposed on the side far from the drain inlet 71 is a seat surface (hereinafter referred to as “second seat”) disposed on the side closer to the drain inlet 71. It is provided lower than 77B).

  That is, of the two electrodes 76, an electrode (hereinafter referred to as “second electrode”) 76 </ b> B attached to the second seating surface 77 </ b> B is disposed near the drain inlet 71, and the first seating surface. An electrode (hereinafter, referred to as “first electrode”) 76 </ b> A attached to 77 </ b> A is disposed at a position far from the drain inlet 71 and below the second electrode.

  Therefore, the lower end 761 of the first electrode 76A is disposed below the lower end 762 of the second electrode 76B and far from the inner opening 711 of the drain inlet 71, and the lower end 762 of the second electrode 76B is The electrode 76 </ b> A is disposed above the lower end 761 and on the side close to the inner opening 711 of the drain inlet 71.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the lower end 761 of the first electrode 76A and the lower end 762 of the second electrode 76B are both located below the inner opening 711 of the drain inlet 71, and these first electrodes When the reference line L connecting the lower end 761 of 76A and the lower end 762 of the second electrode 76B is viewed as a horizontal line, the inner opening 711 is provided above the reference line L.

  By the way, if the water heater 1 is installed in a state where it is tilted to the left in front view with respect to the wall surface, it is caused by freezing or clogging generated downstream of the drain outlet 72 or water leakage from the auxiliary heat exchanger 4. When the water level in the container 70 reaches the inside of the electrode chamber C3, the air reservoir A is formed in the upper right side of the electrode chamber C3, that is, around the arrangement portion of the right electrode 76 from the inner opening 711 of the drain inlet 71. There is a possibility (see FIG. 4).

  However, in this case, the right electrode lower end (the lower end of the first electrode 76A) 761 disposed on the side far from the inner opening 711 is the left electrode lower end (the lower end of the first electrode 76A). The lower end 762 of the second electrode 76B is disposed below the lower end 762. Therefore, even if the water heater 1 is installed in a state where it is tilted to the left as viewed from the front within a predetermined angle range, the lower end 761 on the right side of the water heater 1 is on the left side. It does not become higher than the electrode lower end 762. Therefore, when the water level in the container 70 rises, the right electrode lower end 761 is not placed in the air reservoir A, and both the electrode lower ends 761 and 762 are both immersed in the drain. Thereby, it is possible to reliably detect an abnormal increase in the water level on the control unit side of the water heater 1.

  In addition, when the water heater 1 is installed in a state tilted to the right side when viewed from the front with respect to the wall surface, the air in the container 70 is drained from the inner opening 711 of the drain inlet 71 as the water level in the container 70 rises. Since the air is discharged to the 170 side, the air reservoir A described above is difficult to be formed around the portion where the electrode 76 is disposed. Therefore, also in this case, when the water level in the container 70 rises, both the electrode lower ends 761 and 762 are both immersed in the drain.

  Further, when the reference line L connecting the lower end 761 of the first electrode 76A and the lower end 762 of the second electrode 76B is viewed as a horizontal line, the inner opening 711 of the drain inlet 71 is disposed above the reference line L. As a result, when the water level in the container 70 rises, the lower ends 761 and 762 of both electrodes are surely immersed in the drain, so that an abnormal rise in the water level can be detected more reliably.

  Further, the first seating surface 77A is disposed below the second seating surface 77B, and the electrodes 76 having the same structure are attached to the first seating surface 77A and the second seating surface 77B, respectively. As a result, the lower end of the electrode 76 on the side far from the drain inlet 71 is lower than the lower end of the electrode 76 on the side closer to the drain inlet 71 even if both the electrodes 76 are attached to either seating surface 77A, 77B. Assembling failure of the electrode 76 to the neutralizer 7 can be reliably prevented. Thereby, the drain neutralizer 7 which can detect the abnormal rise of a water level reliably can be provided.

[Others]
In the above embodiment, the first seating surface 77A is disposed below the second seating surface 77B, and the electrodes 76 having the same length are separately provided on the first seating surface 77A and the second seating surface 77B. As shown in FIG. 5, the first seating surface 77A and the second seating surface 77B are disposed at the same height as shown in FIG. The first electrode 76A longer than the second electrode 76B attached to the seating surface 77B is attached, and the reference line L connecting the lower end 761 of the first electrode 76A and the lower end 762 of the second electrode 76B is viewed as a horizontal line. In this case, the inner opening 711 of the drain inlet 71 may be provided above the reference line L.

  In this case as well, the lower end 761 of the first electrode 76A and the lower end 762 of the second electrode 76B are both immersed in the drain when the water level in the container 70 rises. It is possible to reliably detect an abnormal rise in water level on the part side.

  In the above embodiment, the seat surfaces 77A and 77B are arranged side by side in the left-right direction of the drain neutralizer 7, but the first seat surface 77A is in front of the second seat surface 77B. It may be arranged side by side toward the left front of the drain inlet 71 so as to be arranged.

  When the water heater 1 is installed in a state of being inclined rearward, when the water level in the container 70 reaches the electrode chamber C3, the front upper portion in the electrode chamber C3, that is, the inner opening of the drain inlet 71 is provided. There is a possibility that air is trapped in the vicinity of the arrangement portion of the electrode 76 in front of 711. However, in this case, the front electrode lower end (lower end of the first electrode 76A) 761 disposed on the side far from the inner opening 711 is the rear electrode lower end (disposed on the side closer to the inner opening 711). The lower end of the second electrode 76B) is disposed below the lower portion 762, and when the water level in the container 70 rises, both the lower ends 761 and 762 of both electrodes are immersed in the drain. It is possible to detect with certainty.

1 ... Hot water heater 4 ... Sub heat exchanger (heat exchanger)
7 ... Drain neutralizer 70A ... Container body (container)
70B ... Upper lid (container)
71 ... Drain inlet 72 ... Drain outlet 76A ... First electrode 76B ... Second electrode 761 ... Lower end 762 of the first electrode ... Lower end 77A of the second electrode ..First seat surface (first electrode mounting part)
77B ... 2nd seat surface (attachment part of 2nd electrode)

Claims (2)

A drain neutralizer with a drain inlet leading to the heat exchanger of the water heater,
In the vicinity of the drain inlet, a pair of water level detection electrodes are provided side by side,
A drain neutralizer arranged such that, of the electrodes, the lower end of the first electrode far from the drain inlet is lower than the lower end of the second electrode near the drain inlet. The drain neutralizer according to claim 1, wherein
A drain neutralizer in which the first electrode and the second electrode have the same structure, and the attachment portion of the first electrode is disposed below the attachment portion of the second electrode.

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