JP2024053956A - Water heater - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a water heater capable of making a horizontal width of a housing compact.SOLUTION: A bracket fitting 58 to which an upper part of a neutralizer 55 is fixed via a mounting fitting 59, and a fixing bar 60 to which a lower part of the neutralizer 55 is fixed are attached in front of a lower casing 17 and a middle casing 18 of a combustion chamber 16. Also, the fixing bar 60 is provided with case installation holes 75, 75 to which an upper part of a controller 65 is fixed via the mounting fittings 59, 59. Then, on the front side of the lower casing 17 and the middle casing 18, the neutralizer 55 and the controller 65 are arranged vertically in parallel. Therefore, a horizontal width of a housing 2 of a water heater 1 can be made more compact than before.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present invention relates to a water heater equipped with a neutralizer for neutralizing drainage generated in the combustion chamber.

Conventional water heaters are equipped with a neutralizer to neutralize drainage generated in the combustion chamber. For example, in the water heater described in Patent Document 1, the neutralizer is installed on the left or right side of the combustion chamber.

Patent No. 6814401

However, in conventional water heaters, the neutralizer is installed to the side of the combustion chamber as described above, which creates the problem that the left and right width of the water heater housing becomes wider.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a water heater that can reduce the left and right width of the housing.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention is a water heater comprising a combustion chamber equipped with a burner, a neutralizer for neutralizing drain generated in the combustion chamber, and a controller for controlling the operation of the burner within a housing, wherein a fixing bracket to which the lower part of the neutralizer is fixed is attached to the front side of the casing of the combustion chamber, and a case installation section to which the upper part of the controller is fixed via a specified mounting bracket is provided on the fixing bracket, and the neutralizer and controller are arranged side by side one above the other on the front side of the casing.
The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1, the fixing bracket is a fixed bar having a band-shaped bar body extending in the left-right direction, legs extending rearward from both the left and right ends of the bar body, and fixing pieces extending outward in the left-right direction from the tips of each leg, with the fixing pieces fixed and attached to the front surface of the casing, and the bar body is provided with an installation section to which the lower part of the neutralizer is fixed, and a case installation section, while the mounting bracket has a bracket main body extending in the front-to-rear direction, a first mounting piece extending in the up-down direction from the rear end of the bracket main body, and a second mounting piece extending from the front end of the bracket main body in the opposite up-down direction to the first mounting piece, with the first mounting piece being fixed to the case installation section of the fixed bar and the second mounting piece being fixed to the controller, and further, a mounting bracket of the same shape as the mounting bracket is interposed between the upper part of the neutralizer and the front surface of the casing, with the first mounting piece of the mounting bracket of the same shape being fixed to the front side of the casing, and the second mounting piece of the mounting bracket of the same shape being fixed to the neutralizer,
The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1 or 2, the controller is provided with an engagement portion that protrudes downward, and the bottom plate of the housing is provided with an engaged portion with which the engagement portion can engage.

According to the present invention, a fixing bracket to which the lower part of the neutralizer is fixed is attached to the front of the casing of the combustion chamber, and a case installation part to which the upper part of the controller is fixed via a predetermined mounting bracket is provided on the fixing bracket, and the neutralizer and the controller are arranged side by side vertically on the front side of the casing. Therefore, the left and right width of the housing of the water heater can be made more compact than before.
According to the invention described in claim 2, the fixing bracket is a fixed bar having a band-shaped bar body extending in the left-right direction, legs extending rearward from both the left and right ends of the bar body, and fixing pieces extending outward in the left-right direction from the tips of each leg, and the fixing pieces are fixed to the front surface of the casing, and the bar body is provided with an installation part to which the lower part of the neutralizer is fixed and a case installation part. Also, the mounting bracket is provided with a bracket body extending in the front-rear direction, a first mounting piece extending in the up-down direction from the rear end of the bracket body, and a second mounting piece extending in the up-down direction opposite to the first mounting piece from the front end of the bracket body, and the first mounting piece is fixed to the case installation part of the fixed bar and the second mounting piece is fixed to the controller. Furthermore, a mounting bracket having the same shape as the mounting bracket is interposed between the upper part of the neutralizer and the front surface of the casing, and the first mounting piece of the mounting bracket having the same shape is fixed to the front side of the casing, and the second mounting piece of the mounting bracket having the same shape is fixed to the neutralizer. Therefore, since the same shaped mounting brackets are used for installing the neutralizer and the controller, the number of parts can be reduced, which in turn reduces manufacturing and management costs. Also, since a sufficient gap can be secured between the neutralizer and the casing in the front-to-rear direction, damage to the neutralizer due to heat in the combustion chamber can be prevented, and an overheating prevention device using a resin sheet can be installed by wrapping the resin sheet around the combustion chamber using the gap.
Furthermore, according to the invention described in claim 3, the controller is provided with an engagement portion that protrudes downward, and the bottom plate of the housing is provided with an engaged portion with which the engagement portion can engage, so that the controller can be installed with a simple structure and the number of parts can be further reduced.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the water heater from the front side. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the water heater from the front side with the front cover removed. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a cross section along line AA in FIG. This is an oblique view of the inside of the housing as viewed from the rear left, with the front cover, the left and right side panels of the box body, the back panel, and the resin sheet omitted. This is an oblique view of the inside of the housing as viewed from the right rear, with the front cover, the left and right side panels of the box body, the back panel, and the resin sheet omitted. This is an oblique view of the inside of the housing as viewed from the front right, with the front cover, the left and right side panels of the box body, the back panel, and the resin sheet omitted. FIG. 13 is an explanatory front perspective view showing the neutralizer, the controller, the mounting bracket, and the fixing bar in disassembled state. FIG. 13 is an explanatory perspective view showing the neutralizer, the controller, the mounting bracket, and the fixing bar in a disassembled state from the rear. FIG. 1A and 1B are perspective explanatory views showing a mounting bracket, in which FIG. 1A shows the mounting bracket from the front side and FIG. 13 is a perspective explanatory view showing bracket fittings attached to the middle casing and the upper casing. FIG.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A water heater according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.
(Explanation of the overall configuration of the water heater)
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the water heater 1 from the front side. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the water heater 1 from the front side with the front cover 4 removed. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a cross section of line A-A in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the inside of the housing 2 seen from the left rear, omitting the front cover 4 and the left and right side plates 7A, 7B, back plate 8, and resin sheet 50 of the box body 3. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the inside of the housing 2 seen from the right rear, omitting the front cover 4 and the left and right side plates 7A, 7B, back plate 8, and resin sheet 50 of the box body 3. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the inside of the housing 2 seen from the right front, omitting the front cover 4 and the left and right side plates 7A, 7B, back plate 8, and resin sheet 50 of the box body 3. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the neutralizer 55, the controller 65, the mounting brackets 59, 59, and the fixing bar 60 in a disassembled state, seen from the front side. Fig. 8 is an explanatory perspective view from the rear showing the neutralizer 55, the controller 65, the mounting brackets 59, 59, and the fixed bar 60 in an exploded state. Fig. 9 is an explanatory perspective view showing the fixed bar 60. Fig. 10 is an explanatory perspective view showing the mounting bracket 59, (a) showing it from the front side and (b) showing it from the rear side. Fig. 11 is an explanatory perspective view showing the bracket bracket 58 attached to the middle casing 18 and the upper casing 19.

The water heater 1 has a vertically long box-shaped housing 2. The housing 2 comprises a box body 3 and a front cover 4. The box body 3 is open at the front and has a deep bottom from the front to the back. The front cover 4 is screwed to the box body 3 from the front to close the front. A cylindrical exhaust port 37 is provided on the front side of the upper casing 19 (described later) and penetrates the upper part of the front cover 4.

The box body 3 comprises a top plate 5, a bottom plate 6, left and right side plates 7A, 7B, and a back plate 8. The bottom plate 6 is provided with a water inlet 9 for connecting to an external water pipe, a hot water outlet 10 for connecting to an external hot water tap, and a bath return port 11 and a bath supply port 12 for connecting to an external bathtub. The center of the bottom plate 6 is provided with a gas inlet 13 for connecting to an external gas pipe, and a drain port 14 for connecting to a neutralizer 55, which will be described later. Mounting plates 15, 15 are provided above and below the back plate 8 for installation on a wall surface, etc.

A combustion chamber 16 is provided at the rear side within the box body 3. The combustion chamber 16 includes a lower casing 17, a middle casing 18, and an upper casing 19 that are vertically connected to each other.
The lower casing 17 houses a plurality of burner units 20, 20. Each burner unit 20 is formed by arranging a plurality of flat burners 21 extending in the front-rear direction in the left-right direction. The number of burners 21 varies for each burner unit 20. As shown in FIG. 4, a combustion fan 22 is connected to the lower surface of the lower casing 17. The combustion fan 22 rotates around an axis in the front-rear direction by a fan motor 23 provided on the rear side. The combustion fan 22 supplies combustion air to the burner unit 20. A gas distribution unit 25 is provided on the front side of the lower casing 17. The gas distribution unit 25 is provided with a plurality of solenoid valves, and the burner unit 20 to be burned can be switched by opening and closing each solenoid valve. A gas pipe 26 equipped with a main valve and a proportional valve is connected to the upstream end of the burner unit 20. The gas pipe 26 is connected to the gas inlet 13.

The inner casing 18 houses a hot water supply primary heat exchanger 27 and a bath heat exchanger 28. The hot water supply primary heat exchanger 27 has a number of fins 29, 29... arranged at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction, and a hot water supply side heat transfer tube 30 that penetrates each fin 29 in a serpentine manner in two levels, one above the other. The bath heat exchanger 28 has each fin 29 and a bath side heat transfer tube 31 that penetrates each fin 29 in a serpentine manner between the upper and lower hot water supply side heat transfer tubes 30. In other words, the water heater 1 is a one-can, two-channel type in which the hot water supply primary heat exchanger 27 and the bath heat exchanger 28, which have different paths, are arranged side by side in one inner casing 18 and heated by a common burner unit 20.

The upper casing 19 houses a hot water secondary heat exchanger 32. The hot water secondary heat exchanger 32 houses a number of heat absorption pipes 33, 33... formed in a serpentine shape. As shown in FIG. 4, both ends of each heat absorption pipe 33 are connected to an inlet header 34 and an outlet header 35 provided on the front and rear sides of the left side surface of the upper casing 19, so that the inlet ends and the outlet ends are connected to each other. The upper casing 19 is connected to the middle casing 18 at its rear. The upper casing 19 is supported in a downwardly inclined position, and a flat drain receiver 36 is provided on the front side. An exhaust port 37 is connected to the front side of the drain receiver 36 facing forward.

A water supply pipe 40 is connected to the water inlet 9. The water supply pipe 40 is routed upward on the left side of the combustion chamber 16 and connected to the inlet header 34 of the upper casing 19.
A relay pipe 41 is connected to the outlet header 35. As shown in Fig. 5, the relay pipe 41 runs from the left side of the combustion chamber 16, passes behind the intermediate casing 18, and wraps around to the right side of the intermediate casing 18. The relay pipe 41 is routed forward on the right side of the intermediate casing 18 and is connected to the upstream end of the lower stage of the hot water supply side heat transfer pipe 30 of the hot water supply primary heat exchanger 27.

The hot water outlet pipe 42 is connected to the downstream end of the upper section of the hot water supply side heat transfer pipe 30. As shown in FIG. 6, the hot water outlet pipe 42 wraps around from the right side of the middle casing 18 to the front of the middle casing 18, crosses the front of the middle casing 18, and moves to the left side of the middle casing 18. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the hot water outlet pipe 42 bends downward at the front left of the middle casing 18, is routed downward in a straight line, and is then connected to the hot water outlet 10. The straight section 43 of the hot water outlet pipe 42 is connected to the water supply pipe 40 via a bypass pipe 44.

A bath return pipe 45 is connected to the bath return port 11. As shown in Figures 4 to 6, the bath return pipe 45 is routed upward along the right side of the combustion chamber 16 via a pump 46. The bath return pipe 45 then crosses the front of the inner casing 18, loops around to the left side of the inner casing 18, and is connected to the upstream end of the bath side heat transfer pipe 31 of the bath heat exchanger 28. The bath return pipe 45 is connected to the hot water outlet pipe 42 via a drop pipe 47.
A bath supply pipe 48 is connected to the bath supply port 12. The bath supply pipe 48 is routed upward along the right side of the combustion chamber 16, and then connected to the downstream end of the bath side heat transfer pipe 31 on the right side of the intermediate casing 18.

A resin sheet 50 is wound around the combustion chamber 16. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the resin sheet 50 is a strip-shaped body that is wound around the combustion chamber 16, straddling the lower casing 17 and the middle casing 18. The resin sheet 50 is wound around the inner surfaces of the left and right side plates 7A, 7B and the back plate 8 on the outside of each pipe, so that it is not in contact with the combustion chamber 16.

A continuous conductive pattern 51 that extends in the longitudinal direction while meandering back and forth in the width direction is printed on the resin sheet 50 over the entire length in the longitudinal direction. Both ends of the conductive pattern 51 are electrically connected to an electrical board 66 described later to form an overheating prevention device. When abnormal overheating of the lower casing 17 or the middle casing 18 causes cracks or holes to form and combustion exhaust is released, the resin sheet 50 melts and the conductive pattern 51 breaks, causing the resistance value to suddenly increase or become infinite. The electrical board 66 detects the change in resistance value and stops the supply of fuel gas to extinguish the burner unit 20.

A neutralizer 55 is disposed in front of the combustion chamber 16. The neutralizer 55 is a box having a rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and is filled with a neutralizing agent (not shown). Drain discharge pipes 56, 56 connected to the front bottom surface of the upper casing 19 and the drain receiver 36 are connected to the upper surface of the neutralizer 55. A drain pipe 57 connected to the drain outlet 14 is connected to the lower surface of the neutralizer 55.
A controller 65 is disposed below the neutralizer 55. The controller 65 includes an electrical board 66, a storage case 67, and a cover 68.

(Explanation of water heater operation)
In the water heater 1, normal hot water supply is performed as follows.
When the hot water tap of the external pipe connected to the hot water outlet 10 is opened to allow water to flow into the appliance and the flowing water is detected by a hot water supply amount sensor provided in the water supply pipe 40, the controller 65 drives the combustion fan 22 for a predetermined time to discharge the combustion exhaust gas accumulated in the combustion chamber 16 (pre-purge). After that, the controller 65 opens the main valve of the gas pipe 26 and the solenoid valve of the gas distribution unit 25, opens the proportional valve to a predetermined opening degree, supplies gas to the burner unit 20, and operates the igniter to ignite the burner unit 20.

As a result, the water supplied from the water supply pipe 40 exchanges heat with the exhaust gas from the burner unit 20 and recovers latent heat as it flows through the heat absorption pipe 33 of the hot water secondary heat exchanger 32. The drainage generated at this time is recovered in the neutralizer 55 via the drain discharge pipe 56, neutralized with a neutralizing agent, and then discharged from the drain pipe 57 to the outside of the appliance.
The hot water that has passed through the hot water secondary heat exchanger 32 flows to the hot water primary heat exchanger 32 via the relay pipe 41, and while flowing through the hot water side heat transfer pipe 30, exchanges heat with the combustion exhaust gas from the burner unit 20 to recover sensible heat. The hot water thus heated passes through the hot water outlet pipe 42 and external piping and is discharged from the hot water tap.

The electrical board 66 of the controller 65 monitors the outlet temperature, which is the temperature of the hot water discharged immediately after the hot water primary heat exchanger 27, using an outlet temperature thermistor installed in the hot water outlet pipe 42, and drives a distribution valve installed in the bypass pipe 44 to control the flow rate (bypass rate) to the bypass pipe 44 so that the outlet temperature is maintained within a temperature range that can prevent the generation of drainage and overheating in the hot water primary heat exchanger 27.
In addition, the electrical board 66 monitors the outlet hot water temperature using an outlet hot water temperature thermistor installed in the outlet hot water pipe 42, and controls the opening and closing of each solenoid valve in the gas distribution unit 25 and adjusts the opening of the proportional valve so that the outlet hot water temperature becomes the set temperature specified by the external hot water remote control or bath remote control, and continuously changes the amount of air by controlling the operation of the combustion fan 22.
When the hot water tap is closed, the electrical board 66 confirms that the signal from the hot water volume sensor has stopped, closes the main valve and the solenoid valve of the gas distribution unit 25 to extinguish the burner unit 20, and drives the combustion fan 22 for a predetermined period of time (post-purge).

On the other hand, when the automatic switch of the hot water supply remote control or the bath remote control is pressed, the electrical board 66 opens the drop water solenoid valve provided in the drop pipe 47 to pass water through the hot water supply primary heat exchanger 27 and the hot water supply secondary heat exchanger 32, and combusts the burner unit 20. Hot water from the hot water outlet pipe 42 is supplied to the external bathtub through the drop pipe 47 and the bath return pipe 45. When the water volume detected by the bath water volume sensor provided in the drop pipe 47 reaches the set water volume, the electrical board 66 closes the drop water solenoid valve to stop the water flow and extinguishes the burner unit 20.
Next, the electrical board 66 operates the pump 46 to circulate the hot water between the bath heat exchanger 28 and the bathtub. At this time, the electrical board 66 monitors the temperature of the circulating hot water with thermistors installed in the bath return pipe 45 and the bath supply pipe 48, and when it confirms that the temperature has dropped from the set temperature, it ignites the burner unit 20 as in the case of hot water supply, and supplies combustion air by the combustion fan 22. Therefore, the bath circulating water circulating between the bath heat exchanger 28 and the bathtub is heated to the set temperature by heat exchange with the combustion exhaust gas of the burner unit 20 as it flows through the bath side heat transfer pipe 31. When the set temperature is reached, the electrical board 66 stops the combustion of the burner unit 20 and stops the pump 46.

(Description of the neutralizer and controller installation structure)
As an installation structure for installing the neutralizer 55 and the controller 65 on the front side of the combustion chamber 16, a metal fixing bar 60 is screwed to the front surface of the lower casing 17 of the combustion chamber 16. The fixing bar 60 includes a band-shaped bar body 71 extending in the left-right direction, legs 72, 72 extending rearward from both the left and right ends of the bar body 71, and fixing pieces 73, 73 extending outward in the left-right direction from the tips of the legs 72, 72. Installation holes 74, 74 for screwing the lower part of the neutralizer 55 are drilled in the lower part of the bar body 71. In addition, case installation holes 75, 75 for screwing the storage case 67 of the controller 65 are drilled in the lower part of the bar body 71 on the outside in the left-right direction of the installation holes 74, 74. Furthermore, positioning slits 93 into which the tips of positioning pieces 91 of the mounting brackets 59 described later can be inserted are provided near each case installation hole 75. Each fixing piece 73 has a screw hole 76 formed therein for screwing the fixing bar 60 to the front surface of the lower casing 17 .

A bracket metal fitting 58, which also functions as an installation structure for the neutralizer 55, is attached from the upper end of the front surface of the middle casing 18 to the underside of the upper casing 19. The bracket metal fitting 58 has a plate-shaped upper casing fixing part 85 extending in the front-rear direction and a plate-shaped middle casing fixing part 86 extending downward from the rear end of the upper casing fixing part 85. Such bracket metal fitting 58 fastens both casings 18, 19 by spot welding the upper casing fixing part 85 to the underside of the upper casing 19 and the middle casing fixing part 86 to the front surface of the middle casing 18. The lower part of the middle casing fixing part 86 is provided with an attachment part 87 for screwing the upper side of the neutralizer 55 and a positioning slit 94 into which the tip of the positioning piece 91 of the attachment metal fitting 59 described later can be inserted.

Furthermore, an upper installation piece 77 having a screw insertion hole formed therein protrudes upward from the upper surface of the neutralizer 55. Furthermore, two lower installation pieces 78, 78 having screw insertion holes formed therein protrude downward from the lower surface of the neutralizer 55. The left-right distance between the lower installation pieces 78, 78 is the same as the left-right distance between the installation holes 74, 74.
Meanwhile, case installation pieces 83, 83 with screw insertion holes drilled therein are provided protruding upward from the top surface of the storage case 67 of the controller 65, spaced apart at the same left-right distance as the case installation holes 75, 75 in the fixing bar 60. In addition, engaging protrusions 88, 88 protruding downward are provided on the bottom surface of the storage case 67. These engaging protrusions 88, 88 are capable of being inserted into and engaged with engaging holes 89, 89 opened in the bottom plate 6 of the housing 2.

The mounting bracket 59 used to install the neutralizer 55 and the controller 65 is made by bending a strip-shaped metal plate extending in the vertical direction, and has a bracket body 80 extending in the front-rear direction, a first mounting piece 81 extending upward from the rear end of the bracket body 80, and a second mounting piece 82 extending downward from the front end of the bracket body 80. A first mounting hole 90 is drilled in a position to the left of the upper part of the first mounting piece 81 for screwing the mounting bracket 59 (particularly the first mounting piece 81) to the bracket bracket 58 or the fixed bar 60. In addition, a positioning piece 91 is protruded backward from the first mounting piece 81 for positioning the mounting position of the mounting bracket 59 to the bracket bracket 58 or the fixed bar 60. On the other hand, a second mounting hole 92 is drilled in the second mounting piece 82 for screwing the mounting bracket 59 (particularly the second mounting piece 82) to the neutralizer 55 or the storage case 67.

In the installation structure as described above, the upper part of the neutralizer 55 is fixed by connecting the upper installation piece 77 and the bracket metal fitting 58 via the mounting metal fitting 59. At this time, the mounting metal fitting 59 is positioned at a predetermined installation position by inserting the tip of the positioning piece 91 into the positioning slit 94, and then the first installation piece 81 is screwed to the installation portion 87 of the bracket metal fitting 58 and the second installation piece 82 is screwed to the rear surface of the upper installation piece 77. In addition, the lower part of the neutralizer 55 is fixed by screwing the lower installation pieces 78, 78 to the fixed bar 60 with the lower installation pieces 78, 78 abutting against the front surface of the fixed bar 60.
A gap of a predetermined width is formed in the front-rear direction between the neutralizer 55 thus installed and the lower casing 17 and the middle casing 18 of the combustion chamber 16. The resin sheet 50 is wound around the combustion chamber 16 while passing through the gap.

Meanwhile, the controller 65 is installed by fixing the upper part of the storage case 67 to the fixed bar 60 via the two mounting brackets 59, 59 with the engagement protrusions 88, 88 of the storage case 67 engaged with the engagement holes 89, 89. At this time, each mounting bracket 59 is positioned at a predetermined mounting position by inserting the tip of the positioning piece 91 into the positioning slit 93, and then the first mounting piece 81 is screwed to the front surface of the case installation hole 75 in the fixed bar 60 and the second mounting piece 82 is screwed to the rear surface of the case installation piece 83.
The controller 65 thus installed is located below the neutralizer 55. That is, the neutralizer 55 and the controller 65 are installed vertically aligned in a straight line in front of the lower casing 17 and the middle casing 18.

(Effects of the invention relating to the installation structure of the neutralizer and controller)
According to the water heater 1 having the above-mentioned configuration, the bracket metal fitting 58 to which the upper part of the neutralizer 55 is fixed via the mounting metal fitting 59 and the fixing bar 60 to which the lower part of the neutralizer 55 is fixed are attached to the front of the lower casing 17 and the middle casing 18 of the combustion chamber 16. In addition, the fixing bar 60 is provided with case installation holes 75, 75 to which the upper part of the controller 65 is fixed via the mounting metal fittings 59, 59. Then, the neutralizer 55 and the controller 65 are arranged vertically in front of the lower casing 17 and the middle casing 18. Therefore, the left and right width of the housing 2 of the water heater 1 can be made more compact than in the past. In addition, since the same mounting metal fitting 59 is used for installing the neutralizer 55 and the controller 65, the number of parts can be reduced, and thus the manufacturing management costs can be reduced. In addition, the mounting metal fitting 59 and the fixing bar 60 can be used for sensible heat type water heaters that do not have the neutralizer 55, and further reduction in manufacturing management costs due to the common use of parts can be expected.

In addition, the controller 65 is provided with engagement protrusions 88, 88 that protrude downward, and the bottom plate 6 of the housing 2 is provided with engagement holes 89, 89 with which the engagement protrusions 88, 88 can engage. As a result, the controller 65 can be installed with a simple structure, and the number of parts can be further reduced.
Furthermore, the neutralizer 55 and the controller 65 are installed in a linear line up and down in front of the lower casing 17 and the middle casing 18, and the space in front of the lower casing 17 and the middle casing 18 is filled by the neutralizer 55 and the controller 65, thereby improving the strength of the housing 2.

In addition, the neutralizer 55 is installed in front of the lower casing 17 and the middle casing 18 using a fixed bar 60 having a band-shaped bar body 71 extending in the left-right direction, legs 72, 72 extending rearward from both the left and right ends of the bar body 71, and fixed pieces 73, 73 extending outward in the left-right direction from the tips of the legs 72, 72, and a mounting bracket 59 having a bracket body 80 extending in the front-rear direction, a first mounting piece 81 extending upward from the rear end of the bracket body 80, and a second mounting piece 82 extending downward from the front end of the bracket body 80, so that a sufficient gap can be secured between the neutralizer 55 and the lower casing 17 and the middle casing 18 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, damage to the neutralizer due to heat in the combustion chamber can be prevented, and an overheating prevention device using the resin sheet 50 can be installed by wrapping the resin sheet 50 around the combustion chamber 16 using the gap.

Furthermore, a positioning piece 91 that protrudes rearward is provided on the first mounting piece 81 of the mounting bracket 59, while positioning slits 93, 94 into which the tip of the positioning piece 91 can be inserted are provided on the bracket bracket 58 and the fixed bar 60, and when mounting the mounting bracket 59, the tip of the positioning piece 91 can be inserted into the positioning slits 93, 94, thereby making it possible to position the mounting bracket 59 in an appropriate mounting position. Therefore, the work of mounting the mounting bracket 59, and ultimately the work of assembling the water heater 1, can be easily performed.
Furthermore, by providing such a positioning piece 91, when attempting to assemble the mounting bracket 59 with the mounting bracket 59 upside down or upside down, the positioning piece 91 interferes with the upper mounting piece 77 of the neutralizer 55 and the case mounting piece 83 of the storage case 67, thereby preventing assembly in such an incorrect position.
Furthermore, since the first mounting hole 90 for screwing the first mounting piece 81 of the mounting bracket 59 is provided at a position on the first mounting piece 81 that is shifted to the left in the left-right direction, if the mounting bracket 59 is placed in an incorrect position as described above, the positions of the first mounting hole 90 and the second mounting hole 92 will be misaligned with the positions of the corresponding insertion holes (the insertion holes in the upper mounting piece 77 and mounting portion 94, the case mounting hole 75 and the case mounting piece 83). This makes it possible to more reliably prevent the mounting bracket 59 from being assembled in an incorrect position.

The water heater according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the overall configuration of the water heater as well as the configuration related to the installation structure of the neutralizer and controller can be modified as necessary.

For example, in the above embodiment, a bracket fitting is attached to the combustion chamber casing and then the mounting fitting is screwed to the bracket fitting, but it is also possible to configure the mounting fitting to be screwed directly to the combustion chamber casing.
Furthermore, the fixing bracket is not limited to the fixing bar of the above embodiment, and the shape of the fixing bracket can be modified as appropriate. The specific configuration of the mounting bracket can also be modified as appropriate, for example by reversing the direction in which the first and second mounting pieces protrude from the bracket body.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the controller is one component of the overheating prevention device, but it is also possible for the controller not to have the function of the overheating prevention device.
In addition, in the above embodiment, an engagement protrusion is provided as the engagement portion on the underside of the controller, and an engagement hole is provided as the engaged portion on the bottom plate of the housing, but it is also possible to provide an elastic engagement claw as the engagement portion and an engaged boss with a recess formed on the front surface into which the engagement claw can engage as the engaged portion, and the specific configurations of the engagement portion and engaged portion can also be modified as appropriate.

1: water heater, 2: housing, 16: combustion chamber, 17: lower casing, 18: middle casing, 19: upper casing, 20: burner unit, 55: neutralizer, 58: bracket fitting, 60: fixing bar (fixing fitting), 65: controller, 67: storage case, 68: cover, 71: bar body, 72: legs, 73: fixing piece, 74: installation hole (installation part), 75: case installation hole (case installation part), 80: fitting body, 81: first mounting piece, 82: second mounting piece, 88: engagement protrusion (engagement part), 89: engagement hole (engaged part).

Claims (3)

A water heater including a combustion chamber equipped with a burner, a neutralizer for neutralizing drain generated in the combustion chamber, and a controller for controlling the operation of the burner,
A fixing metal fitting for fixing the lower part of the neutralizer is attached to the front surface of the casing of the combustion chamber,
the fixing bracket is provided with a case installation section to which an upper portion of the controller is fixed via a predetermined mounting bracket,
A water heater characterized in that the neutralizer and the controller are arranged side by side vertically on the front side of the casing. The fixing metal fitting is a fixed bar including a band-shaped bar body extending in the left-right direction, legs extending rearward from both the left and right ends of the bar body, and fixing pieces extending outward in the left-right direction from the tips of the legs, the fixing pieces being fixed to the front surface of the casing, and the bar body is provided with an installation section to which the lower part of the neutralizer is fixed, and the case installation section,
The mounting bracket has a bracket body extending in a front-rear direction, a first mounting piece extending in a vertical direction from a rear end of the bracket body, and a second mounting piece extending in a vertical direction opposite to the first mounting piece from a front end of the bracket body,
the first attachment piece is fixed to the case installation portion of the fixing bar, and the second attachment piece is fixed to the controller,
Furthermore, a mounting metal fitting having the same shape as the mounting metal fitting is interposed between the upper part of the neutralizer and the front surface of the casing,
2. The water heater according to claim 1, wherein a first mounting piece of the same shaped mounting bracket is fixed to the front side of the casing, and a second mounting piece of the same shaped mounting bracket is fixed to the neutralizer. The controller is provided with an engagement portion that protrudes downward,
3. The water heater according to claim 1, wherein a bottom plate of the housing is provided with an engaged portion with which the engaging portion can engage.

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