JP3438594B2 - Method of inspecting water leak of hot water supply device, method of pressurizing piping, and jig for inspecting water leak - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a water leak inspection method for a hot water supply device, and more particularly, to a pipe pressurizing method used in the water leak inspection, a jig for closing the pipe, and Relates to a method of determining whether or not a pressure sensor is capable of performing a water leak test.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recent hot water supply devices are provided with a circulation circuit for circulating hot water in the bath for reheating the bath and a circulation circuit for hot water for hot water heating. Here, an example of a hot water supply device provided with such a circulation circuit is shown in FIG. The hot water supply device shown in FIG. 12 includes a hot water supply circuit A, a heating circuit B,
A bath circuit C and a drop circuit D are provided as main parts, and these circuits realize functions such as hot water supply, heating, and bath filling and reheating. The upper side of the broken line in the figure shows the inside of the water heater main body Z,
The lower side of the broken line shows the outside of the apparatus main body Z.

Specifically, the hot water supply circuit A includes a hot water supply heat exchanger 14 that is heated by a gas burner (not shown), and the water inlet side of the hot water supply heat exchanger 14 (the water supply circuit side).
A water temperature sensor 12 for detecting a water temperature and a water amount sensor 13 for detecting a water amount are provided on the other hand, and a can body temperature sensor 15 for detecting a hot water temperature from the hot water heat exchanger 14 on the hot water side. And water volume servo valve 1 to limit the amount of tap water
A hot water temperature sensor 16 for detecting the hot water temperature outside the apparatus body Z is provided. A bypass passage is provided between the water inlet side and the hot water outlet side to bypass the hot water supply heat exchanger 14 for short-circuit connection, and the bypass valve 11 for limiting the flow rate of the bypass passage is provided on the bypass passage. ing.

Further, the heating circuit B includes, for example, a radiator 20 for heating various kinds of hot water such as a floor heating panel and a fan convector, and connecting fittings 28a and 28b of the apparatus main body Z,
It is configured by connecting via external pipes 29a and 29b. And, in the heating circuit B inside the device body Z,
Heating circulation pump 31, heating heat exchanger 22 heated by a gas burner (not shown), hot water temperature sensor 23 for detecting hot water temperature from heating heat exchanger 22, expansion tank 21 for always ensuring a constant amount of water, bath reheating A bath heater 24, a bath thermal valve 32, and a bypass 25 are provided.

The expansion tank 21 is provided with a water level electrode 46 for detecting the water level, one end of a replenishment water pipe 48 and one end of an overflow pipe 45 are connected, and the other end of the replenishment water pipe 48 is on the water inlet side of the hot water supply circuit A. And the other end of the overflow pipe 45 is open to the atmosphere. Further, a vacuum breaker 27, a water refilling valve 30, and a check valve 47 are provided in the middle of the water refilling pipe 48.

Manual valves 60a and 60b for maintenance and inspection are provided in the middle of the external pipes 29a and 29b. The manual valves 60a and 60b are open except during maintenance and inspection. In addition, in the middle of the external pipe 29a for going to the radiator 20, various radiators 20 are installed in the apparatus main body Z.
A plurality of thermal valves 33 for connecting to the side are provided. The thermal valve 33 is opened only when the radiator 20 is actually connected, and the thermal valve 33 where the radiator 20 is not connected is closed by a not-shown stop plug.

In the bath circuit C, the device main body Z is connected to the connecting fitting 9
Bathtub 1 via a, 9b and external pipes 26a, 26b
The bath circuit C in the apparatus main body Z is connected to the bath heater 24 in the middle of the bath circuit C, and the pressure sensor 5 for detecting the water level of the bathtub 10, A bath circulation pump 3, a water flow switch 6 for detecting the presence / absence of hot and cold water circulation in the bathtub 10, and a bath temperature sensor 19 for detecting the temperature of the bathtub 10 are provided.
Although the bath heater 24 is provided in the illustrated example, a bath heat exchanger may be provided in the bath circuit C in place of the bath heater 24 for heating with a gas burner.

The drop circuit D is for connecting the hot water supply circuit A and the bath circuit C to drop hot water from the hot water supply circuit A into the bathtub 10 via the bath circuit C. A vacuum breaker 17, a drop valve 2, and a check valve 18 are provided.

The operation of the hot water supply apparatus having the above-described structure to realize functions such as heating and bath filling will be described below.

(1) When hot water is supplied to the radiator 20 for heating In this case, the heating circulation pump 31 is driven and the gas burner is burned by the control of a controller (not shown) to heat the heating heat exchanger 22. To heat. And
When the heating circulation pump 31 is driven, hot water in the expansion tank 21 flows out and is heated by the heating heat exchanger 22, and the heated hot water is present from the inside of the device body Z to the outside of the device body Z. It is circulated through the outgoing external pipe 29a, the radiator 20, and the return external pipe 29b in this order. that time,
The bath thermal valve 32 is closed so that the circulating hot water does not flow in the bath heater 24.

When it is detected by the water level electrode 46 that the amount of hot water in the expansion tank 21 has become less than a predetermined amount due to evaporation or the like, the refill valve 30 is opened and the water supplied from the water supply circuit is released. Expansion tank 2 via replenishment pipe 48
Water is replenished in 1.

(2) When bath reheating is performed In this case as well, a series of operations is controlled by a controller (not shown). Specifically, the thermal valve 3 on the heating circuit B side
While all 3 are closed and the gas burner is burned to heat the heating heat exchanger 22, the heating circulation pump 31 is driven and the bath heat valve 32 is opened. And
In parallel with these operations, on the bath circuit C side, the bath circulation pump 3 is activated, and the hot and cold water in the bathtub 10 is forcedly circulated in the bath circuit C.

As a result, on the heating circuit B side, after the hot water in the expansion tank 21 is heated by the heating heat exchanger 22 by the operation of the heating circulation pump 31, the bath heat valve 32 is passed through the bath heater 24. , Is circulated via the expansion tank 21. When the hot water which is heated and circulated passes through the bath heater 24, the hot water flowing in the bath circuit C is heated to reheat the bath water stored in the bath 10.

When the radiator 20 is used at the same time, the thermal valve 33 is opened, the hot water heated by the heating heat exchanger 22 is branched and passes through the bath heater 24, and ), It is circulated through the outward external pipe 29a, the radiator 20, and the return external pipe 29b on the external side of the apparatus main body Z sequentially.

(3) When hot water is dropped into the bathtub 10 In this case, hot water adjusted to a predetermined temperature in the hot water supply circuit A is supplied into the bathtub 10 through the drop circuit D and the bath circuit C.

By the way, when the bathtub 10 and the radiator 20 are newly installed together with the apparatus body Z, the apparatus body Z is connected to the bathtub 1 by using the external pipes 26a, 26b, 29a, 29b and the like.
0 or a radiator 20, but at that time, it is necessary to inspect the piping system for water leakage. In particular, external pipes 29a, 29 for connecting to the radiator 20
Since b is often laid around for a long time, it is important to inspect for water leakage after construction.

Therefore, conventionally, after completion of the piping work, for example, by using a hand-operated pressurizing pump 70 and a pressure gauge 72, first, a predetermined portion of each of the external pipes 29a and 29b (the outside of the forward side in the illustrated example). The pipe 29a) is removed and the pressurizing pump 70 is connected to the pipe 29a), and a stop valve (not shown) is attached to the external pipe 29b on the return side. 5 kg
f / cm ² ) was added, and after a lapse of a predetermined time (for example, 2 to 3 minutes), the time-dependent change (gauge down) of the water pressure measured by the pressure gauge 72 was examined to check for water leak in the pipe. . At this time, prior to this inspection, the above-described water leak inspection was performed after operating the pressurizing pump 70 with the shutoff valve opened to remove air from the pipe.

[0018]

However, in such a conventional water leak inspection method, in addition to the work of removing the external pipe 29a in order to mount the pressurizing pump 70 for the water leak inspection, an operator is required. Had to bring test equipment such as the pressure pump 70 and the pressure gauge 72 separately, which was troublesome. Therefore, the applicant of the present application configures a closed circuit in the pipes inside and outside the water heater by closing valve devices provided in various parts of the water heater and the circulation fittings 7 of the bathtub 10, and at the same time, the drop valve 2 to open and inject water and pressurize the closed circuit using the water supply pressure to the drop circuit D, and further detect the pressure in the closed circuit using the pressure sensor 5 for detecting the water level in the bathtub 10. We have come up with an inspection method and an apparatus for realizing the inspection method.

However, even in such a proposal by the applicant, there are problems as listed below, and improvement thereof has been desired.

(1) That is, when pressurizing the inside of the pipe by using the drop valve 2 in this way, since the water supply pressure supplied from the outside to the hot water supply device is not constant, the drop valve 2 is intermittently opened and closed (pulsed). A method in which the water pressure in the pipe is gradually increased by controlling) is preferably adopted. There, in order to prevent damage to the device due to application of high water supply pressure, the time for opening the drop valve 2 was set to a short time (for example, about 10 msec). However, since the drop valve 2 is a solenoid valve,
When the solenoid valve does not operate at all in short-time on / off control due to variations in the power supply voltage that controls the opening and closing of the valve, or the solenoid valve operates normally but the water supply pressure is too low and it takes a long time to pressurize. was there.

(2) Further, when the closed circuit is constructed by the piping in the hot water supply apparatus, the applicant of the present application, as described later,
In addition, the external pipes 26a and 26b of the bath circuit C are short-circuited without opening the inside of the bathtub 10 and a dedicated water leakage inspection jig provided with a pressure relief valve for releasing excess pressure is used. However, the operation of the pressure safety valve alone may damage the device when the safety valve does not operate normally due to, for example, dust caught in the pressure safety valve. Also, as a depressurizing method in that case, a method in which the worker directly loosens the jig to depressurize was considered, but in some cases, such as forgetting to tighten the jig, it may not be possible to pressurize sufficiently when re-pressing. There was a problem.

Moreover, the pressure-flow rate characteristic of the safety valve of the water leakage inspection jig used here is inferior to the pressure-flow rate characteristic when the overflow servo valve of the water heater is fully closed (for example, , Safety valve 3 liter / min-10Kgf /
cm ² while the overflow servo was about 9.5 liters / min-10 Kgf / cm ² ), even if the overflow servo valve was fully closed to avoid excessive pressure, the operation of the pressure relief valve It was not possible to stop the rise in internal pressure in the pipes by itself.

(3) Further, the inspection pressure required for the water leak inspection is usually about ² to 2.5 Kgf / cm ² ,
In the pressurizing method by pulse control of the drop valve 2 described above, for example, when the water supply pressure reaches about 10 Kgf / cm ² ,
Even if the time for opening the drop valve 2 was set to a short time, the possibility of damage to the device due to excessive pressure could not be eliminated.

(4) In addition, in order to use the pressure sensor 5 for detecting the water level of the bathtub 10 also as the pressure detection at the time of water leak inspection,
As the pressure sensor 5 used in the hot water supply device, a multi-functional (with range switching function) pressure sensor capable of switching the range of pressure measurement by switching the input voltage is used. However, there is little difference in appearance between such a multi-function pressure sensor and a single-function pressure sensor that does not have such a function and only detects the water level. It was difficult to distinguish.

Moreover, the production line in which such a multi-function pressure sensor is incorporated in the hot water supply device may be shared with the production line in which the single-function pressure sensor is incorporated in order to simplify the equipment. Often the difference between the two pressure sensors is only the substrate used. for that reason,
Not only on the construction site of the water heater but also on the production line,
It has been strongly desired to propose a method for easily discriminating the pressure sensor incorporated in the apparatus when the assembly is completed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a pipe in which a predetermined inspection pressure can be quickly and surely obtained irrespective of fluctuations in the water supply pressure. It is a primary object to provide a pressurizing method, and a secondary object is to provide a peripheral technique for smoothly obtaining a water leak inspection with the method.

[0027]

In order to achieve the above object, the method of pressurizing the inside of a pipe according to claim 1 of the present invention is characterized by opening a drop circuit to a bath in a water leak inspection of a hot water supply device. A method for pressurizing the inside of a closed circuit-shaped pipe that communicates with the drop circuit by the water pressure supplied to the drop circuit, in which a valve device is provided on the pipe path formed in the closed circuit.
If another piping path is provided so that it can communicate with each other,
The closed circuit is configured by opening the drop circuit.
The pressure inside the pipe is the preset maximum inspection pressure (P ₂ )
Is reached, open the above valve device to reduce the internal pressure in the piping.
And wherein the gel.

[0028]

[0029]

[0030]

According to the invention of claim 1 , when the drop circuit is opened to pressurize the inside of the closed circuit, another piping path provided so as to communicate with the closed circuit via the valve device is opened to open the drop circuit. The pressure in the closed circuit is reduced by branching the water supplied from the other piping path. Highest inspection here
The inspection pressure (P ₂ ) is the inspection required for water leak inspection.
The pressure is usually equal to, for example, ² to 2.5 Kgf / cm ^2.
Since it has a constant width, it means an upper limit value of the inspection pressure (for example, about 2.5 Kgf / cm ² ) or a value in the vicinity thereof. The minimum inspection pressure (P ₁ ) is as described above.
The lower limit of the inspection pressure required for water leak inspection
Means a value around that.

Further, according to the invention of claim 3 , in the water leak inspection of the hot water supply device, by opening the drop circuit to the bathtub,
A method for pressurizing the inside of a pipe formed into a closed circuit by communicating with the drop circuit by the water supply pressure of the water supply circuit connected to the drop circuit, wherein the water supply circuit is provided in parallel with the drop circuit. When a piping path is provided and a valve device is provided on this piping path, when the drop circuit is opened,
It is characterized in that the valve device is opened to reduce the water supply pressure through the drop circuit. Further, it is preferable that the piping path provided in parallel with the drop circuit is open to the atmosphere.

The present invention is a particularly effective method when, for example, it is known in advance that the water supply pressure from the drop circuit is high. That is, according to the invention of claim 3 , when the drop circuit is opened, the water pressure flowing into the drop circuit is reduced in advance by opening the piping path provided in parallel with the drop circuit. Incidentally, in the invention described in claim 1, in order to prevent the pressure increase in the closed circuit, but so that directly pull the water from the closed circuit itself, this claim 3
The invention of (1) does not drain water from the closed circuit but reduces the amount of water itself supplied to the closed circuit.

[0034]

[0035]

[0036]

Further, in the water leakage inspection method according to the sixth aspect, after the pressure in the pipe formed in the closed circuit shape is raised to a predetermined pressure by the above-described pipe pressurizing method, a predetermined time elapses. The pressure drop in the closed circuit is detected, and the water leak in the pipe is determined from the pressure drop. Preferably, the pressure detection in the closed circuit is performed as described in claim 7. Is performed by a water level sensor for detecting the bath water level.

That is, according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the pressurization in the pipe in the water leak inspection is performed by the water supply pressure from the drop circuit, the operator does not need to separately prepare a pressurizing pump, According to the invention of claim 7 , it is not necessary to bring a pressure gauge.

A water leakage inspection jig according to claim 8
Is a drop circuit into the bathtub for water leak inspection of the water heater.
By opening the, drop the water with the water pressure to the drop circuit.
Pressurizes the inside of the pipe that is connected to the circuit and is configured as a closed circuit.
A method for constructing the pipe as a closed circuit,
Realize a method of pressurizing inside the pipe that leaves air in the closed circuit.
A jig for the hot water in the bathtub connected to the drop circuit.
Both the forward side and the return side of the circulation path of
It is characterized by having a closing means for closing.
By closing the outlet of hot water to the bathtub with the jig of
The circulation path is closed while leaving air in the circulation path.

[0040]

[0041]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A water leak inspection method, a pressurizing method in a pipe, a water leak inspection jig, and a pressure sensor function discriminating method for a water heater according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11. explain.

First, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a piping configuration and the like at the time of a water leak inspection in a hot water supply apparatus having functions of hot water supply, heating, and bath filling and reheating, and FIG.
The parts corresponding to those of the conventional example shown in FIG.

In the hot water supply apparatus shown in FIG. 1, when a water leak is inspected, the water leak inspection jig 4 is attached to the circulation metal fitting 7 of the bathtub 10 and the connection metal fitting 9 on the forward side of the bath circuit C is attached.
A connecting pipe 53 is connected between a and a thermal valve 33 provided in the external pipe 29a on the upstream side of the heating circuit B.

The water leakage inspection jig 4 mounted here has been conventionally used by the applicant of the present application. As shown in FIG. 2, the external pipes 26a and 26b of the bath circuit C are connected to the bathtub 10.
A structure in which both are short-circuited without being opened inward is adopted, and a pressure safety valve 57 is provided on the path for short-circuiting the external pipes 26a and 26b. The pressure relief valve 57 is for preventing pressure from exceeding the withstand pressure of the pipe when pressurizing the inside of the pipe path as described later, and its pressure-flow rate characteristic is, for example, 3 liter /
It is set to about −10 Kgf / cm ² .

The connecting pipe 53 is a pipe for connecting the bath circuit C communicating with the drop circuit D and the heating circuit B, and a manual valve 61a of a manual opening / closing type is provided near both ends of the connecting pipe 53. , 61b are provided.

Next, a procedure for conducting a water leak inspection in the structure shown in FIG. 1 will be described. In this case, opening / closing control of each valve device and the like is performed by a controller of a hot water supply device (not shown).

Embodiment 1 Here, a procedure for forming the external pipes 29a, 29b of the heating circuit B and the bath circuit C in a closed circuit shape and applying a pressure to the closed circuit will be described.

(1) Construction of a closed circuit: First, with the drop valve 2 of the drop circuit D and the water amount servo valve 1 of the hot water supply circuit A closed, the manual valves 60a, 60b, 61a, 61b and the refill valve 30 are set. While opening, the heating circulation pump 31 is driven. As a result, the expansion tank 21
Water supplied to the device is circulated from the inside of the device main body Z to the outside of the device main body Z by the driving of the heating circulation drive pump 31 through the outward external pipe 29a, the radiator 20, and the return external pipe 29b in order, The air remaining in the heating circuit B is discharged from the expansion tank 21 to the outside (air removal in the heating circuit B). On the other hand, part of the water circulating in the heating circuit B is discharged into the bathtub 10 via the connection pipe 53, the external pipe 26a of the bath circuit C, and the circulation fitting 7. At this point, the water leakage inspection jig 4 is not attached to the circulation fitting 7.

In this way, when the heating circuit B on the inner side of the apparatus main body Z and its external pipes 29a, 29b are filled with water and the air bleeding in the pipe passage is completed, the manual valves 60a, 6 are subsequently operated.
0b and the rehydration valve 30 are closed, and the heating circulation drive pump 3
Stop 1

Next, the drop valve 2 of the drop circuit D is opened and the water amount servo valve 1 is opened to supply a constant amount of water from the drop circuit D to the bath circuit C. The amount of water dropped from the drop valve 2 into the bath circuit C at this time is until the water level of the bathtub 10 exceeds the circulation fitting 7, in other words, the water level of the bathtub 10 is a position where water can be circulated in the bath circuit C. The drop valve 2 is once closed after the predetermined amount of drop has been performed.

When the water level in the bathtub 10 reaches a predetermined level in this way, the bath circulation pump 3 is next driven to circulate the water in the bath circuit C and circulate the air remaining in the bath circuit C. It is discharged from the metal fitting 7 (air removal from the bath circuit C).
At this time, if the water level in the bathtub 10 has not reached the predetermined water level, the water flow switch 6 does not turn on even if the bath circulation pump 3 is driven. In that case, the drop valve 2
Is opened again, and water is injected until the water level in the bathtub 10 reaches a predetermined water level.

When the air removal from the bath circuit C is completed, the water leakage inspection jig 4 is attached to the circulating metal fitting 7 next. At the time of this mounting, air is prevented from remaining in the water leakage inspection jig 4. By mounting the water leakage inspection jig 4 to close the discharge port of the bath circuit C to the bathtub 10, the bath circuit C, the connection pipe 53, and the external pipes 29a and 29b of the heating circuit B are formed into a closed circuit. To be done.

(2) Method of pressurizing the closed circuit (No. 1): When the closed circuit is constituted by the bath circuit C, the connecting pipe 53 and the heating circuit B as described above, By intermittently opening and closing the drop circuit D (drop valve 2) (pulse control), the water supply pressure from the water supply is applied to the closed circuit.

The detailed pressurizing procedure in that case is shown in the flow chart of FIG. Note that T seconds shown in FIG. 3 is the time during which the drop valve 2 is opened, and this time is as described above.
In consideration of the case where the water supply pressure is abnormally high, it is preferable to set the shortest time for which the opening / closing control of the drop valve 2 is possible, for example, about 10 msec, but a specific numerical value is appropriately set freely.

First, when the bath circuit C, the connecting pipe 53 and the heating circuit B constitute a closed circuit, the drop valve 2
Is opened (step S1 in FIG. 3). Then, after this state is continued for T seconds (step S2 in FIG. 3), the drop valve 2 is closed (step S3 in FIG. 3).

When the drop valve 2 is closed, after waiting for the pressure in the closed circuit to stabilize in that state for about several seconds (1 second in the illustrated example) (step S4 in FIG. 3), the pressure sensor provided in the closed circuit (In the present invention, the water level sensor 5 will be described later)
At, the pressure (pressure in the pipe) P in the closed circuit is measured.

Next, the measured pressure P is compared with the preset minimum inspection pressure P ₁ (step S in FIG. 3).
5). Here, the minimum inspection pressure P ₁ is, for example, an inspection pressure applied to a closed circuit at the time of water leakage inspection is 2 to 2.5 Kgf / cm.
^When it is set to about ² , the minimum value is 2 Kgf / c
It is preferably set to m ² , and when it is determined that the measured pressure P has reached the minimum inspection pressure P ₁ , the process proceeds to the subsequent step S6 in FIG. 3 to end the pressurizing operation. .

On the other hand, when it is determined that the pressure P measured in step S5 of FIG. 3 has not reached the minimum inspection pressure P ₁ , the counter (not shown) counts and the process proceeds to step S7 of FIG. In step S7 of FIG. 3, it is determined whether or not the value counted in the previous step has reached a predetermined number of times N times (for example, 8 times). 3, the drop valve 2 is opened again, and the operations of steps S1 to S5 and step S7 in FIG. 3 are repeated until the predetermined number of times N is reached. If the pressure in the closed circuit reaches the minimum inspection pressure P ₁ on the way, step S6 in FIG.
And the pressurizing operation is completed.

When the counter reaches the predetermined number N in this process, the count of the counter is reset (N = 0) and the time T for opening the drop valve 2 is T +.
Extend to α (step S8 in FIG. 3). That is, the drop valve 2
If the counter reaches the predetermined number N by repeating opening and closing, it is considered that the supply water pressure is extremely low or the drop valve 2 is not operating normally due to fluctuations in the voltage for driving the valve. By increasing the time T for opening the valve 2, the pressure rise in the closed circuit is promoted. In addition,
Here, regarding the amount α for extending the time for opening the drop valve 2,
It can be freely set as appropriate, and for example, it is conceivable to set the opening time T to double.

Thus, when the time T for opening the drop valve 2 is extended in this way, the number of times of extension is also counted here and the process proceeds to step S9 in FIG. Figure 3 Step S
At 9, it is determined whether or not the counted number of times has reached a predetermined number of times n.
Similar to step S7 in FIG. 3 described above, the process proceeds to step S1 in FIG. 3 to open the drop valve 2 again to repeat the above operation. The setting of the predetermined number of times n is appropriately determined depending on, for example, the degree of the time extension α and the number of times the predetermined number of times N is set in the preceding counter. As a modification of this case, for example, the count counted in step S5 of FIG. 3 is counted by a counter different from the counter described in step S7 of FIG. 3, and the value is n ′ (for example, 12).
It is also possible to make a transition to step S10 in FIG.

On the other hand, when the number of times the time is extended in step S8 of FIG. 3 reaches the predetermined number n, it is considered that the feed water pressure is abnormal or the drop valve 2 is abnormal. In step S10, a predetermined alarm operation is performed, for example, an alarm is displayed on the display unit of a remote controller (not shown). As a result, the operator can quickly know the water supply pressure or the abnormality of the drop valve 2,
In that case, the pressurizing operation can be immediately terminated,
There is no need to continue useless work.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the opening time of the drop valve 2 is sequentially extended when the number of times of opening and closing the drop valve 2 reaches N times, so that the initial time T is set to be extremely short. Even in such a case, the inconvenience that the drop valve 2 does not operate at all is solved, and it is possible to raise the pressure to a predetermined inspection pressure in a short time as compared with the normal pulse control (the time T is constant).

(2) Pressurizing method for closed circuit (No. 2): Next, the above pressurizing method (No. 1) or another pressurizing method that can be used in combination with ordinary pulse control is shown in FIG. A description will be given based on the flowchart. Note that FIG. 4 shows a case where the pulse control is used together with the normal pulse control.

First, a closed circuit is constituted by the bath circuit C, the connecting pipe 53 and the heating circuit B, and after the pressurization by the pulse control is started, the pressure sensor 5 waits for the pressure in the closed circuit to stabilize. The pressure P in the closed circuit is detected in the same manner as described above (see steps S1 and S2 in FIG. 4).

When the pipe internal pressure P is measured, the measured pipe internal pressure P and the maximum inspection pressure P ₂ are compared in step S3 of FIG. Here, the maximum inspection pressure P ₂ is the maximum value of the inspection pressure applied to the closed circuit during the water leak inspection, for example, 2.5 Kgf / c in the above example.
It is preferable that the value is about m ^2, but this value can be appropriately set and changed in relation to the withstand pressure of the pipes forming the closed circuit.

If it is determined in step S3 of FIG. 4 that the pipe internal pressure P does not reach the maximum inspection pressure P ₂ , the process proceeds to step S4 of FIG. In step S4 of FIG. 4, the processing differs depending on whether or not the pressure P in the pipe has reached the inspection pressure required for the water leak inspection.
If the inspection pressure has not been reached, pressurization is performed again in step S1 in FIG. 4, and if the inspection pressure has been reached,
The pressurizing operation is stopped and the process proceeds to a water leak inspection (pressure measurement described later) described later.

On the other hand, when it is judged in step S3 in FIG. 4 that the pipe pressure P has reached the maximum inspection pressure P ₂ ,
Since it is determined that the pressure in the closed circuit is higher than necessary, the valve device (the thermal valve 33 in the illustrated example) communicating with the closed circuit is opened. That is, by opening the thermal valve 33, the pressure in the closed circuit is reduced. In this case, the radiator 2
Since the thermal valve 33 connected to 0 is already opened when forming the closed circuit, the other thermal valve 33 to which the radiator 20 is not connected is opened here. In that case,
It goes without saying that the closing plug attached to the thermal valve 33 is removed in advance.

As a modification of this case, another valve can be used instead of the thermal valve 33 in the valve device. For example, it is conceivable to manually open either one of the manual valves 60a and 60b. Further, the present invention is effective when a closed circuit is formed by closing the thermal valve 33 instead of the manual valves 60a and 60b. In this case, when excess pressure is applied, the thermal valve 33 that constitutes this closed circuit is opened, so that the closed circuit is connected to the expansion tank 21 that is open to the atmosphere, so that the pressure inside the closed circuit is efficiently increased. Can be released from the expansion tank 21.

As described above, according to the present invention, for example, when the pressure exceeds the capability of the pressure safety valve 57 of the water leak inspection jig 4, or when the safety valve 57 is clogged with dust, the pressure reducing operation is appropriately performed. Even when the operation is not performed, the pressure in the closed circuit can be easily reduced, and the pressure can be applied without damaging the pipes and equipment. Further, by using a valve that can be controlled by the controller of the hot water supply device such as a thermal valve as the valve device, it is possible to automatically reduce the pressure in the closed circuit when pressure exceeds a predetermined pressure. Moreover,
In that case, the valve can be closed again to re-pressurize under the control of the controller.

(3) Pressurizing method for closed circuit (3): Next, as in the above pressurizing method (2), in order to avoid excessive pressure in the closed circuit In particular, this embodiment is suitable for the case where it is known in advance that the water supply pressure is high. Below, FIG.
A flow chart is shown in FIG.

That is, first, the bath circuit C and the connecting pipe 5
When the closed circuit constituted by 3 and the heating circuit B is configured, the drop valve 2 and the rehydration valve 30 are opened (step S1 in FIG. 5). That is, when the drop valve 2 is opened, the refill valve 30 is opened at the same time, so that a part of the water supplied from the water supply (water supply circuit) is dropped into the expansion tank 21 via the refill water pipe 48. As a result, a part of the high water supply pressure supplied from the water supply circuit is dispersed on the side of the water supply pipe 48. In addition,
In the present embodiment, the replenishment water pipe 48 is connected to the expansion tank 21 that is open to the atmosphere as described above, so there is no risk of damaging the replenishment water pipe 48 and the like due to the dispersed water pressure.

Here, the opening / closing timing of the replenishment valve 30 is shown in a time chart in FIG. Figure 6 (a) shows the drop valve 2
And an example of the opening / closing timing of the replenishment valve 30. In this case, the replenishment valve 30 is opened prior to opening the drop valve 2.
And the drop valve 2 is closed, and at the same time, the rehydration valve 30 is also closed. Further, FIG. 6 (b) shows an example of changing the opening / closing timing of the rehydration valve 2. That is, the water refill valve a shown in FIG. 6B is opened before the drop valve 2 is opened, and is closed after the drop valve 2 is closed. In addition, the replenishment valve b is provided with the replenishment valve 30 before opening the drop valve 2.
Is opened, and the water supply valve 30 is closed before the drop valve 2 is closed. Further, in the replenishment valve c, the replenishment valve 30 is opened after opening the drop valve 2, and the replenishment valve 30 is closed after the drop valve 2 is closed. In this way, the opening / closing timing of the replenishment valve 30 is set so that at least a period in which the drop valve 2 and the replenishment valve 30 are simultaneously opened when the drop valve 2 is opened. The time for opening the drop valve 2 and the replenishment valve 30 at the same time can be appropriately changed depending on the level of the water supply pressure of the water supply circuit.

After the drop valve 2 is opened for a predetermined time T '(step S2 in FIG. 5), the drop valve 2 and the refill valve 30 are closed in step S3 in FIG. After that, after the pressure in the closed circuit stabilizes for about 1 second (step S4 in FIG. 5), the pressure P in the closed circuit is measured by the pressure sensor 5.

Then, in step S5 of FIG. 5, it is judged whether or not the detected pipe internal pressure P has reached the minimum inspection pressure P ₁ and, as a result, the minimum inspection pressure P ₁
If it has reached, the process proceeds to step S6 in FIG. 5 to end the pressurizing operation. On the other hand, if the minimum inspection pressure P ₁ has not been reached, the process returns to step S1 in FIG.
Then, the rehydration valve 30 is opened, and thereafter, the operation from step S1 to step S5 in FIG. 5 is repeated until the minimum inspection pressure P ₁ is reached.

In this embodiment, step S5 in FIG.
If the minimum inspection pressure P ₁ is not detected at
Although the configuration for returning to step S1 is shown, of course, FIG.
As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7, it can be configured to detect the predetermined number of times N in combination with a counter. In addition, when it is known in advance that the water supply pressure is high, the water supply pressure can be more surely lowered by narrowing the water amount servo valve 1 in advance together with the present embodiment.

Thus, according to the pressurizing method (part 3),
Even when the water supply pressure is high, pulse control can be performed while dispersing the water supply pressure, and a predetermined inspection pressure can be obtained without damaging the piping or the like.

(4) Water Leakage Inspection Method: Next, a water leakage inspection method when a predetermined inspection pressure is obtained by the pressurizing method as described above will be described.

In the water leak inspection, after the pressure in the closed circuit is set to a predetermined inspection pressure, a predetermined pressure sensor (here, the pressure sensor 5 for detecting the water level of the bath 10) provided in the closed circuit is used. This is performed by detecting the amount of pressure drop in the closed circuit over time. That is, if the pressure in the pipe detected after a lapse of a predetermined time after reaching the predetermined inspection pressure is lower than a predetermined value by comparison with the initially measured inspection pressure, water leaks into the closed circuit. It is determined that there is a place. In this water leak inspection, each operation can be controlled by a controller (not shown) together with the above-mentioned pipe pressurizing method.

Here, the structure of the pressure sensor 5 which is used for both the water level detection of the bathtub 10 and the pressure detection during the water leak inspection will be briefly described with reference to FIG.

The pressure sensor 5 used here is a multifunctional pressure sensor capable of measuring different pressure ranges by switching the reference voltage Vref input to the pressure sensor 5 in two stages (2V and 5V in the illustrated example). Is. here,
FIG. 7A shows the relationship between the sensor output voltage Vout and the pressure P when 2V is applied as the reference voltage Vref.
Further, FIG. 7B shows the relationship between the sensor output voltage Vout and the pressure P when 5 V is applied as the reference voltage Vref.

As is apparent from FIG. 7, when the pressure sensor 5 is used for detecting the water level in the bathtub 2, 2V is applied as the reference voltage Vref, and in this state,
If converted to the water level in the bathtub, the range is 1.5 m (output voltage Vou
Pressure detection (water level detection) is performed when t is in the range of 0.5 to 3V. On the other hand, when the pressure sensor 5 is used for pressure detection at the time of water leak inspection, 5V is applied as the reference voltage Vref. And in this case, 1.2
Pressure detection at the time of water leak inspection is performed in the range of 5 Kgf / cm ^{2 to} 2.75 Kgf / cm ² (output voltage Vout is in the range of 0.5 to 3.5 V).

(5) Method of discriminating pressure sensor function: By the way, by switching the reference voltage Vref in this way,
The pressure sensor 5 that detects the water level of the bathtub 10 and the pressure during the water leak inspection should be visually distinguished from a pressure sensor that only detects the normal water level (a single-function pressure sensor that can measure only a single pressure range). Is difficult. For this reason, usually, such a distinction is clearly indicated on the model number display of the hot water supply device, etc., but when performing a water leak inspection, it may not be possible to recognize such a display. A function inspection method for determining will be described.

That is, in the case of a pressure sensor that only detects the water level in the bathtub 10, the pressure range measurable by this pressure sensor is 1. If converted to the water level in the bathtub as in FIG. 7A.
5m range (reference voltage Vref is 2V, output voltage Vout
Is in the range of 0.5 to 3V).

Therefore, the applicant of the present application applies to the pressure sensor a reference voltage Vref of a value which is not expected to be input in the normal water level detection, and the output voltage Vout at that time is applied.
It is determined whether or not the pressure sensor is a multi-function pressure sensor from the value of.

Specifically, for example, a voltage of 5V, which is the same as the reference voltage Vref applied at the time of water leak inspection in the multi-function pressure sensor 5, is applied to the single-function pressure sensor. Then, in this single-function pressure sensor,
As shown in FIG. 8, the output voltage Vout is in a saturated state (3.5V output in the illustrated example). On the other hand, when the reference voltage 5V is applied to the multifunctional pressure sensor 5 without applying pressure (P = 0), the output voltage Vout becomes 0V as shown in FIG. 7 (b). (Note that when 5 V is applied as the reference voltage Vref, the output voltage of the single-function pressure sensor becomes saturated regardless of the presence or absence of pressure, but in the case of a multi-function pressure sensor, the output voltage corresponding to the pressure is applied. Is obtained).

Therefore, the output voltage V obtained by applying to the pressure sensor a voltage (5 V in the present embodiment) having a value that is not normally scheduled as the reference voltage Vref.
From the difference in out, it is possible to determine whether the pressure sensor has a single function or a multi-function.

Here, an example in which the function inspection method of the pressure sensor is applied to the water leak inspection will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, assuming that the water leak test of the present invention is controlled by a controller (not shown), an operation for instructing the start of the water leak test is performed (FIG. 9, step S1).

Then, 5V is applied as the reference voltage Vref to the pressure sensor 5 (step S in FIG. 9).
Along with 2), the output voltage Vout at that time is detected.

When the output voltage Vout is detected, the following FIG.
The output voltage Vout detected in step S3 is 2V.
It is determined whether or not it is less than or equal to 2V, and when it is determined that it is less than or equal to 2V, the process proceeds to step S4 in FIG. To be done. On the other hand, when the detected output voltage Vout exceeds 2V, it is determined that the output of the pressure sensor is saturated, so that the pressure sensor 5 used in the water heater has a single function, that is, Assuming that only the water level detecting function of the bathtub 10 is used, an error output for performing a predetermined error display or the like is performed (FIG. 9).
Step S5).

In this way, by incorporating the function switching inspection method of the pressure sensor into the process of the water leak inspection, even if the function of the pressure sensor 5 is unknown at the installation location of the water heater, the function can be easily confirmed. can do. Further, according to this method, even when, for example, a hot water supply apparatus incorporating a multi-function pressure sensor and a single-function pressure sensor is produced in the same factory or the same production line, the two can be easily distinguished from each other. .

Embodiment 2 Next, another embodiment of the water leakage inspection according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 10.

In this embodiment, the water leakage inspection jig 4 used when pressurizing the inside of the pipe in the water leakage inspection is different from that of the first embodiment as indicated by reference numeral 41 in FIG. The specific pressing method is also different from that of the first embodiment. It should be noted that, except for these differences, the second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment, and therefore the description of the device configuration and the like will be omitted.

That is, the water leakage inspection jig 4 shown in FIG.
1 is attached to the circulation fitting 7 of the bathtub 10 at the time of a water leak inspection, and the water leakage inspection jig 41 is an external pipe 26a, 26 of the bath circuit C guided to the circulation fitting 7.
closing means 41a, 41b for individually closing b
Is equipped with. In the illustrated example, since the water leakage inspection jig 41 is attached with the discharge portion (not shown) and the filter (not shown) provided at the tip of the circulation fitting 7 removed, the closing means 41a, 41b shape
The structure is adapted to the shape and structure in the state where these are removed. Therefore, the shape and structure of the water leakage inspection jig 41 can be appropriately changed in design according to the shape and structure of the other party to whom the water leakage inspection jig 41 is attached.

(1) Construction of Closed Circuit: Next, a procedure for forming a closed circuit using the water leakage inspection jig 41 will be described.

First, the heating circuit B is also used in this embodiment.
The air inside is removed. The procedure for removing air from the heating circuit B is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Then, after that, the drop valve 2 is opened to inject a fixed amount (a small amount) of water, and then the drop valve 2 and the manual valves 60a and 60b are again provided.
And the water leakage inspection jig 41 is mounted.

As a result, the bath circuit C, the connecting pipe 53, and the external pipes 29a and 29b of the heating circuit B which are separated from the apparatus main body Z by closing the manual valves 60a and 60b are provided as in the first embodiment. The closed circuit is composed of. However, in the present embodiment, the configuration is different from the closed circuit of the first embodiment in that the water leak inspection jig 41 closes the external pipes 26a and 26b individually, and the amount of water injected from the drop valve 2 is small. In addition, since the air in the bath circuit C is not removed, the air remains in a part of the interior of the bath circuit C closed by the water leakage inspection jig 41.

(2) Method of pressurizing the closed circuit: Then, when the closed circuit is constructed in such a state that air is left in a part of the bath circuit C, next, in this state, the drop valve 2 Is opened and pressurization into the closed circuit is started.

At this time, the drop valve 2 is opened and closed by pulse control to pressurize. However, in this embodiment, since air remains in the bath circuit C, the water supply pressure is temporarily 10 Kgf / c.
Excessive pressure is applied to the bath circuit C even when it is as high as m ^2.
The pressure in the closed circuit does not rise rapidly because it is absorbed by the contraction of the air layer remaining inside. for that reason,
According to this embodiment, the pressure in the closed circuit can be gradually increased to a predetermined inspection pressure without exceeding the withstand voltage of the closed circuit.

In this embodiment, the amount of air remaining in the bath circuit C is adjusted to some extent by adjusting the time for opening the drop valve 2 and the opening degree of the water amount servo valve 1 when forming the closed circuit. Since the pressure can be adjusted, pressurization in the pipe can be realized according to the level of the water supply pressure.

By the way, when a water leak test is performed in a state where air remains in the closed circuit as in the present embodiment, the expansion coefficient of the remaining air changes due to a change in the ambient temperature, so It is expected that the pressure in the closed circuit will change regardless of whether it is present or not, and an accurate pressure change cannot be detected. In such a case, the temperature change in the bath circuit C is detected in advance by the temperature detection device, and If there is a risk of an erroneous determination due to a sudden temperature change or the like, it is preferable to stop the water leak test or display the fact on a remote controller of a hot water supply device (not shown).

The above-described embodiment is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this, and various design changes can be made within the range.

(1) For example, in the first and second embodiments,
All of them disclose a device configuration including a heating circuit B, but the present invention is also applicable to a hot water supply device including a hot water supply circuit A, a bath circuit C, and a drop circuit D. In this case, the connecting pipe 53 is unnecessary. Further, the method of constructing the closed circuit in the above-described embodiment can be appropriately changed depending on the specific piping configuration and the water leak inspection range. For example, when performing a water leak test on the inside of the main body Z of the heating circuit B, valve devices capable of closing the pipes are provided on both sides of the expansion tank 21, and the expansion tank 2 is closed by closing the valve devices.
1 is disconnected from the circuit, and manual valves 60a, 60
By opening b, it is possible to take the pipe on the inner side of the apparatus main body Z of the heating circuit B into the closed circuit.

(2) Further, the pressurizing method in the above embodiment can be used alone or in combination with other methods. For example, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11, at the beginning of pressurization, as shown in steps S1 to S9 of FIG. 11, pressurization is started in the procedure shown in the pressurizing method (part 1) of the first embodiment. , repeated pressure until a predetermined minimum test pressure P _1, the procedure proceeds to FIG. 11 step S10 that follows when the minimum test pressure P ₁ is obtained, the pipe internal pressure P does not exceed the maximum test pressure P ₂ It is judged whether there is any, and if it does not exceed, the water leak inspection is started (Fig. 11).
On the other hand, if the maximum inspection pressure P ₂ is exceeded, the process proceeds to step S12 in FIG.

Although step S12 in FIG. 11 is not described in the above embodiment, the reason is that even if the pipe internal pressure P once exceeds the maximum inspection pressure P ₂ , the pipe internal pressure P is lowered for some reason. In the step considering the case, when the pipe internal pressure P once falls below the minimum inspection pressure P ₁ , the process returns to step S1 of FIG. 11 and the pressurizing operation is performed again.

On the other hand, when the pressure drop is not detected in step S12 of FIG. 11, the process proceeds to step S13 of FIG. 11, and the thermal valve 33 is opened (the above-mentioned pressurizing method No. 2) and the closed circuit Reduce the pressure of. Since the thermal valve 33 that is opened here cannot open and close abruptly, the pressure P in the closed circuit drops significantly when the thermal valve 33 is opened. On the other hand, as a result of performing steps S1 to S9 in FIG. 11, the pipe pressure P is the highest inspection pressure P.
_Since it is considered that the water supply pressure is higher than ₂ , it is expected that the same result will be obtained even if the steps S1 to S9 in FIG. 11 are repeated and the pressurization is performed. After S14, as shown in the pressurizing method (part 3) of the first embodiment, the operation of simultaneously opening and closing the drop valve 2 and the replenishment valve 30 is performed (FIG. 11).
Steps S14 to S18).

Then, in step S18 of FIG.
When the pipe pressure P reaches the minimum inspection pressure P ₁ , it returns to step S10 in FIG. 11 to determine whether the maximum inspection pressure P ₂ is exceeded, and if not, the water leak inspection is started. In addition, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 11, step S19 and step S20 of FIG. 11 are added after the end of step S14 to step S18 of FIG. 11, but this adjusts the time for opening the drop valve 2 as described above. This is because

[0108]

As described above in detail, according to the method for pressurizing the inside of the pipe of the present invention, it is possible to pressurize to the inspection pressure required for the water leak inspection in a short time, and the drop circuit is completely opened. The inconvenience of not being solved is eliminated. In addition, since it is possible to prevent excessive pressure from being applied to the closed circuit, it is possible to avoid damage to the instrument due to excessive pressure even when the pressure relief valve or the like such as the water leakage inspection jig does not operate normally.

Further, according to the water leak inspection method for the hot water supply apparatus of the present invention, the pressurization in the pipe prior to the water leak inspection is performed quickly and reliably, so that the water leak inspection can be performed accurately. Moreover, most of the pressurization and pressure detection operations in the pipes are performed by the device parts that can be controlled by the controller such as the water heater, so that the water leak inspection can be automatically performed.

Similarly, since the function determination of the pressure sensor equipped in the hot water supply device is performed by the controllable operation of the controller, almost all the processes of the water leak inspection including the operation check of the pressure sensor should be automated. Is possible.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a hot water supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a water leakage inspection jig that is mounted on a bath when performing a water leakage inspection according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for pressurizing the inside of a pipe when performing a water leak inspection according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of a pressurizing method in a pipe when performing a water leak inspection according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for pressurizing the inside of a pipe when performing a water leak inspection according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a timing chart for explaining opening / closing timings of the drop valve and the water refill valve in the flowchart of FIG. 5, FIG. 6 (a) shows a representative example thereof, and FIG. 6 (b) shows a modified example thereof. .

FIG. 7 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the measured pressure and the output voltage of the pressure sensor used in the water leak test according to the present invention.
7A shows the case where 2V is applied as the reference voltage, and FIG. 7B shows the case where 5V is applied as the reference voltage.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an output voltage when a reference voltage of 5 V is applied to a single-function pressure sensor that only detects a water level.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a pressure sensor function determination method according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of another embodiment of the water leakage inspection jig mounted on the bath when performing the water leakage inspection according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for carrying out a water leak test according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a conventional hot water supply device.

[Explanation of symbols]

Z Main unit A Hot water supply circuit B Heating circuit C Bath circuit D Drop circuit P Piping pressure P ₁ Minimum inspection pressure P ₂ Maximum inspection pressure Vref Reference voltage (input voltage) Vout Output voltage 1 Water volume servo valve 2 Drop valve 3 Bath circulation pump 4,41 Water leak inspection jig 5 Pressure sensor 7 Circulation fitting 10 Bathtub 20 Radiator 21 Expansion tanks 26a, 26b, 29a, 29b External pipe 30 Water replenishment valve 31 Heating circulation pump 48 Water replenishment pipe 53 Connection pipe

Front page continuation (72) Inventor Takeshi Ikezawa 93 Edomachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo In Noritsu Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Manabu Shimizu 93 Edo-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo (72) Invention Naoto Kodairi 93, Edo-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo Prefecture Incorporated Noritsu (72) Inventor Tomohiro Imai 93, Edo-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo Prefecture Noritsu, Ltd. (72) Inventor Hideya Tobuyama Hyogo 93, Edo-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe (72) Inventor Koji Kishio 93, Edo-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture In-house (72) Eiichi Tsuji, 93, Edo-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo In stock company Noritsu (72) Inventor Tatsuro Arai 93 Edo-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe city, Hyogo Prefecture In stock company Noritsu (56) Reference JP-A-3-125851 (JP, A) JP-A-11-223382 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G01M 3/28 F24D 3/00

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. A water leakage inspection of the water heater, by opening the落込circuit to the tub, pressurizing the inside of the pipe formed a closed circuit form communicates with落込circuit with at supply pressure to該落write circuit A method, wherein, on the piping path configured in the closed circuit shape, when another piping path is provided so as to be able to communicate via a valve device, the closed circuit is configured by opening the drop circuit. The pressure inside the pipe is set to the preset maximum inspection pressure (P
_When the pressure reaches ₂ ), the internal pressure in the pipe is lowered by opening the valve device. 2. The pipe pressurizing method according to claim 1 , wherein the drop circuit is opened for a predetermined time (T) and then the drop circuit is closed to detect the pressure (P) in the pipe. The step and the detected pipe pressure (P) are compared with a preset minimum inspection pressure (P ₁ ) to determine the pipe pressure (P).
When the pressure does not reach the minimum inspection pressure (P ₁ ), the second step of opening the drop circuit for a predetermined time (T) again, and the pipe internal pressure (P) reaches the minimum inspection pressure (P ₁ ). And a step of extending (T + α) the predetermined time (T) when the second step is performed a predetermined number of times (N) without doing so. 3. In a water leak test of a hot water supply device, by opening a drop circuit to a bathtub, the water supply circuit connected to the drop circuit communicates with the drop circuit to form a closed circuit. A method of pressurizing the inside of a pipe, wherein, on the water supply circuit, a pipe path is provided in parallel with the drop circuit, and when a valve device is provided on the pipe path, when the drop circuit opens. A pipe pressurizing method, characterized in that the valve device is opened to reduce the water supply pressure via the drop circuit. 4. The pipe pressurizing method according to claim 3 , wherein a pipe path provided in parallel with the drop circuit is open to the atmosphere. 5. The pipe pressurizing method according to claim 3 , wherein the drop circuit is opened for a predetermined time (T) and then the drop circuit is closed to detect the pressure (P) in the pipe. The step and the detected pipe pressure (P) are compared with a preset minimum inspection pressure (P ₁ ) to determine the pipe pressure (P).
When the pressure does not reach the minimum inspection pressure (P ₁ ), the second step of opening the drop circuit for a predetermined time (T) again, and the pipe internal pressure (P) reaches the minimum inspection pressure (P ₁ ). And a step of extending (T + α) the predetermined time (T) when the second step is performed a predetermined number of times (N) without doing so. 6. The closed circuit after a predetermined time has elapsed after the pressure in the closed circuit is increased to a predetermined pressure by the method for pressurizing the inside of the pipe according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The method for inspecting water leakage in a hot water supply device, wherein the amount of pressure drop is detected, and the water leak in the pipe is determined from the amount of pressure drop. 7. The water leak inspection method for a hot water supply device according to claim 6 , wherein the pressure detection in the closed circuit is performed by a pressure sensor provided for detecting a bath water level. 8. A bathtub for water leak inspection of a hot water supply device
By opening the drop circuit of, the water supply pressure to the drop circuit
Inside a pipe that is connected to the drop circuit to form a closed circuit
Is a method of pressurizing
A jig for realizing a method of pressurizing the inside of the pipe that allows air to remain in the closed circuit, when both the forward side and the return side of the hot water circulation path in the bathtub connected to the drop circuit are connected. A water leak inspection jig for a hot water supply device, which is provided with a closing means for individually closing each.