US2567801A - Hot-water air heating unit - Google Patents

Description

p 1951 E. w. CALDWELL 2,567,801

HOT WATER AIR HEATING UNIT Filed April 25, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l [00:11: W CALDWELL,

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

Sept. 11, 1951 E. w. CALDWELL 2,567,301

HOT WATER AIR HEATING UNIT Filed April 25, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 J ATTORNEYS.

P 11, 1951 E. w. CALDWELL I 2,567,801

' HOT WATER AIR HEATING UNIT 3 Sheets-Sheet I5 Filed April 25, 1950 fUGEA/E W (ALDWELL,

INVENTOR.

BY afrw+ ATTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 11, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,567,801 HOT WATERAIIit HEATING UNIT Eugene W. Caldwell, Maiden, N. 0. Application April 25, 1950, Serial No. 158,032

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to heating units and more especially to an improved radiator type forced air heater.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an improvement in a hot water heater of a type having a radiator provided with pipes or tubes back of which a fan is disposed for circulating air through the radiator and having means for admitting water or the like to the pipes in the radiator under pressure, the improvement comprising an electrical heating element disposed within a container into which the water in the pipes is also admitted for heating the water in the pipes and an improved thermostatic regulator for said heating element.

There have, heretofore, been many heaters of substantially the type heretofore described which were provided with an electrically operable fan for circulating air past the pipes in the radiator and this fan being controlled by a suitable thermostat or the like. However, due to changes in temperature and atmospheric conditions, it sometimes happens that the fan will remain inoperative for a considerable length of time with the result that the pipes in the radiator will become overheated and the water or other fluid therein will evaporate thus causing the radiator pipes to give on an undesirable amount of heat and also causing the element to become overheated and to burn out and, of course, causing a relatively large consumption of electrical current resulting in costly operation of the heating unit.

It is, therefore, another object of this invention to provide a heater of the type described with an improved control means including a closed tube which projects into the container into which the water or other fluid in the pipes is also admitted and which is adapted to be submerged in the fluid, this tube having a rotatable shaft mounted therein and extending longitudinally thereof and being surrounded by a coiled spring, the other end of the closed tube relative to the container being slidably and rotatably penetrated by the shaft disposed within the tube and this shaft having suitable circuit breaking means on the outer end, such as one or more mercury switches, through which current passes from a source of electrical energy to the heating element disposed within the container.

The shaft within the closed tube is surrounded by a torsion spring, one end thereof being connected to the shaft and the other end being suitably secured in'fixed relation to the tube. The torsion spring is responsive to changes in .temperature so that upon the heating element in the container having heated the water to a desired temperature, regardless of whether or not the fan is operating, the torsion spring will transmit partial rotation to the shaft which it surrounds to actuate the circuit breaking meansto open the circuit to the heating element when the water or other fluid in the radiator pipes has reached a predetermined temperature, preferably, just below boiling point.

It is evident that, upon the temperature of the water or other fluid in the container being lowered to a predetermined temperature by the fan or through dissipation of the heat in the radiator pipes by any other means, the torsion spring will contract in such a manner as to again close the circuit to the heating element from the source of electrical energy.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved. heating unit omitting the Wall of the casing nearest the observer for purposes of clarity and showing many of the parts in cross-section;

Figure 2 is an enlarged elevation with parts in section, looking substantially along the line 22 in Figure 1, and showing a part of the improved control apparatus for the electrical heating elements;

Figure 3 is an elevation with parts in section looking substantially along the line 3-3 in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a sectional plan View through the water heating container or manifold taken along the line 4-4 in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional plan view taken substantially along the. line 55 in Figure l and showing the apparatus responsive to the temperature of the water in the heater for controlling the flow of current to the electrical heating elements for heating the water;

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view showing the various electrical parts of the apparatus schematically.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, there is shown a heating unit of a type such as is adapted to be suspended from the, ceiling of a building, from a wall of the building or mounted on the floor. However, it is to be understood that the present invention may be used in association with many types of hot water radiator space heaters, the heating unit appearing in the drawings being shown by way of illustration only.

Referring to Figures 1 and 3, the numeral [0 broadly designates a radiator including a plurality of spaced vertically disposed tubes or radiator pipes I I which penetrate a plurality of horizontally disposed and vertically spaced vanes I2 which are fixed to the radiator pipes II in the usual manner such as by soldering. The upper ends of the pipes II are suitably connected to and communicate with an upper manifold or container I5 which has an internally threaded adapter I6 secured thereto, as by welding at H, and communicating therewith.

A nipple 28 has one end thereof threadably embedded in the adapter I6 and the other end thereof is connected to an elbow H to which the upper end of a vertically extending pipe nipple 22 is threadably connected to a pipe elbow 23 to the other end of which a pipe 24 is threadably connected, this pipe 24 extending from a suitable source of fluid under pressure, such as water, for admitting water under pressure to the manifold- I5 and the radiator pipes II as well as a lower manifold orcontainer 30. The elbows 2I and 23 and the pipe nipple 22 form a trap so the heat of the water in the radiator III will not be transmitted to the pipe 24, since the heat of the water under pressure will not travel downwardly from the upper pipe 20. The manner in which the water is directed to the upper manifold I5 is a part of the present invention. The water is omitted from the drawings for purposes of clarity.

The lower endsrof the vertically disposed radiator pipes II are suitably connected to and communicate with the lower manifold 35. Both of the manifolds I5 and 35 are box-like in con struction, being closed at all sides and at the upper and lower ends thereof. The lower manifold 30 includes left-hand and right-hand end walls 5i and 32, respectively (Figures 3 and 4), which are suitably connected to front and rear walls 33 and 34, respectively, the end walls 3! and 32 and the front and rear walls 33 and 35 being suitably connected to upper and lower walls 35 and 35, respectively.

A suitable pipe adapter 38 is secured, as by welding at 39, to the rear wall 35 and communicates with the lower manifold 35. This adapter 38 is adapted to threadably receive a pipe nipple I3 whose other end is threadably connected to a manually operable valve 4 This valve 55 has a discharge pipe 55 connected to its side remote from the side to which the nipple 53 is connected and the pipe 5 may be connected to a sewerage pipe line if so desired. The valve 44 may be opened for changing the supply of water in the radiator I and in initially admitting water to the radiator II]. The pipes 24 and 55 may support the heating 'unit if so desired or there may be suitable brackets, not shown, for mounting the heating unit. The manner of heating the water in the lower manifold 30 and the control means therefor will' be later described in detail.

A suitable housing broadly designated at 55 is suitably secured at its lower end to opposed end walls BI and 32 of the lower manifold 30, as at i (Figure l), and its upper wall is'also supported on the upper manifold I5, the upper manifold I5 having suitable nuts 52, only one of which is shown, secured thereto, as by welding, in which screws 53 are threadably embedded and which screws also penetrate the upper wall of the housing 50 for securing the same to the upper manifold I5.

The housing 50 has an opening 55 provided with suitable swingable louvres 56 which may be 4 adjusted in a conventional manner or which may be loosely pivoted to be swung open by a blast of air from a fan to be presently described. The rear of the housing I5 is closed by a rear wall or panel 58 secured to the walls of the casing 50 as by bolts 59. The rear wall or panel 58 of the casing 55 has a suitable opening 6| therein through which the pipe nipple 25 extends. The rear panel 58 is also provided with a substantially centrally disposed circular opening 52 which is provided to permit a blast of air caused by a fan 63 to pass through the opening 52 and past the pipes II of the radiator It! to thus transfer the heat from the tubes II through the opening 55 and between the louvres 55 and to discharge the same into the atmosphere.

The fan 63 is surrounded by a plurality of horizontally spaced guard rings 54 which vary in size and which are secured to a plurality of diagonally extending brace wires 56 of which only four are shown in Figure 3. These brace wires 55 are secured at their free ends as by screws 61, to the rear surface of the rear panel 58 and extend rearwardly and are suitably secured at their rearmost'ends to an electric motor III. The electric motor III has a shaft II extending forwardly therefrom and on which the fan 63 is fixedly mounted. The motor It also has electric wires I2 and I3 extending therefrom to a suitable source of electric energy in a manner to be presently described.

Referring to Figures 6, it will be observed that the wire I2 is connected at its end remote from the motor II! to a lead wire 14 and the wire I3 is connected at its end remote from the electric motor 10 to a suitable manually adjustable electrically operable thermostat control apparatus TI to the other side of which a wire I8 is connected. The end of the wire it remote from the thermostat TI is connected to a lead wire 8I and, upon the circuit being completed by the manually adjustable thermostat, in a manner well known to those familiar with the art, the current will flow from the lead wire 8! through the wire I8, thermostat I'I, wire I3, motor I0, wire I2 and lead wire I I- to complete the circuit to the electric motor Ill and to cause rotation of the shaft II and the. fan 63. The heating unit as heretofore described is conventional and it is with this heating unit or a similar apparatus that the present invention is adapted to be associated.

Now, referring to Figures 3, 4 and 6, there will be observed a pair of spaced heating coils and 85 which are of tubular construction and which have electrical heating elements or resistors 8! and 55, respectively, therein. The right-hand end wall 32 of the lower manifold 35, in Figure 4, has an opening, defined by the dotted lines SI and 82, therein which is large enough to permit ingress and egress of the electrical heating coils 85 and 85 for installation purposes. This opening is covered by a reinforcing plate I93 suitably secured to the right-hand end wall 32 of .the lower manifold 35 as by screws 54. The

reinforcing plate 53 is slidably penetrated by a restricted portion of a heating coil support member, S B suitably secured to the outer surface, of the reinforcing. plate 93 as by screws 91.

The heating coils 85and 86 penetrate the heating coil support member 95 and the exposed ends thereof are bridged by suitable bus bars I05 and iIIlI. These bus bars I55 and NH are suitably connected, as by soldering, to the electrical heating elements 81 and 88 in the coils 85 and 86, re-

spectively. Respective wires I02 and I83 are COD-9 nected to the bus bars'I00 and ml at one of their ends, their other ends being connected to respective closed tubular elements I04 and I05 of a mercury switch designated broadly at I06.

Theclosed tubular elements I04 and I05 contain an electrically conductable fluid such as balls of mercury I01 and I08, respectively, which, when the tubular elements I04 and I05 are in the tilted position, shown in Figures 3 and 6, will com plete a circuit between the wires I02 and I03 and respective wires I II and H2 which are also suitably connected to the closed tubular elements I04 and I05. Th ends of the wires III and H2 remote from the closed tubular elements I04 and I05 are connected to a lead wire I I4 and the lead wire BI, respectively A wire H5 is connected intermediate the ends of the wire II I and is connected at its other end to the lead wire I4.

The mercury switch I06 includes a plate member I20 having a hub portion I2I (Figure 5) integral therewith which-is slidably penetrated. by an enlarged portion I22 of 'a shaft I23 and is secured on this enlarged portion I22 by a set screw I24. The plate I20 has suitable spring clips I28 projecting outwardly therefrom within which the closed tubular elements I04. and I05 are clampingly secured.

The shaft I22 is oscillatably mounted in a hub portion I2I of an adjustable control member I30 which has an upwardly projecting portion I3I (Figure 2) integral therewith provided with an arcuate slot I32 therein which is penetrated by an adjustment screw I33 for securing the control member I30 in adjusted position on a vertically disposed plate I34. The vertically disposed plate I34 has suitable graduations I35 01' other indicia thereon to determine the proper position for the control member I 30, this control member I 30 being adapted to control the heat of the water or other fluid in the lower manifold 30 in a manner to b later described. The plate I34 is mounted in adjusted position between a pair of lock nuts I35 and I3? threadably mounted on an enlarged portion I 40 of a tubular member I 4| which extends into the lower manifold 30 and is closed at its inner end as at I42. This inner portion of the tubular member I4I is'adapted to be submerged in the water in the lower manifold 30, however, the water does not enter the tubular member I 4|.

Th rear wall 34 of the lower manifold 30 has a second pipe adapter I43 suitably secured thereto, as by welding at I44 (Figure 5), and the rear end of this adapter I43 is threaded for reception of a second adapter or pipe reducer I45 which threadably receives the enlarged portion I40 of the tubular member I 4|. It is thus seen that the plate member I34 is supported by the tubular member I4I which is, in turn, supported by the rear wall 34 of the lower manifold .30.

The hub portion I2'I of the control member I30 is slidably fitted in the tubular member MI and has a restricted portion I41 integral therewith which is surrounded by one end of a torsion spring I50, this torsion spring I 50 being connected at one end to the restricted portion I4! of the hub IT! by any suitable means such as a screw I5I. In order that the torsion spring I50 may be properly sensitive to changes in temperature, it is preferable that this torsion spring I50 be of a flat wire material and of considerable length relative to its diameter. The other or right-hand end of the torsion spring I 50, in Figure 5, is suitably secured to the right-hand end of the shaft I23, this shaft I23 being slotted as 6 at I 53 for reception of the right-hand end of the torsion spring I50. The walls of the slot I53 are held in engagement with the right-hand end portion of the torsion sprin I50 by any suitable means such as a cotter pin I54.

In operation, the manually adjustable thermostat TI is adjusted to the desired room temperature and when the room is below the desired temperature the current will flow to the electric motor I0 in the manner heretofore described to cause rotation of the fan 63 and to cause air to circulate between the vanes I2 and past the radiator pipes II to be discharged through the opening 55 between the louvres :55 into the surrounding atmosphere for discharging heat from the pipes The control member I 30 is also adjusted to the desired temperature for the water or other fluid within the radiator I0, it being evident that it will not be necessary to heat the Water to as high a temperature during relatively warm atmosperic conditions as it will during relatively cold atmospheric conditions. The control mechanism for controlling the heat of the water in the radiator I0 may be adjusted by loosening the screw I33 and rotating the control member I30 to the desired temperature as indicated on the plate I34. This will, of course, increase or decrease the existing torsion in the torsion spring I50.

Assuming the water or other fluid in the lower manifold 30 to be below the desired temperature, the closed tubular elements I04 and I05 of the.- mercury switch I06 will be disposed in substan-- tially the position shown in Figures 3 and 6 and this will permit current to flow to the heat-- ing elements 81 and 88 in the water heating coils 85 and 86. A circuit will be completed tothe heating elements 87 and 88- from. the lead wires H4 and H5, through the wire II I, the mercury ball I01, wire I02, through the bus bar I00, to one end of both of the heating elements 81 and 83 and thenthrough the bus bar IOI, wire I03, mercury ball I08 in the closed tubular element, I05 and wire M2 to the lead wire BI thus completing the circuit to the electrical heating elements 81 and 88.

It is not essential that there be two closed tubular elements, such as the elements I04 and I05, as it is evident that a single switch means will operate satisfactorily in completing a circuit to the electrical heating elements 87 and 88 it merely being necessary to change the arrangement of the wiring in a manner well known to anyone skilled in the art.

The heating coils 85 and 86, having the heating elements 81 and 88 therein, will then heat the water in the lower manifold 30 as well as the pipes II' and the nipple 20. Inasmuch as the water or other fluid is directed to the radiator I0, including the upper manifold I5, through the pipe 24 under pressure, as heretofore stated, by offsetting the pipe 24 relative to the nipple 20, and the pipe 24 being positioned at a lower elevation than the pipe 20, the water or other fluid in pipe 24 will not travel downwardly through an off-set pipe to the pipe 24.

Now, when the temperature of the water in the lower manifold 30 has reached a predetermined temperature, according to the position of the adjustable control member I30, the torsion spring 50 will expand due to this change in temperature and will thus partially rotate the shaft I22 in a clockwise direction in Figure 3 and, in so doing, will cause the mercury switch I06 to rotate in alike manner to where the closed tubular elements I04 and I will be disposed in a substantially level position or will extend at an angle opposite from the angle at which they are shown in Figures 3 and 6. This will result in the mercury balls I01 and I08 in the closed tubular elements I04 and I05 moving out of engagement with the corresponding wires I02 and III and I03 and H2 thus opening the circuit from the lead Wires 8I, I I4 and M5 to the electrical heating elements 81 and 88 in the heating coils B5 and 86 until the temperature of the water in the lower manifold 30 will have lowered sufiiciently to where the spring I50 will again contract and will transmit partial counterclockwise rotation to the shaft I22 to again tilt the closed tubular elements I04 and I05 to substantially the position shown in Figures 1, 3, and 6.

It isthus seen I have provided an improved control means for automatically controlling the flow of current to electrically operable heating elements in accordance with the temperature of the liquid which the heating elements are adapted to heat and wherein the control apparatus is adjustable according to the desired temperature of the water or other liquid in the lower manifold 30 of the heating unit. The switch I06 is adjustable on the end of the shaft I22 to produce a desired sensitivity in reaction of the control apparatus in affecting the flow of current to the electrical heating elements 8! and 88. Although it is not necessary, the torsion spring I50 may be made of a bi-metallic material if so desired to thereby increase its sensitivity to changes in temperature.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claim.

I claim:

An improved temperature regulator in a space heater, said space heater having upper and lower water containing manifolds, means connecting said manifolds, said space heater also being provided with means for introducing water under pressure into said manifolds and said space heater also having a frame,- said improvement comprising at least one heating coil positioned within said lower manifold and having the free end thereof insulatably mounted in one of the walls of said lower manifold, a bracket secured to said frame adjacent saidlower manifold, a closed tubular member fixedly mounted in said bracket and extending within said lower manifold, a gauge member adjustably mounted in the end of said tubular member extending from said lower manifold, a shaft rotatably mounted in said gauge member and extending within said tubular member, a coiled thermostatic element positioned within said tubular member and about said shaft and having one of its ends connected to said shaft and the other of its ends connected to said gauge member, a switch bracket secured to the outer end of said shaft, at least one clip secured to said switch bracket, a mercury tube positioned in said clip, a source of electrical energy. an electrical circuit connecting said mercury tube with said source of electricity and with said free end of said heating coil, said circuit being broken at said mercury tube, said mercury tube having mercury therein adapted to close said circuit upon said tube being moved to switch closed position, whereby heat in said lower manifold will cause said shaft to rotate a predetermined amount to move said mercury tube to switch open position and upon said lower manifold cooling, said shaft will rotate in the opposite direction to move said mercury tube to switch closed position to actuate said heating coil to heat the water in said lower manifold.

v EUGENE W. CALDWELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,920,284 Wells Aug. 1, 1933 1,925,760 Huth Sept. 5, 1933 1,932,071 Hodges Oct. 24, 1933 2,197,298 Cobb Apr. 16, 1940 2,244,172 Novak June 3, 1941 2,360,071 Noll Oct. 10, 1944

Images