US2569512A - Air humidifier and mounting means therefor for application to duct walls - Google Patents

Description

E. W. BOTTU M AIR HUMIDIF'IER AND MOUNTING MEANS THEREFOR Oct. 2, 1951 FOR APPLICATION TO DUCT WALLS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 25, 1947 INVENTOR. EowARo W. BoT'ruM Oct. 2, 1951 w BOTTUM E. AIR HUMIDIFIER AND MOUNTING MEANS THEREFOR 7 FOR APPLICATION TO DUCT WALLS Filed Sept. 25, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

47 EDWARD \N. BOTTUM Oct. 2, 1951 E. w. BOTTUM AIR HUMIDIFIER AND MOUNTING MEANS THEREFOR FOR APPLICATION TO DUCT WALLS 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 25, 1947 LIE-=5- INVENTOR. EDWARD W. Bornm Oct. 2, 1951 E. w. BOTTUM 2,569,512 AIR HUMIDIFIER AND MOUNTING MEANS THEREFOR FOR APPLICATION TO DUCT WALLS Filed Sept. 25, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 45 48A 46 47A 54A 61A 39 A H 63A 27 62A 7' F 26 58A I H 5 14- I INVENTOR.

EDWARD W. BOTTUIVI 48A Patented Oct. 2, 1951 UNITED PAT '155569512 AIR HUMIDiF-IER. AND M( ),UNTINGi MEANS 'QTHEREFOE'FOR i APPLICATIONTTO"? Duc'r 'WALLS (Edward Bottlin :netmit,;.Micii.,aassignomo 'Skuttle Manufacturing tCom-pany, g-Detroit, -Mich-.,za corporatioii of Michigan Application September 25, 1947'; serial-No: wens-1 the humidifier "equipment, necessita" comes dissatisfied witlr his 4-3 Glaims. (enticerier M The present invention relates tdimprevements -ofi otherwise'rm'eritoriousequipmentibecome difii in an air humidifierwhereby the evaporator :p'an :cult.

"and float tank may=be-convenier itly mou ted to the sidewall of anair ductysu'ch as for example the air duct within-or leadin'g f-roman-air -heating furnace.

Prior to the ==present invention, -'-con"siderable difficulty and expe'nse have been encountered :in installing air -humidifiers-* as an' accessoryto conventi'onal domestic hot-air*fur'nacesand the like, and in servicing such humidifiers and their as- "sociated float tanks after-installation. :Inorder to support the humidifier=equipment-adequately "within the air heatingchamberg-dt has-been frequently necessary to support the humidifier equipment from opposite-sidesof th'e'air heating duct. As a result,-openin'gs tore'c'eiVe 'SuppOr ting projections or othersuitable lora'ckets provided by the humidifier equipmentwere required :on opposite sides'of theair heating "chamber. 'I he lack of standardization of furnace -heating equipment usually necessitated 'on-th'ejobdmprovision and customfitting in order to -provide an adequately secure mounting-dorthe huiiiidi- *fier equipment. The "conventional practicexof custom fitting has *appreci'ably' added to the: in- *stalled cost of air humidifiers and hasl beensa major obstacle to the universal: acceptancezaof Y such equipment, in-spite-of the-extensive advertising and favorable p'ublicity -of-rrecent' years concerning the benefits to "health andwc'omfort made possible by properlyhumidifid air.

An additional 'difiiculty experiencedwith' con ventional humidifier inou'iitings'isthat, o'ncelin- "stalled, the humidifier equipment may notzbe readily removed from the furnace' -equi'pmentifor servicing or repairs. 'Itis important to-irrt'he proper functioning of *humidifiers th'at the evaporator pan beolea-nd, fiushedpandifdrained at frequent intervals' 't'o remove accumulated precipitate and concentrations 'of=' 'dissolved: matter which result after prolonged evaporation.

Since the humidifier equipment is frequently inaccessible and its removal frequently difficult v'vith -e'onveiitio'nal mountings, proper cleaning of the humidifier equipment is not convenienttand is rarely done. The evaporating elemeritssoon become clogged "with precipitate a scum forms over the water surface, the evaporatingefliciency "of the humidifier drops -sharplyg' andi corrosive chemical and electrolytical -actions deteriorate ting early the; waiter ustome'r beipmei-it -aiid sales never regulating apparat' Accordin'gly; an important EObjECt of bliB'riDIES- -entiinven tionc=is to provide :an .-.-im;proved air humidifier: andastandardizedcmountingtherefor mass iproductionzmethods;zyet willzprovide -=adjustability:.-for a'rnountingcwithin' theaair duct of essentially anyconventional; type on aim iheating 10 furnace andv'wlithi' l the minimum .iofiimodification thereto.

, Another lobjectxofzstheepresent inventions iis-ato @pro vide suchc an, :ia'i'r: =humidifieruwhiohsmay;be

readily installed within Land; removedifrom sthe air heating equipment to'zfacilitate servicing; and

- repairs, and wherein thedfloat: tank; 515 disposed relative -to :its associated ievaporatornpamtoi be a.readilyaaccessiblelfon cleaning-tandem: permitathe simultaneoussflushing;irlraining, and refillingaof 2 the evaporator :pana:and$float.:tank.

Other *obiects'iof-zthis :inventiom willrappear: the fo'llowingddesoriptioniand.lappended'lnlaims, -ireferenceibeing rhad ltoathe accompanying drawines 'formingraz arrtrbfi this; specifioationnzvherein r 251 like; refenencezzoharacters .designatescorrespondding par-ts in'zthe isevferal'uziews,

; In "tho um-wings;

" Fig; leis aifrnnt'eleyationtwithzportion-swbroken away ot a. ihumidifiersemployingaxtheiimountin 1 r of th'e: present rinventiorr: and showrrrmounted :to ,a fragmentary sportiorr of;:theasidewall.;ofa; an(air duct.

Fig. '2 is a fragment-ary:;horizont.a1{section takenain thei'directipmofrthe arrowscessentially :"-410ngthedine .1 2-4: Cifii-FHgJiLSShOWiIIg the :float 'tank: with themoverrremoved.

:Eig; 3 11's ra zfragmentary; urerticalzi'section taken in the direction bfV-ALthe-larrowsaessentially, along H thei brokenll'ine' :3-1 '3 :ofiEig: 2.

- Fig; 4-513 'iiessentiallmltheu.same zv-ievwza's iFig.

: 'but aishowing the iewater. oconduit Hand; pivotal mounting therefor: in.. elevation,z the zchumidi-fier *imounting beingiinithea adjusted position or an 1 inclinediwalhpwtionnot the/air duct.

Q -1Eig. "5 i'svarlfragmentaryifront elevation-showing a humidifieri.empioyingzanothernembodiment of :theemounting ofcithezcipresentz:invention and mountedlxto a fragmentary portionrofothe-iside "-wall. of; an air i duct.

: *Fig. :"6 ".iismazfragmentaryi horizontal gseetion takerr in the";directiomof;..= the: arrows essentially along -the "lineifi fir ofr Eigil 5;:.-showing.c;thec: float utank -withfithe cover removed.

:Fig. 7 sis @a fragmentary ls-vertical. section H through theiductiiconnectingathei floatrtahkaand position for an inclined wall portion of the air,

duct.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, sincethe invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

A particular embodiment of the present invention is shown by way of example in Figs. 1 through 4 wherein a float tank I is connected to an evaporator pan II by the water conduit I2. Although many conventional water level regulating means may be employed with the present invention for maintaining the water level within the evaporator pan essentially constant regardless of varying rates of evaporation, the preferred float-operated water level regulating apparatus described herein is particularly convenient for use in combination with other features of the present invention and is therefore described in detail below.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the float I3, adapted to float on the surface of the water within the float tank I0, is connected to one end of the essentially horizontally extending float arm I4. An upward extension I5 of the float arm I4 is pivotally secured at I6 to the horizontal and longitudinally movable pivot supporting shaft H. The upper end of the arm I5 is pivotally secured at I8 to the horizontally movable plunger I9 which is movable to the left or right in Fig. 1 for opening or closing the orifice of the water inlet jet 20 upon the falling or rising of the float I3. The water inlet jet 20 provides the enlarged collar 2I and communicates with the threaded inlet duct 22 which extends through the side of the float tank I0 and is secured thereto at a watertight seal by the nut 23. The inlet duct 22 is suitably connected to a source of water.

A U-bracket 24 provides the vertical depending arm 25 which is secured to the inside of the lower extremity within which is secured the left end of the longitudinally movable pivot supporting shaft H, which latter is preferably threaded and is adjustably secured in position to the bracket 21 by the adjusting nuts 28 screwthreaded thereon on opposite sides of the bracket 21. Horizontal adjustment of the pivot I6 perpendicularly to its pivot axis is accomplished by selectively loosening one nut 28 and tightening the other. Thus the level at which the float I3 must be raised to close the orifice of the jet 20 by the plunger I9 may be predetermined.

To facilitate closure of the orifice of the jet 20 by the plunger I9, the jet contacting end of rubber-like material. Under ordinary operating conditions, the minimum water level which buoys the float I3 sufliciently to close the orifice of the jet 2E] will be the normal operating water level of the evaporator pan II. Whenever evaporation or other causes slightly lower the water level below the aforesaid operating level, the orifice of the jet will open until the water level again rises to the operating level.

A feature of the present invention largely responsible for its utility and commercial success is the automatic siphoning mechanism which permits automatic or semi-automatic flushing, draining, and refilling of the float tank I0 and associated evaporator pan I I. The siphon mechanism comprises the siphon discharge tube 29 which projects vertically upward through the bottom of the float tank I0 and provides an inlet opening at its upper end above the normal operthe plunger I9 preferably comprises a rubber 017,;

ating water level. The annular flange 30 of the discharge duct 29 rests on the bottom of the float tank I0. A threaded portion SI of the duct 29 extends through the base of the float tank I0 to which it is secured at a leakproof seal by the nut 32 and is adapted for connection with a drain or sewer line. In order to assure an essentially standard siphoning action under various conditions of installation, a drain tube (not shown) of uniform length for all installations is preferably secured at one end below the tank In at 3| and has its other end inserted into the drain or sewer line, either loosely or spaced therefrom to permit the entry of air into the drain or sewer line, so that the length of the latter will have no effect upon the siphoning action.

The siphon discharge tube 29 is essentially enclosed within the cylindrical siphon chamber 33 which is secured eccentrically to the tube 29 as by welding or soldering along the line 34. The top 35 of the cylindrical siphon chamber 33 is closed, but the bottom thereof, spaced slight-J ly from the bottom of the float tank I0, is open to permit a free flow of water, sludge, and other suspended materials into the chamber 33 during the siphoning action. It is to be noted in Figs. 3' and 4 that the upper portion of the discharge duct 29 is bent away from the weld line 34 so as to position the inlet opening or top of the duct 29 essentially concentrically within the cylindrical siphon chamber 33. Also, the inlet opening of the duct 29 is preferably horizontal.

Although the evaporating equipment described herein may be substituted for various other well known types of evaporating equipment, the preferred evaporator equipment utilized with the present invention comprises the rack 4I within the evaporator pan II and having the plurality of inverted V-brackets 42 spaced by the slots 43. The slots 43 are provided for the plurality of vertical, spaced porous capillary plates 44 which serve as evaporator elements. The lower portions of the capillary plates 44 extend below the water level within the evaporator pan II. The upper portions of the plates 44 fan out as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and draw water from the lower portion of the evaporator pan I I by capillary action, thereby materially increasing the effective evaporating capacity of the humidifier.

In a relatively short time and as a result of ormal evaporation from the pan II, the salts and other minor impurities found in most water will accumulate and form a sludge or precipitate within the evaporator pan II and to lesser extent within the float control tank IO. Frequently V '2? .1517 "tionfiisualivleavesefeorrosiv preeii'aitete a1; unfd the orifice of thejetz flandtIie pIufiQeriS; Th s e 5 d The friction-contact between accumulated mpurities;irneteleaned fr the c "aria and the leverifii's' released, and the f'huxr'iidifier'equipni'ent, vent 1'3" clog the capiif'welghtedlever40 'returf1sthe'lever 36' to its initial Ia'r'y bores of the evaborator'e'ien'ientsi l raisedbositiohfl ifl; up corrosive or eIectr lytie'aI' and c Upon completion of the siphoniiig'aotion, th tim whieh deetre the hniniefli e ent, *io fie-ewe wen befiiea'r the b-wt'om'ef'tne tank lll j ali'singpartioll'lar dam-age afr'1d1"irfi ai to v V A M a H 1 I, rde open-permitting emexnnum flow-of inianewater lev'el re iatmgmeenemsm. r e "*riishingwater"which'strikes a'gejinsetheendjof In"'order toavoi'd"the difliculties ai'is W M e plu'ri rlqeir'idreb ourrdsin a strongspray to 'ajceiiinu'lated water impurities nef- 'reiez eee 15- e t e en fthe plungeme an the-j wo e'vep-e"atienirequenteleanifier e uli ijcfirrer from aceiiniulated"sii1de"orprecipitatewhioh fa'tid rewoul d' otherwise s'et ilb corrosive cnemieerend t pedite thefevaporationffrom the evaporating elements M; it is conventional intal" the evaporator pan "I I within' theifurriace eating chamber or a"warm air "duot leading from: Conventional installations are 'cus- V fittedto'varioustyps'ofair'heatingequip- [lfare'initiated by'rne'ans he pivotal-1 "hientand onsequently involve difiiculty and exl dpressinele'ver f 7 v jeensee t of'proportion tetne minereest er the "31 to' the piVOt' bracketf3'8vvhich ispro "dedfby hiiinidifiefeouipment. Furthermore, after the ftheremovable cover *39'. The ever *3 passes V histallat'idn;the'ciistomfitted humidifier 'equip-.

through a movement limiting slot; 11-6 shown, fin "in'er itd'sfnecessarily frequently inaccessible 'for :intheoovrw t -prevent pivotal -'ent i meaning-end servioing;'with the'result of frethfe lever 36 inithfdi'ietibh eyond "quent'experisive repairsand improper functionili'ijnits The uppr'portion'of the -rever ifigfof'the'hurnidifiereqiiipmeht. v nes the Weightedhandle'lfl seciiredto th shaft Theabove difiicuitisand objections frequently '36 at an angles'o'asto looatethf ce ter f gravity ikii 'ei'icounteredwith conventional humidifiers have er the oombinedl'ever see dj en ne the been met in-trie" present invention by the novel longitudinalaxisjof'thelever 38. Theldw'er' "or- "e'rrefigeinenter the equipment wherein all inti0"n"oi the 1ever'36is :positone'diiifiiriediately "stallation' ""acces's'oriesfibrackets, supports, "and the 'fl'oat 13 so as toebhtatjariii d res's I thelike are'fatory buiit' and supplied with" the '10"- hi iinidifier equipment as 'a coniplete assembly.

neat l3 against the bueyeniey "ofth at I v fnofnial' operatingievelwithinthe anllq w en the preferred'e'mbodiment shownin'Figs. l "the lever 36 is raised "essentially ver H iiii on ;'-ti'1r'eugn'- 4-,'e'eupperting means for the entire fai'sing"the'handle'40. Thusjthe Iiihge1 {{ljjs *hifmidifieras'seinblyis secured'to a fiat outside "move-die the left arfdtheeiifieof the" tZfl portion of the air duet 45 andaround an open- -is opened to permit water to flow into th tank 45 "ing-w'cut-therein sufficiently large-to permit pas- |0"th"rough the inlet d'uctf2'2. Friction sa ge'ofthe'evaporator'panlI. "between the float I"3 end'the wwer H Ina much'as the present invention is adapted "lever 36 holds'the latter in thiii'tical fioat de- ?-for use-"vvith 1 foractica'lly -=-en Conventional "air pre'ss'mg"positionuntil "after "c'omnieiicfefiiehtfif heating -ohamber or'air duct, the latter is' not thesiphoningaction, as described below. {d'es'cribed in detail'andonly a fragmentary side As'the water 'ris'es'with'inthef'fioat"tankfl'ilarfd lort-iori d 5-thereofis-shown in the presentdraw- "associated evaporator tank H, beth' tanks 9', 'e ihgs, The -supporting means 'forthehumidifier flushed and accumulated surfacesc assembly comprises the rectangular frame 41 f'helow the Water surface are disl'ofdg' fitsaround theopening 46' and issecurejd to The water level will continue to the -airduct 4 5by sereweas. Although a hat "level thereof within'the' siphonchaniber fistaiiiis -portion'of the sidewalls of thea-ir-duct45 is "appreciably aboveth'e horizontal nietf'oiie irig shown, where it becomes convenient to mount at thetop of the discharge duct Intiiis' eoiith 'ht'i'midifier-assembly to a curvedor" angular nection, it is to be observed" that the seiid'ifiiet jeort onjof the duct 45, the frame 41 may -be opening of the duct 29 is*'preferablv'fhorizrintal" correspondingly curved or angular. and spaced concentrically within"he eliafin der fi Albfig the horizontal base of the fraine ll 'are so that the surface tension df tlie '1 iiig {seo-iird't-heplurality of brackets ifl which project the chamber 33 willre strai n the V 1 -nto"-the"air duct 45* and provide the"elongated "overflowing into the duct 29"1ii1ti1't e ereseere *jpivot holesfifl-for the downward projecting pifis "offtherising water abovethe duet e eeeelees 3 f 5l 1$rovided by the angle bracket 52. The angle At bracket 52 is rigidly secured transversely to the Y ed water conduit l2 near the attachmentthereofto water into thefsiphon'tube2 9 ei eds the'caloacity the float tank'- l0" and; in the present illustration, "-the;-eof and initiates thesiph'oninactio" Uiic'e 'prov'ides twodepen-ding pivot pins-"5| which-are started, the siphoning-action sweeiis the '7 i$ivota-1iyniounted-in twocorresp'ondingelongated "'inulated'vvater impurities frdin the ban -Ii a d bivotholes'M. i v "tank with e rush er*werer 'freefi tile "a n -Also'fse'oured-to theframe 41, alongtheri'ght *andtank' l fl'into' the ett m'ep n'go t l j "edgefthereof,- Fig-'1; arethe lower bracket"53 "ehainber 33- and ofittlie'disharg'e 'uct he d he upperbracketid which project through siphoning continuesuntilthe tvatiIvei ii ithin"gsth fienifig "46*intowhe air-duct45) Theiov'vr bracket 53 is pivotally secured at55 to the bracket arm 56 which extends essentially horizontally into the duct 45 and provides a support for the evaporator pan Projected upward from the bracket 56 on opposite sides of the evaporator pan H are the brackets 51 and 58,'the latter being bent over the upper edge of the pan II to complete the hook 59 for securely holding the pan H in position.

The upper bracket 54 provides the pivot 66 for the inclined adjustable bracket arm 6| which provides the longitudinal slot 62 for moving along the threaded studs 63 which project horizontally from the supporting arm 56, Figs. 2 and 3. By virtue of the adjusting slot 62,'a'nd the pivotal mounting of the arm 6|, it is apparent that the float tank l and evaporator pan"'|| may be mounted horizontally tothe sidewall of the duct 45 regardless of its angle of inclination, as shown in Fig. 4. The arm 6| is securely heldin its adjusted position relative to the arm 56 by the wing nut 64 which is screwed tightly'on the threaded stud 63 toclamp the arms 56 and 6| together. The feature of adjustability provided by the mounting of the present invention, whereby the tank IO and pan may bernounted horizontally regardless of the angle of' inclination of the side wall of the air duct 45, is an important feature even with normally vertical air duct sidewalls. This is true because the weight of the humidifier assembly supported by the duct 45 usually causes the latter to sag. By virtue of the adjustability of the arm 6| relative to the arm 56, compensation for sagging of the duct 45 is achieved and the humidifier assembly may be installed horizontally.

The tank H] and pan H are preferably constructed of relatively rigid material, such as sheet copper for example. The conduit I2 is preferably a'rigid tube, such as a copper tube, and provides a rigid supporting connection between the pan I and tank It) as well as a water conduit there'between. The conduit I2 is also preferably secured to the evaporator pan near the bottom thereof so as to permit its complete draining during the aforementioned siphoning action. The conduit l2 inclines downward from its connection with the pan II to its connection near the bottom of the float tank In, Figs. 3 and 4. Thus the warm water within the evaporator pan II will not tend to flow downward through the duct l2 into the float tank l0, and the concentrated water impurities accumulated in the pan after prolonged evaporation of water therefrom will to a large extent be prevented from entering the float tank I6 except during the siphoning process.

The opening within the frame 4'! is closed by the movable plate 66 which rests at its bottom on the upturned lugs 61 projecting outward from the lower portion of the frame 41. The upper portion of the plate 66 is held securely against the frame 41 by the latches 6B pivotally secured at 69 to the frame 41. The conduit I2 passes through the duct 45 at the upward opening notch 65 within the lower portion of the frame 41 and the supplementary downward opening notch 1|] within the lower portion of the plate 66.

A significant advantage of the present mounting and humidifier arrangement is that the float tank l0 may be conveniently located outside of the air duct 45 to permit its ready accessibility for flushing and cleaning of the humidifier equipment. The mounting utilized in the present invention is particularly advantageous in combination with the specific arrangement of the preferred water level regulating mechanism and siphoning mechanism employed herein which includes the apparatus for flushing, draining, and refilling of the tank l0 and pan Inasmuch as this latter apparatus is located within the float tank ID, the advantage of the accessibility of the tank In on the outside of the air duct 45 is immediately apparent.

Installation of thepresent invention simply requires the cutting of the single hole 46, of suflicient size to permit passage of the evaporator pan within the sidewall of the air heating chamber or duct 45. Screw holes are drilled around the periphery of the opening 46 in alignment with the preformed screw holes in the" frame 41 for the screws 48, and the frame 41 is secured in position around the opening 46 with the brackets 51 and 6| projected into the duct 45. The longitudinal evaporator pan H is then turned endwise and angularly to the face of the duct 45 so that the right end of the pan M, Fig. 2, is inserted into the opening 46.

It is noted in Fig. 2 that the connection of the duct l2 to the pan II is off center so that the larger portion of the pan I may be inserted into the opening 46 and moved to the extreme right thereof. The left end of the pan may then be passed through the opening 46. The backside of the pan II is then engaged under the hook 56 and the assembly of the tank l0 and pan II is lowered horizontally into position with the pan supported by the bracket 56 between the bracket arms 51 and 58, with the conduit l2 within the notch 65, and with the pins 5| within the elongated pivot holes 50 therefore. The clamping wing nut 64 is then tightened, the removable plate 66 is placed over the opening 46 and engaged with the supporting lugs 61, and the pivotal latches 68 are pivoted to their vertical positions, Fig. 1, to lock the cover plate 66 in position. The assembly is completed by connecting the water inlet duct 22 with a source of water and by connecting the siphon outlet 3| to a drain or sewer.

Access to the evaporating pan II for removal or replacement of the evaporating elements 44, or for other reasons, is permitted merely by turning the latches 68 and removing the cover plate 66.' Itis not necessary to remove the frame 4] from its screw-threaded attachment with the air duct 45. Flushing, draining, and refilling of the evaporator pan and float tank In may be semiautomatically accomplished without disturbing the mounting or the evaporating elements merely by lifting the weighted lever 40 to the float depressing position to permit a partial flooding of the tank In and to set in operation the above described siphoning action.

In the embodiment shown, the evaporator pan extends essentially longitudinally of the side wall 45 and perpendicularly to the conduit |'2. This arrangement is usually preferred where the depth of the duct 45 is shallow. For installations within a duct 45 of suitable depth, the longitudinal axis of the pan Il may be conveniently extended, from the attachment of the pan to the conduit I2, perpendicularly to the plane of the sidewall of the duct 45. The advantage of this latter arrangement is that the narrow longitudinal axis of the pan Il may then be passed directly through the opening 46, perpendicularly to the plane thereof, without the requirement of turning the humidifier assembly, as above de-.

7 scribed, during installation.

A modified embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figs. 5 through 9 wherein a float tank I is also connected to an evaporator pan II by the water conduit l2. The preferred embodiment of the float tank ill with the same water level regulating mechanism, siphoning apparatus, and evaporating elements as described in connection with Figs. 1 through 4 are employed with the mounting shown in Figs. 5 through 9. However, it is to be observed that other conventional humidifier evaporators and means for regulating the water level thereof may be satisfactorily employed with the latter embodiment.

Similar to the mounting described in Figs. 1 through 4, the mounting described in the Figs. 5 through 9 includes a frame 47A which is adapted to be secured to the air duct 45 around the opening 55 thereof by the screws 48A. The conduit I2 is supported near its connection with float tank I0 by the reinforcing bracket 49A, to which the conduit I2 is preferably welded and which is secured to the lower portion of the frame 41A in parallelism therewith by means of the wing nut clamping assembly 50A. Projected into the duct 45 from the lower right hand side portion of the frame 57A to which it is secured is the slotted bracket 53A, Fig. 6, which provides the arcuate movement limiting slot 62A.

The horizontal and inwardly projecting arm 56A, which supports the evaporator pan I I, completes an integral right angle bracket with the upright triangular bracket portion 61A, pivotally secured at 60A to the upper bracket 54A which in turn is secured to the right hand portion of the frame A similarly to the bracket 54 previously described. The extreme leftward end of the supporting bracket arm 56A, Figs. 7, 8, and 9, provides the upright bracket extension 58A which facilitates the support and alignment of the evaporator pan II. The threaded stud 63A projects perpendicularly from near the right angle corner juncture of the integral right angle bracket EBA-6 IA and projects through the arcuate slot 62A to permit clamping of the bracket 53A and the integral bracket 56A-6l A securely together in their properly adjusted position by means of the wing nut 64A. Similar to the plate 56, the plate 55A rests on the upturned lugs 61A, provided by the lower portion of the frame A and covers the opening 46. The plate 56A provides the upward opening recesses HA for the bolts 99A. The plate 96A is secured to the frame 47 upon tightening the wing nuts 68A which screw on the bolts 69A. The downward opening slot 70A in the plate 66A is provided to permit passage of the conduit 12.

The humidifier equipment including the apparatus within the float tank I0 and evaporator pan I l are essentially identical with that described in connection with Figs. 1 through 4, so that the above remarks relating to the advantages of this type of mounting, with the float tank outside of the air duct 95, also pertain to the modified apparatus shown in Figs. 5 through 9. The obvious installation of the latter apparatus is essentially similar to that previously described, although certain simplifications have been introduced to eliminate the above described pivot 55, the bracket 52 and the pins 5|.

In the present embodiment, loosening of the wing nut 6 3A permits the right angle bracket combination 56A-6IA to hang vertically from the pivot 60A and with the evaporator pan II at its normal horizontal position, regardless of the angle of the sidewall of the air duct 45. Clamping of the wing nut 94A securely holds the bracket 55A-5l A in its adjusted position relative to the bracket 53A provided by the frame A. The present arrangement permits access to the evaporating equipment within the duct 45 upon removing the removable plate GBA and also supports the float tank iii in a conveniently accessible position outside of the duct &5 so that periodic flushing, draining, and refilling of the float tank It and the associated evaporator pan H may be accomplished without disturbing the evaporating equipment.

By the present invention, applicant has provided novel and desirable improvements in a humidifier and a factory produced mounting therefor whereby the humidifier may be economically mounted to the usual air duct or air heating chamber with a minimum of labor and on-the-job cutting or modification of the said chamber, and whereby ready accessibility to both the humidifier evaporator equipment and float tank is aiforded to facilitate repairs, servicing, and the periodic cleaning of the humidifier evaporator equipment with the minimum of effort.

I claim:

1. In a humidifier assembly having an evaporator pan and a water level regulating means and being adapted for adjustable mounting on a single wall of the air duct of an air heating furnace, the combination of a humidifier assembly supporting means attachable to the wall of the air duct, a support for supporting the evaporator pan within the air duct, said support being solely supported by said humidifier supporting means and pivotal relative thereto to adjust said humidifier supporting means relative to the evaporator pan, and means engaging said support and said humidifier supporting means for clamping the latter in any of its adjusted positions.

2. The combination in a humidifier assembly as claimed in claim 1 and being further characterized in that said water level regulating means includes a float control water level regulating means provided within a fioat tank, a water conduit is provided between said float tank and said evaporator pan for maintaining the water level within said evaporator pan at the water level within said float tank, and a float tank supporting means are provided for adjustably supporting said float tank from said humidifier assembly supporting means.

3. The combination in a humidifier as claimed in claim 2 and being further characterized in that said evaporator pan support comprises a pivotal bracket arm pivotally connected at one end to said assembly supporting means and providing a support for said evaporator pan at the other end, and said clamping means including means for clamping said pivotal bracket arm in a fixed position.

EDWARD W. BOT'IUM.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number

Images