US2834279A - Blower unit for wall heaters - Google Patents

Description

y 1958 H. E. THOMPSON 2,834,279

BLOWER UNIT FOR WALL HEATERS Filed Nov. 10, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I I NVEN TOR 'Harl'q E. Thou-505011.

May 13, 1958 H. E. THOMPSON BLOWER UNIT FOR WALL HEATERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 10, 1955 f INVENTOR Harry E Thonzps'on ATTORNEY 2,834,279 Patented May 13, 1958 United States Patent Oflfice BLOWER UNIT FOR WALL HEATERS Harry E. Thompson, Steubenfille, Ohio, assignor to The Ohio Foundry & Manufacturing Company, Steuben- Ville, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application November 10, 1955, Serial No. 546,207

1 Claim. (Cl. 98-38) This invention relates to an improvement in wall heater units of the type usually heated by the combustion of manufactured or natural gases and located between the studding of a partition or wall or on the wall of a room.

Under present conditions the heat flows out through downwardly directed louvers in the front of the standard panel and gravitates toward the ceiling of the room space, and of course to some extent radiates by convection from the panel itself.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a forced air unit to be mounted above the upper end of the standard 'front panel of a wall heater for the purpose of causing the air issuing from the standard front panel to be directed outwardly by suction and velocity pressure to maintain better diffusion, to heat the lower portion of the room space and floor area, before the tendency of hot air to rise from the standard panel, takes eifect. That is to say, the present invention contemplates the provision of a self-contained unit including blower means which may be conveniently attached or fitted to the upper end of a louvered heater panel to force the heated air coming out of the wall heater proper downwardly along the floor area and across the room, as well as in directions to the right or left of the unit, thus heating the entire room from the floor upwardly before the normal tendency of hot air to ascend in the usual fashion. In this way the heater not only becomes more efficient but provides a more even room temperature from the floor level to the breathing level, which is a feature most desired from any type of heating system, and is diflicult to achieve with straight gravity heating.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel unit including structural features in the form of a blower housing, having openings through which the room air and warmer ceiling height air is drawn into the blowers and forced downwardly through louvers at the front side of the blower unit to intercept and entrain heated air tending to rise from the front of the panel.

A further object of the invention is to provide simple and practical means for mounting the unit above the panel.

A still further object is to provide a blower unit whose motors may be controlled by a manual switch, or by a thermal heat responsive type of switch, as required by the user.

With the above and other objects in view which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the forced air unit mounted on the upper portion of a wall heater panel.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section of the unit shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the forced air unit shown in Fig. 1.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawing.

Referring first to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the forced air unit as a whole is designated generally as A and is intended to be mounted above and at the upper end of the main wall panel B, the latter having the usual side and front walls, the front wall including the downwardly directed front louvers B.

Reverting to the forced air unit A, the same comprises a housing having a front wall 1, downwardly directed louvers 2, opposite side walls 33, a top wall 4, and, as will be seen from Fig. 2, the unit is open at the rear where it communicates with the wall space in the rear of the heater.

The casing of the blower unit is depressed outwardly as shown at 5 in Figs. 1 and 2 to better accommodate the blowers, later to be described. The side walls 3 have air intake openings 3 and the top wall has air intake openings 4 which may be of any geometrical design, such for example as shown by the elongated slots.

It will also be seen from Figs. 2 and 3 that the top Wall 4 is provided with an inturned flange 4 and that the side walls are provided with inturned flanges 3 the latter fitting flushly against the wall surface. 7 the unit above the panel B, it is preferred to mount the same on a hanger plate P which, as will be seen from Fig. 2,

is in the form of an angle member whose inner and downwardly directed leg is intended to be secured to the wall surface while the outer upturned end and the horizontal connecting web form a seat for receiving the downturned flange 4 of the casing. The outer flange of the hanger will prevent the unit from rocking forwardly away from the wall, and the entire hanger enables the weight of the blower unit to be supported substantially independently of the front panel B but in alinement therewith, as will be seen from Fig. 2.

Concealed behind the front wall 1 and the side walls 3 there is provided a duct member C of angular cross section which extends horizontally within the blower casing but preferably terminates slightly short of the inner sides of the walls 33. The duct C includes a deflector wall 6 which inclines forwardly, that is, from the rear towards the front of the unit, and a horizontal web 7, which receives through suitable openings therein, the outlet ends 8 of the blowers proper designated generally as D. Thus it will be seen that room space air taken in through openings 3* and 4 will be recirculated by the blowers D through the duct formed by 6, 7 and the inner faces of the side walls 3 to the outlets 8 and against the deflector wall 6 so as to forcibly direct heated air outwardly and downwardly through the louvers 2 to cross the path of heat issuing through louvers B of main panel B.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 3, it will be seen that it is preferred to employ a blower, or as shown, a pair of blowers D operated by the same motor E from a common shaft. The casings of the blower units D will fit into the cavity formed by the outwardly deflected portion 5 of the front wall, while as previously indicated the outlets 8 are directed downwardly toward the deflector wall 6. For the purpose of firmly anchoring the motor and blower units in place, there is provided a two-part clamp 9-10. The 'front portion of this clamp is medially bowed to fit the motor casing and opposite ends thereof are preferably welded as at 9 to the inside face of the front wall above and below the outwardly depressed por- In order to mount,

motor E with the aid of non-metallic gaskets 12, and the inner sides of the clamp elements 9 and 10 where they engage with the housing of the motor E, may also be lined with non-metallic sound deadening material in order that the quiet operation of the blower unit may be insured.

The motor E is suitably connected with available h'ouse current by the leads 13 and 13 which lead into inlet box 14. This box is secured to the rear side of the deflector wall 6. The circuit arrangement is such that current to the motor E may be controlled by a manual switch S on one of the outer side walls of the casing or by leads 15 connected with a thermally operated switch designated generally as T. Thus, it will be seen that the blower units may be operated automatically or manually, as desired.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invenn'on fulfills the object previously stated, namely to provide a forced air unit at the top of a wall heater to insure heated air to be directed to where it will be more eflicient and to provide more comfortable living area in room space to be heated.

I claim:

A wall heater comprising a main front panel having a louvered front wall and rearwardly directed side walls, the space between the upper edges of the front wall and the side walls being open to permit the escape of heated air currents, a blower housing surmounting the panel and having a louvered front wall and side and top walls each having air intake openings, the bottom edges of said front and side walls being formed for registry with the correspondingv upper edges of the main panel so that the blower housing receives said heated air currents, a forcedair-duct-forming and blowe'r-means-supporting member of angular cross section disposed horizontally across the space between the side walls of the blower housing and in the path of said heated air currents, said member including a horizontal shelf portion located at the rear of the louvered front wall of the blower casing and a portion inclined forwardly and downwardly to direct forced air currents toward the louvered front wall of the blower housing, blower means supported on said horizontal shelf portion and including a motor and a casing having its discharge outlet directed toward the outer face of the inclined portion of said member, said blower means when in operation drawing air through the openings of the side and top walls of the blower housing and discharging it onto the outer face of the inclined portion of the duct forming member to conduct a forced air blast through the louvered front of the blower housing and across the path of heat currents rising from the louvered front wall of the main panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,503,089 Callahan July 29, 1924 2,159,149 Hart May 23, 1939 2,694,971 Andrews Nov. 23, 1954 2,733,704 Giwosky Feb. 7, 1956

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