US2861170A - Water heating attachment for cold water pipes - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 18, 1958 J. c. LATORRE RODRIGUEZ WATER HEATING ATTACHMENT FOR CQLD WATER PIPES FiledJuly 31, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Juazz C.Latorre HOdrziQuQS BY I y I a 7 ATTORNEY Nov. 18, 1958 J. c. LATORRE RODRIGUEZ WATER HEATING ATTACHMENT FoR cow WATER PIPES Filed July 51. 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Jizan C. Laiorre Rodriuea BY a 2 7 I V 7 ATTORNEY United, States Patent WATER HEATING ATTACHMENT FOR COLD WATER PIPES Juan C. Latorre Rodriguez, Palmira, Colombia Application July 31, 1957, Serial No. 675,494 8 Claims. (Cl. 219-39) This invention relates to unitary water-heating attachments for cold water pipes.

One of the objects is to make such an attachment con- I nectible at one point only to a single pipe so as to minimize the labor and expense of installing it. Another object is to simplify the construction-so that a single manually operated valve will shut off the water 'or will turn on cold water, or warm water, or hot water as selected by the operator. Anotherobject is to arrange in certain positions.

ject is to provide a simplified electrical control for an electric water heater. A still further object is'to shield the electrical control elements yet make them readily accessible. The invention also provides a very easily oper-: "ated and safe electrical control and an easily operated valve control; both controls being easily seen, reached and operated even when the user is somewhat blinded by water from a shower. The attachment of the invention is useful not only in certain types of bathrooms but also in camps, hunting and fishing lodges, in country homes, and wherever hot water is needed but a high installation cost is to be avoided.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this speeification- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the preferred embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation on a larger scale, viewing the opposite side of the device, parts being broken away;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view on the scale of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section showing the valve unit, the safety valve, the valve-operating handle and the upper :part of the tank; the electrical switch being omitted;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section showing the valve unit, the electrical switch, the thermostat and associated parts;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section showing the valve unit, the safety valve, the upper part of the tank etc., the electrical elements being omitted, the section being at right angles to that of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a detail in side elevation showing particularly the thermostat on the valve chamber;

Fig. 8 is a detail in side elevation showing particularly the electrical switch on the valve chamber;

Figs. 9 and 10 are diagrams showing valve positions; and

Fig. 11 is a detail in perspective of one of the two casing or shell parts that enclose the switch etc.

Referring particularly to the drawings, the preferred form of unitary water-heating shower attachment of my invention comprises a tank 15, a shower unit 16, a source of heat '17 for the water 18 in the tank, a switch 19 controlling the source of heat, a valve unit or assembly 20 controlling the water flow out of shower unit 16, and a pipe 21 coupled as at 22 to a cold water supply pipe 23. The entire shower attachment is supported, or is capable of being supported, by supply pipe 23 alone.

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The tank 15 is preferably cylindrical, and has its longitudinal axis extending vertically when the attachment is fixed to supply pipe 23. Tank 15 is preferably of rust-proof metal or has a corrosion-resistant lining (not shown) and preferably has a layer of heat-insulating material (not shown) to retain the heat of its water content and also to minimize the likelihood of burns arising from contact of the skin with its walls. The tank may have a plug in its lower end to facilitate cleaning out its interior (not shown). It may have a capacity of about .2 gallons (about 7.6 liters).

The shower unit 16 shown in the drawings is merely by way of illustration, and any other form of shower unit may be used. It includes a shower head 24 screwed on the lower end of a fitting 25, said fitting being fixed to and receiving the discharge of two pipes 26,27 which are curved in like curves and are uniformly spaced apart. Pipes 26, 27 are connected at their intake ends to a fitting 28 which is screwed into one end of a valve chamber 29 best shown in Fig. 6. See also Figs. 4 and 5.

The source of heat could be a kerosene or gasoline or gas burner, but preferably is an electric heating coil 30 of the immersion type, preferably arranged with the coils formed in a spiral whose axis is vertical, coinciding with the vertical axis of the cylindrical tank 15. The coil 30 is not shown in detail because its precise construction forms no part of my invention. Current is conducted to coil 30 by wires 31 (Figs. 2 and 4) leading from a source of electricity. Switch 19 is interposed between the source of electricity and the heating coil, and will be described in more detail later on. Switch 19 has its operating shaft 32 fixed to a grooved wheel 33, providing the necessary leverage for easy operation of the switch. A pair of chains 34, 35 are secured at their upper ends as by solder to the top of wheel 33 and hang down therefrom on each side, with rings 36, 37 fixed on their lower ends. Loops 38, 39 secured to the sides of tank 15 near its top may serve as guides for chains 34, 35. A pointer 40 fixed to a casing 41 is centered over the axis of wheel 33 and a legend (On 01f, see Fig. 1) may be painted or stamped or otherwise marked on the wheel in proper relationship to the pointer 40 to indicate which chain to pull to turn switch 19 on and which chain will turn it off when pulled. The heating coil 30 is located slightly above the bottom of the tank, surrounding water inlet pipe 42, which is supported centrally of the tank and has its discharge end just below the lowest coil 30. Thus the incoming cold water contacts the highly heated coil or coils 30, is heated, and rises to the top of the tank.

The valve assembly 20 includes a screw plug 43 screwed into the top of the tank and brazed or otherwise secured to the upper end of inlet pipe 42, thus supporting that pipe in the center of the tank. Valve chamber 29 is secured to and may be integral with screw plug 43; see Figs. 4 and 6. Valve chamber 29 is essentially a T-shaped fitting, having one arm 29*- with screw threads 29 to couple the pipe 21 (hence the cold water supply) to the shower unit. An oppositely extending arm 29 has screw threads 29 into which fitting 28 is screwed, so that water may be delivered to the shower unit described above, after passing through the valve assembly. A tube 44 is fixed in screw plug 43 and passes through it, being open at its lower end to the interior of the tank. The upper end of tube 44 passes through the wall of arm 29 of valve chamber 29 and thus may discharge hot water displaced from the tank into the pipes 26, 27 and the shower head 24. It will be noted that this hot water initially enters the lowest part of arm 29 As will presently be seen, cold water enters arm 29 at the top (Fig. 6), the result being there is a commingling of the two currents of water in arm 29 due to convection and the pressure of the flowa shower.

understood from Figs. and 7. shell or casing 41, preferably in two complemental parts ing water. This mixing takes place automatically and IS an important feature of my invention.

Located centrally in valve chamber 29 and arranged to turn on a vertical axis is a valve plug assembly 45 which may be of bronze and has a frusto-conical shape to fit surround valve stem 46, the gland 49 being screwed into a counterbore in the top of nut 47 so as to make a tight seal. Nut 47 obviously holds the valve plug properly seated. At its upper end, valve stem 46 is flattened on opposite sides, as indicated at 51, and a valveoperating handle or lever 52 has a loop 53 surrounding the upper flattened end 51. A nut 54 secures the handle 52, said nut tightening loop 53 against a shoulder 55. The handle or lever provides a long arm that is curved to conform generally to the outer surfaces of the shower attachment and extends down alongside the tank but slightly spaced therefrom; see Figs. 2 and 3.

A generally U-shaped strip of metal 56 is riveted or otherwise secured to the outside of the tank near the top, extending about two-thirds of the way around the tank as shown in Fig. 3. The ends of the strip of metal 56 are curled to form the chain-guiding loops 38, 39 already mentioned. On the outer surface of this strip of metal various legends may be stamped or otherwise marked, to guide the user of the device when taking These legends might read Closed, Cold, Tepid, Warm, Very hot, in the order given, reading from right to left as the parts are viewed in Fig. 2.

A safety valve 57 is mounted on the upper end of the valve stem, being secured by screw threads 58 in a counterbore in the upper end of the valve stem. Needle valve 59, which is a part of the safety valve, is seated on a seat 60 disposed at the upper end of a bore 61 in the safety valve body. A series of lateral ports 62 are provided in the safety valve body surrounding the seat 60. Needle valve 59 is fixed to the center of and depends from a weight 63, which holds the needle valve normally seated. Weight 63 may have some ornamentation, such as knurling, not shown, and a lift ring 64 facilitates removing it when desired. This safety valve lifts when the shower head is stopped up or when the unit has not been installed properly; and when it lifts, water flows in a jet stream out of the top of the unit,

giving an unmistakable signal that the apparatus is not Other types of safety valves may be in working order. used in lieu of the one described.

The electrical switch 19 and the thermostat 66 are shown in Figs. 5, 8 and 7. The switch is preferably of the toggle type and per se forms no part of my invention. Its operating shaft 32, as previously explained, is moved by pulling on one chain 34, or the other chain, 35. Insulation, not shown, is provided to mount the switch 19 safely on the metal valve chamber 29, and insulated wires 67, 68 connect the switch in circuit with thermostat 66, fixedly mounted on the opposite side of the valve chamber. The thermostat per se is not a part of my invention. It is a safety device which acts automatically to open the circuit of the heating coil 30 whenever the temperature of the valve chamber rises to a predetermined point. The thermostat lies directly against a wall of the metallic valve chamber near the point where the hot water enters from the tank, as will be A metallic globular for convenience in assembling and disassembling, en-

" closes the switch 19 and thermostat 66 and protects those parts from the water, which might cause short 4 circuits. Fig. 11 shows one of the two complemental parts of shell 41.

To start the unit, switch 19 is closed and the device is allowed to heat up for ten minutes before drawing any water. As the valve is moved from the closed position (Fig. 9), cold water is first discharged through the shower head, by-passing the tank entirely. As the valve is moved further by its handle 52, it will assume the position shown in Fig. 6, wherein some cold water flows through port 70 in the valve and other cold water flows down through port 71 into the tank, being discharged at the bottom of the tank against the extremely hot heating coil or coils 30. The heated water rises and flows out through tube 44, mixing automatically with the cold water in the' arm 29 as already explained. Further turning of the valve causes less cold water proportionately to be mixed, hence the temperature of the shower water will rise. When the valve is moved to its extreme position, no cold water is mixed, all the cold water flowing into the tank and displacing the hot water therein, causing delivery of hot water from the tank directly to the shower head. Continuous delivery of hot water is assuredbecause the heating coil becomes extremely hot and vaporizes the cold water that strikes it. Actually, the valve is seldom if ever moved to its extreme position for bathing purposes, as the two gallons of Water in the tank should be mixed with three and one-half to four gallons of cold water for comfortable bathing.

While I have described one embodiment of the invention in considerable detail, I wish it to be understood that many modifications may be made within the scope of. the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A unitary water-heating shower attachment for cold water pipes which is connectible at one point only to a cold water supply pipe and which has means built into it for heating water, and other means built into it for controlling the flow of water out of it, said other means consisting of a manually movable single valve which is constructed and arranged to permit cold water, or warm water, or hot water to be discharged from the attachment, the temperature of the discharged water being determined by the position of the valve.

2. A portable electric water-heating attachment for cold water pipes comprising, in combination, an electrical water-heating unit; a switch for controlling energization of said unit; a tank surrounding said heating unit; a cold water inlet pipe connectible to a cold water supply pipe and discharging water adjacent said heating unit; said tank being adapted to hold a substantial volume of water which is in direct contact wtih said heating unit; a discharge pipe; a tube directly connecting the upper end of the tank with the discharge pipe; and a single manually operated valve having a bypass, said valve being connected to the cold water supply pipe and to the tank through said cold water inlet pipe, and also being connected to the discharge pipe, and controlling fiow of cold water into the tank and fiow of cold water by-passing the tank; the hot water displaced from the tank by the incoming cold water flowing through said tube directly into said discharge pipe and there mingling with any cold water that may be flowing through the bypass, as permitted by the position of said valve.

3. A water-heating attachment for cold water pipes comprising, in combination, a tank having an inlet connectible with a cold water supply pipe, and an outlet; water discharge means coupled to said outlet; a source of heat operatively associated with said tank and adapted to heat water in said tank; operator-controlled means for controlling the source of heat; a valve assembly mounted adjacent the inlet and a tube directly connectbeing so constructed and arranged that flow of cold water directly to said outlet and by-passing the tank is permitted, or controlled flow of cold water mingled with hot water from the tank, or direct flow of heated water from the tank alone; and operator-controlled handle means attached to said valve and disposed immediately adjacent the outer walls of the tank for controlling by means of its position the temperature of water discharged from the attachment.

4. A unitary water-heating attachment for cold water pipes comprising, in combination, a pipe adapted to be coupled to a cold water supply pipe; a tank coupled to and receiving cold water from the first-mentioned pipe; a valve controlling flow of cold water from said supply pipe into said tank; a discharge means coupled to said valve and tank; said valve being constructed and arranged so as to by-pass the tank in one of its positions so that cold water flows from said supply pipe to said discharge means without passing through the tank; an operating handle attached to said valve and permitting the operator to control flow of water to said discharge means; a source of heat adapted to heat water flowing through said tank, said source of heat being an electric immersion-type heating coil inside the tank, a source of electricity being connected to said heating coil by wires, a switch being mounted on top of the tank but insulated therefrom and connected in circuit, said switch having a grooved operating wheel fixed to its shaft, and a pair of switch-operating chains fixed at their upper ends to the top of the grooved wheel and depending from said wheel on opposite sides so that pulling one chain will close the switch to cause heating of the water in the tank and pulling the other chain will open said switch.

5. The invention defined in claim 4, wherein the tank is cylindrical with its longitudinal axis arranged vertical, and the valve is located above the tank and arranged so as to turn on a vertical axis which coincides wtih the axis of the tank, the operator-controlled handle means that controls the valve being affixed at its upper end to the valve spindle and extending down along the side of the tank.

6. A portable hot water supply attachment for cold water pipes comprising, in combniation, a cold water .6 supply pipe; a tank; a source of heat ope'ratively associated with said tank; means for coupling the tank to the cold water pipe; a valve assembly and pipes controlling flow of water from the cold water pipe into the bottom of tank and also permitting the cold water to bypass the tank; a water discharge means coupled to the valve as sembly; and conduit means directly connecting the water discharge means with the top of the tank so that heated water displaced from the tank by incoming cold water will flow directly to the water discharge means without passing through the valve assembly.

7. A unitary water-heating attachment for cold water pipes comprising, in combination, a tank; an electric immersion heater in said tank; a cold water inlet pipe in said tank discharging water adjacent said heater; a valve assembly and pipes controlling flow of water into said inlet pipe and also by-passing the tank; said valve assembly being mounted on top of the tank and secured thereto; water discharge means coupled to the valve assembly; an electric switch in circuit with said heater and mounted on one side of the valve assembly; and a thermostat in circuit with said heater and mounted on the other side of said valve assembly and in contact with a wall thereof, said wall being of material of good heat conductivity.

8. The invention defined in claim 7, wherein the switch, the thermostat and the valve assembly are all enclosed in a protective casing or shell which keeps water ofi the electrical parts, said casing or shell being split so that it is easily removed for servicing of parts.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,313,519 Clover Aug. 19, 1919 1,417,409 Ralph May 23, 1922 1,665,348 Dineson Apr. 10, 1928 1,920,284 Wells Aug. 1, 1933 2,110,251 Wolcott Mar. 8, 1938 2,347,122 Peet Apr. 18, 1944 2,513,435 Tully et al. July 4, 1950 2,694,768 Stiebel Nov. 16, 1954

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