US3103924A

US3103924A - Method of installing furnace, and furnace for easy installation

Info

Publication number: US3103924A
Application number: US82960A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert D Porter
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1961-01-16
Filing date: 1961-01-16
Publication date: 1963-09-17
Anticipated expiration: 1980-09-17

Description

p 17, 1963 R. D. PORTER 3,103,924

METHOD OF INSTALLING FURNACE, AND FURNACE FOR EASY INSTALLATION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 16. 1961 INVENTOR. ROBERT D. PORTER BY BUCK/ ORAL CHEATHAM BLORE ATTORNEK? Sept. 17, 1963 R. D. PORTER 3,103,924

METHOD OF INSTALLING FURNACE, AND FURNACE FOR EASY INSTALLATION Filed Jan. 16, 1961 .2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F'LW- INVENTOR. was-R7 p. PO/WZQ 8} 4 G/(HORN. CHA'A TI /AM BAD/95' ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,103,924 METHOD OF INSTALLING FURNACE, AND FURNACE FOR EASY INSTALLATION Robert 1'). Porter, 424'5 Franklin Blvd., Eugene, Oreg. Filed Jan. 16, 1961, Ser. No. 82,960 7 Claims. (Cl. 126-116) This invention relates to methods of installing floor furnaces and also to furnaces constructed to enable them to be readily installed.

Prior floor furnaces have been installed as a single unit, and handling of the single unit furnace has required the services of two men. In addition, if a floor opening of a size to just accommodate the furnace is provided, one man must crawl under the house and make various electrical and other connections in dim light, or by artificial light from a lamp specially provided. Some times a larger opening is provided to enable the connections to be made from the interior of the house through the extra space provided. However, this practice is objectionable in that the extra space must again be covered,

and this patchwork is unsightly.

Not infrequently, it is desirable to install a furnace so that it extends under and beyond a wall, so that the air intake is on one side of the wall and the heat outlet on the other. In the past, the only way this could be accomplished was by forming an opening in the floor on one side of the wall of a size to accommodate the furnace, and extend the opening under and beyond the wall so that the furnace could be lowered into the large opening and then shifted to project under and beyond the wall. Again the floor must be patched to cover the extra space provided.

Some furnaces are of the type having lower portions, such as motors, controls and the like, that project laterally beyond the outline of the upper margin of the furnace. 'If such a furnace is to be installed in an opening of a size to fit the furnace at its upper margin, the projecting parts must, in most instances, be removed before the furnace is lowered into the opening. Then the removed parts must be carried under the house and reinstalled. This is obviously time consuming.

A main object of the present invention is to provide a furnace which can be installed without any of the disadvantages named above, and installed by only one man.

A more specific object is to provide a furnace divided vertically in a manner to enable installation in sections to overcome the above disadvantages.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a novel method of installing a furnace to overcome the above disadvantages.

Various other objects of the invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. '1 is a perspective view of a furnace of the invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 show various steps in installing the furnace in a simple opening, the right furnace section in FIG. 3 being shown diagrammatically for clarity in illustration;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view of the connection between the housing sections; and

FIGS. 6 and 7 show various steps in installing the furnace in an opening extending beneath a wall.

Referring to FIG. 1, the floor furnace disclosed has many features in common with the furnace disclosed in my copending application entitled Floor Furnace, Serial No. 767,883, filed October 17, 1958, now Patent No. 2,979,051. My prior furnace is not divided as is the furnace of the present invention.

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The furnace in FIG. 1 has a housing divided vertically and transversely to provide two

housing sections

11a and 11b to be connected, when installed, by means to be presently described. 'There is a grill, not shown, for the top of the housing.

A burner 15 of conventional form is mounted on the exterior of section 11b and directs a flame into a firebox 17 mounted within the section. The flame is surrounded by a flame pipe 19, FIG. 2, which projects into the housing section 11b where it connects to the firebox 17. The combustion gases in box 17 are conducted through a heat exchanger 20 in section 11b and then out an exhaust outlet 21a (FIG. 1) in which a pipe or duct 21 (FIG. 3) fits when the furnace is installed.

The firebox 17 is disposed on one side of a divider wall 23 (FIG. 2), and a blower 25 of conventional form is disposed in section 110, and thus on the other side of the wall 23. The wall has an opening 27 (FIG. 4) to register with an outlet portion 28 of the blower 25 when the furnace is installed. Thus air to be heated is drawn downwardly into housing section 11a and directed through the opening 27 onto the firebox 17 and the heat exchanger 20 and then moves upwardly into the room.

The wall 26 is connected at its ends to two

shield walls

43 and 45 which are connected at 47 to the side Walls of the housing section 11b. The right-hand ends of the shield walls 43 and 4 5 are connected by a transverse shield Wall 49. Stand-off bolts 51 secure the walls to the housing section 11b. A horizontal bafile 81 covers the wall 23 and the left-hand ends of the

walls

43 and 45.

Each housing section has upper outwardly extending support flanges, numbered 92 for

section

11a and 94 for section 1112.

During installation, there are various connections that must be made from the house to the furnace. The burner 15 includes an electric motor 101 which requires electrical conductors 103 to be connected from the house current to the motor to supply current to the motor. A fuel 'line 105 must be connected to the burner 15. A remotely located control in the house has conductors 107 extending to a furnace theremostat (not indicated) to control the operation of the motor 101 and also of an electric motor 109 (-FIG. 1) for the blower 25. The exhaust pipe or duct 21 must be connected to the furnace outlet 21a to conduct exhaust gases to a chimney or vertical exhaust conduit.

Installation In installing a furnace of the present invention, an opening 123 is formed in the floor 125, the opening having a size to just fit around the

housing

11a, 11b beneath the

flanges

92 and 94. The housing section 1115 is lowered into the opening 123 in a position offset from its final position as shown in FIG. 2. The flanges 94 rest on the floor and support the furnace. This positioning of the furnace leaves a space between the right-hand portion of housing section 11b and the right-hand edge of the opening 123. Thus ready access to the burner 15 and associated parts, from the interior of the house, is provided. The various electrical and

piping connections

103, 105 and 107 may be rapidly made with light from the interior of the house giving excellent visibility. After this, the housing section 11b is shifted to its final position to leave a space at the left-hand portion of the section 11b to facilitate connecting the pipe or duct 21 to the outlet 21a. A temporary brace (not shown) may be used between the upper left-hand portions of the sides of the housing section 11b in the event the support by the flanges 94 tends to how the sides inwardly in spite of the bafile 81. Of course, if a permanent brace is built in the section 11b, no temporary brace is required.

Now, the housing section 11a is lowered into the open- 3 ing 123 next to section 11b as shown in FIG; 3. This automatically places the blower outlet 28 (FIG. 4) in register with the opening 27 in the wall 23. Insulation may now be stuffed into the section 11a around the outlet 28. This prevents leakage of cold air in the outlet 28. Conductors 127, from the conventional control box (not identified) on the right-hand end of the section 11b, are now connected to the motor 109, so that the blower operation may be regulated by the control box.

A pair of elongated clips or fastener strips 129 are shoved down to embrace vertical return bent flanges 131 formed interiorly on the side walls of housing sections 11a and 1111 at the plane of separation of the two. This detaohably connects the housing sections together, and facilitates the removal of the strips 129 to enable removal of section 11a for ready inspection or repair of the burner 5 and the associated mechanisms.

It is pointed out that the burner 15 does not have to be removed when installing the furnace, despite the projection of the burner beyond the horizontal outline of the housing section 11b. As shown in FIG. 3, the burner 15 projects beneath the floor 125 in the final position of the housing section 1112. The grill (not shown) is next applied and is of conventional form, having a bordering flange for covering the

flanges

92 and 94 and grill members which have sufficient depth to fit down into the

housing sections

11a and 11b. The blank space in H6. 3 for housing section 1112 is merely a diagrammatical disclosure of this section and is not intended to represent a cover piece.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show the manner of installing the furnace beneath a wall W and in an opening 133 of a size to just fit around the furnace at the upper margin thereof beneath the

flanges

92 and 94. The opening is formed of a size so that the size of the opening on one side of the wall, the left-hand side in the drawings, is suflicient to receive the housing section 11b as shown in FIG. 6. Now, the electrical and piping connections can be made through the opening at the opposite side of the wall W. Afterward, the section 1111 is shifted to its FIG. 7 position to enable the housing section 11a to be lowered into place. The wall is cut away just above the floor to accommodate the

flanges

92 and 94 and the flanges of the grill (not shown). Sometimes the grill is sufficiently flexible and the cut away sufficiently generous to enable a one piece grill to be used. If not, the grill will be in two sections, split at the joint between the housing sections.

The furnace of the present invention requires the services of only one man, because either part may be lifted by one man. In addition, the time for installation is substantially less than for prior furnaces, because of the better access and visibility offered by the present furnace. In the claims, the phrase upper margin when referring to the furnace means the margin at a place just beneath the supporting flanges or lip.

Having described the invention in what is considered to be the preferred embodiment thereof, it is desired that it be understood that the invention is not to be limited other than by the provisions of the following claims.

I claim: 1. The method of installing a floor furnace in a floor; comprising forming an opening in the floor of a size to just fit around said furnace at its upper margin;

dividing the furnace vertically into two parts, one of which has certain connections that must be made;

lowering said one part in said opening in a position occupying at least a portion of the opening to be occupied by the other part to provide access from the top side of said floor to said certain connections;

making at least some of said certain connections with said one part so located;

shifting said one part to its intended final position;

completing said connections;

then inserting said other part and suspending said part from the floor to provide a complete furnace in said opening.

2. The method of installing a floor furnace in a floor having an opening to just fit around the furnace at the upper margin of the furnace, said furnace being of the type having lower portions projecting beyond the outline of such margin;

said method comprising dividing said furnace vertically into two parts in a manner to leave the entire pro- .jecting portions on one part of said furnace;

lowering said one part in said opening in a position so that said portions clear the edges defining said opening;

then shifting said one part to its final position to dispose said portions below said floor;

then inserting the other part of said furnace in said opening next to said one part and suspending said part from the floor.

3. In combination, a floor having an opening of predetermined size formed therein;

a floor furnace mounted in said opening in suspended relation to said floor and having a peripheral sim to just fit into said opening;

said furnace having portions below the level of the floor projecting laterally to underlie the floor;

said furnace being divided vertically to provide two parts, one of which carries said portions;

means whereby each part is independently suspended from said floor and so that said one part may be lowered into said opening in a position so that said portions clear the edges defining said opening and then shifted over to occupy its final position, whereafter the other part may be lowered into said opening alongside the first part.

4. In combination, a floor having an opening of predetermined size formed therein;

a floor furnace mounted in said opening in suspended relation to said floor and having a peripheral size to just fit into said opening;

said furnace being divided vertically into two parts, one of the parts containing all the means to which exterior connections are to be made;

and means whereby each part is independently suspended from said floor so that said one part may be lowered into said opening in offset relation to its final position to enable said connections to be made by a person occupying part of said opening; whereafter said one part may be shifted to its final position to enable the other part to be lowered into said opening alongside the first part.

5. In combination, a floor having an opening of predetermined size formed therein;

and means whereby each part is independently suspended from said floor so that said one part may be lowered into said opening in offset relation to its final position to enable said connections to be made by a person occupying part of said opening, whereafter said one part may be shifted to its final position to enable the other part to be lowered into said opening alongside the first part;

and means for detachably connecting said parts together.

6. The method of installing a floor furnace in a floor in a position beneath a wall extending upwardly from said floor;

comprising forming an opening in said floor on the opposite sides of and beneath said wall of a size to just fit around the upper margin of said furnace,

said opening on one side of said wall being larger than on the other;

dividing said furnace vertically into at least two parts, each of a size which can be lowered into the larger opening portion; lowering one part into said larger opening portion and shifting it laterally so that it projects under said wall and occupies the smaller opening portion;

then lowering said other part into the larger opening portion alongside said one part.

7. The method of installing in a floor a floor furnace of the type having a supporting lip at its upper end;

comprising forming an opening in said floor of a size to receive said furnace but less than that of said lip .to enable the lip to engage the floor to support the furnace;

dividing the furnace vertically into two parts, one of which has an exhaust gas outlet that is to be connected to an exhaust duct;

lowering said one part into said opening from the top side of said floor and locating the same in its final position to leave an opening of reduced size to receive the other part;

prior to inserting said other part, connecting an exhaust duct to said outlet of said one part, whereby the presence of the reduced size opening facilitates access to said outlet and entry to the surrounding space from the top side of said floor;

then inserting said other part into said reduced size opening alongside said first part and suspending said part from the floor,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

Claims

1. THE METHOD OF INSTALLING A FLOOR FURNACE IN A FLOOR; COMPRISING FORMING AN OPENING IN THE FLOOR OF A SIZE TO JUST FIT AROUND SAID FURNACE AT ITS UPPER MARGIN; DIVIDING THE FURNACE VERTICALLY INTO TWO PARTS, ONE OF WHICH HAS CERTAIN CONNECTIONS THAT MUST BE MADE; LOWERING SAID ONE PART IN SAID OPENING IN A POSITION OCCUPYING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE OPENING TO BE OCCUPIED BY THE OTHER PART TO PROVIDE ACCESS FROM THE TOP SIDE OF SAID FLOOR TO SAID CERTAIN CONNECTIONS; MAKING AT LEAST SOME OF SAID CERTAIN CONNECTIONS WITH SAID ONE PART SO LOCATED; SHIFTING SAID ONE PART TO ITS INTENDED FINAL POSITION; COMPLETING SAID CONNECTIONS; THEN INSERTING SAID OTHER PART AND SUSPENDING SAID PART FROM THE FLOOR TO PROVIDE A COMPLETE FURNACE IN SAID OPENING.