US3194229A

US3194229A - Portable submersible swimming pool heater

Info

Publication number: US3194229A
Application number: US206363A
Authority: US
Inventors: Donald R Borgeson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-06-29
Filing date: 1962-06-29
Publication date: 1965-07-13
Anticipated expiration: 1982-07-13

Description

July 13, 1965 BORGESQN 3,194,229

PORTABLE SUBMERSIBLE SWIMMING POOL HEATER Filed June 29, 1962 INVENTOR.

AT/URIVE 6' United States Patent 3,194,229 PORTABLE SUBMERSIBLE SWIMMING POOL HEATER Donald R. Borgeson, 18301 Riverside Drive, Birmingham, Mich. Fiied June 29, 1962, Ser. No. 206,363 1 Claim. (Cl. 126360) This invention relates to a submersible heater for a body of water and, in particular, to a highly portable relatively simple and inexpensive submersible heater for swimming pools.

It has heretofore been recognized as being desirable to equip outdoor swimming pools, particularly in more northern climes, with heating systems for heating the pool water in the interest of extending the swimming season to the maximum extent possible and to otherwise contribute generally to swimming comfort during the season such as on cool evenings or even during the day when unseasonably cool ambient temperatures'may occur. As

a consequence, outdoor swimming pools owned by municipalities, private clubs and the like have quite commonly been equipped with such a heating system which has normally been incorporated in the water circulation and filtering equipment associated with operation of such a pool. However, such heating systems are relatively large, elaborate, expensive and stationary which, although perhaps not posing too serious a problem for large swimming facilities owned by municipalities or private clubs, results in such heating systems being wholly unsatisfactory as a practical matter for use in the majority of relatively small private residential pools which have become so popular in recent times with home owners.

It is, therefore, a principal object and feature of this invention to provide a submersible water heater for swimming pool which is relatively simple, inexpensive to purchase and maintain, and safe to operate.

It is another object and feature of this invention to provide a submersible waterheater for swimming pools comprising a buoyant member floatable on the surface of the Water in a pool, a flue assembly including inner and outer radially spaced axially nested and extending cylindrical flue members each having an upper end supported on the aforementioned buoyant member so as to depend below the surface of the water with the buoyant member disposed therein, the lower ends of the inner and outer flue members being respectively open and closed to form a tortuous reverse flow path for hot gases flowable down the inner flue member and up the outer flue member between the latter and the inner flue member, and burner means including blower means mounted on the buoyant member above the surface of the water for burning a suitable fuel and blowing hot gases along the aforementioned flow path, thereby causing heat to be transferred from the surface of the outer flue member to water surrounding the latter to heat same.

'It is yet another object and feature of this invention, according to one preferred embodiment thereof, to provide a Water heater of the type aforementioned further comprising a cylindrical water jacket radially spaced from and surrounding the aforementioned outer flue member to define therewith a water heating chamber, the opposite ends of the water jacket both being open and the jacket being entirely submerged below the surface of the water with the buoyant member disposed therein, whereby water being heated may circulate through the aforementioned heating chamber between the opposite open ends of the jacket.

It is yet another object and feature of this invention, according to another preferred embodiment thereof, to provide a water heater of the type aforementioned fur- 3,194,229 Patented July 13, 1965 ice ther comprising mean supported on the buoyant menu ber of the heater in communication with the upper end of the outer flue member aforementioned and extending below the surface of the water with the buoyant mem ber disposed therein for underwater discharge of the hot gases and products of combustion flowing through the aforementioned flue assembly. I

It is yet another object and feature of this invention, according to another preferred embodiment thereof, to provide a water heater of the type aforementioned further comprising a plurality of axially extending circumferentially spaced fin means on the outer surface of the aforementioned outer flue member and projecting into the water to facilitate heat transfer thereto and heating thereof. i It is yet another object and feature of this invention to provide a submersible water heater for swimming pools of the type aforementioned further characterized by the fact that the various components thereof, such as the aforementioned buoyant member, flue members, and water jacket, may be relatively simply and inexpensively fabricated and assembled of relatively lightweight materials thereby resulting in compact, portable water heater of minimum cost.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter as the description thereof proceeds,reference being made to the drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through a water heater disposed in a heating position in a pool, and illustrates one preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view corresponding generally to FIG- URE 1, but illustrates another preferred embodiment of the invention; and I FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view of the flue assembly of a water heater, but illustrates yet another embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to FIGURE 1 and onepreferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 10 generally indicates a submersible water heater assembly comprising a buoyant member in the form of an annular hollow sealed donut 12 fabricated of a suitable metal and floatable upon the surface of a body of water in a swimming pool as indicated schematically at 14. A flue assembly comprises a first or inner axially extending cylindrical flue member or tube 16 fabricated of a suitable metal and having axially opposite open upper and lower ends 18 and 20, and a second or outer axially extending cylindrical flue member or tube 22 likewise fabricated of a suitable metal and having an upper open end 24 and a closed lower end 26 axially opposite thereto. The open upper ends 18 and 24 of the respective flue members extend into the central opening or donut 12 and are suitably supported therein as by welding the upper open end of the outer flue member to the buoyant member or donut as indicated at 28, and welding a plurality of thin, circumferentially spaced, radially extending fins 3i) between the upper ends of the respective flue members. Thus, the outer flue member is supported inradially outwardly spaced relation to and surrounds the inner flue member with the lower open end 20 of the latter spaced axially opposite from the closed ends 26 of the outer flue member. the flue assembly depends below the surface of the water with the buoyant member or donut 12 disposed therein as clearly illustrated in the drawing.

A burner and blower assembly, being of any well known commercially available variety, is indicated schematically at 32 as comprising the housing 34 suitably mounted as by a plurality of spaced ribs 36 on the buoyant member or donut 12 above the surface of the water and communicating at its lower end with the open upper end 18 of the inner flue member 16. A fuel line, preferably flexible Furthermore,

3% in nature, is indicated at 38 as being connected to the housing 34 and a burner element 40 therein, it will be understood that such line extends to the edge of the pool where it is connected to a suitable source of fuel, preferably a natural or propane gas. Fuel supplied through the line 38 to the housing 34 and burner element 40 therein is mixed with air drawn through the air ports 42 in the housing, burned therein and the resulting hot gases and combustion products then blown by blower 44 into the open upper end of the inner flue member 16. As a result, the hot gases and combustion products are blown along a flow path down through the inner flue member 16 to the lower closed end 26 of the outer flue member 22, and then upwardly within the outer flue member between the latter and the inner flue member. As a result, the outer flue member 22 is continuously heated and the combustion gases are exhausted into the atmosphere through the annular exhaust opening 46 formed between the upper open ends 18 and 24 of the inner and outer flue members, respectively. Consequently, water surrounding the outer surface of the outer flue member is heated.

An axially extending cylindrical water jacket 48 tabricated of a suitable metal is radially spaced from and surrounds the outer flue member 22. The axially opposite upper and lower ends 50 and 52, respectively, of the water jacket are open and suitable means such as. a plurality of circumferentially spaced, radially extending thin metal fins 54 are welded between the outer flue member and the upper end of the water jacket to support the latter in axially spaced relation to the buoyant member or donut 12 so that the entire water jacket is submerged. Thus, the Water jacket 48 defines with the outer flue member 22 an annular Water heating chamber 56 through which water may circulate as it is heated. Consequently, with the burner and blower assembly 32 operating as aforedescribed, a continuous circulation of water to be heated results in the water heating chamber, cold water entering the heating chamber through the open lower end of the water jacket 48 and traveling upwardly therein as it is heated and out the submerged open upper end 50 of the water jacket.

Reference will now be made to FIGURE 2 illustrating another embodiment of the invention, like numerals being employed to indicate parts previously described in connection with the embodiment of FIGURE 1. Thus, in this embodiment, the water jacket 48 and fins 54 may be eliminated if desired and as shown, while the heater further comprises an annular plate 58 secured between the upper ends 18 and 24 of the inner and outer flue members to substantially close the annular atmospheric exhaust opening 46, although the plate 58 includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced exhaust openings 60 for exhaust purposes. A corresponding number of circumferentially spaced and bowed exhaust stacks 62 are provided, each having one end suitably supported on the plate 58 in communication with a respective one of the exhaust openings 60 while the other or discharge end 64 of each stack extends beyond the edge of the buoyant member or donut 12 and below the surface of the water for discharge of the combustion gases and products below water level. In this respect, it will be apparent that the fuel selected for burning in the burner and blower assembly 32 should not result in toxic, irritant-causing or otherwise objectionable products of combustion for discharge into the swimming pool water and, hence, one reason for the preference for using natural or propane gas as the fuel. It should be noted at this juncture, and as will now be readily apparent, that the stack construction aforedescribed may also be employed with the water heater illustrated in FIGURE 1 and aforedescribed;

that is, a heater which additionally includes the water jacket 48.

A further modification of a heater constructed in accordance with this invention is illustrated in FIGURE 3, like numerals again being employed to indicate parts corresponding to parts previously described in connection with the embodiment of FIGURE 1. Thus, in this embodiment, the heater differs from those previously described in providing the outer surface of the outer flue member 22 with a plurality of axially extending circumferentially spaced fin members 66 which increase the area of contact of the outer flue member with the water, thereby enhancing heat transfer to the latter. In this respect, it will now be apparent that the fin members 66 may be utilized in the embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 1 which includes the water jacket 48 and as indicated in dotted lines in FIGURE 3, or in the embodiment of FIGURE 2 for the purpose aforementioned.

While several forms of the invention have been shown and described, other forms will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is to be understood that the embodiments shown in the drawing and described above are merely for illustrative purposes, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention which is defined by the claim which follows.

' I claim:

A portable submersible heater for swimming pools comprising a buoyant member floatable on the surface of the water in a pool, a first axially extending cylindrical fiue member open at its axially opposite ends, one open end of said first flue member being supported on said buoyant member and the other open end thereof adapted to extend below the surface of the water when said buoyant member is disposed in the water, a second axially extending cylindrical flue member having an open end and a closed end axially opposite thereto, said second flue member being spaced from and surrounding said first flue member with said open end thereof supported on said buoyant member and said closed end thereof axially opposite from said other open end of said first flue member, burner means including blower means supported on said buoyant member above the surface of the water and communicating with said one open end of said first flue member to blow hot gases through said first flue member and between the latter and said second flue member to said open end of the latter, and a plurality of spaced exhaust stacks supported on said buoyant member and respectively communicating with said open end of said second flue member, each of said stacks includingan exhaust opening extending below the surface of the Water with said buoyant member disposed therein.

References Cited hy the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 806,526 12/05 Daly 126-360 1,013,635 1/12 Bardill 126-360 X 1,080,113 12/13 Von Kugelgen et a1. 126-360 X 1,114,394 10/14 Sieger 126-360 1,395,399 11/21 Doble.

2,226,816 12/40 Hepburn 126-360 X 2,358,302 9/44 Brosius 126-360 2,536,608 1/51 Kemp 126-360 2,556,984 6/51 Smith 126-360 2,677,368 5/54 Janecek 126-350 FOREIGN PATENTS 486,936 11/29 Germany.

JAMES W. WESTHAVER, Primary Examiner. FREDERICK L. MATTESON, JR., Examiner.