US3327609A - Flush vent assembly - Google Patents

Description

June 27, 1967 L. SAGE ETAL FLUSH VENT ASSEMBLY Filed Sept. 16, 1965 K m mm T HA N M EE WW VGNE. rt NA 5V.

7 mmm H PM Y B United States Patent 3,327,609 FLUSH VENT ASSEMBLY Lyle Sage, Portland, Greg, and Richard Van Sehaick, Sebastopol, and Milford L. Hermansen, Petaluma, Calif., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Climate Manufacturing Co., Inc., Hayward, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Sept. 16, 1965, Ser. No. 487,877 2 Claims. (Cl. 98-62) This invention relates to vents for venting gas heaters and the like, and is more particularly directed to a flush wall vent assembly which when mounted does not protrude beyond the exterior face of the wall so as to prevent side winds from being inwardly directed into the exhaust passage of the assembly.

Various wall vent assemblies are employed with wall heaters, and the like to enable outside air to be admitted to the combustion chamber of the unit and dangerous combustion products to be exhausted from the chamber to the outside atmosphere. In other words, such vent assemblies are mounted in an exterior wall and serve to communicate the combustion chamber of the heater or other unit with the outside atmosphere in order that the combustion chamber be completely sealed from the room in which the uni-t is installed. In this manner, there is no danger of the combustion products entering the room, such products being instead safely vented to the outside. Typically, previous wall vent assemblies have included inner and outer coaxially arranged pipes defining inner and outer coaxial exhaust and air intake passages extending through a wall in which the assembly is installed. The cylindrical inner passage is communicated with an exhaust stub of a wall heater unit, or the like, positioned adjacent the interior of the wall, while the outer annular passage is communicated with an air intake port of the unit. The outer ends of the pipes are secured to a cap which pro trudes from the wall exterior and is arranged to define coaxially spaced radial spaces respectively extending into communication with the inner cylindrical exhaust passage and outer annular intake passage. While the protruding end caps of conventional wall vent assemblies have been efiective in preventing head-on winds from entering the exhaust passage, they have not been particularly effective against side winds. In this regard, side winds have swept radially into the space in the protruding end cap provided to terminate the exhaust passage. The side winds have then been directed into the exhaust passage with the result that exhaust of combustion products from the combustion chamber of the heater is prevented and the burner is smothered.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved wall vent assembly which is arranged to prevent side winds as well as head winds from apperciably entering the exhaust passage of the assembly. The exhaust of combustion products from the combustion chamber of a heater, or the like, associated with the vent is therefore not blocked and the burner thereof is not smothered.

Another primary object of the invention is the provision :of a coaxial Wall vent assembly wherein the inlet and outlet vents are flush with the exterior face of the assembly so as to improve the appearance thereof, protect the same from mechanical damage, and reduce the possibility of accidental burns from a person coming into contact therewith.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a flush wall vent assembly having coaxial passages terminated in a recessed flush vented chamber arranged to prevent the direct admission of Wind thereto.

3,327,609 Patented June 27, 1967 It is a further object of the invention to provide a vent assembly of the class described which is of relatively simple low cost construction.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by the said drawning and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

FIGURE 1 is a sectional view of a vent assembly in accordance with the invention as installed in a wall.

FIGURE 2 is a front view of the assembly illustrating in particular the flush vents thereof.

FIGURE 3 is an exploded perspective view of the assembly.

Referring to FIGURE 1, a Vent 11 in accordance with the invention is installed in an opening 12 through a wall 13, which, in the illustrated case, has spaced inner and outer siding panels 14, 16. The vent assembly includes a housing 17 of rectangular cross-section which is open at one end and provided with a closure wall 18 at the other end. Centrally of the closure wall there is provided a circular opening 19 defining an inlet to a stub pipe 21 projecting from the exterior of the closure wall. The side walls of the housing 17 are provided with outwardly flared flanges 22 adjacent its open end. The housing cross-section is substantially conformed to that of the wall opening 12 such that when the housing is installed therein, the flanges 22 abut the exterior face of the outside siding panel 16 about the opening. The interior of the housing is thus recessed within the wall 13, and the stub pipe 21 extends through the opening to project from the inside panel 14.

The vent assembly further includes a tubular stub 23 formed with an annular outwardly flared dished in baflie 24 at one end. A plurality of circumferentially spaced tubular stand-off members 26 project longitudinally from the bathe in outwardly spaced relation to the stub 23. A circular dished in cap 27 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced longitudinally projecting tubular stand-off members 28 arranged to register with the members 26. Members 28 are aligned with members 26 and a plurality of sheet metal screws 29 extend therethrough into thereaded engagement with the closure wall 18 at positions adjacent the opening 19. The lengths :of the stand-off members 26, 29 are such that the marginal portion of the cap 27 is substantially flush with the flanges 22. The entire assembly of the baffle and cap is thus positioned within the housing 17 which itself is positioned within the wall 13. A pipe 31 is received within the stub 23 and extends coaxially through the stub pipe 21 in inwardly spaced relation thereto. In this manner, an inner passage 32 is defined through the pipe 31, and this passage is communicated with the interior of housing 17 through the arcuate, substantially radially extending space defined between the bafile 24 and cap 27. An outer annular coaxial passage 33 is defined between the inner pipe 31 and outei stub pipe 21. Passage 33 is also communicated with the interior of the housing, but through the substantially radially extending space defined between the baflle 24 and closure wall 18 of the housing. Thus, passages 32, 33 communicate with the housing interior through separate longitudinally spaced bafiied openings. One passage, for example the inner passage, may be employed for exhaust of combustion products from the combustion chamber of a wall heater, or the like, disposed adjacent the inner siding panel 14 of the wall 13. The other passage, in this case the outer passage, may at the same time be employed to admit intake air to the combustion chamber. Interaction between the two passages is prevented by the baffling arrangement of the baflie 24 and end cap 27.

The vent assembly of the present invention is completed by means of a flush closure plate 34 secured to flanges 22 in closing relation to the open end of housing 17. The closure plate is rectangular and provided with an inwardly stepped shallow marginal flange 36 which engages the siding panel 16 about the opening 12 when the plate is secured to the housing. In this regard securance of the plate is preferably facilitated by sheet metal screws 37 extending through apertures 38 in the face of the plate adjacent the inwardly stepped edges thereof and threadably engaging registering apertures 39 in the flange 22. Centrally of the plate 34 there is provided a circular aperture 40 :of a size to be outwardly spaced from the cap 27 and define an annular vent 41 therewith. This vent is substantially opposite'the arcuate radial space between the cap 27 and baflie 24 which extends into communication with the interior passage 32. The plate is further provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced arcuate vents 42 in outwardly spaced concentric relation to aperture 40, and therefore vent 41. These vents are substantially opposite the outer termination of the radial space between baflle 24 and end wall 18 which extends into communication with outer passage 33. Outwardly of the aperture 40 the exterior face of the plate 34 is formed with an annular concave depression 43 which extends radially between the vents 41, 42. Also, radially outward from the vents 42 the exterior face of the plate is formed with concave depressions 44 which terminate radially at the outer annular edges of the vents 42.

With the foregoing construction of the closure plate, it is of importance to note that the vents 41, 42 are outwardly defined by relatively raised portions of the plate which extend smoothly into concave depressions in adjacent regions. This has a tendency to deflect both head and side winds away from the vents and to prevent the direct entry of wind into the interior of the housing 17. The actual terminations of the vent passages 32, 33- are within the recessed interior of the housing by virtue of the flush arrangement of the assembly. In addition, the baffling within the housing between the flush vents and terminations of the vent passages further minimizes the direct flow of wind thereinto. The net result is a vent assembly which is not susceptible to the exhaust being impeded or stified by harsh winds.

What is claimed is:

1. A flush vent assembly comprising a rectangular housing having an open end and a closed end with a stub pipe projecting centrally therefrom and circumscr-ibing an opening therethrough, said housing having outwardly flared flanges at the open end thereof adapted to engage an exterior face of a wall when the housing is disposed in an opening therein, a tubular stub having an outwardly flared dished in bafiie at one end, said stub disposed in coaxial inwardly spaced relation to said stub pipe, a plurality of circumferentially spaced tubular stand-off members projecting longitudinally from said baille in outwardly spaced relation to said stub and engaging the closed end wall of said housing, a circular dished in cap having a second plurality of circumferenti-ally spaced tubular stand-off members projecting longitudinally therefrom in registering engagement with said first plurality of stand-off members, said cap coaxially spaced from said baflle with the marginal edge thereof substantially flush with said flanges of said housing, a plurality :of fasteners extending through said first and second pluralities of standoff members and threadably engaging the closed end wall of said housing, and a rectangular closure plate secured to said flanges of said housing in closing relation to the open end thereof, said plate having a central circular aperture outwardly circumscribing said cap in spaced relation thereto to define an annular vent therewith, said plate having a plurality of circumferentially spaced arcuate vents concentric with said aperture of said plate and outwardly spaced therefrom, said plate having an arcuate concave depression in the exterior face thereof intermediate said annular vent and arcuate vents and concave depressions extending radially outward from the outer arcuate edgesof said arcuate vents.

2. A flush vent adapted for mounting in a wall having an opening extending therethrough, comprising a housing having side walls disposed in said wall through said opening and terminating in a flange adapted to overlie the wall around the opening for mounting the housing on the wall, said housing between substantially open at the outer end thereof at said wall opening and having a transaxial inner wall at the other end thereof, said latter wall having an opening therein, a stub pipe extending inwardly from said inner wall in communication with the aperture therein, an inner pipe coaxially disposed concentrically within said stub pipe with the outer end thereof terminating in a laterally flared baffle positioned forwardly from the inner wall of the housing, said bafile having a transaxial extent substantially as great as the cross-sectional extent of said stub pipe and in alignment therewith, a cap mounted in said housing and disposed forwardly of said bafile in axial alignment therewith, said cap having a transaxial extent substantially as great as that of said bafile, and a plate secured across the open end of said housing, said plate having bafiie openings therein directed to guide the flow of air therethrough.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,848,936 8/1958 Valler-o 98--32 X 2,856,837 10/ 1958 Thulmann 98-46 2,966,838 1/ 1961 Thompson etal 98-62 3,064,638 11/ 1962 Bauer 9846 X 3,105,432 10/ 196 3 Chamberlain a- 98-62 MEYER PERLIN, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT A. OLEARY, Examiner.

M. A. ANTONAKAS, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. 2. A FLUSH VENT ADAPTED FOR MOUNTING IN A WALL HAVING AN OPENING EXTENDING THERETHROUGH, COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING SIDE WALLS DISPOSED IN SAID WALL THROUGH SAID OPENING AND TERMINATING IN A FLANGE ADAPTED TO OVERLIE THE WALL AROUND THE OPENING FOR MOUNTING THE HOUSING ON THE WALL, SAID HOUSING BETWEEN SUBSTANTIALLY OPEN AT THE OUTER END THEREOF AT SAID WALL OPENING AND HAVING A TRANSAXIAL INNER WALL AT THE OTHER END THEREOF, SAID LATTER WALL HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN, A STUB PIPE EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM SAID INNER WALL IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE APERTURE THEREIN, AN INNER PIPE COAXIALLY DISPOSED CONCENTRICALLY WITHIN SAID STUB PIPE WITH THE OUTER END THEREOF TERMINATING IN A LATERALLY FLARED BAFFLE POSITIONED FORWARDLY FROM THE INNER WALL OF THE HOUSING, SAID BAFFLE HAVING A TRANSAXIAL EXTENT SUBSTANTIALLY AS GREAT AS THE CROSS-SECTIONAL EXTENT OF SAID STUB PIPE AND IN ALIGNMENT THEREWITH, A CAP MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING AND DISPOSED FORWARDLY OF SAID BAFFLE IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT THEREWITH, SAID CAP HAVING A TRANSAXIAL EXTENT SUBSTANTIALLY AS GREAT AS THAT OF SAID BAFFLE, AND A PLATE SECURED ACROSS THE OPEN END OF SAID HOUSING, SAID PLATE HAVING BAFFLE OPENINGS THEREIN DIRECTED TO GUIDE THE FLOW OF AIR THERETHROUGH.

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