Pre-heating contiguous in-line water heater

Abstract

An improved pre-heating, contiguous in-line water heater is described. The in-line water heater utilizes a passive heating means to passively heat at least a portion of the input water received by the in-line water heater. The result is a more cost efficient water heater. The in-line water heater is integrated with a means for control to receive input from at least one sensor and to regulate the operation of the in-line water heater.

Description

[0001] The instant application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 365,072, filed Feb. 12, 2003, U.S. provisional application Nos. 60 / 526,352 and 60 / 526,333, both filed on Dec. 2, 2003. The instant disclosure generally concerns water heaters. Specifically, the instant disclosure concerns pre-heating, in-line water heaters.FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE Background [0002] In-line water heaters (sometimes referred to as on-demand water heaters) are designed to heat a continuous supply of input water only when hot water is demanded by a user. This is in contrast to typical storage tank water heaters which keep, on the average, 30-70 gallons of water heated and ready for use 24 hours a day. Opening a hot water faucet triggers one or more heating units (typically, either electric or gas) to heat the water as it flows through the in-line water heater. The water takes a circuitous path through tubing in the in-line water heater so the heating units of the in-l...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, the art is lacking a simple, economical flow detection device that is specifically designed for use with liquid handling systems, such as water heaters.

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