Safety valve for electric water heater

Abstract

The utility model discloses a water heater safety valve, to the deficiency of water heater safety valve (with pressure reducing valve function) of application no. 202220336455. 0, on the basis of the electric water heater safety valve, keep its original appearance size unchanged, add a special check valve on its original function, add an internal leak valve in the rubber ring of check valve respectively, add an internal leak valve in the rubber plug of piston, thereby solve the problem of water drop at the water outlet of pressure relief valve because of high water inlet pressure and high pressure of water heater inner bag.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of electric water heater technology, and more specifically, to a safety valve for an electric water heater. Background Technology

[0002] Safety valves, widely used in electric water heaters, have the following structure: Figure 6-9 As described, it consists of a housing, a one-way valve, a pressure relief valve, and a manual pressure relief mechanism, and its installation location on a household electric water heater is as follows: Figure 6 As shown, the water heater safety valve 29 is installed between the cold water bend 27 and the inlet of the electric heater tank 30. It has three functions: 1. It serves as a cold water passage, allowing tap water to enter the water heater tank 30 for heating; 2. It has a one-way water inlet function, preventing hot water in the water heater tank 30 from flowing out through the safety valve 29 when the tap water supply is interrupted; 3. It has a venting, draining, and pressure relief function, preventing excessive internal pressure caused by overheating of the water heater tank 30 when the electric heating system malfunctions. The structure of this type of safety valve is similar to the valve body structure for electric water heaters disclosed in patents 202022532930.5 and 201920667113.5. Manufacturers typically set the safe discharge pressure to 0.75 MPa.

[0003] GB4706.12-2006, "Special Requirements for Household and Similar Electrical Appliances - Storage Electric Water Heaters," stipulates that the rated pressure of storage electric water heaters must be less than 0.6 MPa, and requires the installation of a pressure relief device.

[0004] A very annoying problem with the existing safety valve is that when the inlet pressure exceeds 0.75 MPa (or exceeds the set discharge pressure), the pressure relief outlet 38 will continuously drip water (see location). Figure 9 As shown in the image, this is a long-standing pain point in the industry. The current solution is to install a pressure reducing valve separately if the customer's tap water pressure is found to be too high during installation, or if a customer complains after installation. However, there are two problems with installing the pressure reducing valve: First, the inlet of the cold water inlet pipe 27 is usually very close to the wall, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the limited space in the installation location makes it difficult to install the pressure reducing valve. Secondly, because pressure reducing valves are expensive, installing one separately increases costs and expenses, plus on-site service fees. The high price and inconvenient installation of separately configured pressure reducing valves are the main reasons why most electric water heater manufacturers are unwilling to include them in their products. Therefore, customer complaints and grievances about leaking water are inevitable.

[0005] Utility model application No. 201911251247.X discloses a valve structure. Although it allows manual adjustment of the outlet water pressure, its structure is complex, large in size, not interchangeable with existing safety valves, and expensive. The safety valve disclosed in application No. N201210112612.0, while having a pressure-stabilizing function, includes an internal leakage device, an external leakage device, and a pressure-stabilizing device within its housing, in addition to a manual pressure relief mechanism. This is an extra device compared to widely used safety valves, and the pressure-stabilizing device is separate from the internal leakage device. Its complex structure with many parts and high cost, coupled with its incompatibility with existing popular safety valves, further complicates its application. The pressure-reducing safety valve disclosed in application No. 200710069700.6 integrates a pressure-reducing valve and a safety valve into a single unit. Due to its complex structure, high cost, and lack of interchangeability with existing popular safety valves, these three types of safety valves have not yet been widely used in the industry or become popular in the market.

[0006] A water heater safety valve (with pressure reducing valve function) with application number 202220336455.0, although improved in pressure reducing function compared to the aforementioned patented product, has the following problems: 1. Poor one-way backflow prevention function; when the return water pressure is less than the set pressure reducing value, there is almost no backflow prevention function. 2. No internal pressure relief valve function is designed; when the water heater inner tank reaches the discharge pressure, the pressure relief port 38 will still drip continuously. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The technical problem this utility model aims to solve is to provide a safety valve for an electric water heater that simultaneously has overpressure protection for the inner tank and pressure regulation for the tap water inlet, preventing dripping from the pressure relief outlet due to excessively high inlet pressure. To overcome two problems with a hot water safety valve (with pressure reducing valve function) in application number 202220336455.0: 1. poor one-way check function; 2. lack of internal pressure relief function, the technical solution is as follows: To address the poor one-way check function, a dedicated one-way valve is added; to address the lack of internal pressure relief function, an internal relief valve is designed inside both the one-way valve and the piston's rubber plug. When the water pressure in the water heater tank is too high, before reaching the pressure relief valve's pressure, the pressure is released through the internal relief valve inside the rubber plug, transmitting the pressure to the one-way valve chamber, and then discharged into the tap water in the inlet pipe by the internal relief valve inside the one-way valve. (The condition for internal leakage is that the pressure inside the water heater tank is greater than the inlet water pressure, which is usually met in most cases.) By controlling the inlet water pressure with a pressure reducing valve and the pressure inside the water heater tank with an internal leakage valve to both be lower than the pressure relief valve's set pressure value, the dripping problem is effectively solved when the inlet water pressure exceeds the pressure relief valve's set pressure and when the pressure inside the water heater tank exceeds the pressure relief valve's set pressure.

[0008] The specific technical solution of this utility model is: a safety valve for an electric water heater, comprising a shell, a pressure relief valve chamber, and a one-way valve chamber. The pressure relief valve chamber is equipped with a pressure relief component. A pressure relief valve core port is provided at the connection between the pressure relief valve chamber and the one-way valve chamber. The end of the one-way valve chamber near the inner tank of the electric water heater is designated as the first end, which is connected to the inner tank inlet pipe. The one-way valve chamber is equipped with a one-way pressure reducing device, which includes a pressure reducing valve core, a pressure reducing spring, and a piston. A sealing ring is provided between the pressure reducing valve core and the piston. The pressure reducing valve core and the one-way valve chamber... A sealing ring is provided between the piston and the one-way valve chamber. The pressure-reducing spring is sleeved on the outside of the pressure-reducing valve core. The pressure-reducing valve core is provided with a first flow channel. The piston slides on the pressure-reducing valve core. A rubber plug that can close the first flow channel is provided inside the piston. A second flow channel is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the piston. The second flow channel is always connected to the first end and the pressure relief valve core port. The feature is that: a one-way valve is provided at the inlet of the one-way pressure-reducing device, and an internal relief valve B is provided inside the one-way valve; an internal relief valve A is provided inside the rubber plug inside the piston.

[0009] The one-way valve consists of a one-way valve core, a one-way valve ring, and a one-way valve spring. The one-way valve core is installed and fixed inside the pressure reducing valve core. The one-way valve ring is disposed inside the pressure reducing valve core. The outer edge of the one-way valve ring has a toothed structure, and the outer circle of the toothed structure forms a sliding fit with the inner wall of the pressure reducing valve core. The gap between the teeth of the toothed structure on the outer edge of the one-way valve ring forms a water inlet channel for the one-way valve. The one-way valve spring is disposed between the one-way valve ring and the spring groove at the installation position inside the pressure reducing valve core. The one-way valve ring and the one-way valve core form a seal at the joint under the action of the spring.

[0010] The internal leakage valve A consists of a rubber plug inside the piston, an internal leakage valve A, and an internal leakage valve spring A. The rubber plug inside the piston has an inner hole that mates with the internal leakage valve A. The internal leakage valve spring is located between the tail of the piston and the end flange of the internal leakage valve. Under the action of the internal leakage valve spring A, the internal leakage valve A forms a seal with the inner hole of the rubber plug inside the piston at the joint. When the pressure in the inner tank of the water heater reaches the internal leakage pressure, the internal leakage valve A opens, transmitting the water pressure to the one-way pressure reducing valve device.

[0011] The internal leakage valve B consists of a one-way valve rubber ring, an internal leakage valve B, an internal leakage valve spring B, and a pressure reducing valve core. The one-way valve rubber ring has an inner hole that mates with the internal leakage valve B. The pressure reducing valve core has a guide rod hole for the internal leakage valve B. The outer edge of the guide rod hole of the pressure reducing valve core is supported and connected to the inside of the pressure reducing valve core by a "bracket". The gap between the "brackets" forms a water passage. The internal leakage valve spring B is located between the flange of the one-way valve rubber ring and the internal leakage valve B. Under the action of the internal leakage valve spring B, the internal leakage valve B and the inner hole of the one-way valve rubber ring form a seal at the joint. When the pressure inside the one-way pressure reducing device reaches the internal leakage pressure due to the pressure relief of the internal leakage valve A, the water pressure overcomes the elastic force of the internal leakage valve spring B and pushes open the valve B to release pressure to the inlet pipe.

[0012] The housing is provided with an exhaust port, which is located within the mounting cavity area of ​​the pressure-reducing spring.

[0013] The piston channel is provided with n piston supports, and the piston supports are provided with rubber plug holes at the center of the connection position. The rubber plugs are installed in the rubber plug holes, and n≥2.

[0014] The beneficial effects of this utility model are: 1) This invention addresses the deficiency of existing safety valves in storage-type electric water heaters, which lack inlet pressure reduction functionality. While maintaining the basic outline of the existing safety valve, a one-way pressure-reducing device with pressure-reducing function is designed within the one-way valve chamber. An internal leakage valve is installed within both the rubber ring of the one-way valve and the rubber plug of the piston, enabling the water heater safety valve to perform pressure reduction, pressure stabilization, backflow prevention, pressure relief, and internal leakage functions. Controlling the inlet water pressure via the pressure-reducing valve and the pressure inside the water heater tank via the internal leakage valve prevents the pressure from reaching the set pressure relief valve value. This effectively solves the dripping problem when the inlet water pressure exceeds the set pressure relief valve value and when the pressure inside the water heater tank exceeds the set pressure relief valve value. Test results show that this water heater safety valve can replace existing water heater safety valves.

[0015] 2) The housing size of the water heater safety valve of this utility model is the same as that of the general-purpose water heater safety valve sold on the market, so it can be directly repaired and replaced.

[0016] 3) The safety valve of this utility model has a high cost performance and is expected to be widely used in this industry. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This utility model provides a schematic diagram of the assembly of a safety valve for an electric water heater. Figure 2 This utility model provides a schematic diagram of the internal relief valve structure of a safety valve for an electric water heater. Figure 3 This utility model relates to a one-way valve rubber ring for a safety valve in an electric water heater. Figure 4 This utility model relates to a schematic diagram of a safety valve piston for an electric water heater. Figure 5 This utility model provides an internal schematic diagram of the pressure reducing valve core of a safety valve for an electric water heater. Figure 6 A schematic diagram showing the installation of the safety valve connection pipes on an existing water heater. Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of a safety valve in an existing water heater; Figure 8 Enlarged schematic diagram of the internal structure of a safety valve in an existing water heater; Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the functional areas inside the housing of a current water heater safety valve.

[0018] In this utility model, the reference numerals in the accompanying drawings represent: Piston seal ring 1, piston 2, one-way pressure reducing valve 3, pressure reducing valve core seal ring 4, pressure reducing valve core 5, one-way pressure reducing device 6, pressure reducing valve core inlet seal ring 7, pressure reducing spring 8, spring groove 9, exhaust port 10, piston internal channel 11, rubber plug 12, pressure relief channel 13, housing 14, pressure relief valve gasket 15, pressure relief valve rod 16, pressure relief valve spring 17, pressure relief valve adjusting screw 18, pressure relief valve chamber 19, pressure relief valve core port 20, manual pressure relief operating mechanism 21. Piston flow channel; 22. Hot water elbow; 23. Hot water outlet pipe; 24. Mixing valve; 25. Shower head inlet connector; 26. Cold water elbow; 27. Cold water inlet pipe; 28. Water heater safety valve; 29. ​​Water heater tank; 30. One-way valve spring; 31. One-way valve sealing gasket; 32. One-way valve core; 33. One-way valve chamber; 34. One-way valve core sealing ring; 35. Spring seat; 36. Pressure relief valve adjusting thread port; 37. Pressure relief outlet; 38. Housing inlet; 39. Housing outlet; 41. One-way valve core 1-1, one-way valve closing point 1-2, one-way valve rubber ring 1-3, internal leakage valve spring B 1-4, internal leakage valve B 1-5, internal leakage valve B guide rod hole 1-6, internal leakage valve B guide rod 1-7, one-way valve spring 1-8, spring groove 1-9, internal "support" 1-10, internal leakage valve B flange 1-11, outer edge toothed structure 1-12, one-way valve rubber ring outer platform 1-13, one-way valve rubber ring inner platform 1-14, internal leakage valve B closing point 1-15, internal leakage valve A 2-1, internal leakage valve A closing point 2-2, internal leakage valve A flange 2-3, internal leakage valve B spring 2-4, piston support 2-5.

[0019] Figure 1 , 7 In Figure 9, the hollow solid line arrows indicate the direction and path of water inflow, while the single-dot line arrows indicate the path of the pressure relief water flow. Detailed Implementation

[0020] See Figures 1 to 9 The specific embodiment of this utility model is as follows: A safety valve for an electric water heater includes a housing 14, a pressure relief valve chamber 19, and a one-way valve chamber 34. The pressure relief valve chamber 19 is equipped with a pressure relief component. A pressure relief valve core port 20 is provided at the connection between the pressure relief valve chamber 19 and the one-way valve chamber 34. The end of the one-way valve chamber 34 near the inner tank 30 of the electric water heater is a first end, which is connected to the inner tank inlet pipe. A one-way pressure reducing device 6 is provided within the one-way valve chamber 34. The one-way pressure reducing device 6 includes a pressure reducing valve core 5, a pressure reducing spring 8, and a piston 2. A pressure reducing valve core sealing ring 4 is provided between the pressure reducing valve core 5 and the piston 2. A pressure-reducing valve core inlet sealing ring 7 is provided between valve chambers 34, and a piston sealing ring 1 is provided between piston 2 and one-way valve chamber 34. The pressure-reducing spring 8 is sleeved on the outside of the pressure-reducing valve core 5. The pressure-reducing valve core 5 is provided with a first flow channel. The piston 2 slides on the pressure-reducing valve core 5. A rubber plug 12 that can close the first flow channel is provided inside the piston 2. A second flow channel is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the piston 2. The second flow channel is always connected to the first end and the pressure relief valve core port 20. The feature is that: a one-way valve is provided at the inlet of the one-way pressure-reducing device 6, and an internal relief valve B is provided inside the one-way valve; an internal relief valve A is provided inside the rubber plug 12 inside the piston 2.

[0021] The one-way valve consists of a one-way valve core 1-1, a one-way valve rubber ring 1-3, and a one-way valve spring 1-8. The one-way valve core 1-1 is installed and fixed inside the pressure reducing valve core 5. The one-way valve rubber ring 1-3 is disposed inside the pressure reducing valve core 5. The outer edge of the one-way valve rubber ring 1-3 has a toothed structure 1-12. The outer circle of the toothed structure 1-12 forms a sliding fit with the inner wall of the pressure reducing valve core 5. The gap between the teeth of the toothed structure 1-12 on the outer edge of the one-way valve rubber ring 1-3 forms... The one-way valve inlet channel has a one-way valve spring 1-8 positioned between the outer platform 1-13 of the one-way valve rubber ring and the spring groove 1-9 inside the pressure reducing valve core 5. Under the action of the one-way valve spring 1-8, the one-way valve rubber ring 1-3 and the one-way valve core 1-1 form a seal at the one-way valve closing point 1-2. When the inlet water pressure overcomes the elastic force of the one-way valve spring 1-8, tap water enters. When the tap water supply is stopped, the water stored in the inner tank 30 of the water heater is prevented from flowing out by the one-way valve.

[0022] The internal leakage valve A consists of a rubber plug 12 inside the piston 2, an internal leakage valve A 2-1, and an internal leakage valve spring A 2-4. The rubber plug 12 inside the piston 2 has an inner hole that mates with the internal leakage valve A 2-1. The internal leakage valve spring A 2-4 is located between the tail of the piston 2 and the flange 2-3 of the internal leakage valve A 2-1. Under the action of the internal leakage valve spring A 2-4, the internal leakage valve A 2-1 and the inner hole of the rubber plug 12 inside the piston 2 form a seal at the closing point 2-2 of the internal leakage valve A 2-12. When the pressure in the inner tank 30 of the water heater reaches the internal leakage pressure, the internal leakage valve A 2-1 opens, transmitting the water pressure to the one-way pressure reducing valve device 6.

[0023] The internal leakage valve B consists of a one-way valve rubber ring 1-3, an internal leakage valve B 1-5, an internal leakage valve spring B 1-4, and a pressure reducing valve core 5. The one-way valve rubber ring 1-3 has an inner hole that mates with the internal leakage valve B 1-5. The pressure reducing valve core 5 has a guide rod hole 1-6 for the internal leakage valve B 1-5. The outer edge of the guide rod hole 1-6 of the pressure reducing valve core 5 is supported and connected to the inside of the pressure reducing valve core 5 by a bracket 1-10. The gap between the brackets 1-10 forms a water passage. The internal leakage valve spring B 1-4 is located between the inner platform 1-14 of the one-way valve rubber ring 1-3 and the flange 1-11 of the internal leakage valve B. The one-way valve rubber ring 1-3 and the internal leakage valve B 1-5... 1-5 forms a seal at the closed position of the internal leakage valve 1-15. Affected by the pressure relief of the internal leakage valve A, when the pressure in the one-way pressure reducing device 6 reaches the internal leakage pressure, the water pressure overcomes the elastic force of the spring 2-4 of the internal leakage valve B and pushes open the internal leakage valve B 1-5 to release pressure to the inlet pipe.

[0024] The housing 14 is provided with an exhaust hole 10, which is located within the mounting cavity area of ​​the pressure relief spring 8.

[0025] n piston supports 2-5 are provided on the piston 2 channel. A rubber plug hole is provided at the center of the piston support and the piston support. The rubber plug 12 is installed in the rubber plug hole, and n≥2.

[0026] This utility model safety valve is basically the same as the existing electric water heater safety valve in terms of shape, structure, and water flow rate. It has a one-way valve at the inlet of the one-way pressure reducing device, an internal leakage valve B inside the one-way valve, and an internal leakage valve A inside the rubber plug inside the piston. This solves the problem of water dripping from the existing water heater safety valve when the inlet water pressure exceeds the set pressure relief pressure and when the pressure inside the water heater tank exceeds the set pressure relief pressure. At the same time, the addition of the one-way function prevents the damage caused by the water heater running dry due to water shortage.

[0027] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art should understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents. Improvements made without inventive effort should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A safety valve for an electric water heater, comprising a housing, a pressure relief valve chamber, and a one-way valve chamber, wherein a pressure relief component is provided in the pressure relief valve chamber, a pressure relief valve core port is provided at the connection between the pressure relief valve chamber and the one-way valve chamber, the end of the one-way valve chamber near the water storage tank of the electric water heater is a first end, the first end is connected to the water inlet pipe of the inner tank, a one-way pressure reducing device is provided in the one-way valve chamber, the one-way pressure reducing device includes a pressure reducing valve core, a pressure reducing spring, and a piston, a sealing ring is provided between the pressure reducing valve core and the piston, a sealing ring is provided between the pressure reducing valve core and the one-way valve chamber, a sealing ring is provided between the piston and the one-way valve chamber, the pressure reducing spring is sleeved on the outside of the pressure reducing valve core, the pressure reducing valve core is provided with a first flow channel, the piston slides on the pressure reducing valve core, a rubber plug that can close the first flow channel is provided inside the piston, a second flow channel is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the piston, the second flow channel always connects the first end and the pressure relief valve core port, characterized in that: The one-way pressure reducing device is provided with a one-way valve at the inlet, and an internal leakage valve B is provided inside the one-way valve; an internal leakage valve A is provided inside the rubber plug inside the piston.

2. The safety valve for an electric water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that: The one-way valve consists of a one-way valve core, a one-way valve ring, and a one-way valve spring. The one-way valve core is installed and fixed inside the pressure reducing valve core. The one-way valve ring is disposed inside the pressure reducing valve core. The outer edge of the one-way valve ring has a toothed structure, and the outer circle of the toothed structure forms a sliding fit with the inner wall of the pressure reducing valve core. The gap between the teeth of the toothed structure on the outer edge of the one-way valve ring forms a water inlet channel for the one-way valve. The one-way valve spring is disposed between the one-way valve ring and the spring groove at the installation position inside the pressure reducing valve core. The one-way valve ring and the one-way valve core form a seal at the joint under the action of the spring.

3. The safety valve for an electric water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that: The internal leakage valve A consists of a rubber plug inside the piston, an internal leakage valve A, and an internal leakage valve spring A. The rubber plug inside the piston has an inner hole that mates with the internal leakage valve A. The internal leakage valve spring is located between the tail of the piston and the end flange of the internal leakage valve. Under the action of the internal leakage valve spring A, the internal leakage valve A forms a seal with the inner hole of the rubber plug inside the piston at the joint.

4. The safety valve for an electric water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that: The internal leakage valve B consists of a one-way valve ring, an internal leakage valve B, an internal leakage valve spring B, and a pressure reducing valve core. The one-way valve ring has an inner hole that mates with the internal leakage valve B. The pressure reducing valve core has a guide rod hole for the internal leakage valve B. The outer edge of the guide rod hole of the pressure reducing valve core is supported and connected to the inside of the pressure reducing valve core by a "bracket". The gap between the "brackets" forms a water passage. The internal leakage valve spring B is disposed between the flange of the one-way valve ring and the internal leakage valve B. Under the action of the internal leakage valve spring B, the internal leakage valve B and the inner hole of the one-way valve ring form a seal at the joint.

5. The safety valve for an electric water heater according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, and 4, characterized in that: The housing is provided with an exhaust port, which is located within the mounting cavity area of ​​the pressure-reducing spring.

6. The safety valve for an electric water heater according to claim 5, characterized in that: The piston channel is provided with n piston supports, and the piston supports are provided with rubber plug holes at the center of the connection position. The rubber plugs are installed in the rubber plug holes, and n≥2.

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