Storage-type water heater and its shipping method

Abstract

To provide a storage type water heater that can secure a determined hot water supply performance free from any impact from construction and enables efficient work of replacing a combination faucet in a house, and to provide a method for shipping the same.SOLUTION: A storage type water heater includes: a hot water storage tank; an exterior case for storing the hot water storage tank; a water supply port disposed so that one end is exposed to an outside of the exterior case and capable of being connected to external water supply piping; water supply piping for connecting the water supply port to the hot water storage tank and sending water supplied from the external water supply piping into the hot water storage tank; a mixing valve for mixing hot water from the hot water storage tank with water from the water supply piping; a hot-water supply port disposed so that one end is exposed to the outside of the exterior case and capable of being connected to the external hot-water supply piping; a hot-water supply flow channel for sending hot water from the mixing valve to the hot-water supply port; and a water stop mechanism installed in the hot-water supply port and capable of stopping a flow of the hot-water supply flow channel. The water stop mechanism is constituted of a ball valve or a butterfly valve.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a storage type water heater and a shipping method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] In a known hot water storage type water heater, hot water stored in a hot water storage tank is discharged from a hot water supply port to an external hot water supply pipe. The hot water supplied through the external hot water supply pipe is released from a mixer faucet installed inside the home. When replacing the mixer faucet inside the home, it is necessary to stop the supply of hot water from the tank unit. For this reason, a commonly known configuration is to provide a hot water stop valve midway along the external hot water supply pipe (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-158977 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As in Patent Document 1, in order to install a hot water stop valve in the middle of an external hot water supply pipe, the contractor must prepare and install the hot water stop valve, which incurs additional costs. For this reason, there is a possibility that a customer may choose not to install a hot water stop valve. Furthermore, depending on the type of hot water stop valve prepared, the diameter of the hot water supply pipe may be narrowed, which may affect the flow rate. This may result in the expected flow rate not being secured, which may lead to user complaints about poor hot water flow, and other issues that are dependent on the construction.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a storage-type water heater and a shipping method thereof that can ensure a fixed hot water supply performance without being affected by construction and that allows the work of replacing a mixing faucet in a home to be carried out efficiently. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The hot water storage type water heater according to the present disclosure comprises a hot water storage tank, an exterior case for housing the hot water storage tank, a water supply port arranged with one end exposed to the outside of the exterior case and connectable to an external water supply pipe, a water supply pipe connecting the water supply port to the hot water storage tank and sending water supplied from the external water supply pipe into the hot water storage tank, a mixing valve for mixing hot water from the hot water storage tank and water from the water supply pipe, a hot water supply port arranged with one end exposed to the outside of the exterior case and connectable to the external hot water supply pipe, a hot water outlet flow path for sending hot water from the mixing valve to the hot water supply port, and a water stop mechanism provided in the hot water supply port and capable of stopping the flow in the hot water outlet flow path, The hot water inlet is located in the riser of the outer case. The water shutoff mechanism consists of a ball valve or butterfly valve, and the hot water that passes through the external hot water supply pipe is sent to a mixing faucet inside the house. Furthermore, the shipping method for a storage type water heater according to the present disclosure involves shipping the storage type water heater from a factory with the water shutoff mechanism in an open state. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a storage-type water heater and a shipping method thereof that can ensure a fixed hot water supply performance without being affected by construction and that allows the work of replacing a mixing faucet in a home to be carried out efficiently. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a storage type hot water heater according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the hot water outlet of the hot water storage type water heater in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a part of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the structure of the hot water outlet of the hot water storage type water heater in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a hot water outlet having a water shutoff mechanism formed by a ball valve. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Common or corresponding elements in each drawing will be assigned the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be simplified or omitted. When angles are mentioned in this disclosure, if there are a reflex angle and a minor angle whose sum is 360°, this generally refers to the minor angle, and if there are an acute angle and an obtuse angle whose sum is 180°, this generally refers to the acute angle.

[0010] Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a hot water storage type water heater 1 according to a first embodiment. The hot water storage type water heater 1 includes a hot water storage tank 10 and an outer case 2 that houses the hot water storage tank 10. The hot water storage tank 10 is, for example, cylindrical, with its central axis parallel to a vertical line. The outer case 2 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape. The outer case 2 and the equipment housed within the outer case 2 are also referred to as a tank unit. The hot water storage type water heater 1 may further include a heating device (not shown) for heating hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 10. The heating device may be, for example, an electric heater installed within the hot water storage tank 10, or may be a heating device separate from the tank unit. The heating device may be, for example, a heat pump unit, a solar water heater, a device that utilizes waste heat from a fuel cell, or a device that utilizes a combination of multiple heat sources.

[0011] A water supply port 22 is attached to the outer case 2. One end of the water supply port 22 is positioned so as to be exposed to the outside of the outer case 2, and the other end of the water supply port 22 is located inside the outer case 2. The water supply port 22 is connectable to an external water supply pipe 21 that extends to the outside of the outer case 2. City water is supplied to the hot water storage type water heater 1 through the external water supply pipe 21.

[0012] A hot water inlet 42 is attached to the exterior case 2. One end of the hot water inlet 42 is positioned so that it is exposed to the outside of the exterior case 2, and the other end of the hot water inlet 42 is located inside the exterior case 2. The hot water inlet 42 is connectable to an external hot water supply pipe 41 that extends to the outside of the exterior case 2. Hot water generated by the hot water storage type water heater 1 is sent through the external hot water supply pipe 41 to a mixer faucet in a shower, sink, washbasin, or the like within the home. The water inlet 22 and the hot water inlet 42 may be positioned in a riser portion of the exterior case 2. In that case, the water inlet 22 and the hot water inlet 42 may be covered by a cover (not shown) that is detachable from the riser portion.

[0013] Inside the exterior case 2, there are provided a tank pipe 3, a water supply pipe 20, a mixing valve 30, and a hot water outlet flow path 40. The water supply pipe 20 connects a water supply port 22 to the bottom of the hot water storage tank 10, and sends water supplied from an external water supply pipe 21 into the hot water storage tank 10.

[0014] The water supply pipe 20 branches into two and is also connected to the mixing valve 30. The tank pipe 3 connects the top of the hot water storage tank 10 to the mixing valve 30. The mixing valve 30 mixes the hot water that has come from the hot water storage tank 10 through the tank pipe 3 with the water from the water supply pipe 20. The hot water outlet flow path 40 connects the outlet of the mixing valve 30 to the hot water supply port 42. The hot water from the mixing valve 30 flows into the external hot water supply pipe 41 through the hot water outlet flow path 40 and the hot water supply port 42.

[0015] A water stop mechanism 45 capable of stopping the flow in the hot water outlet flow path 40 is provided in the hot water supply outlet 42. The water stop mechanism 45 is a mechanism for preventing hot water from continuing to flow from the hot water storage tank 10 when replacing an indoor mixer faucet. If the hot water supply outlet 42 did not have the water stop mechanism 45, hot water would continue to flow from the hot water supply outlet 42 even if the supply of city water to the water supply inlet 22 was cut off, and a certain amount of hot water would need to be drained from the hot water storage tank 10 in advance. In contrast, in this embodiment, the flow in the hot water outlet flow path 40 can be stopped by closing the water stop mechanism 45 when replacing an indoor mixer faucet. This has the advantage of eliminating the need to drain a certain amount of hot water from the hot water storage tank 10 in advance.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the hot water outlet 42 of the storage-type hot water heater 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an enlarged portion of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the structure of the hot water outlet 42 of the storage-type hot water heater 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in these figures, the water stop mechanism 45 of the hot water outlet 42 according to the present embodiment is configured with a butterfly valve. As shown in FIG. 2, the water stop mechanism 45 has a flat plate 60 that can rotate between a closed position and an open position, and is configured to stop the flow of water by opening and closing the flat plate 60. The flat plate 60 corresponds to the disk of a butterfly valve. In this embodiment, by configuring the water stop mechanism 45 with a butterfly valve that has the characteristic of having little flow rate reduction, it is possible to reliably prevent a reduction in the hot water supply flow rate to the external hot water supply piping 41. As shown in FIG. 4, the operating lever 70 for operating the water stop mechanism 45 is configured to rotate integrally with the flat plate 60.

[0017] Let's assume that there is no water stop mechanism 45 at the hot water supply outlet 42, and a water stop valve is installed somewhere along the external hot water supply piping 41. In this case, the contractor installing the hot water storage type water heater 1 will prepare the water stop valve and install it somewhere along the external hot water supply piping 41. In this case, the water stop valve prepared by each contractor will vary, and if, for example, a water stop valve with a diameter significantly smaller than that of the external hot water supply piping 41 is used, the desired hot water supply flow rate cannot be ensured. This could result in complaints about the water heater. In contrast, in this embodiment, by installing the water stop mechanism 45 at the hot water supply outlet 42, it is possible to consider a structure that incorporates the water stop mechanism 45. This reliably prevents complaints about reduced hot water supply flow rate, etc.

[0018] As shown in Figure 2, when the flat plate 60 is parallel to the flow path inside the hot water outlet 42, the water stop mechanism 45 is in an open state, allowing water to pass through. In contrast, when the flat plate 60 is perpendicular to the flow path inside the hot water outlet 42, the water stop mechanism 45 is in a closed state, preventing water from passing through. When water is passing through, the flat plate 60 allows water to pass through without significantly affecting the flow rate. Furthermore, the size of the hot water outlet 42 can be made almost the same as when the water stop mechanism 45 is not provided, and there is little impact on installation.

[0019] The thinner the flat plate 60, the better, and it is desirable to minimize the area of ​​the surface that comes into contact with the surface when water is passing through.

[0020] As a modification, water stop mechanism 45 may be configured using a ball valve instead of a butterfly valve. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of hot water outlet 42 having water stop mechanism 45 configured using a ball valve. Water stop mechanism 45 shown in FIG. 5 has a ball valve body 46. Ball valve body 46 is connected to operating lever 70 via rotating shaft 47. FIG. 5 shows a state in which water can pass through the hole formed in ball valve body 46, i.e., the ball valve is in the "open" position. The flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the hole formed in ball valve body 46 is preferably equal to or greater than the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​hot water outlet flow path 40. This makes it possible to more reliably reduce pressure loss in the ball valve and more reliably prevent any impact on the hot water supply flow rate.

[0021] If a water stop mechanism 45 such as a gate valve is used with another valve body, it is possible to ensure the same diameter as the hot water outlet flow path 40 or the external hot water supply piping 41, but the external dimensions will be significantly larger, which will have various disadvantages, such as interference when connecting external piping such as the external hot water supply piping 41 to the storage type hot water heater 1, making it impossible to wrap insulation material around it when performing insulation work, and increasing the weight due to the larger structure.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3, when the butterfly valve is closed, edge 61 of flat plate 60 comes into contact with the inner wall of the passage of hot water outlet 42 in which flat plate 60 is housed, thereby achieving a water-stopping function.

[0023] An R-shape is provided on the inner surface of hot water outlet 42 at the location where it comes into contact with flat plate 60. Flat plate 60 also has an R-shape at the position where it comes into contact with the inner surface of hot water outlet 42. The contact between the R-shapes provides a structure with a water-stopping function.

[0024] The R shape depends on the shape where flat plate 60 and the inner surface of supply port 42 come into contact, and differs between when two convex shapes come into contact and when two concave shapes come into contact with one another.

[0025] The cross-sectional view in the upper right of Figure 3 shows an example in which convex shapes come into contact with each other. In this example, edge 61 of flat plate 60 has a convex curved shape, i.e., an R-shape, which exhibits a convex curve in a cross section cut along a plane perpendicular to flat plate 60. The inner surface of the passage of hot water outlet 42, which houses flat plate 60, is provided with a contact portion 62 that comes into contact with edge 61 of flat plate 60 when the butterfly valve is closed. This contact portion 62 has a convex curved shape, i.e., an R-shape, which exhibits a convex curve in a cross section cut along a plane including the center line of the passage of hot water outlet 42. Regarding contact between such convex shapes, there is no set rule regarding the magnitude relationship between the R-shape dimensions of the inner surface of hot water outlet 42 and the R-shape dimensions of flat plate 60; as long as there is an R-shape, line contact is possible, ensuring sealing performance.

[0026] The lower right cross-sectional view in FIG. 3 shows an example of the case where the concave shape and the convex shape are in contact. In this example, the edge 61 of the flat plate 60 has a convex curved surface shape, that is, an R shape, which presents a convex curve in the cross-section cut by a plane perpendicular to the flat plate 60. Let the radius of curvature of the convex curve be RA. On the inner surface of the passage of the hot water outlet 42 that houses the flat plate 60, a contact portion 63 that contacts the edge 61 of the flat plate 60 when the butterfly valve is closed is provided. This contact portion 63 has a concave curved surface shape that presents a concave curve in the cross-section cut by a plane including the center line of the passage of the hot water outlet 42. The radius of curvature RB of the concave curve of the contact portion 63 is larger than the radius of curvature RA of the convex curve of the edge 61 of the flat plate 60. If RA = RB, water can be stopped over the entire contact surface. However, if a tolerance is provided, RB may be less than RA, and there is a possibility that reliable water stoppage cannot be achieved. On the contrary, by setting RB > RA, a configuration of line contact can be surely achieved, so that the water stoppage function can be surely fulfilled.

[0027] In the case of this embodiment, due to the seal structure of line contact in the R shape, the sealing performance required to the extent that a large amount of hot water does not flow out when replacing the mixing faucet of the faucet in the house can be ensured with a simple configuration. For this reason, there is no need to form a disk like a conventional butterfly valve or a rubber packing or a seal portion for sealing on the hot water outlet 42 side, so that an increase in the pressure loss of the flow path can be more surely suppressed.

[0028] Here, in the storage type water heater 1 in the factory shipment state, it is desirable to set the water stop mechanism 45 to the "open" state. That is, the shipping method of the storage type water heater 1 according to this embodiment is to ship the storage type water heater 1 from the factory with the water stop mechanism 45 in the open state.

[0029] Unlike conventional methods, contractors installing the storage type water heater 1 no longer need to install a stop valve somewhere on the external hot water supply piping 41. This means that contractors may become careless about the water stop mechanism 45. In contrast, by leaving the water stop mechanism 45 in the "open" position as the factory default setting, contractors no longer need to set the water stop mechanism 45 built into the storage type water heater 1 to the "open" position each time they install the unit. This prevents problems such as a decrease in the amount of hot water supplied due to increased pressure loss caused by the water stop mechanism 45 being accidentally closed, and also prevents contractors from accidentally operating the water stop mechanism 45 to the "closed" position.

[0030] 4 and 5, the water stop mechanism 45 has a structure that allows it to be opened and closed with an operating lever 70. By allowing the water stop mechanism 45 to be opened and closed with the operating lever 70, it is possible to avoid being forced to insert one's hand and perform an unnatural operation when external piping is laid out, and the structure is easy for the contractor or user to operate by hand.

[0031] The operating lever 70 is formed in a straight line. When the water stop mechanism 45 is open, the longitudinal direction of the operating lever 70 is substantially parallel to the central axis of the hot water outlet 42. When the water stop mechanism 45 is closed, the longitudinal direction of the operating lever 70 is substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the hot water outlet 42. In this way, it is desirable to configure the water stop mechanism 45 so that when the operating lever 70 is parallel to the water flow direction of the hot water outlet 42, the water stop mechanism 45 is in the "open" state, and when the operating lever 70 is perpendicular to the water flow direction of the hot water outlet 42, the water stop mechanism 45 is in the "closed" state.

[0032] Unlike conventional methods, contractors installing the storage-type water heater 1 no longer need to install a stop valve somewhere on the external hot water supply piping 41. This may lead to the contractor paying less attention to the water stop mechanism 45. As such, there is a possibility that the contractor's understanding of the open / closed state of the water stop mechanism 45 built into the storage-type water heater 1 may decrease. In contrast, with this configuration, contractors can easily recognize which state is "open" even without special knowledge. This prevents the contractor from accidentally operating the water stop mechanism 45 to set it to the "closed" state.

[0033] Furthermore, if there is a method other than the operating lever 70 that is easy to operate, the operating lever 70 is not limited to this, and another method may be used that places importance on operability.

[0034] With the above configuration, it is possible to reliably achieve the specified hot water supply performance without being affected by construction, and the replacement work of the mixer tap in the home can be carried out efficiently. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1 storage type water heater, 2 outer case, 3 tank piping, 10 storage tank, 20 water supply piping, 21 external water supply piping, 22 water supply port, 30 mixing valve, 40 hot water outlet flow path, 41 external hot water supply piping, 42 hot water supply port, 45 water stop mechanism, 46 ball valve body, 47 rotating shaft, 60 flat plate, 61 edge portion, 62 contact portion, 63 contact portion, 70 operating lever

Claims

1. A hot water tank and an exterior case that houses the hot water storage tank; a water supply port that is disposed so that one end thereof is exposed to the outside of the outer case and that is connectable to an external water supply pipe; a water supply pipe that connects the water supply port and the hot water storage tank and sends water supplied from the external water supply pipe into the hot water storage tank; a mixing valve that mixes hot water from the hot water storage tank and water from the water supply pipe; a hot water supply port that is disposed so that one end thereof is exposed to the outside of the outer case and that is connectable to an external hot water supply pipe; a hot water outlet flow path that sends hot water from the mixing valve to the hot water outlet; a water stop mechanism provided in the hot water supply port and capable of stopping the flow of the hot water outlet flow path; Equipped with the hot water supply port is disposed in a riser portion of the outer case, The water stop mechanism is composed of a ball valve or a butterfly valve, A storage-type water heater in which the hot water that passes through the external hot water supply pipe is sent to a mixing faucet inside the house.

2. The water stop mechanism is composed of a butterfly valve, The edge of the disk of the butterfly valve has a convex curved surface shape that exhibits a convex curve in a cross section cut along a plane perpendicular to the disk, a contact portion that comes into contact with the edge of the disk when the butterfly valve is closed, on an inner surface of the passage that houses the disk; The hot water storage type water heater according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion has a convex curved surface shape that exhibits a convex curve in a cross section cut along a plane including a center line of the passage.

3. The water stop mechanism is composed of a butterfly valve, The edge of the disk of the butterfly valve has a convex curved surface shape that exhibits a convex curve in a cross section cut along a plane perpendicular to the disk, a contact portion that comes into contact with the edge of the disk when the butterfly valve is closed, on an inner surface of the passage that houses the disk; the contact portion has a concave curved surface shape that exhibits a concave curve in a cross section cut along a plane including a center line of the passage, 2. The hot water storage type water heater according to claim 1, wherein the radius of curvature of the concave curve is larger than the radius of curvature of the convex curve.

4. The water shutoff mechanism is composed of a ball valve having a ball valve body, 2. The hot water storage type water heater according to claim 1, wherein a flow passage cross-sectional area of ​​the hole formed in the ball valve body is equal to or larger than a flow passage cross-sectional area of ​​the hot water outlet flow passage.

5. Further provided is an operating lever for operating the water stop mechanism, When the water shutoff mechanism is open, the operating lever is substantially parallel to the central axis of the hot water outlet, 5. The hot water storage type water heater according to claim 1, wherein the operating lever is substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the hot water outlet when the water stop mechanism is closed.

6. A shipping method for a hot water storage type water heater according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the water shutoff mechanism is set in an open state when the hot water storage type water heater is shipped from a factory.

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