Method for fixing packing in water heater and water heater

Abstract

To prevent protruding of a packing to maintain the aesthetic quality even in a seal structure in which a bending part at one of a box body and a front cover is formed bending inward in an L shape in a plan view and a packing having the same shape is disposed between the bending part and a bending part at the other.SOLUTION: In a method for fixing a packing 25, comprising a first packing part 26 located on a rear surface of a first butted part 23 and a second packing part 27 located on an outer surface of a second butted part 24 and having an L shape in a plan view, to a front bending part 22 having the first butted part 23 and the second butted part 24 and having an L shape in the plan view, a lateral width of the first packing part 26 is formed so as to be smaller than a lateral width of the first butted part 23 and the second packing part 27 is applied to the outer surface of the second butted part 24 to fix the packing 25 to the front bending part 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for fixing a gasket that seals a housing in a water heater that heats water passing through a heat exchanger with combustion exhaust from a burner, and to a water heater in which the gasket is fixed using the fixing method. [Background technology]

[0002] A water heater has a housing that houses a combustion device such as a burner or a heat exchanger, and the housing is assembled to the front of a box body that is closed on five sides except the front by screwing a front cover from the front. As disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, this front cover is assembled by forming bent portions (flanges) facing outward on the four sides of the opening of the box body, and forming similar bent portions facing outward on the four surrounding sides of the front cover, and screwing these bent portions together from the front. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-155773 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In this case, the bent portions protrude from the outer periphery of the housing, resulting in a poor appearance. Therefore, if the left and right bent portions of the box body and front cover are formed inward and butted together via a gasket, the appearance will be improved and the product will become slimmer. However, to improve sealing, the bent portions of the front cover are sometimes formed L-shaped in plan view, and the gasket attached to the bent portion is also often L-shaped in plan view. This structure makes it difficult to automate the process of attaching the gasket to the bent portion, and it must be done manually. When this process is done manually, there is a risk that the gasket will protrude from between the front and rear bent portions if the gasket is misaligned significantly, detracting from the design.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure aims to provide a method for fixing a gasket in a water heater, and a water heater, which can prevent the gasket from protruding and maintain design, even if the sealing structure is such that the folded portion on one side of the box body and the front cover is formed inward in an L-shape when viewed in plan, and a gasket of the same shape is interposed between the folded portion on the other side. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, a first configuration of the present disclosure includes a housing that houses a combustion device, The housing comprises a box body having a rectangular shape when viewed from the front and an opening at the front, and a front cover attached to the front of the box body, having the same shape as the box body when viewed from the front and being shallower than the box body; The front ends of the left and right side panels of the box body are formed with body-side bent portions that are bent inward, The left and right side plates of the front cover are each formed at their rear ends with a cover-side bent portion that is bent inward, The bending portion on either the main body side bending portion or the cover side bending portion is bent inward from the side surface of the housing, and is formed into an L-shape in a plan view, which is made up of a first butting portion that faces the bending portion on the other side when the housing is assembled, and a second butting portion that is bent forward or backward from the inner end of the first butting portion, In a water heater in which a packing having an L-shaped shape in plan view is fixed to a bent portion on one side, the packing being made up of a first packing portion located on the front or rear surface of the first butt portion and a second packing portion located on the outer surface of the second butt portion, a method for fixing a packing to a bent portion on one side, The left and right width of the first packing portion is formed smaller than the left and right width of the first butted portion, Excluding the corners of the packing Second packing section only Affix the packing to the outer surface of the second butt joint and place it on the folded part on one side. The left and right outer ends of the first packing part are positioned inside the outer surfaces of the side plates of the box body and the front cover at a distance greater than the thickness of each side plate. It is characterized by being fixed. Another aspect of the first configuration is characterized in that, in the above configuration, the second packing portion is attached to the outer surface of the second butted portion using double-sided tape. In order to achieve the above object, a second configuration of the present disclosure includes a housing that houses a combustion device, The housing comprises a box body having a rectangular shape when viewed from the front and an opening at the front, and a front cover attached to the front of the box body, having the same shape as the box body when viewed from the front and being shallower than the box body; The front ends of the left and right side panels of the box body are formed with body-side bent portions that are bent inward, The left and right side plates of the front cover are each formed at their rear ends with a cover-side bent portion that is bent inward, The bending portion on either the main body side bending portion or the cover side bending portion is bent inward from the side surface of the housing, and is formed into an L-shape in a plan view, which is made up of a first butting portion that faces the bending portion on the other side when the housing is assembled, and a second butting portion that is bent forward or backward from the inner end of the first butting portion, A water heater in which a packing having an L-shaped shape in a plan view is fixed to a bent portion on one side, the packing being made up of a first packing portion located on the front or rear surface of the first butt portion and a second packing portion located on the outer surface of the second butt portion, The first packing portion is formed so that its left-right width is smaller than that of the first butted portion, and The packing is Excluding the corners of the packing Second packing section only is attached to the outer surface of the second butted portion and fixed to the bent portion on one side. At the same time, when fixed, the left and right outer ends of the first packing part are located inside the outer surfaces of the side plates of the box body and the front cover, at a distance greater than the thickness of each side plate. It is characterized by: Another aspect of the second configuration is characterized in that, in the above configuration, the second packing portion is attached to the outer surface of the second butted portion using double-sided tape. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, even in a sealing structure in which one side of the folded portion is formed inward in an L-shape when viewed in plan and a gasket of the same shape is interposed between the folded portion on the other side, it is possible to prevent the gasket from protruding and maintain the design. According to another aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the above-mentioned effects, the second packing part is attached to the outer surface of the second butted part using double-sided tape, so that the second packing part can be easily attached. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the box body, front cover, and packing from the front. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the box body, front cover, and packing from the rear. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion of line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the upper part of the front cover and the packing. [Figure 7] 10(A) and 10(B) are explanatory diagrams showing the procedure for attaching the packing. [Figure 8] FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion of line BB in FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a water heater, and FIG. 2 is a front view. This water heater 1 has a rectangular housing 2 when viewed from the front, and a combustion device (not shown) equipped with a burner unit, a heat exchanger, and an exhaust hood is installed inside the housing 2. A horizontally long exhaust pipe 3 is provided on the upper front of the housing 2 and protrudes forward. Mounting brackets 4, 4 are provided on the top and bottom of the back of the housing 2 for installation on an indoor wall, etc. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the housing 2 consists of a box body 10 that houses the combustion device, has an open front, and is deep from front to back, and a front cover 20 that closes the front of the box body 10 and is shallower than the box body 10.

[0010] The box body 10 includes a back panel 11, left and right side panels 12, 12, a top panel 13, and a bottom panel 14. 5, the front ends of the side plates 12 are formed with strip-shaped rear bent portions 15 that are bent inward at a right angle and extend in the vertical direction. The inner ends of the rear bent portions 15 are formed with curled portions 16 that wrap around in a semicircular shape toward the rear. The rear bent portions 15 are an example of the main body bent portion and the other-side bent portion of the present disclosure. A strip-shaped upper flange 17 is formed at the front end of the top plate 13, bent upward at a right angle and extending in the left-right direction. Similarly, a strip-shaped lower flange 18 is formed at the front end of the bottom plate 14, bent downward at a right angle and extending in the left-right direction. A pair of screw holes 19, 19 are formed on the left and right sides of the upper flange 17 and the lower flange 18, respectively.

[0011] The front cover 20 has substantially the same shape as the box body 10 in a front view, with its left and right side portions formed with curved surface portions 21, 21 that curve rearward as they extend outward. Front bent portions 22, 22 that are L-shaped in plan view are formed at the rear ends of the curved surface portions 21, 21. The front bent portions 22 include a first butting portion 23 and a second butting portion 24. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the first butting portion 23 is bent inward at a right angle from the rear end of the curved surface portion 21, extending vertically in a strip-like shape, and facing the rear bent portion 15 of the box body 10 from the front. The second butting portion 24 is bent rearward at a right angle from the inner end of the first butting portion 23, extending vertically in a strip-like shape, and facing the curled portion 16 of the rear bent portion 15 from the side. The front bent portion 22 is an example of a cover-side bent portion and one-side bent portion of the present disclosure.

[0012] A packing 25 is fixed to the rear side of each front bent portion 22. The packing 25 is made of rubber and has an L-shape in plan view that matches the shape of the front bent portion 22, and includes a first packing portion 26 located on the rear surface of the first butted portion 23 and a second packing portion 27 located on the outer surface of the second butted portion 24. The second packing portion 27 is attached to the outer surface of the second butted portion 24, thereby fixing the packing 25 to the front bent portion 22. In this state, the first packing portion 26 is interposed between the rear bent portion 15 and the first butted portion 23, and the second packing portion 27 is interposed between the curled portion 16 and the second butted portion 24. Here, the first packing portion 26 is formed so that its dimension in the left-right direction is shorter than that of the first butted portion 23, and the second packing portion 27 is formed so that its dimension in the front-rear direction is longer than that of the second butted portion 24.

[0013] When fixing the packing 25, as shown in Fig. 7(A), the double-sided tape 28 attached to the inner surface of the second packing portion 27 is brought to face the outer surface of the second butting portion 24, and the packing 25 is moved inward in a parallel manner, and the double-sided tape 28 is attached to the outer surface of the second butting portion 24, as shown in Fig. 7(B). Then, the packing 25 is fixed to the rear side of the front bent portion 22. In this state, the outer end of the first packing portion 26 is located inside the outer surface of the curved portion 21 of the front cover 20, and the rear end of the second packing portion 27 is located rearward of the rear end of the second butting portion 24.

[0014] Meanwhile, an upper mounting portion 30 for mounting to the upper flange portion 17 of the box body 10 is formed at the upper end of the front cover 20. This upper mounting portion 30 is a strip-shaped portion bent upward at a right angle from the upper end of the front cover 20 and extending in the left-right direction, facing the upper flange portion 17. A strip-shaped locking portion 31 is formed at the upper end of the upper mounting portion 30, bent backward at a right angle and extending in the left-right direction. The locking portion 31 is locked to the upper end of the upper flange portion 17. Inward folds 32 are formed by hemming at both left and right end edges of the upper flange portion 17 and the locking portion 31, and at the rear end edge of the locking portion 31. Of these, the center portion of the fold 32 at the rear end of the locking portion 31, excluding both left and right ends, is folded back at an angle of less than 180° to form a stopper 33 that protrudes forward and downward from the rear end of the locking portion 31.

[0015] A lower mounting portion 34 is formed at the lower end of the front cover 20 for mounting to the lower flange portion 18 of the box body 10. This lower mounting portion 34 is a strip-like portion that is bent downward at a right angle from the lower end of the front cover 20 and extends in the left-right direction, facing the lower flange portion 18. Inward fold portions 32 are also formed at both left and right end edges and the lower edge of the lower mounting portion 34. The upper mounting portion 30 and the lower mounting portion 34 are each formed with a pair of through holes 35, 35 that face the screw holes 19, 19 when the locking portion 31 is locked to the upper end of the upper flange portion 17.

[0016] In the water heater 1 configured as described above, when attaching the front cover 20 to the box body 10, as shown in Figure 8, horizontally elongated rectangular packings 36, 36 are attached to the upper flange portion 17 and lower flange portion 18 of the box body 10, and the locking portion 31 of the upper mounting portion 30 of the front cover 20 is locked from above to the upper end of the upper flange portion 17. The front cover 20 is then suspended and supported from the upper flange portion 17 by the locking portion 31. At this time, because the stopper 33 of the locking portion 31 is located behind the upper flange portion 17, even if the front cover 20 shifts forward, the stopper 33 abuts against the upper flange portion 17, preventing it from falling off. In this state, a pair of screws 40, 40 are screwed into the screw holes 19, 19 of the upper flange portion 17 through the through holes 35, 35 of the upper mounting portion 30, and at the same time, a pair of screws 40, 40 are screwed into the screw holes 19, 19 of the lower flange portion 18 through the through holes 35, 35 of the lower mounting portion 34. This fixes the front cover 20 to the box body 10.

[0017] At this time, the left and right front bent portions 22, 22 of the front cover 20 are close to the rear bent portions 15, 15 of the box body 10, compressing the first packing portions 26, 26 between the first abutting portions 23, 23 and the rear bent portions 15, 15. Therefore, the gap between the side plates 12, 12 of the box body 10 and the curved portions 21, 21 of the front cover 20 is sealed by the packings 25, 25. At this time, the outer ends of the first packing portions 26, 26 are positioned inside the outer surfaces of the side plates 12, 12 and the curved portions 21, 21, and do not protrude. On the other hand, the gap between the upper flange portion 17 and the lower flange portion 18 of the box body 10 and the upper mounting portion 30 and the lower mounting portion 34 of the front cover 20 is also sealed by packings 36, 36. Furthermore, when removing the front cover 20 for maintenance or the like, even if the screws 40, 40 are removed first, the front cover 20 is supported by being suspended with the locking portion 31 of the upper mounting portion 30 locked to the upper end of the upper flange portion 17 of the box body 10. Therefore, the front cover 20 will not unexpectedly fall off, and the front cover 20 can be easily removed.

[0018] (Effect of disclosure regarding fixing of packing) In the method of fixing the gasket 25 in the water heater 1 of the above-mentioned form and in the water heater 1, the left and right width of the first gasket portion 26 is formed smaller than the left and right width of the first butt portion 23, and the second gasket portion 27 is attached to the outer surface of the second butt portion 24 to fix the gasket 25 to the front bending portion 22. With this configuration, even if the sealing structure is such that the front bent portion 22 of the front cover 20 is formed inward in an L-shape when viewed in plan and a gasket 25 of the same shape is interposed between it and the rear bent portion 15 of the box body 10, the gasket 25 can be prevented from protruding, thereby maintaining the design. In particular, since the second packing portion 27 is attached to the outer surface of the second butted portion 24 using the double-sided tape 28, the second packing portion 27 can be attached easily.

[0019] In the disclosure relating to fixing the packing, in the above embodiment, double-sided tape is attached to the second packing portion and then attached to the outer surface of the second butted portion, but double-sided tape may also be attached to the outer surface of the second butted portion and then the second packing portion may be attached. The second packing part may be attached using not only double-sided tape but also an adhesive. The main body side bent portion of the box is not limited to the rear bent portion with the curled portion in the above embodiment. For example, the curled portion may be omitted, or a hemming process may be performed instead of the curled portion. In the above embodiment, the folded portion of the front cover is L-shaped in plan view and a gasket of the same shape is fixed, but conversely, the main body-side folded portion of the box main body (an example of a folded portion on one side) may be L-shaped in plan view, consisting of a first butt portion bent inward and a second butt portion bent forward from the inner end of the first butt portion, and a gasket of the same shape may be fixed to the front surface of this main body-side folded portion and sealed between it and the cover-side folded portion of the front cover (an example of a folded portion on the other side) which is not L-shaped in plan view. In this case, the forward-facing second gasket portion of the gasket is attached to the outer surface of the forward-facing second butt portion, and the first gasket portion is located in front of the first butt portion.

[0020] (Effects of disclosure related to front cover mounting structure) In the water heater 1 of the above-described form, a locking portion 31 is formed at the upper end of the upper mounting portion 30 (an example of a mounting portion) which is bent backward and engages with the upper end of the upper flange portion 17 (an example of a bent portion) to suspend and support the front cover 20. According to this configuration, the front cover 20 can be positioned at the screw fastening position using the locking portion 31. Therefore, the front cover 20 can be easily attached to and detached from the box body 10, and improvements in workability and maintainability can be expected. In particular, a stopper 33 is formed at the rear end of the locking portion 31, protruding downward from the locking portion 31 and preventing the locking portion 31 from falling off the upper flange portion 17, thereby increasing stability during positioning and further improving the ease of attaching and detaching the front cover 20.

[0021] In the disclosure relating to the front cover mounting structure, the locking portion is not limited to a horizontal plate shape, and may be, for example, a plate shape that is curved in an arc or an inverted U shape. The shape of the stopper is not limited to the above-described structure in which one stopper is provided at the rear end of the locking portion so as to extend in the left-right direction, and can be modified as appropriate. For example, a plurality of stoppers with a short left-right width may be provided at the rear end of the locking portion at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction. The stopper may be folded downward at an angle of 90 degrees from the engaging portion instead of at an acute angle, or may be folded back in an inverted U-shape. The stopper may also be omitted.

[0022] In addition, as is common to all disclosures, the width, height, depth (depth) and the like of the box body are not limited to the above-mentioned forms. The depth of the front cover is not limited to the above, and the left and right side portions do not have to be curved. The number and positions of the screws used to attach the front cover to the box body can also be changed as appropriate. The exhaust pipe may be structured to protrude from the top surface of the housing instead of the front surface. [Explanation of symbols]

[0023] 1··Water heater, 2··Case, 10··Box body, 11··Back panel, 12··Side panel, 13··Top panel, 14··Bottom panel, 15··Rear bent portion, 16··Curled portion, 17··Upper flange portion, 18··Lower flange portion, 19··Screw hole, 20··Front cover, 21··Curved portion, 22··Front bent portion, 23··First butt portion, 24··Second butt portion, 25, 36··Gasket, 26··First gasket portion, 27··Second gasket portion, 28··Double-sided tape, 30··Upper mounting portion, 31··Latching portion, 32··Folded portion, 33··Stopper, 34··Lower mounting portion, 35··Through hole, 40··Screw.

Claims

1. A housing for accommodating a combustion device is provided. The housing comprises a box body having a rectangular shape in a front view with an open front face, and a front cover attached to the front face of the box body, having the same shape as the box body in a front view and shallower than the box body, The left and right side plates of the box body are each formed at a front end thereof with a body-side bent portion that is bent inward, The left and right side plates of the front cover are each formed at a rear end thereof with a cover-side bent portion that is bent inward, The bending portion on either the main body side bending portion or the cover side bending portion is bent inward from the side surface of the housing, and is formed into an L-shape in a plan view, which is composed of a first butting portion that faces the bending portion on the other side when the housing is assembled, and a second butting portion that is bent forward or backward from the inner end of the first butting portion, In a water heater in which a packing having an L-shaped shape in a plan view is fixed to the bent portion on one side, the packing being made up of a first packing portion located on the front or rear surface of the first butt portion and a second packing portion located on the outer surface of the second butt portion, a method for fixing the packing to the bent portion on one side, The left and right width of the first packing portion is formed smaller than the left and right width of the first butted portion, A method for fixing a gasket in a water heater, characterized in that only the second gasket portion excluding the corners of the gasket is attached to the outer surface of the second butt portion, and the gasket is fixed to the folding portion on one side so that the left and right outer ends of the first gasket portion are positioned inside the outer surfaces of each of the side plates of the box body and the front cover, at a distance greater than the thickness of each of the side plates.

2. 2. The method for fixing a packing in a water heater according to claim 1, wherein the second packing portion is attached to the outer surface of the second abutment portion using double-sided tape.

3. A housing for accommodating a combustion device is provided. The housing comprises a box body having a rectangular shape in a front view with an open front face, and a front cover attached to the front face of the box body, having the same shape as the box body in a front view and shallower than the box body, The left and right side plates of the box body are each formed at a front end thereof with a body-side bent portion that is bent inward, The left and right side plates of the front cover are each formed at a rear end thereof with a cover-side bent portion that is bent inward, The bending portion on either the main body side bending portion or the cover side bending portion is bent inward from the side surface of the housing, and is formed into an L-shape in a plan view, which is composed of a first butting portion that faces the bending portion on the other side when the housing is assembled, and a second butting portion that is bent forward or backward from the inner end of the first butting portion, A water heater in which a packing having an L-shaped shape in a plan view is fixed to the bent portion on one side, the packing being composed of a first packing portion located on the front or rear surface of the first butt portion and a second packing portion located on the outer surface of the second butt portion, The first packing portion is formed so that its left-right width is smaller than that of the first butted portion, and The gasket is fixed to the folded portion on one side by attaching only the second gasket portion, excluding the corners of the gasket, to the outer surface of the second butt portion, and in the fixed state, the left and right outer ends of the first gasket portion are located inside the outer surfaces of each of the side plates of the box body and the front cover, at a distance greater than the thickness of each of the side plates.

4. The water heater according to claim 3, wherein the second packing portion is attached to an outer surface of the second abutment portion using double-sided tape.

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