Wall-mounted brackets and compact water heaters

Abstract

To provide a wall hanging bracket which enables wall hanging installation with a side wall while eliminating a need of increasing rigidity of the side wall of a narrow installation type water heater and contributes to reduction of the weight and costs of the narrow installation type water heater and improvement of workability.SOLUTION: A wall hanging bracket 2 installs a side wall of a narrow installation type water heater 1, in which a length L2 in a width direction is shorter than a length L1 in a depth direction, on an installation wall 3 in a hanging manner. The side wall facing the installation wall 3 in the wall hanging state is set as an attachment side wall. The wall hanging bracket 2 includes: an upper reinforcement part 21 which is attached to an upper part of the attachment side wall, extending in the depth direction; a lower reinforcement part 22 which is attached to a lower part of the attachment side wall, extending in the depth direction; and one or more vertical reinforcement parts 23 which extends in a height direction of the attachment side wall and is connected to the upper reinforcement part 21 and the lower reinforcement part 22; an upper attachment part 24 which is connected to the upper reinforcement part 21 and attached to the installation wall 3; and a lower attachment part 25 which is connected to the lower reinforcement part 22 and attached to the installation wall 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wall - hanging fitting and a narrow - installation - type water heater.

Background Art

[0002] The water heater includes a housing. The housing has a housing main body and a front plate, and houses a combustion device and a heat exchanger. The combustion device generates high - temperature combustion gas. The heat exchanger heats the water passing through it with the combustion gas and converts it into hot water. The housing main body has a rear wall, an upper wall, a bottom wall, and a pair of side walls facing each other in the width direction, and is substantially box - shaped with the front face opened by a housing opening. The front plate covers the housing opening.

[0003] When the housing is a narrow - installation type where the length in the depth direction is shorter than the length in the width direction, the water heater is a so - called slim water heater, and is generally called a narrow - installation - type water heater. Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional narrow - installation - type water heater. The conventional narrow - installation - type water heater is placed on a pedestal installed on the ground or the like.

[0004] Also, Patent Document 2 discloses a conventional wall - hanging fitting for a water heater that is not of the narrow - installation type. This wall - hanging fitting is attached to the upper center and the lower center of the rear wall of the housing, and is fastened to an installation wall such as an outer wall or an inner wall of a house. Thereby, the water heater is wall - hung, and the rear wall of the water heater is fixed to the installation wall of the house.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] Incidentally, for compact water heaters, wall mounting is preferred in order to improve ease of installation, where one of the pair of side walls is fixed to the installation wall rather than the rear wall.

[0007] However, when a water heater is wall-mounted, the side wall to which the mounting bracket is attached bears the entire weight of the water heater in the wall-mounted position. Since the conventional wall mounting bracket does not reinforce the side wall of the housing, the side wall itself needs to be made highly rigid to withstand the load. Increasing the rigidity of the side wall leads to an increase in the weight and cost of the water heater, as well as a decrease in ease of installation.

[0008] In particular, with compact water heaters, the side walls are larger than the rear walls. Therefore, if one side wall is made highly rigid to allow wall mounting by facing the installation wall, the number of side walls that can face the installation wall becomes limited, making it difficult to adequately accommodate the conditions of the installation site. On the other hand, making both sides highly rigid tends to lead to increased weight, increased cost, and decreased ease of installation for compact water heaters. Furthermore, if compact water heaters are placed on a stand without wall mounting, then making one or both side walls highly rigid becomes unnecessary.

[0009] This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and aims to solve the technical problem of providing a wall-mounting bracket that can enable wall mounting using the side wall while eliminating the need to increase the rigidity of the side wall of a compact water heater, thereby contributing to the weight reduction, cost reduction, and improved ease of installation of compact water heaters.

[0010] Furthermore, the present invention also aims to solve the technical problem of providing a compact water heater that can be installed on a wall using the side walls without requiring increased rigidity of the side walls, thereby contributing to weight reduction, cost reduction, and improved ease of installation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The wall mounting bracket of the present invention is a wall mounting bracket for mounting a water heater on a wall, The water heater comprises a housing that has a rear wall, a top wall, a bottom wall, and a pair of side walls facing each other in the width direction, and a substantially box-shaped housing body whose front is open by a housing opening, and a front plate that covers the housing opening, and the housing comprises at least a combustion device and a heat exchanger. The aforementioned enclosure is a narrow-installation type in which the length in the width direction is shorter than the length in the depth direction. Of the two aforementioned side walls, the one facing the mounting wall when the wall is mounted is designated as the mounting side wall. An upper reinforcing portion is attached to the upper part of the mounting side wall, extending in the depth direction, A lower reinforcing portion is attached to the lower part of the mounting side wall, extending in the depth direction, One or more vertical reinforcing members extending in the height direction of the mounting side wall and connected to the upper reinforcing member and the lower reinforcing member, An upper mounting portion connected to the upper reinforcing portion and attached to the installation wall, It is characterized by comprising a lower mounting portion that is connected to the lower reinforcing portion and attached to the installation wall.

[0012] The wall-mounting bracket of the present invention is for wall-mounting a compact-type water heater, which has a compact-type housing, on its side wall. The wall-mounting bracket of the present invention has an upper reinforcing part that is attached to the upper part of the mounting side wall of the compact-type housing, a lower reinforcing part that is attached to the lower part of the mounting side wall, and a vertical reinforcing part that is connected to the upper and lower reinforcing parts. The upper mounting part connected to the upper reinforcing part is attached to the mounting wall, and the lower mounting part connected to the lower reinforcing part is attached to the mounting wall.

[0013] This allows the wall-mounting bracket to secure the mounting side wall of the compact water heater to the installation wall, making it possible to wall-mount the compact water heater on that wall.

[0014] In this wall-mounting bracket, an upper reinforcing section extending in the depth direction at the top of the mounting wall and a lower reinforcing section extending in the depth direction at the bottom of the mounting wall are connected by a vertical reinforcing section extending in the height direction of the mounting wall. Therefore, the upper reinforcing section, lower reinforcing section, and vertical reinforcing section work together to reinforce the mounting wall. As a result, it is not necessary to make the mounting wall highly rigid in order to enable wall-mounting of compact water heaters. Consequently, this wall-mounting bracket can contribute to the weight reduction, cost reduction, and improved ease of installation of compact water heaters.

[0015] Therefore, this wall-mounting bracket eliminates the need to increase the rigidity of the side wall of a compact water heater, while enabling wall mounting via the side wall. This contributes to making compact water heaters lighter, less expensive, and easier to install.

[0016] Preferably, the longitudinal length of the upper reinforcement section is approximately equal to the depth length of the mounting side wall. Similarly, preferably, the longitudinal length of the lower reinforcement section is approximately equal to the depth length of the mounting side wall. In this case, since the upper and lower reinforcement sections are installed over the entire depth length of the mounting side wall, the reinforcing effect of the mounting side wall is further enhanced. As a result, the mounting side wall becomes even more rigid, enabling more stable wall mounting.

[0017] Preferably, there is only one vertical reinforcement section, connected approximately in the center of the upper and lower reinforcement sections. In this case, the entire structure of the upper, lower, and vertical reinforcement sections becomes an H-shape. This allows for increased rigidity of the mounting side wall at a lower cost.

[0018] The vertical reinforcing portion preferably has a C-shaped cross-section with an opening extending in its longitudinal direction. In this case, the vertical reinforcing portion with a C-shaped cross-section itself becomes highly rigid, which further increases the rigidity of the mounting side wall.

[0019] In a configuration where the vertical reinforcement part has a C-shaped cross-section, in the mounting state where the wall-mounted fitting is attached to the mounting side wall, it is preferable that the vertical reinforcement part is separated from the mounting side wall. In this case, since the rigidity of the vertical reinforcement part itself is improved, it is possible to impart the necessary rigidity to the mounting side wall by the upper reinforcement part, the lower reinforcement part, and the vertical reinforcement part without bringing the vertical reinforcement part into contact with the mounting side wall. Further, if the vertical reinforcement part extending in the height direction happens to be in contact with the mounting side wall, vibration is likely to be transmitted from the mounting side wall to the vertical reinforcement part, and there is a concern about quietness. In this regard, if the vertical reinforcement part is separated from the mounting side wall, it is possible to prevent vibration from being transmitted from the mounting side wall to the vertical reinforcement part and to exhibit excellent quietness.

[0020] The narrow installation type water heater of the present invention is a narrow installation type water heater in which the wall-mounted fitting of the present invention is detachably attached to the mounting side wall of the housing, Both of the side walls have an upper attachment part to which the upper reinforcement part is detachably attached at the upper part and a lower attachment part to which the lower reinforcement part is detachably attached at the lower part, It is characterized in that the wall-mounted fitting can be attached to the mounting side wall according to the situation of the installation site.

[0021] <​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The wall-mounting bracket of the present invention eliminates the need to increase the rigidity of the side wall of a compact water heater, enabling wall mounting using the side wall, and contributing to weight reduction, cost reduction, and improved ease of installation for compact water heaters.

[0025] Furthermore, the compact water heater of the present invention eliminates the need for increased rigidity of the side walls while enabling wall mounting via the side walls, thereby contributing to weight reduction, cost reduction, and improved ease of installation. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0026] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the compact water heater according to Example 1. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the wall mounting bracket of Example 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a partially exploded perspective view showing the main components of the compact water heater of Example 1. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a perspective view of the upper reinforcing portion of the wall mounting bracket in Example 1. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a partial perspective view of the vertical reinforcement portion of the wall mounting bracket in Example 1. [Figure 6] Figure 6 relates to the compact water heater of Example 1, and is a left side view of the compact water heater shown in Figure 1 with the wall mounting bracket removed. [Figure 7] Figure 7 relates to the compact water heater of Example 1, and is a right side view of the compact water heater shown in Figure 1 with the wall mounting bracket removed. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the main parts of the compact water heater of Example 1. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a front view showing the compact water heater of Example 1 installed on a wall. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a partial front view showing the main parts of the compact water heater of Example 1 when it is mounted on the wall. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a perspective view of the wall mounting bracket of Example 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0027] Examples 1 and 2, which embody the present invention, will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0028] (Example 1) As shown in Figure 1, the compact water heater (hereinafter simply referred to as "water heater") 1 of Embodiment 1 is equipped with the wall mounting bracket 2 of Embodiment 1, which is an example of a specific embodiment of the wall mounting bracket of the present invention.

[0029] In the following explanation, the front panel 12 side of the housing 10 of the water heater 1, i.e., the front side of the page in Figure 1, is defined as the front of the water heater 1; the right wall 13R side of the water heater 1, i.e., the right side of the page in Figure 1, is defined as the right side of the water heater 1; and the top side of the page in Figure 1 is defined as the top of the water heater 1. Furthermore, the front / back, left / right, and up / down directions shown in Figures 2 and beyond all correspond to those in Figure 1. In addition, the width direction of the housing 10 of the water heater 1 coincides with the left / right direction, the depth direction of the housing 10 of the water heater 1 coincides with the front / back direction, and the height direction of the housing 10 of the water heater 1 coincides with the up / down direction.

[0030] Furthermore, in this embodiment, we will describe an example in which the water heater 1 is wall-mounted on the installation wall 3 of the house (see Figures 9 and 10), and more specifically, an example in which the right wall 13R of the pair of left and right side walls 13L and right wall 13R of the water heater 1 is wall-mounted on the installation wall 3. For this reason, in this embodiment, the right wall 13R becomes the mounting side wall.

[0031] <Enclosure> As shown in Figure 1, the water heater 1 is equipped with a housing 10. The housing 10 has a housing body 11 and a front plate 12. The housing body 11 and the front plate 12 are made of metal sheet material such as steel plate.

[0032] The main enclosure 11 is roughly box-shaped with its front opening. The front panel 12 is a roughly rectangular flat plate that covers the opening of the main enclosure 11. The main enclosure 11 and the front panel 12 divide the enclosure 10 into a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped internal space.

[0033] As shown in Figures 1, 6, and 7, the housing body 11 has a pair of left and right side walls, namely the left wall 13L and the right wall 13R, a rear wall 14, an upper wall 15, and a bottom wall 16. The left wall 13L and the right wall 13R face each other in the width direction of the housing 10. The rear wall 14 and the upper wall 15 form an L-shape, with the rear end of the upper wall 15 and the upper end of the rear wall 14 being integrally connected. The left wall 13L and the right wall 13R are fastened to the rear wall 14 and the upper wall 15 by a plurality of screws 17. The bottom wall 16 is also fastened to the rear wall 14, the left wall 13L, and the right wall 13R by a plurality of screws 17. In this way, the left wall 13L, the right wall 13R, the rear wall 14, the upper wall 15, and the bottom wall 16 are integrated to form the housing body 11. The front plate 12 is then fastened to the housing body 11 by a plurality of screws 17.

[0034] The upper end of the left wall 13L is provided with three screw fastening sections 17a, where the left wall 13L and the upper wall 15 are fastened together with three screws 17. Similarly, the lower end of the left wall 13L is provided with three screw fastening sections 17a, where the left wall 13L and the bottom wall 16 are fastened together with three screws 17. Likewise, the upper end of the right wall 13R is provided with three screw fastening sections 17a, where the right wall 13R and the upper wall 15 are fastened together with three screws 17. Similarly, the lower end of the right wall 13R is provided with three screw fastening sections 17a, where the right wall 13R and the bottom wall 16 are fastened together with three screws 17. All of these screw fastening sections 17a are mounting sections. Specifically, the screw fastening sections 17a provided at the upper ends of the left wall 13L and the right wall 13R are upper mounting sections, and the screw fastening sections 17a provided at the lower ends of the left wall 13L and the right wall 13R are lower mounting sections.

[0035] Water heater 1 is a so-called slim water heater in which the width L2 of the housing 10 is smaller than the depth L1 of the housing 10, so that it can be installed in narrow spaces in the width direction. Specifically, the depth L1 of the housing 10 is greater than 1.5 times the width L2 of the housing 10. The height L3 of the housing 10 is greater than 3 times the length L2.

[0036] <Combustion equipment, heat exchangers, water supply pipes and hot water supply pipes, etc.> As shown in Figures 6, 7, and 9, a combustion device 18 and a heat exchanger 19 are provided inside the housing 10. The combustion device 18 is located in the middle of the housing 10 in the vertical direction. The combustion device 18 is roughly box-shaped and has a combustion chamber (not shown) and a plurality of gas burners inside. A combustion fan 18a is connected to the bottom side of the combustion device 18. The combustion device 18 generates high-temperature combustion gas by supplying combustion air into the combustion chamber with the combustion fan 18a and burning the fuel gas discharged from each gas burner.

[0037] The heat exchanger 19 is located above the combustion device 18. The heat exchanger 19 has a main heat exchanger 19a located above the combustion device 18 and a secondary heat exchanger 19b located above the main heat exchanger 19a. The combustion gas generated by the combustion device 18 passes through the main heat exchanger 19a and then through the secondary heat exchanger 19b.

[0038] The main heat exchanger 19a has heat transfer tubes (not shown) and a plurality of heat transfer fins inside. The main heat exchanger 19a exchanges heat between water flowing through the heat transfer tubes and combustion gas passing through the inside, and absorbs the sensible heat of the combustion gas.

[0039] The auxiliary heat exchanger 19b has heat transfer tubes (not shown). The heat transfer tubes are corrugated tubes that meander, including multiple straight sections and multiple folded sections that are folded in an arc shape to connect the straight sections. The auxiliary heat exchanger 19b exchanges heat between water flowing through the heat transfer tubes and combustion gas passing through the inside, and absorbs the latent heat of the combustion gas.

[0040] An exhaust port 19c is connected to the upper front of the auxiliary heat exchanger 19b. The exhaust port 19c is roughly cylindrical and protrudes forward. As shown in Figure 1, the exhaust port 19c is exposed on the front of the housing 10 by passing through a circular opening that penetrates the upper end of the front plate 12. Combustion gas that has passed through the auxiliary heat exchanger 19b is exhausted to the outside of the housing 10 via the exhaust port 19c.

[0041] The enclosure 10 is equipped with gas supply pipes, water supply pipes, and hot water supply pipes, etc. (not shown). Fuel gas is supplied from an external gas supply source to the gas burner of the combustion device 18 via the gas supply pipe. Water supplied from an external water supply source via the water supply pipe flows into the heat transfer tubes of the auxiliary heat exchanger 19b. The partially heated water flowing out of the heat transfer tubes of the auxiliary heat exchanger 19b flows into the heat transfer tubes of the main heat exchanger 19a. The hot water flowing out of the heat transfer tubes of the main heat exchanger 19a is supplied to the outside via the hot water supply pipe.

[0042] <Wall mounting hardware> As shown in Figure 1, the wall mounting bracket 2 is detachably attached to the right side wall 13R, which is the mounting side wall, by a number of screws 17.

[0043] As shown in Figure 2, the wall mounting bracket 2 has an upper reinforcing section 21, a lower reinforcing section 22, a single vertical reinforcing section 23, an upper mounting section 24, and a lower mounting section 25. The upper reinforcing section 21, the lower reinforcing section 22, the vertical reinforcing section 23, the upper mounting section 24, and the lower mounting section 25 are all made of metal plate material such as steel plate.

[0044] The upper reinforcement section 21 is attached to the upper end of the right side wall 13R, which is the mounting side wall, extending in the front-rear direction. The lower reinforcement section 22 is attached to the lower end of the right side wall 13R, which is the mounting side wall, extending in the front-rear direction. The longitudinal length L4 of the upper reinforcement section 21 is approximately equal to the depth length L1 at the upper end of the right side wall 13R to which the upper reinforcement section 21 is attached. Similarly, the longitudinal length of the lower reinforcement section 22 is approximately equal to the depth length L1 at the lower end of the right side wall 13R to which the lower reinforcement section 22 is attached.

[0045] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the upper reinforcing portion 21 has a C-shaped cross-section with an opening extending in the longitudinal direction of the upper reinforcing portion 21. This increases the bending rigidity of the upper reinforcing portion 21. Specifically, the upper reinforcing portion 21 has a first vertical surface portion 21a and a second vertical surface portion 21b that face each other and extend parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction, and a connecting surface portion 21c that integrally connects the upper end edges of the first vertical surface portion 21a and the second vertical surface portion 21b. The second vertical surface portion 21b and the connecting surface portion 21c are of the same length and extend longer in the longitudinal direction than the first vertical surface portion 21a. The second vertical surface portion 21b has a smaller vertical width than the first vertical surface portion 21a.

[0046] The first vertical surface portion 21a has a through hole 21d that penetrates in the thickness direction in the center of its longitudinal direction, and a projection 21e that protrudes downward in the center of its longitudinal direction. A screwdriver for fastening screws can be inserted through the through hole 21d. Near the upper end of the first vertical surface portion 21a, there are three screw holes 21f into which screws 29a for fastening the upper mounting portion 24 to the upper reinforcing portion 21 can be screwed. In addition, the projection 21e has two screw holes 21g into which screws 29b for fastening the vertical reinforcing portion 23 to the upper reinforcing portion 21 can be screwed. The length of the projection 21e in the longitudinal direction of the upper reinforcing portion 21 is slightly shorter than the length L5 of the vertical reinforcing portion 23, which will be described later.

[0047] The second vertical surface portion 21b has three small projections 21h that protrude downward at both ends and in the center in the longitudinal direction. In the longitudinal direction of the upper reinforcing portion 21, the small projections 21h at both ends of the second vertical surface portion 21b protrude outward from both ends in the longitudinal direction of the first vertical surface portion 21a. Each small projection 21h has a screw locking hole 21i through which a screw 17 for fastening the upper reinforcing portion 21 to the right side wall 13R, which is the mounting side wall, can be inserted and locked. Each screw locking hole 21i has a large diameter portion 21j through which the head of the screw 17 can be inserted and a small diameter portion 21k through which the male thread portion of the screw 17 can be inserted and the head of the screw 17 can be locked. As shown in Figure 8, the small diameter portion 21k of the screw locking hole 21i provided in the small projection 21h in the central part of the second vertical surface portion 21b is located in a position corresponding to the through hole 21d provided in the first vertical surface portion 21a, and the central axis of the small diameter portion 21k and the central axis of the through hole 21d coincide.

[0048] The lower reinforcing section 22 basically has the same configuration as the upper reinforcing section 21. As shown in Figure 2, the lower reinforcing section 22 has a C-shaped cross-section with an opening extending in the longitudinal direction of the lower reinforcing section 22, and has a first vertical surface section 22a, a second vertical surface section 22b, and a connecting surface section 22c. The first vertical surface section 22a has a through hole 22d through which a screwdriver for fastening screws can be inserted, and a projection 22e that protrudes upward in the center in the longitudinal direction. Near the lower end of the first vertical surface section 22a, there are three screw holes (not shown) through which screws 29a for fastening the lower mounting section 25 to the lower reinforcing section 22 can be screwed in. In addition, the projection 22e has two screw holes (not shown) through which screws 29b for fastening the vertical reinforcing section 23 to the lower reinforcing section 22 can be screwed in. The second vertical surface portion 22b has three small projections 22h that protrude upward at both ends and in the center in the longitudinal direction. In Figure 2, only the two small projections 22h provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the second vertical surface portion 22b are shown, and the small projection 22h provided in the center in the longitudinal direction of the second vertical surface portion 22b is not shown. A screw locking hole 22i is provided through each small projection 22h.

[0049] The vertical reinforcement section 23 extends vertically and is connected to the upper reinforcement section 21 and the lower reinforcement section 22. The upper end of the vertical reinforcement section 23 is fastened to the longitudinal center of the upper reinforcement section 21 with a screw 29b, and the lower end of the vertical reinforcement section 23 is fastened to the longitudinal center of the lower reinforcement section 22 with a screw 29b. In other words, the vertical reinforcement section 23 integrally connects the longitudinal centers of the upper reinforcement section 21 and the lower reinforcement section 22.

[0050] As shown in Figure 5, the vertical reinforcing portion 23 has a C-shaped cross-section with an opening extending in the longitudinal direction of the vertical reinforcing portion 23. This increases the bending rigidity of the vertical reinforcing portion 23. The vertical reinforcing portion 23 has a flat plate portion 23a that extends in the longitudinal direction with the same width and length as the vertical reinforcing portion 23, and a pair of bent portions 23b that are bent at right angles from both ends of the flat plate portion 23a and extend in the longitudinal direction with the same length as the flat plate portion 23a. Two screw insertion holes 23c are provided at the upper end of the flat plate portion 23a, into which the heads of screws 29b for fastening the vertical reinforcing portion 23 to the upper reinforcing portion 21 can be locked and the male threaded portion of the screws 29b can be inserted. Similarly, the lower end of the flat plate portion 23a is provided with two screw insertion holes (not shown) through which the heads of screws 29b for fastening the vertical reinforcing portion 23 to the lower reinforcing portion 22 can be locked and the male threaded portion of the screws 29b can be inserted.

[0051] In this embodiment, the width of the vertical reinforcement portion 23, that is, the length L5 of the vertical reinforcement portion 23 in the depth direction of the housing 10, is set to about 1 / 4 of the length L1 in the depth direction of the housing 10. From the viewpoint of further enhancing the effect of reinforcing the mounting side wall of the water heater 1, it is preferable that the length L5 of the vertical reinforcement portion 23 be about 1 / 10 or more of the length L1 in the depth direction of the housing 10, and more preferably about 1 / 5 or more.

[0052] As shown in Figure 3, the lower end of the upper mounting portion 24 has multiple screw insertion holes 24a through which the heads of screws 29a for fastening the upper mounting portion 24 to the upper reinforcing portion 21 can be locked and the male threaded portion of the screws 29a can be inserted. In addition, the upper part of the upper mounting portion 24 has multiple screw insertion holes 24b through which the heads of screws 3a (see Figures 9 and 10) for fastening the upper mounting portion 24 to the installation wall 3 of the house can be locked and the male threaded portion of the screws 3a can be inserted.

[0053] The lower mounting portion 25 basically has the same configuration as the upper mounting portion 24. That is, the upper end of the lower mounting portion 25 is provided with a plurality of screw insertion holes (not shown) through which the heads of screws 29a for fastening the lower mounting portion 25 to the lower reinforcing portion 22 can be locked and the male threaded portion of the screws 29a can be inserted. Also, as shown in Figure 2, the lower part of the lower mounting portion 25 is provided with a plurality of screw insertion holes 25b through which the heads of screws 3a (see Figure 9) for fastening the lower mounting portion 25 to the installation wall 3 of the house can be locked and the male threaded portion of the screws 3a can be inserted.

[0054] <Assembly of wall mounting hardware> As shown in Figure 8, the projection 21e of the first vertical surface 21a of the upper reinforcing part 21 is fastened to the upper end of the vertical reinforcing part 23. Specifically, the male threads of two screws 29b are inserted through the two screw insertion holes 23c at the upper end of the vertical reinforcing part 23, and these male threads are screwed into the two screw holes 21g of the projection 21e of the upper reinforcing part 21. Similarly, the male threads of two screws 29b are inserted through the two screw insertion holes at the lower end of the vertical reinforcing part 23, and these male threads are screwed into the two screw holes of the projection 22e of the lower reinforcing part 22, thereby fastening the projection 22e of the first vertical surface 22a of the lower reinforcing part 22 to the lower end of the vertical reinforcing part 23.

[0055] Then, the upper mounting portion 24 is fastened to the first vertical surface portion 21a of the upper reinforcing portion 21. That is, the male threads of three screws 29a are inserted through the three screw insertion holes 24a of the upper mounting portion 24, and these male threads are screwed into the three screw holes 21f of the upper reinforcing portion 21. Similarly, the male threads of three screws 29a are inserted through the three screw insertion holes of the lower mounting portion 25, and these male threads are screwed into the three screw holes of the lower reinforcing portion 22, thereby fastening the lower mounting portion 25 to the first vertical surface portion 22a of the lower reinforcing portion 22.

[0056] In this way, the upper reinforcing part 21, the lower reinforcing part 22, the vertical reinforcing part 23, the upper mounting part 24, and the lower mounting part 25 are integrated by fastening, and the wall mounting bracket 2 is assembled.

[0057] <Installation of wall mounting brackets on the mounting side wall> As shown in Figure 8, in this embodiment, the wall mounting bracket 2 is fastened to the right side wall 13R, which is the mounting side wall of the water heater 1. Specifically, the second vertical surface portion 21b of the upper reinforcement portion 21 is fastened together with the screw fastening portion 17a, which is the upper mounting portion of the right side wall 13R. In particular, the second vertical surface portion 21b of the upper reinforcement portion 21 is fastened together with the upper wall 15 and the right side wall 13R by the three screws 17 that fasten the upper wall 15 and the right side wall 13R. Similarly, the second vertical surface portion 22b of the lower reinforcement portion 22 is fastened together with the screw fastening portion 17a, which is the lower mounting portion of the right side wall 13R. In particular, the second vertical surface portion 22b of the lower reinforcement portion 22 is fastened together with the bottom wall 16 and the right side wall 13R by the three screws 17 that fasten the bottom wall 16 and the right side wall 13R.

[0058] <Wall-mounted installation of water heater on the wall> As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the water heater 1 is mounted on the right side wall 13R of the house, which is the mounting side wall, using a wall mounting bracket 2. Specifically, the male threaded portion of a screw 3a is inserted through the screw insertion hole 24b of the upper mounting portion 24 of the wall mounting bracket 2, and the male threaded portion is screwed into a screw hole (not shown) in the mounting wall 3. Similarly, the male threaded portion of a screw 3a is inserted through the screw insertion hole 25b of the lower mounting portion 25 of the wall mounting bracket 2, and the male threaded portion is screwed into a screw hole (not shown) in the mounting wall 3.

[0059] <When installing a 13L water heater on the left wall> Depending on the conditions at the installation site of the water heater, if the left wall 13L of this water heater 1 is to be wall-mounted on the installation wall, the left wall 13L will be the mounting wall. In this case, the wall mounting bracket 2 should be removed from the right wall 13R and then fastened to the left wall 13L.

[0060] Specifically, the second vertical surface portion 21b of the upper reinforcing portion 21 is fastened together with the screw fastening portion 17a, which is the upper mounting portion of the left side wall 13L, and the second vertical surface portion 22b of the lower reinforcing portion 22 is fastened together with the screw fastening portion 17a, which is the lower mounting portion of the left side wall 13L. As a result, the second vertical surface portion 21b of the upper reinforcing portion 21 is fastened together with the upper wall 15 and the left side wall 13L by the three screws 17 that fasten the upper wall 15 and the left side wall 13L, and the second vertical surface portion 22b of the lower reinforcing portion 22 is fastened together with the bottom wall 16 and the left side wall 13L by the three screws 17 that fasten the bottom wall 16 and the left side wall 13L.

[0061] Then, in the same manner as when mounting the right wall 13R of the water heater 1, the left wall 13L, which is the mounting side wall, can be mounted on the installation wall of the house using the wall mounting bracket 2.

[0062] <Effects and Effects> In this wall mounting bracket 2, the upper end of the vertical reinforcing portion 23 is fastened to the first vertical surface portion 21a of the upper reinforcing portion 21, and the lower end of the vertical reinforcing portion 23 is fastened to the first vertical surface portion 22a of the lower reinforcing portion 22. In addition, the upper mounting portion 24 is fastened to the first vertical surface portion 21a of the upper reinforcing portion 21, and the lower mounting portion 25 is fastened to the first vertical surface portion 22a of the lower reinforcing portion 22.

[0063] The upper reinforcing part 21 is fastened together with a screw fastening part 17a provided at the upper end of the right side wall 13R, which is the mounting side wall of the narrow-type housing 10 of the water heater 1, and the lower reinforcing part 22 is fastened together with a screw fastening part 17a provided at the lower end of the right side wall 13R.

[0064] The upper mounting portion 24, fastened to the upper reinforcing portion 21, is fastened to the installation wall 3, and the lower mounting portion 25, fastened to the lower reinforcing portion 22, is fastened to the installation wall 3.

[0065] As a result, the wall mounting bracket 2 can be fixed to the right side wall 13R, which is the mounting wall for the water heater 1, against the installation wall 3, making it possible to wall-mount the water heater 1 on the installation wall 3.

[0066] In this wall-mounting bracket 2, an upper reinforcing section 21 extending in the depth direction at the top of the right side wall 13R, which is the mounting side wall, and a lower reinforcing section 22 extending in the depth direction at the bottom of the right side wall 13R, are connected by a vertical reinforcing section 23 extending in the height direction of the right side wall 13R. Therefore, the upper reinforcing section 21, the lower reinforcing section 22, and the vertical reinforcing section 23 work together to reinforce the right side wall 13R. As a result, there is no need to make the right side wall 13R, which is the mounting side wall, particularly rigid in order to enable wall-mounting of the water heater 1. Consequently, this wall-mounting bracket 2 can contribute to the weight reduction, cost reduction, and improved ease of installation of the water heater 1.

[0067] Therefore, this wall-mounting bracket 2 eliminates the need to increase the rigidity of the side wall of the water heater 1, while enabling wall mounting via the side wall, thereby contributing to the weight reduction, cost reduction, and improved ease of installation of the water heater 1.

[0068] In this water heater 1, both the left wall 13L and the right wall 13R have screw fastening portions 17a at their upper ends as upper mounting portions and screw fastening portions 17a at their lower ends as lower mounting portions. Therefore, in this water heater 1, either the right wall 13R or the left wall 13L can serve as a mounting side wall. As a result, in this water heater 1, depending on the conditions of the installation site, the wall mounting bracket 2 attached to the right wall 13R can be removed from the right wall 13R and the wall mounting bracket 2 can be attached to the left wall 13L. Thus, this water heater 1 can appropriately adapt to the conditions of the installation site.

[0069] Furthermore, since this water heater 1 does not have reinforced left wall 13L and right wall 13R, it can be placed on a stand without wall mounting, without incurring unnecessary material costs.

[0070] Therefore, this water heater 1 can be wall-mounted using the side wall without requiring increased rigidity of the side wall, contributing to weight reduction, cost reduction, and improved ease of installation.

[0071] In this wall mounting bracket 2, the longitudinal length L4 of the upper reinforcement part 21 is approximately equal to the depth length L1 of the right side wall 13R, which is the mounting side wall. Similarly, the longitudinal length of the lower reinforcement part 22 is approximately equal to the depth length L1 of the right side wall 13R, which is the mounting side wall. As a result, the upper reinforcement part 21 and the lower reinforcement part 22 are attached over the entire depth length L1 of the right side wall 13R, which is the mounting side wall, thus further enhancing the reinforcing effect of the right side wall 13R. Consequently, the right side wall 13R, which is the mounting side wall, becomes even more rigid, enabling more stable wall mounting.

[0072] In this wall mounting bracket 2, there is only one vertical reinforcement section 23, which is connected to the center of the upper reinforcement section 21 and the lower reinforcement section 22 in the longitudinal direction. As a result, the entire structure of the upper reinforcement section 21, the lower reinforcement section 22 and the vertical reinforcement section 23 is H-shaped, making it possible to increase the rigidity of the right side wall 13R, which is the mounting side wall, at a lower cost.

[0073] In this wall mounting bracket 2, the upper reinforcing portion 21, the lower reinforcing portion 22, and the vertical reinforcing portion 23 all have a C-shaped cross-section with an opening extending in the longitudinal direction of themselves. In this case, the upper reinforcing portion 21, the lower reinforcing portion 22, and the vertical reinforcing portion 23, which have a C-shaped cross-section, become highly rigid, so the right side wall 13R, which is the mounting side wall, can be made even more rigid.

[0074] As shown in Figure 8, in the mounting state where the wall mounting bracket 2 is attached to the right side wall 13R, the vertical reinforcement portion 23 is separated from the right side wall 13R. Specifically, in the above mounting state, the vertical reinforcement portion 23 has a C-shaped opening in cross-section facing the right side wall 13R, and the tip surfaces 23d of the pair of bent portions 23b that sandwich the opening are separated from the right side wall 13R. That is, a gap S is provided between the tip surfaces 23d and the right side wall 13R. In this case, since the rigidity of the vertical reinforcement portion 23 itself, which has a C-shaped cross-section, is improved, the upper reinforcement portion 21, the lower reinforcement portion 22, and the vertical reinforcement portion 23 can provide the necessary rigidity to the right side wall 13R by themselves, even without the vertical reinforcement portion 23 being in contact with the right side wall 13R. Furthermore, if the vertical reinforcement portion 23, which extends in the height direction, were to be in contact with the right side wall 13R, vibrations would be easily transmitted from the right side wall 13R to the vertical reinforcement portion 23, raising concerns about noise reduction. In this regard, if the pair of tip surfaces 23d are separated from the right side wall 13R, vibration can be prevented from being transmitted from the right side wall 13R to the vertical reinforcement section 23, resulting in excellent quietness.

[0075] (Example 2) As shown in Figure 11, the wall mounting bracket 20 of Embodiment 2 has two vertical reinforcing parts and the whole is roughly rectangular in shape. That is, this wall mounting bracket 20 has an upper reinforcing part 26, a lower reinforcing part 27, a front first vertical reinforcing part 23f, a rear second vertical reinforcing part 23r, an upper mounting part 24, and a lower mounting part 25. The first vertical reinforcing part 23f and the second vertical reinforcing part 23r are examples of the "vertical reinforcing parts" of the present invention.

[0076] The upper reinforcing portion 26 has a first vertical surface portion 26a, similar to the wall mounting bracket 2 of Embodiment 1. This first vertical surface portion 26a has a first projection 26f at one end on the front side in the longitudinal direction and a second projection 26r at the other end on the rear side in the longitudinal direction. The first projection 26f has two screw holes (not shown) through which screws 29b for fastening the upper end of the first vertical reinforcing portion 23f to the upper reinforcing portion 26 can be screwed in. Similarly, the second projection 26r has two screw holes (not shown) through which screws 29b for fastening the upper end of the second vertical reinforcing portion 23r to the upper reinforcing portion 26 can be screwed in.

[0077] The lower reinforcing portion 27 has a first vertical surface portion 27a, similar to the wall mounting bracket 2 of Embodiment 1. This first vertical surface portion 27a has a first projection 27f at one end on the front side in the longitudinal direction and a second projection 27r at the other end on the rear side in the longitudinal direction. The first projection 27f has two screw holes (not shown) through which screws 29b for fastening the lower end of the first vertical reinforcing portion 23f to the lower reinforcing portion 27 can be screwed in. Similarly, the second projection 27r has two screw holes (not shown) through which screws 29b for fastening the lower end of the second vertical reinforcing portion 23r to the lower reinforcing portion 27 can be screwed in.

[0078] The first vertical reinforcement portion 23f has a C-shaped cross-section with an opening extending in the longitudinal direction, similar to the wall mounting bracket 2 of Embodiment 1, thereby increasing its bending rigidity. Two screw insertion holes (not shown) are provided at the upper end of the first vertical reinforcement portion 23f, into which the heads of screws 29b for fastening the first vertical reinforcement portion 23f to the upper reinforcement portion 26 can be locked and the male threaded portion of the screws 29b can be inserted. Similarly, two screw insertion holes (not shown) are provided at the lower end of the first vertical reinforcement portion 23f, into which the heads of screws 29b for fastening the first vertical reinforcement portion 23f to the lower reinforcement portion 27 can be locked and the male threaded portion of the screws 29b can be inserted.

[0079] The second vertical reinforcement portion 23r, like the wall mounting bracket 2 of Embodiment 1, has a C-shaped cross-section with an opening extending in the longitudinal direction, thereby increasing its bending rigidity. Two screw insertion holes (not shown) are provided at the upper end of the second vertical reinforcement portion 23r, into which the heads of screws 29b for fastening the second vertical reinforcement portion 23r to the upper reinforcement portion 26 can be locked and the male threaded portion of the screws 29b can be inserted. Similarly, two screw insertion holes (not shown) are provided at the lower end of the second vertical reinforcement portion 23r, into which the heads of screws 29b for fastening the second vertical reinforcement portion 23r to the lower reinforcement portion 27 can be locked and the male threaded portion of the screws 29b can be inserted.

[0080] The width of the first vertical reinforcement portion 23f, that is, the length of the first vertical reinforcement portion 23f in the depth direction of the housing 10, is set to be about half the length L5 of the vertical reinforcement portion 23 in the wall mounting bracket 2 of Embodiment 1. Similarly, the width of the second vertical reinforcement portion 23r, that is, the length of the second vertical reinforcement portion 23r in the depth direction of the housing 10, is set to be about half the length L5 of the vertical reinforcement portion 23 in the wall mounting bracket 2 of Embodiment 1.

[0081] In this wall mounting bracket 20, the upper end of the first vertical reinforcing part 23f is fastened to the first projection 26f of the upper reinforcing part 26 by two screws 29b, and the upper end of the second vertical reinforcing part 23r is fastened to the second projection 26r of the upper reinforcing part 26 by two screws 29b. Similarly, the lower end of the first vertical reinforcing part 23f is fastened to the first projection 27f of the lower reinforcing part 27 by two screws 29b, and the lower end of the second vertical reinforcing part 23r is fastened to the second projection 27r of the lower reinforcing part 27 by two screws 29b.

[0082] In this wall mounting bracket 20, the front end of the upper reinforcement section 26 and the front end of the lower reinforcement section 27 are integrally connected by the first vertical reinforcement section 23f, and the rear end of the upper reinforcement section 26 and the rear end of the lower reinforcement section 27 are integrally connected by the second vertical reinforcement section 23r. As a result, the overall rigidity of this wall mounting bracket 20 is increased by the two vertical reinforcement sections, the first vertical reinforcement section 23f and the second vertical reinforcement section 23r. Consequently, the mounting side wall of the water heater 1 can be made even more rigid.

[0083] This wall mounting bracket 20 is the same as the wall mounting bracket 2 of Example 1 in other respects and provides the same effects and advantages as the wall mounting bracket 2 of Example 1.

[0084] Although the present invention has been described above in reference to Examples 1 and 2, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to Examples 1 and 2, and can be applied with appropriate modifications without departing from its spirit.

[0085] In Examples 1 and 2, the components of the wall mounting brackets 2 and 20 are fastened together with screws, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the components of the wall mounting brackets 2 and 20 may be joined by welding. Specifically, the upper reinforcing part 21 may be welded to the upper end of the vertical reinforcing part 23, and the lower reinforcing part 22 may be welded to the lower end of the vertical reinforcing part 23, and further, the upper mounting part 24 may be fastened to the upper reinforcing part 21 and the lower mounting part 25 may be fastened to the lower reinforcing part 22. Alternatively, the components may be joined by adhesive instead of welding. Furthermore, the upper reinforcing part 21, the lower reinforcing part 22 and the vertical reinforcing part 23 may be integrally formed by press working, for example.

[0086] In Example 1, there is one vertical reinforcing section 23, and in Example 2, there are two first vertical reinforcing sections 23f and two second vertical reinforcing sections 23r, but the present invention is not limited to these configurations. For example, there may be three or more vertical reinforcing sections. Furthermore, the mounting positions of the vertical reinforcing sections to the upper and lower reinforcing sections are not limited to the center or both ends in the longitudinal direction of the upper and lower reinforcing sections, but can be set as appropriate according to the overall balance of the wall mounting bracket and the shape of the water heater 1, etc.

[0087] In Examples 1 and 2, a screw fastening portion 17a is used to fasten the upper ends of the left wall 13L and the right wall 13R to the upper wall 15 with screws 17, and the upper reinforcing portions 21 and 26 are fastened together to this screw fastening portion 17a. Similarly, a screw fastening portion 17a is used to fasten the lower ends of the left wall 13L and the right wall 13R to the bottom wall 16 with screws 17, and the lower reinforcing portions 22 and 27 are fastened together to this screw fastening portion 17a. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, screw holes for fastening the upper reinforcing portions may be provided separately from the screw fastening portion 17a at the upper ends of the left wall 13L and the right wall 13R, and these screw holes may be used as the upper mounting portion. Alternatively, screw holes for fastening the lower reinforcing portions may be provided separately from the screw fastening portion 17a at the lower ends of the left wall 13L and the right wall 13R, and these screw holes may be used as the lower mounting portion.

[0088] In Examples 1 and 2, the C-shaped openings in the vertical reinforcement section 23, the first vertical reinforcement section 23f, and the second vertical reinforcement section 23r face the right side wall 13R, which is the mounting side wall. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the C-shaped openings in the vertical reinforcement section may face the installation wall 3, or face the front side of the water heater 1.

[0089] In Example 1, the upper reinforcing portion 21, the lower reinforcing portion 22, and the vertical reinforcing portion 23 have a C-shaped cross-section, and in Example 2, the upper reinforcing portion 21, the lower reinforcing portion 22, the first vertical reinforcing portion 23f, and the second vertical reinforcing portion 23r have a C-shaped cross-section. However, the present invention is not limited to these configurations. For example, the present invention also includes configurations in which only the vertical reinforcing portion is formed in a C-shaped cross-section, or configurations in which none of the upper reinforcing portion, lower reinforcing portion, or vertical reinforcing portion are formed in a C-shaped cross-section. [Industrial applicability]

[0090] The present invention can be used, for example, in water heaters that have only a hot water supply function, water heaters that have both a hot water supply function and a bath reheating function, and hot water heaters that have both a hot water supply function and a function to circulate hot water between them and heating equipment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 1… Compact water heater 2, 20... Wall mounting brackets 3…Installation wall 10…Cabinet 11…Main unit 12… Front panel 13L…Left side wall 13R…Right side wall 14...Back wall 15… Upper wall 16...Bottom wall 17a... Screw fastening section (upper mounting section, lower mounting section) 18… Combustion device 19...Heat exchanger 21, 26... Upper reinforcement section 22, 27... Lower reinforcement section 23…Vertical reinforcement section 23f...First vertical reinforcement section (vertical reinforcement section) 23r…Second vertical reinforcement section (vertical reinforcement section) 24… Upper mounting part 25... Lower mounting part

Claims

1. A wall mounting bracket for installing a water heater on the wall, The water heater comprises a housing that has a rear wall, a top wall, a bottom wall, and a pair of side walls facing each other in the width direction, and a substantially box-shaped housing body whose front is open by a housing opening, and a front plate that covers the housing opening, and the housing comprises at least a combustion device and a heat exchanger. The aforementioned enclosure is a narrow-installation type in which the length in the width direction is shorter than the length in the depth direction. Of the two aforementioned side walls, the one facing the mounting wall when the wall is mounted is designated as the mounting side wall. An upper reinforcing portion is attached to the upper part of the mounting side wall, extending in the depth direction, A lower reinforcing portion is attached to the lower part of the mounting side wall, extending in the depth direction, One or more vertical reinforcing members extending in the height direction of the mounting side wall and connected to the upper reinforcing member and the lower reinforcing member, An upper mounting portion connected to the upper reinforcing portion and attached to the installation wall, A wall mounting bracket characterized by comprising a lower mounting portion connected to the lower reinforcing portion and attached to the installation wall.

2. The longitudinal length of the upper reinforcing portion is approximately equal to the depth length of the mounting side wall. The wall mounting bracket according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal length of the lower reinforcing portion is approximately equal to the depth length of the mounting side wall.

3. The wall mounting bracket according to claim 1, wherein the vertical reinforcing portion is a single piece and is connected approximately in the center of the upper reinforcing portion and the lower reinforcing portion.

4. The wall mounting bracket according to claim 1, wherein the vertical reinforcing portion has a C-shaped cross-section with an opening extending in its longitudinal direction.

5. In the mounting state in which the wall mounting bracket is attached to the mounting side wall, The wall mounting bracket according to claim 4, wherein the vertical reinforcing portion is separated from the mounting side wall.

6. A compact water heater, wherein the wall mounting bracket according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is detachably attached to the mounting side wall of the housing, Each of the side walls has an upper mounting portion to which the upper reinforcing portion is detachably attached, and a lower mounting portion to which the lower reinforcing portion is detachably attached. A compact water heater characterized in that the wall mounting bracket can be attached to the mounting side wall depending on the conditions of the installation site.

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