Floor-standing water heater

Abstract

To prevent drain from dripping on an electric component.SOLUTION: A stationary type water heater 1 is placed on a mount surface, and comprises: a housing 2 which has a pair of side plates 2A, 2B; a combustion device 3 which is arranged inside the housing 2; a primary heat exchanger 4 which is arranged above the combustion device 3 in the housing 2; a discharge electrode and controller 7 of a combustion chamber which is arranged below the combustion device 3 in the housing 2; an incurrent pipe 21 which is arranged obliquely to the side plate 2B so that the side plate 2A is lower in front of the combustion device 3 and primary heat exchanger 4; and a drain guide 30 which extends along the incurrent pipe 21 below the incurrent pipe 21, wherein the drain guide 30 is so provided as to cover at least an upper side of the arrangement position of the discharge electrode and controller 7 of the combustion chamber.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a stationary water heater.

Background Art

[0002] As a water heater fixed to a wall surface, for example, the water heater described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2021-32543 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1) is known. This water heater includes a housing, and inside the housing, a burner device, a primary heat exchanger, and a secondary heat exchanger are arranged in order from the bottom. The housing has a bottom plate and a pair of side plates rising from the left and right side edges of the bottom plate. An inlet connected to a water supply source such as a water pipe is provided on the bottom plate of the housing. Water flows into the water inlet pipe from this inlet, and while passing through the secondary heat exchanger and the primary heat exchanger in this order, it exchanges heat with combustion exhaust gas to heat the water. One end of the water inlet pipe is connected to the inlet, extends to a position close to one side plate inside the housing, and then extends upward. The other end of the water inlet pipe is connected to a hot water supply inlet provided in the secondary heat exchanger.

[0003] On the other hand, a stationary water heater placed on a placement surface such as a floor surface is also provided. Due to the nature of being placed on the placement surface and used, connectors such as inlets are fixed to the side plates rather than the bottom plate of the housing in a stationary water heater. In a stationary water heater, in some cases, a common combustion device and heat exchanger as those of a wall-mounted water heater are used as part of parts sharing. In that case, it is necessary to route the water inlet pipe from one side surface to a position close to the other side surface while considering that the water inlet pipe does not overlap with the front side of the manifold below the combustion device. For this reason, a configuration in which the water inlet pipe is arranged to cross the front side of the combustion device horizontally from left to right at an upper position such as a discharge electrode of the combustion chamber has to be adopted.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, if the above configuration is adopted, there is a risk that if condensation forms on the surface of the inlet pipe, that condensation may drip onto the discharge electrode. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The floor-standing water heater of the present disclosure is a floor-standing water heater that is placed on a mounting surface, and comprises a housing having a pair of side plates, a combustion device disposed inside the housing, a primary heat exchanger disposed above the combustion device inside the housing, electrical components disposed below the combustion device inside the housing, an inlet pipe disposed in inclined toward the other side plate such that one side plate is lower than the other side plate in front of the combustion device and the primary heat exchanger, and a drain guide extending along the inlet pipe below the inlet pipe, wherein the drain guide is provided so as to cover at least above the position where the electrical components are disposed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, it is possible to prevent condensate from dripping onto electrical components. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a front view of a floor-standing water heater according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is an enlarged front view of the water heater showing the configuration around the drain guide. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a front view of the drain guide. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a perspective view of the drain guide. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a plan view of the drain guide. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a bottom view of the drain guide. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a front view showing the drain guide attached to the water inlet pipe. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of AA in Figure 7. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] [Description of Embodiments in this Disclosure] First, the embodiments of this disclosure will be listed and described. (1) The floor-standing water heater of the present disclosure is a floor-standing water heater that is placed on a mounting surface and comprises a housing having a pair of side plates, a combustion device disposed inside the housing, a primary heat exchanger disposed inside the housing above the combustion device, electrical components disposed inside the housing below the combustion device, an inlet pipe disposed in front of the combustion device and the primary heat exchanger, inclined toward the other side plate such that one side plate is lower than the other, and a drain guide extending along the inlet pipe below the inlet pipe, wherein the drain guide is provided so as to cover at least the upper part of the position where the electrical components are disposed.

[0010] Since the drain guide is installed to cover at least the upper part of the electrical component placement location, even if condensation forms on the surface of the water inlet pipe, the condensation flows along the drain guide to one side plate and drips closer to the side plate than the electrical component placement location, thus preventing the condensation from dripping onto the electrical component.

[0011] (2) The above-mentioned floor-standing water heater preferably includes a clip member for attaching the drain guide to the lower side of the water inlet pipe. Since the drain guide is attached to the underside of the water inlet pipe via a clip component, the drain guide can be easily installed and removed.

[0012] [Details of the embodiments of this disclosure] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described below. The present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is indicated by the claims, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are intended.

[0013] <Embodiment> Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. In the following description, the front-rear direction, the up-down direction, and the left-right direction are based on the directions indicated by the arrows in each figure.

[0014] [Overall Structure of the Water Heater] FIG. 1 is a front view of the stationary water heater 1 as seen from the front, showing a state where the front cover (not shown) of the front surface is removed. FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view showing the configuration around the drain guide 30. As shown in FIG. 1, the stationary water heater 1 includes a rectangular box-shaped housing 2 provided with an opening on the front surface, a combustion device 3, a primary heat exchanger 4, a secondary heat exchanger 5, a plurality of internal pipes 20, and a front cover that closes the opening on the front surface of the housing 2. Inside the housing 2, the combustion device 3, the primary heat exchanger 4, and the secondary heat exchanger 5 are arranged in order from the bottom. The plurality of internal pipes 20 are a plurality of pipes arranged in a closed space formed by the housing 2 and the front cover. The plurality of internal pipes 20 include an inlet pipe 21, a hot water outlet pipe 22, a return pipe 23, a forward pipe 24, and the like. The detailed configuration of each internal pipe 20 will be described later while showing the connection with other members and the arrangement in the stationary water heater 1.

[0015] The stationary water heater 1 is of a stationary type that is placed on a placement surface such as the ground or the floor of a building. For this reason, a plurality of connectors 10 such as a water inlet 11, a hot water outlet 12, a hot water inlet 13, a hot water outlet 14, a drain outlet 15, and a gas inlet 16 are formed on one (left side) side plate 2A of the housing 2. As a result, a part of the plurality of internal pipes 20 connected to the plurality of connectors 10 are densely arranged at a position close to one side plate 2A of the housing 2.

[0016] The stationary water heater 1 of this embodiment is configured with two circuits, namely a hot water supply circuit and a bath circuit, in terms of circuit configuration. The hot water supply circuit is a circuit that heats water from a water supply or the like and discharges it as hot water. The bath circuit is a circuit that circulates and heats the hot water in the bathtub. Although not shown in detail, the combustion device 3, the path member 8, the primary heat exchanger 4, and the secondary heat exchanger 5 described later are each partitioned into left and right sides, with a hot water supply side configuration provided on the right side and a bath side configuration provided on the left side.

[0017] [Combustion device] The combustion device 3 is connected to the lower part of the primary heat exchanger 4. On the front surface of the combustion device 3, a gas distribution unit 9 for distributing and supplying fuel gas to a burner unit (not shown) in the combustion chamber of the combustion device 3 is assembled. On the lower surface of the combustion device 3, an air supply fan for supplying combustion air to the burner unit is assembled. The combustion device 3 mixes the fuel gas and air supplied to the burner unit in the burner unit, ejects this mixed gas upward from the flame holes formed at the downstream end, burns it, and generates combustion exhaust gas.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, an ignition plug 311 and a flame rod 312 are arranged above the upper right side of the gas distribution unit 9. Similarly, an ignition plug 321 and a flame rod 322 are arranged above the upper left side of the gas distribution unit 9. One end sides of these ignition plugs 311, 321 and flame rods 312, 322 constitute discharge electrodes in the combustion chamber, and are inserted into the combustion chamber from the front surface of the burner case constituting the combustion device 3. The other end sides of the ignition plugs 311, 321 and flame rods 312, 322 respectively protrude forward from the front surface of the burner case. Wires (not shown) are respectively connected to the other end sides of the ignition plugs 311, 321 and flame rods 312, 322.

[0019] As shown in Figure 1, a path member 8 is provided between the primary heat exchanger 4 and the secondary heat exchanger 5. The path member 8 is a member that connects the primary heat exchanger 4 and the secondary heat exchanger 5. The lower end of the path member 8 opens downwards and communicates with the space inside the primary heat exchanger 4. The upper part of the path member 8 opens forward and communicates with the space inside the secondary heat exchanger 5.

[0020] The floor-standing water heater 1 circulates the combustion exhaust generated by the combustion device 3 to the primary heat exchanger 4 located above the combustion device 3. In the primary heat exchanger 4, heat is exchanged between the water flowing through the primary heat exchanger 4 and the combustion exhaust. The floor-standing water heater 1 recovers the sensible heat of the combustion exhaust using the primary heat exchanger 4.

[0021] In the stationary water heater 1, the combustion exhaust from the combustion device 3 is guided from the primary heat exchanger 4 through the path member 8 to the secondary heat exchanger 5. The combustion exhaust that has passed through the primary heat exchanger 4 enters the secondary heat exchanger 5 from the rear through the path member 8. That is, the secondary heat exchanger 5 is located downstream of the primary heat exchanger 4 in the combustion exhaust path. In the secondary heat exchanger 5, heat exchange occurs between the water passing through the secondary heat exchanger 5 and the combustion exhaust. The stationary water heater 1 recovers the latent heat of the combustion exhaust through the secondary heat exchanger 5.

[0022] [Primary heat exchanger] The primary heat exchanger 4 is provided with its lower end connected to the combustion device 3 and its upper end connected to the secondary heat exchanger 5. The primary heat exchanger 4 comprises a primary casing 4A through which combustion exhaust from the combustion device 3 passes, and primary heat transfer tubes 4B arranged inside the primary casing 4A and formed in a meandering shape. The primary casing 4A is a rectangular tube that penetrates vertically. The outlet pipe 22 is connected to the downstream end of the primary heat transfer tube 4B on the hot water supply side. The supply pipe 24 is connected to the downstream end of the primary heat transfer tube 4B on the bath side.

[0023] [Secondary heat exchanger] Combustion exhaust from the primary heat exchanger 4 is introduced into the secondary heat exchanger 5 through the path member 8. The secondary heat exchanger 5 comprises a secondary casing 5A through which the combustion exhaust from the primary heat exchanger 4 passes, and a plurality of secondary heat transfer tubes 5B housed inside the secondary casing 5A. An exhaust pipe 5C for exhausting the combustion exhaust to the outside is provided on the front of the secondary casing 5A. The secondary heat exchanger 5 can be made of stainless steel, which has excellent corrosion resistance. The upstream end of the secondary heat transfer tube 5B on the hot water supply side is connected to the downstream end of the inlet pipe 21. The downstream end of the secondary heat transfer tube 5B on the hot water supply side is connected to the upstream end of the primary heat transfer tube 4B on the hot water supply side via the hot water supply side relay pipe 25. The upstream end of the secondary heat transfer tube 5B on the bath side is connected to the downstream end of the return pipe 23. The downstream end of the secondary heat transfer tube 5B on the bath side is connected to the upstream end of the primary heat transfer tube 4B on the bath side via the bath side relay pipe 26.

[0024] In the hot water supply circuit, water supplied from the inlet 11 is heated as it flows through the inlet pipe 21, secondary heat exchanger 5, hot water supply relay pipe 25, and primary heat exchanger 4, becoming hot water. The hot water flows through the outlet pipe 22 and flows out from the outlet 12.

[0025] In the bath circuit, the water in the bathtub is drawn into the return pipe 23 by a circulation pump P from a hot water inlet 13 that communicates with an opening in the bathtub. The water passes through the return pipe 23, through the secondary heat exchanger 5, the bath-side relay pipe 26, and the primary heat exchanger 4, where it is reheated. The hotter water is then discharged into the bathtub from the hot water outlet 14 via the supply pipe 24.

[0026] The stationary water heater 1 is equipped with a controller 7 as a control device. The controller 7 is installed on the underside of the combustion device 3. The controller 7 is configured, for example, as a known microcomputer, and is configured to acquire signals from various sensors provided on the stationary water heater 1, and to control various actuators provided on the stationary water heater 1. For example, when the stationary water heater 1 detects the flow of water in the water inlet pipe 21 using a water flow sensor, it operates the combustion device 3 to generate hot water.

[0027] [Neutralizer] In the stationary water heater 1, condensate is generated when the latent heat of the combustion exhaust is recovered in the secondary heat exchanger 5. The stationary water heater 1 is equipped with a neutralizer 6 to neutralize this condensate. As shown in Figure 1, the neutralizer 6 is connected to the secondary heat exchanger 5 via a drain inlet pipe 27 and is also connected to a drain outlet 15 provided on one side plate 2A of the housing 2 via a drain hose 28. The condensate generated in the secondary heat exchanger 5 is sent to the neutralizer 6 through the drain inlet pipe 27. The condensate neutralized in the neutralizer 6 is discharged to the outside of the stationary water heater 1 through the drain outlet 15 via the drain hose 28.

[0028] As described above, many internal pipes 20 and actuators such as the circulation pump P tend to be densely arranged near one side plate 2A of the housing 2. However, in wall-mounted water heaters, the water inlet pipe extends from the bottom plate 2C to a position close to the other side plate 2B, then extends upward and is connected to the hot water inlet on the right side of the secondary heat exchanger 5. When installing a combustion device and heat exchanger common to wall-mounted water heaters in a floor-standing water heater 1, it is necessary to route the water inlet pipe from a position near one side plate 2A to a position close to the other side plate 2B. For this reason, it is sometimes necessary to arrange the water inlet pipe so that it crosses the front of the combustion device from left to right at a position above the discharge electrode of the combustion chamber. However, if such a configuration is adopted, there is a problem because if condensation forms on the surface of the water inlet pipe, that condensation may drip towards the discharge electrode.

[0029] [Drain guide] To solve the above-mentioned problems, the stationary water heater 1 of this embodiment includes, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, a drain guide 30 that extends along the water inlet pipe 21 on the lower side of the water inlet pipe 21, and a clip member 40 for attaching the drain guide 30 to the lower side of the water inlet pipe 21. The drain guide 30 is provided so as to cover at least the upper side of the discharge electrode of the combustion chamber and the location where the controller 7 is installed. The portion of the water inlet pipe 21 to which the drain guide 30 is attached is arranged at an angle toward the other side plate 2B such that one side plate 2A is lower.

[0030] As shown in Figures 3 to 6, the drain guide 30 is made of sheet metal such as stainless steel and comprises a bottom wall 31 extending in the left-right direction, a pair of long side walls 32A, 32B projecting upward from the long side edge of the bottom wall 31, and a pair of short side walls 35A, 35B projecting upward from the short side edge of the bottom wall 31. As shown in Figure 3, the bottom wall 31 is inclined downward as it moves to the left. Drain that drips onto the bottom wall 31 flows to the left and drips downward at the position of the left short side wall 35A. As shown in Figure 1, the left short side wall 35A is located to the left of the combustion device 3 and the controller 7, so that drain does not drip onto the discharge electrode of the combustion chamber and the controller 7.

[0031] As shown in Figure 4, the upper edge of the front long side wall 32A is provided with a left flange 33A1 that protrudes forward and a right flange 33A2 positioned to the right of the left flange 33A1. The upper edge of the rear long side wall 32B is provided with a left flange 33B1 that protrudes rearward and a right flange 33B2 positioned to the right of the left flange 33B1. The left flanges 33A1 and 33B1 are arranged side by side in the front-to-back direction, and the right flanges 33A2 and 33B2 are arranged side by side in the front-to-back direction.

[0032] Each flange 33A1, 33A2, 33B1, and 33B2 is inclined downwards in the front-to-back direction as it approaches the bottom wall 31. As a result, the drain that drips onto each flange 33A1, 33A2, 33B1, and 33B2 flows down the respective long side walls 32A and 32B to the bottom wall 31.

[0033] The left flanges 33A1 and 33B1 are provided with a pair of notches 34A1 and 34B1. The pair of notches 34A1 and 34B1 are arranged side by side in the front-to-back direction. The right flanges 33A2 and 33B2 are also provided with a pair of notches 34A2 and 34B2. The pair of notches 34A2 and 34B2 are arranged side by side in the front-to-back direction. The legs 41 of the clip member 40, which will be described later, are passed through these notches 34A1, 34A2, 34B1, and 34B2.

[0034] [Clip component] As shown in Figure 8, the clip member 40 is made of sheet metal such as stainless steel and comprises a pair of legs 41 extending vertically and a connecting portion 42 that connects the lower ends of the pair of legs 41. The pair of legs 41 are arranged so that the distance between them increases as they extend upward. The tips of the legs 41 are provided with V-shaped locking portions 43. The distance between the narrowest parts 44 of the pair of locking portions 43 is smaller than the outer diameter of the inlet pipe 21, and the pair of locking portions 43 are configured to lock onto the upper surface of the inlet pipe 21. In this way, the clip member 40 is held in place by the inlet pipe 21.

[0035] As shown in Figure 4, the left-right dimensions of each notch 34A1, 34A2, 34B1, and 34B2 are the same as or slightly larger than the left-right dimensions of each leg portion 41. Therefore, when each leg portion 41 is inserted into each notch 34A1, 34A2, 34B1, and 34B2, each clip member 40 is positioned in the left-right direction by the rim portions that make up each notch 34A1, 34A2, 34B1, and 34B2.

[0036] As shown in Figure 8, the drain guide 30 is supported from below by the connecting portions 42 of each clip member 40. As shown in Figure 7, each leg portion 41 protrudes above the drain guide 30, and the tips of each short side wall 35A, 35B abut against the inlet pipe 21 from below, and each locking portion 43 locks onto the upper surface of the inlet pipe 21, thereby positioning the drain guide 30 vertically relative to the inlet pipe 21 and allowing it to be attached to the inlet pipe 21.

[0037] The portion of the inlet pipe 21 to which the drain guide 30 is attached is located near the combustion device 3, making it a place where condensate is likely to be generated. By installing the drain guide 30 in such a place where condensate is likely to be generated, the condensate dripping from the inlet pipe 21 is efficiently collected by the drain guide 30. This prevents the condensate from dripping onto the discharge electrodes of the combustion chamber, etc.

[0038] [Effects of the Embodiment] As described above, the floor-standing water heater 1 according to the embodiment is a floor-standing water heater 1 that is placed on a mounting surface, and comprises a housing 2 having a pair of side plates 2A and 2B, a combustion device 3 disposed inside the housing 2, a primary heat exchanger 4 disposed above the combustion device 3 inside the housing 2, a discharge electrode and controller 7 of the combustion chamber disposed below the combustion device 3 inside the housing 2, an inlet pipe 21 disposed in front of the combustion device 3 and primary heat exchanger 4, inclined toward the other side plate 2B such that one side plate 2A is lower, and a drain guide 30 extending along the inlet pipe 21 below the inlet pipe 21, wherein the drain guide 30 is provided so as to cover at least the upper part of the location where the discharge electrode and controller 7 of the combustion chamber are disposed.

[0039] Since the drain guide 30 is provided to cover at least the upper part of the location where the discharge electrode and controller 7 of the combustion chamber are installed, even if condensation forms on the surface of the inlet pipe 21, the condensation flows along the drain guide 30 to one side plate 2A and drips at a point closer to the side plate 2A than the location where the discharge electrode and controller 7 of the combustion chamber are installed, thus preventing the condensation from dripping onto the discharge electrode and controller 7 of the combustion chamber.

[0040] In the embodiment, the stationary water heater 1 preferably includes a clip member 40 for attaching the drain guide 30 to the lower side of the water inlet pipe 21. Since the drain guide 30 is attached to the underside of the water inlet pipe 21 via a clip member 40, the drain guide 30 can be easily attached and detached.

[0041] <Other Embodiments> (1) In the above embodiment, the floor-standing water heater 1 was equipped with a hot water supply circuit and a bath circuit, but the floor-standing water heater 1 may be equipped with only a hot water supply circuit, or with only a bath circuit.

[0042] (2) In the above embodiment, the discharge electrodes of the combustion chamber and the controller 7 were given as examples of electrical components, but the invention is not limited to these, and may also be used as display devices or actuators, for example. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1: Floor-standing water heater 2: Enclosure 2A: One side panel 2B: The other side panel 2C: Bottom panel 3: Combustion device 311,321: Spark plug (electrical component) 312,322: Flame rod (electrical component) 4: Primary heat exchanger 4A: Primary casing 4B: Primary heat transfer tube 5: Secondary heat exchanger 5A: Secondary casing 5B: Secondary heat exchanger tube 5C: Exhaust stack 6: Neutralizer 7: Controller (electrical component) 8: Path members 9: Gas distribution unit 10: Connector 11: Water inlet 12: Hot water outlet 13: Hot water inlet 14: Hot water outlet 15: Drain outlet 16: Gas inlet 20: Internal piping 21: Inlet pipe 22: Outlet pipe 23: Return pipe 24: Supply pipe 25: Hot water supply side relay pipe 26: Bath side relay pipe 27: Drain inlet pipe 28: Drain hose 30: Drain guide 31: Bottom wall 32A, 32B: Long side wall 33A1: Left flange 33A2: Right flange 33B1: Left flange 33B2: Right flange 34A1, 34A2, 34B1, 34B2: Flange 35A, 35B: Short side wall 40: Clip component 41: Leg portion 42: Connecting portion 43: Locking portion 44: Narrowest portion P: Circulation pump

Claims

1. A floor-standing water heater that is placed on a mounting surface, A housing having a pair of side panels, A combustion device is disposed inside the aforementioned enclosure, A primary heat exchanger is disposed above the combustion device inside the aforementioned housing, An electrical component located below the combustion device inside the aforementioned housing, An inlet pipe is provided in front of the combustion device and the primary heat exchanger, inclined toward the other side plate such that one side plate is lower than the other side plate, The system includes a drain guide extending along the inlet pipe at the lower side of the inlet pipe, The drain guide is provided so as to cover at least the upper part of the location where the electrical components are installed. The drain guide comprises a bottom wall that is long in the direction from one side plate to the other side plate, a pair of long side walls that project upward from the long side edge of the bottom wall, and a pair of short side walls that project upward from the short side edge of the bottom wall, wherein one of the short side walls located on one side plate is located on the side plate side of the combustion device and the electrical components, and the tips of the pair of short side walls abut against the water inlet pipe from below, in a floor-standing water heater.

2. The floor-standing water heater according to claim 1, further comprising a clip member for attaching the drain guide to the lower side of the water inlet pipe.

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