Water Heater Pan Support Structure for Heavy Tank Leak Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hot water storage tanks are heavy and prone to leaks, requiring additional containment solutions due to their weight and potential for concealed leaks, necessitating a water heater pan with enhanced support capabilities to accommodate varying tank sizes and weights.
Innovation Solution
A water heater pan with elevated support features and supplemental support components, including cavities and protrusions, designed to securely position and support hot water storage tanks, providing increased containment capacity and adaptability to different tank weights and sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a water heater pan is designed to accommodate hot water storage tanks of different weights and sizes, then the containment capacity and adaptability are improved, but the device complexity increases due to the need for multiple support features and supplemental support components
Solution Approach 1:
The support system is divided into two distinct components: elevated support features that are permanently integrated into the water heater pan, and supplemental support components that can be independently added. This segmentation allows the base pan to maintain simple structure while the supplemental components provide additional adaptability for heavier tanks.
Solution Approach 2:
The elevated support features are designed with cavities that can accommodate different configurations of supplemental support components. This multi-functional design allows the same base structure to support various tank weights and sizes by simply changing the supplemental components, rather than creating entirely different pan designs.
2Strength
If supplemental support components are added to the water heater pan, then the support capability for heavier tanks is improved, but the ease of installation deteriorates due to additional assembly steps
Solution Approach 1:
The elevated support features are pre-formed as integral parts of the water heater pan during manufacturing, with cavities prepared in advance to receive supplemental support components. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for on-site modification or complex assembly procedures, allowing installers to simply drop the supplemental components into the pre-formed cavities.
3Ease of manufacture
If the water heater pan design is simplified, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the adaptability to different tank weights deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The support system is divided into two distinct components: elevated support features that are permanently integrated into the water heater pan, and supplemental support components that can be independently added. This segmentation allows the base pan to maintain simple structure while the supplemental components provide additional adaptability for heavier tanks.
Solution Approach 2:
The supplemental support components are designed to be self-contained units that provide additional support without requiring modification to the base pan or complex integration procedures. Each component serves its support function independently, allowing the system to adapt to different tank weights through simple component selection rather than complex pan redesign.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a hot water storage tank support system and a water heater pan. In one implementation, the hot water tank support system comprises a water heat pan having a bottom wall, an outer wall extending upwardly from and substantially surrounding the bottom wall, and at least one elevated support feature, and at least one substantially rigid supplemental support component. The at least one elevated support feature is configured to support the hot water storage tank, and the at least one elevated support feature includes at least one supplemental support cavity configured to receive the at least one supplemental support component. In some implementations, the supplemental support component(s) may be insertable and removable from the water heater pan.