Hybrid heater

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10400466-B2
Application number	US-201715676841-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2017
Priority date	Jun 20, 2014
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

A heater including a housing, a first tankless heater, a second tankless heater, a first and second flow directing elements, the first flow directing element in communication with the first tankless heater and the second flow directing element and the second flow directing element in communication with the second tankless heater, and a controller in communication with the first and second tankless heaters and the first and second flow directing elements, the controller configured to control the first and second flow directing elements to control flow to one or both of the first and second tankless heaters.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A heater, comprising:
a housing;
a first tankless heater;
a second tankless heater; and
first and second flow directing elements, the first flow directing element in communication with the first tankless heater and the second flow directing element and the second flow directing element in communication with the second tankless heater, wherein the first flow directing element is configured to direct flow in one of the following manners at any given time: (1) only to the first tankless heater, (2) to the second flow directing element and, thus, the second tankless heater and bypassing the first tankless heater, or (3) to the first tankless heater and the second flow directing element.

2. The heater of claim 1 , wherein the first tankless heater is mounted to the housing and the second tankless heater is mounted within the housing.

3. The heater of claim 1 , wherein both the first tankless heater and the second tankless heater are mounted within the housing.

4. The heater of claim 1 , wherein the first tankless heater is an electric heat pump and the second tankless heater is a gas fired heat exchanger.

5. The heater of claim 1 , further including a controller configured to monitor a temperature of water entering an inlet of the heater and controls the first and second flow directing elements dependent upon the temperature of the water entering the inlet.

6. The heater of claim 1 , wherein the second flow directing element is configured to direct flow in one of the following manners at any given time: (1) only to the second tankless heater or (2) only to a bypass pipe, which bypasses the second tankless heater.

7. The heater of claim 1 , wherein the first and second flow directing elements are valves.

8. The heater of claim 1 , wherein the first and second flow valves are spring-loaded check valves.

9. The heater of claim 1 , wherein the first and second valves are three-way valves.

10. The heater of claim 1 , further including a single inlet entering the housing and in communication with both the first and second tankless heaters and a single outlet exiting the housing and in communication with both the first and second tankless heaters.

11. A heater, comprising;
a housing;
a first tankless heater;
a second tankless heater; and
a first and second flow directing elements, the first flow directing element in communication with the first tankless heater and the second flow directing element and the second flow directing element in communication with the second tankless heater;
a controller in communication with the first and second tankless heaters and the first and second flow directing elements, the controller configured to control the first and second flow directing elements to control flow to one or both of the first and second tankless heaters.

12. The heater of claim 11 , wherein the controller is configured to receive input signals relating to environmental conditions around the heater and an aquatic system in which the heater is installed.

13. The heater of claim 11 , wherein the controller may be programmed remotely by a user.

14. The heater of claim 11 , wherein the controller is configured to communicate with at least one component of an aquatic system in which the heater is installed.

15. The heater of claim 11 , wherein both the first tankless heater and the second tankless heater are mounted within the housing.

16. The heater of claim 11 , wherein the first tankless heater is an electric heat pump and the second tankless heater is a gas fired heat exchanger.

17. The heater of claim 11 , wherein the controller is configured to monitor a temperature of water entering an inlet of the heater and controls the first and second flow directing elements dependent upon the temperature of the water entering the inlet.

18. The heater of claim 11 , wherein the first flow directing element is configured to direct flow in one of the following manners at any given time: (1) only to the first tankless heater, (2) to the second flow directing element and, thus, the second tankless heater and bypassing the first tankless heater, or (3) to the first tankless heater and the second flow directing element and the second flow directing element is configured to direct flow in one of the following manners at any given time: (1) only to the second tankless heater or (2) only to a bypass pipe, which bypasses the second tankless heater.

19. The heater of claim 11 , wherein the first and second flow directing elements are valves.

20. The heater of claim 11 , further including a single inlet entering the housing and in communication with both the first and second tankless heaters and a single outlet exiting the housing and in communication with both the first and second tankless heaters.

Assignees

• Pentair Water Pool & Spa Inc

Inventors

• Dzindo Azur

Classifications

• A61H2201/0207

  heated · CPC title

• F24H4/02

  Water heaters · CPC title

• A61H2201/5058

  Sensors or detectors · CPC title

• F24D15/04

  using heat pumps · CPC title

• A61H2201/5082

  Temperature sensors · CPC title