Method of ensuring safety of exhaust of water heater

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10488078-B2
Application number	US-201615195309-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2016
Priority date	Oct 26, 2015
Publication date	Nov 26, 2019
Grant date	Nov 26, 2019

Abstract

A method of ensuring the safety of exhaust of a water heater includes the following steps: A. start the blower and detect a rotational speed of a motor thereof; B. determine a first range based on the detected rotational speed; C. start the blower and detect the rotational speed of the motor when the water heater is restarted again; D. keep supplying gas to the burner for combustion when the rotational speed detected in step C is within the first range. During operation, a second range is determined by detecting the rotational speed of the motor after an outlet water temperature reaches a corresponding constant temperature range; the rotational speed is continuously detected, and the gas supply is stopped if the detected rotational speed is out of the second range. Thereby, the result of the method would be more accurate regardless of the actual installed status of the exhaust pipe.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of ensuring safety of exhaust of a water heater, wherein the water heater includes a blower, a controller having a memory, a gas control valve, and a burner; comprising the steps of:
A. after receiving a correction command with the controller, starting the blower under a state that the gas control valve does not turn on, and detecting a rotational speed of a motor of the blower with the controller after the blower is operating for a while; wherein the rotational speed is saved in the memory of the controller;
B. calculating a first acceptable rotational speed range by expanding the rotational speed saved in the memory with a predetermined range, and stopping the blower, so that the water heater stops operating, thereby to complete a process of initialization;
C. starting the blower when the water heater is stopped and whenever the water heater is restarted again, and detecting the rotational speed of the motor of the blower after the blower is operating for a while; and
D. keeping supplying gas to the burner for combustion when the rotational speed detected in step C is within the first acceptable rotational speed range;
wherein before step A, the method further comprises a step of inputting the correction command to make the water heater execute the process of initialization; the process of initialization includes step A and step B, and wherein step A and step B are taken after receiving the correction command.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
E. controlling the rotational speed of the motor and a gas flow supplied to the burner based on a preferred water temperature, and determining a second acceptable rotational speed range by detecting the rotational speed of the motor and by calculating to expand the detected rotational speed of the motor by a predetermined range after an outlet water temperature reaches a constant temperature range corresponding to the preferred water temperature;
F. detecting the rotational speed of the motor, and stopping supplying gas to the burner if the detected rotational speed is out of the second acceptable rotational speed range.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein step F is repeated when the rotational speed of the motor is in the second acceptable rotational speed range until the preferred water temperature is changed to another value, for which the method further comprises the steps of:
G. controlling the rotational speed of the motor and the gas flow supplied to the burner based on the changed preferred water temperature, and determining a third range by detecting the rotational speed of the motor and by calculating to expand the detected rotational speed of the motor by a predetermined range after the outlet water temperature reaching another constant temperature range corresponding to the changed preferred water temperature;
H. detecting the rotational speed of the motor, and stopping supplying gas to the burner if the detected rotational speed is out of the third range.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein step F further continuously determines a required heating value based on the preferred water temperature, a difference between an inlet water temperature and the outlet water temperature, and a water flow; step F is repeated when the rotational speed of the motor is within the second acceptable rotational speed range until the water flow is changed and the heating value falls out of a predetermined heating range, for which step E is then taken again.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of, which precedes step A, connecting an exhaust pipe to the water heater before inputting said correction command.

6. A method of ensuring safety of exhaust of a water heater, which includes a blower and a burner, wherein the method is adapted to be applied while the burner is burning gas; comprising the steps of:
A. controlling the rotational speed of the motor and a gas flow supplied to the burner based on a preferred water temperature, and determining an acceptable rotational speed range by detecting the rotational speed of the motor after an outlet water temperature reaches a constant temperature range corresponding to the preferred water temperature;
B. detecting the rotational speed of the motor of the blower, and stopping supplying gas to the burner if the detected rotational speed is out of the acceptable rotational speed range.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein step B is repeated when the rotational speed of the motor of the blower is in the acceptable rotational speed range until the preferred water temperature is changed to another value, for which the method further comprises the steps of:
C. controlling the rotational speed of the motor and the gas flow supplied to the burner based on the changed preferred water temperature, and determining a third range by detecting the rotational speed of the motor after the outlet water temperature reaches another constant temperature range corresponding to the changed preferred water temperature;
D. detecting the rotational speed of the motor of the blower, and stopping supplying gas to the burner if the detected rotational speed is out of the third range.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein step B further continuously determines a required heating value based on the preferred water temperature, a difference between an inlet water temperature and the outlet water temperature, and a water flow; step B is repeated when the rotational speed of the motor is within the acceptable rotational speed range until the water flow is changed and the heating value falls out of a predetermined heating range, for which step A is then taken again.

Assignees

• Grand Mate Co Ltd

Inventors

• Huang Chung-Chin
• Huang Chin-Ying
• Huang Hsin-Ming
• Huang Hsing-Hsiung
• Yeh Yen-Jen
• Lin Kuan-Chou

Classifications

• F24H9/205 Primary

  Closing the energy supply · CPC title