Furnace header box having blocked condensation protection, a furnace including the header box and a blocked condensation protection system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016305689-A1
Application number	US-201615193631-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 27, 2016
Priority date	Jan 15, 2010
Publication date	Oct 20, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A header box, a furnace and a blocked condensation protection system are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the header box includes: (1) a first channel having a first channel supply port positioned to be in fluid communication with an inlet of a combustion air blower and a first pressure port couplable to a first input of a pressure sensing device, the combustion air blower and the pressure sensing device associated with the cold end header box and (2) a second channel having a second channel supply port positioned to be in fluid communication with the inlet of the combustion air blower, a second pressure port couplable to a second input of the pressure sensing device and a pressure reference inlet, the second channel in fluid communication with the first channel and configured to have about a same pressure as the first channel when the pressure reference inlet is blocked.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A furnace, comprising:
a heat exchanger; a combustion air inducer configured to generate air flow through said heat exchanger; a pressure sensing device configured to monitor a combustion pressure through said heat exchanger; and a header box configured to be coupled between said heat exchanger and said combustion air inducer, said header box comprising:
a negative pressure channel having a first channel supply port positioned to be in fluid communication with an inlet of said combustion air blower and a negative pressure port couplable to a negative input of said pressure sensing device; and
a positive pressure channel having a positive pressure channel supply port positioned to be in fluid communication with said inlet of said combustion air blower, a positive pressure port couplable to a positive input of said pressure sensing device and a pressure reference inlet, said positive pressure channel in fluid communication with said negative pressure channel and configured to have about a same pressure as said negative pressure channel when said pressure reference inlet is blocked.

2 . The furnace as recited in claim 1 , wherein said header box further includes a support collar for coupling said header box to said combustion air blower, said support collar corresponding to said inlet of said combustion air inducer.

3 . The furnace as recited in claim 2 , wherein said negative channel supply port and said positive channel supply port are located within a circumference of said support collar.

4 . The furnace as recited in claim 1 , wherein said positive pressure channel is configured to have a positive pressure compared to said negative pressure channel during operation of said combustion air blower when said pressure reference inlet is not blocked.

5 . The furnace as recited in claim 1 , wherein said furnace is a multi-position furnace.

6 . The furnace as recited in claim 1 further comprising a first drain and a second drain in fluid communication with said pressure reference inlet and said first and second drains are configured to drain condensation away from said cold end header box.

7 . The furnace as recited in claim 1 , wherein said pressure reference inlet is an open end of said positive pressure channel that faces a side of said header box having two drains.

8 . The furnace as recited in claim 7 , wherein a single one of said two drains is used to drain condensation away from said header box said header box when said furnace is positioned in an upright position.

9 . The furnace as recited in claim 1 , wherein said pressure sensing device is configured to turn off fuel supply to said heat exchanger when detecting a pressure differential in said negative pressure channel and said positive pressure channel is about zero.

10 . The furnace as recited in claim 9 , wherein said pressure sensing device is a pressure switch.

11 . A blocked condensation protection system for a furnace, comprising:
a pressure sensing device configured to monitor a combustion pressure through a heat exchanger of said furnace; and a header box configured to be coupled between said heat exchanger and a combustion air inducer of said furnace, said header box comprising:
a first channel having a first channel supply port positioned to be in fluid communication with an inlet of a combustion air blower associated with said furnace and a first pressure port couplable to a first input of said pressure sensing device; and
a second channel having a second channel supply port positioned to be in fluid communication with said inlet of said combustion air blower, a second pressure port couplable to a second input of said pressure sensing device and a pressure reference inlet, said second channel in fluid communication with said first channel and configured to have about a same pressure as said first channel when said pressure reference inlet is blocked, said pressure sensing device configured to turn off a fuel supply to said heat exchanger when determining a pressure differential between said first channel and said second channel is about zero.

Assignees

• Lennox Ind Inc

Inventors

• Kowald Glenn W
• Paller Hans J

Classifications

• F24H8/006

  Means for removing condensate from the heater · CPC title

• Y10T137/4463

  Liquid seal in liquid flow line; flow liquid forms seal · CPC title

• B29L2031/18

  Heat-exchangers or parts thereof · CPC title

• B29C45/18

  Feeding the material into the injection moulding apparatus {, i.e. feeding the non-plastified material into the injection unit} · CPC title

• Y10T29/49826

  Assembling or joining · CPC title