Circulating-type hot-water supply device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9228759-B2
Application number	US-201314047260-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 7, 2013
Priority date	Oct 7, 2013
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

A circulating-type hot-water supply device ( 1 ) is provided with a heat exchanger abnormality determining unit ( 62 ), which inhibits execution of a suitable temperature maintaining operation when the suitable temperature maintaining operation continued for a predetermined time or more and stops a circulating pump ( 25 ), and when a temperature rise range of a detected temperature of a heat exchanger outlet temperature sensor ( 2 ) after stopping the circulating pump ( 25 ) becomes equal to or more than a temperature rise threshold value determined according to a selected state of burner blocks ( 3 a ),( 3 b ) in a combusted state immediately before stopping the circulating pump ( 25 ), determines that a heat exchanger is in an abnormal state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A circulating-type hot-water supply device, comprising:
a burner;
a heat exchanger which is connected to a water supply path and a hot water supply path and heated by a combustion exhaust gas of the burner, and which heats water running therethrough by heat exchange with the combustion exhaust gas of the burner;
a communicating path which connects a downstream end of the hot water supply path connected with a hot water faucet and the water supply path;
a circulating pump which circulates the water inside a circulating path, which starts from a connecting portion of the hot water supply path and the communicating path, via the communicating path, the water supply path, the heat exchanger, and the hot water supply path, and returns to the connecting portion;
a hot water supply temperature sensor which detects a temperature of the water supplied from the hot water supply path to the hot water faucet;
a heat exchanger outlet temperature sensor which detects a temperature of the water in a vicinity of an outlet of the heat exchanger;
a hot water faucet opening and closing detecting unit which detects opening and closing of the hot water faucet;
a hot water supply control unit which executes a hot water supply operation of controlling a combustion amount of the burner, so that the detected temperature by the hot water supply temperature sensor becomes a predetermined target hot water supply temperature, when the hot water faucet is in an opened state;
a suitable temperature maintaining control unit which executes a suitable temperature maintaining operation of circulating the water inside the circulating circuit by actuating the circulating pump, and also controlling the combustion amount of the burner so that the detected temperature by the hot water supply temperature sensor becomes within a predetermined suitable temperature range, when the hot water faucet is in a closed state; and
a heat exchanger abnormality determining unit which prohibits the execution of the suitable temperature maintaining operation by the suitable temperature maintaining operation unit, stops the circulating pump and also extinguishes the burner, when the suitable temperature maintaining operation is continuing for a predetermined time or more, and when the burner is in the combusting state, and which executes a first abnormality determining process of determining that the heat exchanger is in an abnormal state, when a temperature rise degree of the detected temperature of the heat exchanger outlet temperature sensor after stopping the circulating pump becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined first abnormality determining level.

2. The circulating-type hot-water supply device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the heat exchanger abnormality determining unit varies the first abnormality determining level, in the first abnormality determining process, according to a combustion amount of the burner immediately before stopping the circulating pump.

3. The circulating-type hot-water supply device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the burner includes a plurality of burner blocks capable of partitioning a combustion range of the burner, and capable of independently switching combustion and extinction,
the hot water supply control unit controls the combustion amount of the burner by varying a selection of the burner block to be combusted, and
the heat exchanger abnormality determining unit alters the first abnormality determining level, in the first abnormality determining process, according to a selecting state of the burner block in the combusted state immediately before stopping the circulating pump.

4. The circulating-type hot-water supply device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the burner includes a plurality of burner blocks capable of partitioning a combustion range of the burner, and capable of independently switching combustion and extinction,
the hot water supply control unit controls the combustion amount of the burner by varying a selection of the burner block to be combusted, and
the heat exchanger abnormality determining unit prohibits the execution of the suitable temperature maintaining operation by the suitable temperature maintaining control unit, when the hot water supply operation is terminated, maintains the circulating pump to a stopped state and also maintains the burner to an extinguished state, and executes a second abnormality determining process of determining that the heat exchanger is in an abnormal state, when a temperature rise degree of the detected temperature by the heat exchanger outlet temperature sensor after terminating the hot water supply operation becomes equal to or more than a second abnormality determining level decided according to a selecting state of the burner block in a combusted state immediately before terminating the hot water supply operation.

5. The circulating-type hot-water supply device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the heat exchanger abnormality determining unit discontinues the first abnormality determining process and enables the execution of the hot water supply operation by the hot water supply control unit, when the hot water faucet switches from a closed state to an opened state during execution of the first abnormality determining process.

Assignees

• Rinnai Kk

Inventors

• Ando Masakazu

Classifications

• F24H1/0036

  of the sealed type · CPC title

• G05B23/0205

  by means of a monitoring system capable of detecting and responding to faults · CPC title

• F24H9/2035 Primary

  using fluid fuel · CPC title

• F24H1/124

  using fluid fuel · CPC title

• F24H15/20

  characterised by control inputs · CPC title