Water heater appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9920953-B2
Application number	US-201514755296-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2015
Priority date	Jun 30, 2015
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

A water heater appliance includes a tank and a heated water conduit extending from the tank. A mixing valve is coupled to the heated water conduit, and a heat trap is mounted to the heated water conduit upstream of the mixing valve. The heat trap includes a membrane disposed within the heated water conduit. The membrane of the heat trap may assist with obstructing recirculation of heated water from the tank into the heated water conduit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A water heater appliance defining an axial defining, the water heater appliance comprising:
a tank;
a heated water conduit extending from the tank and defining an interior volume;
a mixing valve coupled to the heated water conduit; and
a heat trap mounted to the heated water conduit upstream of the mixing valve, the heat trap comprising:
a bracket mounted to the heated water conduit, the bracket comprising:
a sleeve disposed within the interior volume of the heated water conduit;
a post fixed to the sleeve and extending along the axial direction; and

a membrane mounted to the post and spaced apart from the sleeve along the axial direction, the membrane disposed within and extending across the interior volume of the heated water conduit:

wherein the interior volume defines a cross-sectional width, wherein the membrane defines a cross-sectional width parallel to the cross-sectional width of the interior volume, and wherein the cross-sectional width of the membrane is less than the cross-sectional width of the interior volume in an undeformed non-water draw state.

2. The water heater appliance of claim 1 , wherein the membrane of the heat trap comprises a compliant plastic that is elastically deformable in response to a flow of water within the heat trap.

3. The water heater appliance of claim 1 , further comprising a cold water conduit mounted to the tank and an additional heat trap mounted to the cold water conduit, the additional heat trap comprising a membrane disposed within and extending across an interior volume of the cold water conduit.

4. The water heater appliance of claim 3 , wherein the additional heat trap further comprises a bracket mounted to the cold water conduit at an outlet of the cold water conduit, and wherein the membrane of the additional heat trap is mounted to the bracket of the additional heat trap.

5. The water heater appliance of claim 3 , wherein the membrane of the heat trap and the membrane of the additional heat trap are disc shaped.

6. The water heater appliance of claim 3 , wherein the membrane of the heat trap and the membrane of the additional heat trap are constructed of compliant plastic that is elastically deformable in response to a flow of water within each respective heat trap.

7. The water heater appliance of claim 1 , wherein the membrane of the heat trap is disc shaped.

8. The water heater appliance of claim 7 , wherein the membrane of the heat trap comprises a compliant plastic that is elastically deformable in response to a flow of water within the heat trap.

9. A water heater appliance defining an axial direction, the water heater appliance comprising:
a casing;
a tank disposed within the casing;
a heated water conduit extending from the tank;
a mixing valve positioned within the casing and coupled to the heated water conduit; and
a heat trap mounted to the heated water conduit upstream of the mixing valve, the heat trap comprising:
a bracket mounted to the heated water conduit, the bracket comprising:
a sleeve disposed within an interior volume of the heated water conduit;
a post fixed to the sleeve and extending along the axial direction; and

a membrane mounted to the post and spaced apart from the sleeve along the axial direction, the membrane disposed within and extending across the interior volume of the heated water conduit;

wherein the heated water conduit defines an interior volume width, wherein the membrane defines a cross-sectional width coplanar with the interior volume width, and wherein the cross-sectional width of the membrane is less than the interior volume width in an undeformed non-water draw state.

10. The water heater appliance of claim 9 , wherein the membrane of the heat trap comprises a compliant plastic that is elastically deformable in response to a flow of water within the heat trap.

11. The water heater appliance of claim 9 , further comprising a cold water conduit mounted to the tank and an additional heat trap mounted to the cold water conduit, the additional heat trap comprising a membrane disposed within an interior volume of the cold water conduit.

12. The water heater appliance of claim 11 , wherein the additional heat trap further comprises a bracket mounted to the cold water conduit at an outlet of the cold water conduit, and wherein the membrane of the additional heat trap is mounted to the bracket of the additional heat trap.

13. The water heater appliance of claim 11 , wherein the membrane of the heat trap and the membrane of the additional heat trap are constructed of compliant plastic that is elastically deformable in response to a flow of water within each respective heat trap.

14. The water heater appliance of claim 9 , wherein the membrane of the heat trap is disc shaped.

15. The water heater appliance of claim 14 , wherein the membrane of the heat trap comprises a compliant plastic that is elastically deformable in response to a flow of water within the heat trap.

16. The water heater appliance of claim 1 , wherein an edge of the membrane faces an inner surface of the heated water conduit in the undeformed non-water draw state of the membrane, the edge of the membrane spaced from the inner surface of the heated water conduit in the undeformed non-water draw state of the membrane such that water is flowable through a gap defined between the edge of the membrane and the inner surface of the heated water conduit.

17. The water heater appliance of claim 9 , wherein an edge of the membrane faces an inner surface of the heated water conduit in the undeformed non-water draw state of the membrane, the edge of the membrane spaced from the inner surface of the heated water conduit in the undeformed non-water draw state of the membrane such that water is flowable through a gap defined between the edge of the membrane and the inner surface of the heated water conduit.

18. The water heater appliance of claim 1 , wherein the mixing valve is an electronic mixing valve and comprises a temperature sensor positioned downstream of the heat trap.

Assignees

• Gen Electric
• Haier Us Appliance Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Ward Shaun Michael
• Shaffer Timothy Scott

Classifications

• F24H9/2007 Primary

  for water heaters · CPC title

• G05D23/132

  with temperature sensing element · CPC title

• F24H15/174

  Supplying heated water with desired temperature or desired range of temperature · CPC title

• F24H15/223

  in the water storage tank · CPC title

• F24H15/315

  of mixing valves · CPC title