GB2474856A

GB2474856A - Radiator cabinet for circulating air between two separate zones

Info

Publication number: GB2474856A
Application number: GB0918873A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gary Banks
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-10-28
Filing date: 2009-10-28
Publication date: 2011-05-04
Anticipated expiration: 2029-10-28
Also published as: GB0918873D0; GB2474856B

Abstract

A method of circulating air between two separate zones 1, 2 comprises enclosing a radiator 4 with a radiator cabinet 3, passing air from a first zone 1 into the radiator cabinet through an aperture/vent 6 in a wall/partition upon which the radiator is mounted and separates the two zones, after passing air from the first zone through the aperture into the cabinet passing it over the radiator to heat the air and passing it out of the cabinet into the second zone. The cabinet may be a solid non-perforated construction completely enclosing the radiator and have secondary vents 7 that when open allow air to circulate only within a single zone. The cabinet may have vertical partitions 8 that split the cabinet into two or more segments, and the cabinet may have two or more secondary vents with one for each segment to allow adjustment of the air flowing between the zones. The aperture/vent in the wall/partition may be located below or above (fig 2) the radiator. The zones may be rooms, e.g. living room and hallway within a building. A fan may increase air flow through the cabinet.

Description

Radiator Cabinet This invention relates to a device for heating two (or more) separate heat zones (rooms) using a single radiator.

Traditional radiators create a cold/cool draught as they suck in the cooler air from the lower levels of the room, and the warmest part of the room tends to be at ceiling height as the warmest air rises off the radiator.

This (two-zone) Radiator Cabinet aims to improve the heat level in the lower half of the primary heat zone by sucking the coldest air out of the primary heat zone whilst replacing it with freshly warmed air from the secondary heat zone.

It is envisaged that the primary heat zone will typically be a living room and the secondary heat zone will r.�.

typically be a hallway.

For this system to work, typically a radiator or other heat source is required on the internal wall between the primary and secondary heat zones. Ventilation holes are required between the two heat zones (rooms) *:. these will typically be located beneath or above the radiator and either under the door or in the bottom of the door that connects the two heat zones.

If the Radiator Cabinet is located in the primary heat zone the ventilation holes will be below the radiator, if the radiator and Radiator Cabinet is located in the secondary heat zone the (wall) ventilation holes will be above the radiator (but within the cabinet).

The Radiator Cabinet (typically of solid, unperforated construction) is placed around the radiator. The radiator, when operating then has no choice but to suck in cold air at the bottom from the secondary heat zone, and expel it heated at the top into the primary heat zone. As the radiator sucks in air from the secondary heat zone this creates a small pressure differential between the primary and secondary heat zones and therefore the coldest air from the primary heat zone is sucked out into the secondary heat zone (at the bottom of the door). [The door should be draught-proofed around the sides and top, and should usually be closed when the heating is operating].

This system achieves the following: * Maximisation of heat output from the radiator (the air being heated is the coldest available air, and therefore as the temperature differential between the air and the radiator is * ** the maximum possible the heat output is maximised).

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* Rapid heat up of the primary heat zone.

* Increased heat draw-down from the higher levels of the primary heat zone (increased heat/reduced cold air in the lower levels of the primary heat zone).

* Secondary heat zone automatically heated to a lower temperature using air expelled /sucked from the primary heat zone.

* Reduced air staleness in primary heat zone due to constant mixing with secondary heat zone air. As the secondary heat zone will typically be a hallway this air is also typically the freshest in the house as opening and closing of external door exchanges house air for fresh outdoor air. (Also letterboxes are usually slightly draughty).

Several variants of the Radiator Cabinet may be available.

A basic model for installation in the primary heat zone *....: will fully enclose the radiator except for a fixed (always * open) vent at the top of the Radiator Cabinet. In this model cold air will be sucked from the secondary heat * zone through holes in the wall (located beneath the radiator but within the cabinet) and be expelled through the fixed vent at the top of the Radiator Cabinet into the primary * . heat zone. The air is of course heated as it passes through the Radiator Cabinet.

A basic model for installation in the secondary heat zone will fully enclose the radiator except for a fixed (always open) vent at the bottom of the Radiator Cabinet. In this model cold air will be sucked in through the fixed vent at the bottom of the Radiator Cabinet (below the radiator) and be expelled (heated) through holes in the wall (located above the radiator but within the Radiator Cabinet) into the primary heat zone.

Some models will have secondary closable vents that when open allow heated air to circulate only in the heat zone that the Radiator Cabinet is located. When these secondary vents are closed these models will operate as previously described by sucking in cold air from the secondary heat zone and expelling it heated into the primary heat zone.

. On some models all vents will be closable, and when closed the air supply to the radiator will be shut off, and ** . * heat output will therefore be minimal.

Some models may come with internal partitions (typically * * running vertically) that segregate the radiator into two or more separate sections. Each of these sections will have their own (closable) vents to allow regulation of the *:. amount of air flowing between the heat zones.

It is envisaged that through optimal design of the gap between the radiator and the Radiator Cabinet that the the speed of air flow and air flow volume will be such that on some models heat output will be maximised.

Also on some models there may be internal panels/mouldings! protrusions that guide the airflow smoothly or otherwise through the Radiator Cabinet (to speed up airflow or to create turbulence within the airflow).

It is likely that other uncabinetted radiators will also operate within the primary heat zone.

An example situation is thus, a house has an existing 2.4kw double radiator in the living room and a 1.2kw single radiator in the hallway located on the internal wall between the hallway and living room. The hallway radiator is retro-fitted with a (two-zone) Radiator Cabinet allowing heat output in the living room to be boosted to (at least) 3.6kw. On initial switch on of the central eating the the heat output rapidly increases to 3.6kw, quickly warming the living room. Initially the hallway receives very little of this heat output but as the heat in the living room is drawn * down quickly towards floor level the cool air being sucked out of the living room (at the bottom of the door) becomes * warmer and the heat output into the hallway increases towards the 1.2kw radiator output. It is envisaged that ideally in a situation such as this that the 2.4kw double radiator would be TRV operated, and that the 1.2kw radiator within the Radiator Cabinet would always be fully on.

Figure 1 shows an example of a Radiator Cabinet located in a primary heat zone. Figure 2 shows an example of a Radiator Cabinet located in a secondary heat zone. Numbers indicated in Figures 1 + 2 are as described in the Abstract.

Claims

Claims 1. A Radiator Cabinet that circulates air between two or more heat zones.
2. A Radiator Cabinet in accordance with claim 1 that sucks in cold air from the secondary heat zone(s) and expels it heated into the primary heat zone(s).
3. A Radiator Cabinet in accordance with any preceding claim(s) that causes cool air from the primary heat zone(s) to be sucked out into the secondary heat zone(s) (via appropriate low level ventilation hole(s) in the door or walls).
4. A Radiator Cabinet in accordance with any preceding claim(s) in which the radiator is a heater, electric or otherwise.
5. A Radiator Cabinet in accordance with any preceding claim(s) that has its own attached/built in heater. * *
6. A Radiator Cabinet in accordance with any preceding claim(s) that is typically of solid, non-perforated construction that completely encloses the radiator and only allows air to * enter/leave at specific points.

* *:.
7. A Radiator Cabinet in accordance with claim 6 and any other preceding claim(s) that has an open vent only at the bottom, a basic model for use in secondary heat zones.
8. A Radiator Cabinet in accordance with claim 6 and any other preceding claim(s) that has an open vent only at the top, a basic model for use in primary heat zones.
9. A Radiator Cabinet in accordance with any preceding claim(s) that has a secondary openable vent or vents to allow circulation of the air only within the heat zone that the Radiator Cabinet is located.
1 0.A Radiator Cabinet in accordance with any preceding claim(s) that has internal partitions (typically running vertically) that split the Radiator Cabinet into two or more separate sections.
11.A Radiator Cabinet in accordance with claim 10 and any other preceding claim(s) in which each section has a separate secondary openable vent to allow adjustment of the amount of air circulating between the heat zones.
12.A Radiator Cabinet in accordance with any preceding claim(s) that has any number of vents, some or all of which are closable. *S.. S...

*....:
13. A Radiator Cabinet in accordance with any preceding claim(s) * that has a fan or other such device to increase air flow through the Radiator Cabinet.
14.A Radiator Cabinet in accordance with any preceding claim(s) that has internal panels/mouldings/protrusions that guide : ... the air flow smoothly or otherwise through the Radiator *:. Cabinet (to speed up airflow or to create turbulence within the airflow).Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows Claims (version 4) 1. A method of communicating air between primary and secondary zones, which includes; -A cabinet that encloses a heater; -An inlet vent into the cabinet that communicates air from the secondary zone into the cabinet, the air then passes over/into contact with the heater before exiting; -An outlet vent from the cabinet into the primary zone; -A low-level return vent; Wherein the low-level return vent allows air to be returned to the secondary zone in a controlled manner, so that cool air is expelled from the primary into the secondary zone, the return vent being located such as at the bottom of a door or wall that separates the zones.2. A method of communicating air between primary and secondary zones as claimed in claim 1, which includes draft proofing around the sides and/or top of the door that interconnects the zones.3. A method of communicating air between primary and secondary zones as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cabinet is located so that the inlet or outlet vent opens upon more than one room, hence the cabinet influences more than two rooms.*....: 4. A method of communicating air between primary and secondary zones as claimed * in claim 1, wherein the cabinet is located so that air returning to the secondary * : * heat zone has to pass through an intermediate room or rooms.5. A method of communicating air between primary and secondary zones as claimed in claim 1, wherein the return vent is split into two or more parts so that where * more than two rooms are influenced by the cabinet the return vent parts connect * between primary and secondary rooms, or primary, intermediate and secondary * * rooms, that means that there shall be a return vent at the bottom of each connecting door or other suitable low level location.6. A method of communicating air between primary and secondary zones as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cabinet works using the chimney effect of rising heat.7. A method of communicating air between primary and secondary zones as claimed in claim 1, that is fan assisted.8. A method of communicating air between primary and secondary zones as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cabinet includes an additional/secondary vent so that when the additional/secondary vent is open, air is funnelled so that it enters and exits the cabinet in the same heat zone, and therefore acts in a similar manner to a normal radiator cabinet.9. A method of communicating air between primary and secondary zones as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cabinet is split into sections, each section containing part of the heater, and each section having its own secondary vent so that the amount of air circulating between the rooms can be adjusted.10. A method of communicating air between primary and secondary zones as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cabinet has internal pannelling/mouldings/protrusions to smooth the airflow or to create turbulence within the airflow.11. A method of communicating air between primary and secondary zones as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heat source is a central heating radiator, and all the cabinet outlet vents can be closed. I... * a ***S**.*** * 0 ** * * a. * SI** S.*I * * as * * * 5 * 5. 5* S * S.S