US1661693A - Electric water heater - Google Patents

Description

March 6, 1928.

J. H. EWART ELECTRIC WATER HEATER Filed July '7, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 6, 1928.

J. H. EWART ELECTRI 0 WATER HEATER Filed July '7. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Mar. 6, 1928.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HENRY EW'ART, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

ELECTRIC WATER HEATER.

Application filed July 7, 1926, Serial No. 121,026, and in Great Britain January 12, 1926.

This invention relates to improvements in electric water-heaters or geysers and in heating elements therefor.

According to the invention the heater comp ises a water tank having at its lower portion thereof sockets for the attachment of an electric heating element at suitable intervals, the said heating elements each comprising a conductor wire Wound on a former carrying plugs or terminals for insertion in the sockets provided on the lower portion of the heater body so that it is possible readily to remove the individual elements from the heater body when desired.

In a suitable arrangement according to the invention the heater comprises a cylindri a1 or other form of tank with the usual inlet and outlet pipes. Socket terminals are carried by an' insulating base fixed at the bottom of the said tank and are connected to the main current supply. The heating elements each comprises a conductor or resistance wire wound on a former having connected thereto plugs, with which the ends of the conductor wire are in connection, for insertion in the aforesaid sockets carried by the base. The heating elements are held in per! 'on in the tank by means of upright tubular guides into which the said elements are inserted. I

In a modified form of construction of heater element the top thereof may be provi d with tern'iinals which make electrical connection with the conductor or resistance wire so that, if desired, it may be possible to insert a second series or tier upon the first, in which case the conductor wires may be in. series with one another, or may be connected in parallel as desired. It will be understood that I may employ any number of heating elements side by side or any number of tiers of elements.

To enable the invention to be fully understood I will describe it by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which figure 1 is a sectional elevation of an electric rater-heater constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figures 2, 3 and. 4, are, respectively, sec- 'tions on the lines 22, 33 and 44l, Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a sectional elevation of one of the electric heating elements detached and drawn to a larger scale than Figures 1 to 4.

Figures 6 and 7 are, respectively, a plan view and an underside view of the said element.

the tank having the inlet pipe I) for the cold water and the outlet pipe 6 for the water after being heated, the latter pipe being shown in the form of a spiral. The bottom of the tank is formed by the base (Z, which has socket terminals 6, e to receive plugs on the current supply leads, not shown, 7", f are the tubular guides within the tank a for the heating elements, the said guides being mounted upon and being open to the base (Z and extending through perforated battles g, g arranged transversely of the tank a.

ii, i are the socket terminals carried by the base and connected to the terminals 6, e as hereinafter described, the said sockets being directly carried by a slab of insulating material 7c is the conductor or resistance wire of each heating element and Z is the former on which the said wire is wound, m, n being socket terminals carried by one end of the said former with which the two ends of the wire /a are in electrical connection, one end of the said wire being directly connected to the socket m whilst the other end of the said wire is connected directly to a metal fitting 0 carried at the other end of the former Z and which is in electrical connection with the socket nby the insulated wire 0. p, g are the plugs which engage, respectively, with the sockets in, n and with the sockets 7i, i.

in order that the heating elements can be arranged in tiers, the ends thereof remote from those carrying the terminals in, n are provided with plug terminals s the latter being formed on, or attached to, the fittings 0 whilst the former are in electrical connection with the terminals m by the insulated wire t.

By this arrangement it will be seen that the socket terminals M, /1, of one heating element can be engaged with the plug terminals 7', a of another heating element so that in the case of two tiers of heating elements arranged in this manner, as shown in the drawing, the current supply from the main leads for the upper tier will flow by way of Till lllll lli till

llti

the wires 0 and t, the circuit for the two tiers thus being in parallel. lit is to be understood, however, that the wires is may be connected to the terminals of the formers Z so as to be in series.

lin the iilrawings, l have shown two tiers of eight heating elements each, divided into two groups connected in parallel, one set of terminals ll of one group being connected by the wire it to one of the main sockets e whilst the other set oi terminals t of the said group are connected. by the wire '0 to one set ct. terminals b o'l. theother group, the other set of terminals t of which are connected. by the wire to to the other main socket e.

'lhe exposed plug terminals 1' and s, Figure 1, of the upper tier of heating elements are shown in engagement with blocks r of insulating material to prevent them making contact with the ends oi the tubular guides Although l have illustrated the heater as provided, with two tiers of heating elen'ients it is to be understood that one only or more than two tiers may be employed.

The base (5 is closed at the bottom by a slab oi? insulating material supported by ametal tray y secured in position by screws 2., so that it will be necessary, when placing the heating elemenets in position in the tubular guides t, or removing them there from, to remove the said slab a: and to detach the phigs p from the sockets /1 m and the plugs g trom the sockets i, )2.

ln practice, it may be advantageous lo surrouni'l the water ta k with a lagging oi? wood or other non conducting material for preventing the escape oil heat.

l llhcn it is desired tl'iat the heater should be usul for producing boiling water, it will be advantageous to ,ause the water to pro ceed in a i1-l1')ll2li or circuitous course in order to allow it to obtain much heat as possible from the elements be'lore reaching the outlet pipe, that is to say, the water may be ledv into the heater from the top and alloweil to how spirally or circuilously down the one element and up the next and so on.

From the above dcscri ion it will be understood that my invention permits of the manufacture of stock size heater bodies, as apart "rom the heating elements;', and pet'- mits olf the ready replacement of broken elements, which can be QllQCltXl by the user without disturbing the wa ter connections to the heater body.

It is also possible for the man utacturers to stock standard size elements of standard voltages which has not hitherto been por i ble.

ill-laying now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is 2- l. An electrically heated water-heater comprising a tank, a plurality of upright tubular guides secured to the bottom of the tank and extending within the latter, the said guides being closed at their upper ends and open at their lower ends to the exterior of the tank, heating elements within the tubular guides, each comprising a conductor of resistance wire wound on a former, lined. inverted socket terminals beneath the tank for the supply of current to the heating elements and detachable plug terminals at the lower ends of the heating elements for insertion in the said sockets as the said elements are raised. to place them in position in the tubular guides.

22. An electrically heated. comprising a tank, a phu'ality of upright tubular guides secured to the bottom of the tank and extending within the latter, the said guides being closed at their upper ends and open at their lower ends to the exterior ot the tank, heating elements within the tulgiular guides each comprising a conductor o'lt' resistance wire wound on a former, lined inverted socket terminals beneath the tank for the supply of current for the heating elemenl's, socket terminals at the lower ends of the heating elements tor the heating wire and plug termii'lals fitting within the latter socket terminals for insertion into the in verted socket terminals as the said elements are raised to place them in position in the tubular guides.

33. A. water-heater as claimed in claim 2, wherein each heating element has a set of plug terminals at the end opposite to that carrying the detachable plug tm'minals and in electrical connection with the latter through the medium of the resishmce conductor, and adapted to engage with the socket terminals on the lower end of another similar heating element, whereby the said elements are connected in series with each other.

4. A water-heater as'claimed in claim 2, wherein. each heating element has a set of plug terminals at the end opposite to that carrying the detachable plug terminals, in electrical. connection with the latter, other than by way of the resistance wire, and adapted to engage with the socket terminals on the lower end. of another similar heating element, whereby the said elements are con-- nected in. parallel.

JUHN HENRY lZCVVARl.

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