ZA200901731B

ZA200901731B - A pre-heater for a geyser

Info

Publication number: ZA200901731B
Application number: ZA200901731A
Authority: ZA
Inventors: Hendrik Johannes Christiaan Smit Jr; Hendrik Johannes Christiaan Snr Smit
Original assignee: Hendrik Johannes Christiaan Smit Jr; Smit Hendrik Johannes Christiaan Sr
Priority date: 2008-03-13
Filing date: 2009-03-11
Publication date: 2010-01-27

Description

A PRE-HEATER FOR A GEYSER

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a pre-heater for a geyser, which pre-heater is designed to reduce the energy requirement of the geyser during heating of water.

Background to the Invention

Geysers for providing hot water to households and other buildings present a significant drain on the electricity supply of a city. One method of minimising the electricity used by a geyser is to switch the power supply of the geyser off during times when the geyser is not in use. However, many people forget to switch off the power supply or forget to switch it back on when hot water is required,

I5 thereby making this method inconvenient to use.

Another energy saving measure is to provide solar panels on a roof of a building for heating water. A large area is required to support a sufficient amount of solar panels to provide enough heating for an entire household and the angle of the solar panels plays an important factor in its heating efficiency.

The inventors therefore believe that a need exists for providing an alternative means for reducing the energy requirement of a conventional geyser.

Summary of the Invention

A pre-heater for a geyser, the pre-heater including:- - a housing manufactured from a synthetic plastics material, the housing having an inlet and an outlet; : - a piping arrangement located in the housing, the piping arrangement being connected to the inlet and outlet of the housing; and

¢ - an insulating material located around the piping arrangement: wherein. in use, the pre-heater is located so as to be exposed to sunlight and. is connected to a source of fluid, and wherein the outlet of the housing is connected to a geyser, thereby supplying the geyser with pre-heated fluid.

The synthetic plastics material may be linear low density polyethylene.

The housing may be a dark colour such as, for example, black or navy so as to improve its heat retention and transfer properties.

The piping arrangement may include a plurality of interconnected pipes arranged in parallel. The pipes may be manufactured from a synthetic plastics material.

The insulating material may be shaped and dimensioned to snugly receive the

I5 piping arrangement therein and so as to form a tight fit with the housing, thereby in use maximizing heat transfer between an exterior surface of the housing and the fluid contained by the piping arrangement.

The fluid may be water and the source of fluid is a water supply system.

The pre-heater may includes a temperature sensor and a heating element located in the piping arrangement, wherein, when the sensor senses a fluid temperature below a predetermined temperature, the heating element may be activated to heat the fluid in the piping arrangement, thereby inhibiting it from freezing.

The predetermined temperature may be about two degrees Celsius and the heating element may be set to heat the fluid in the piping arrangement to a temperature of about ten degrees Celsius after which it may automatically switch off.

The pre-heater may be mounted at any location exterior a building where it receives good exposure to sunlight. The outlet of the housing feeds heated water to the geyser, thereby minimizing the energy input required by the geyser to heat the water to a desired temperature.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The invention will now be described by way of the following, non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:-

Figure 1 shows a sectioned side view of a pre-heater in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 shows the pre-heater of Figure 1 in use;

Figures 3 A and B show a three-dimensional view of a portion of the insulating material and of a portion of the insulating material and the piping arrangement respectively;

Figure 4 shows a schematic layout of the pre-heater; and

Figure 5 shows a three dimensional view of the piping arrangement.

In the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally indicates an embodiment of a pre-heater for a geyser 12 in accordance with the present invention.

The pre-heater 10 includes a housing 14 manufactured from a synthetic plastics material, the housing having an inlet 16 and an outlet 18.

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A piping arrangement 20 is located in the housing 14, the piping arrangement 20 being connected to the inlet 16 and outlet 18 of the housing 14. An insulating material 22 is located around the piping arrangement 20.

In use, the pre-heater 10 is located so as to be exposed to sunlight and is connected to a source of fluid. The outlet 18 of the housing i14 s connected to the geyser 12, thereby supplying the geyser 12 with pre-heated fluid 24.

The synthetic plastics material is typically linear low density polyethylene.

The housing 14 is a dark colour such as, for example, black or navy so as to improve its heat retention and transfer properties.

The piping arrangement 20 includes a plurality of interconnected pipes arranged in parallel as can clearly be seen in Figures 3B and 5. The pipes of the piping arrangement 20 are manufactured from a synthetic plastics material.

The insulating material 22 is shaped and dimensioned to snugly receive the piping arrangement 20 therein and so as to form a tight fit with the housing 14, thereby in use maximizing heat transfer between an exterior surface of the housing 14 and the fluid contained by the piping arrangement 20. The fluid is water and the source of fluid is a water supply system.

In use, air trapped in the insulating material 22 is heated by heat which is transferred via the housing and this heat in turn heats the pipes of the piping arrangement 20 and the fluid contained therein.

The pre-heater 10 includes a temperature sensor 26 and a heating element 28 located in the piping arrangement 20, wherein, when the sensor 26 senses a fluid temperature below a predetermined temperature, the heating element 28 is

~~ . activated to heat the fluid in the piping arrangement 20, thereby inhibiting it from freezing.

The predetermined temperature is about two degrees Celsius and the heating element 28 is set to heat the fluid in the piping arrangement 20 to a temperature of about ten degrees Celsius after which it automatically switches off.

The pre-heater 10 is mounted at any location exterior a building where it receives good exposure to sunlight. The outlet 18 of the housing 14 feeds heated water 24 to the geyser 12, thereby minimizing the energy input required by the geyser 12 to heat the water to a desired temperature.

It is to be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiment or configuration as hereinbefore generally described or illustrated.

Claims

‘ LV Claims I

1. A pre-heater for a geyser, the pre-heater including:- - a housing manufactured from a synthetic plastics material, the housing having an inlet and an outlet; - a piping arrangement located in the housing, the piping arrangement being connected to the inlet and outlet of the housing; and - an insulating material located around the piping arrangement; wherein, in use, the pre-heater is located so as to be exposed to sunlight and is connected to a source of fluid, and wherein the outlet of the housing is connected to a geyser, thereby supplying the geyser with pre-heated fluid.

2. A pre-heater as claimed in claim 1, wherein the synthetic plastics material is linear tow density polyethylene.

3. A pre-heater as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the housing is a dark colour.

4. A pre-heater as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the piping arrangement includes a plurality of interconnected | pipes arranged in parallel.

5. A pre-heater as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the insulating material is shaped and dimensioned to snugly receive the piping arrangement therein and so as to form a tight fit with the housing, thereby in use maximizing heat transfer between an exterior surface of the housing and the fluid contained by the piping arrangement.

6. A pre-heater as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fluid is water and the source of fluid is a water supply system.

7. A pre-heater as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pre-heater includes a temperature sensor and a heating element located in the piping arrangement, wherein, when the sensor senses a fluid temperature below a predetermined temperature, the heating element is activated to heat the fluid in the piping arrangement, thereby inhibiting it from freezing.

8. A pre-heater as claimed in claim 7, wherein the predetermined temperature is about two degrees Celsius.

9. A pre-heater as claimed in claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the heating element is set to heat the fluid in the piping arrangement to a temperature of about ten degrees Celsius after which it will automatically switch off.

10. A pre-heater for a geyser according to the invention, substantially as hereinbefore described or exemplified.

11. A pre-heater for a geyser as specifically described with reference to or as illustrated in any one of the accompanying drawings.

12. A pre-heater for a geyser including any new and inventive integer or combination of integers, substantially as herein described. DATED AT PRETORIA THIS 11™ DAY OF MARCH 2009. PEIJPER INC. APPLICANTS’ ATTORNEYS