General Electric Company

Frank A Schumacher

Marvel A Elliott

John E Sterling

Earl H Magester

A method of providing auxiliary hot water to a hot water system wherein water is conducted into the system from a water supply and divided into a cold water branch and a hot water branch with the hot water branch including a hot water heating tank and each branch terminating downstream at a valve. The water to be heated in the hot water heating tank is introduced into the bottom of the tank and expelled out the top thereof for delivery to the hot water branch valve. Water is conducted from the cold water branch to refrigerating apparatus having a condenser, evaporator and compressor. Water is circulated in heat transfer relationship with the condenser and preferably also with the compressor to heat the water and the auxiliary hot water is pumped into the hot water branch between the hot water heating tank and the hot water branch valve when the temperature of the heated water is above 110.degree. F.

Energy recovery system

An automatically-defrosting household refrigerator including a user-operable 'vacation switch' effective to enable the operation of the refrigerator in a mode appropriate to a condition of zero usage. When the vacation switch is thrown to the vacation position, the user is assured at once that unnecessary energy consumption will be avoided and the likelihood of failure of the refrigerator while unattended will be diminished. The mode appropriate to a condition of zero usage includes having the interval between successive automatic defrosting operations extended. Additionally, the vacation switch may be effective to simultaneously disable an automatic icemaker, to increase the temperature set point of the thermostatic control means which maintains the temperature within the refrigerator to disable anti-condensation heaters, and to disable butter conditioner heaters. There is further disclosed a particular means for extending the interval between successive automatic defrosting operations. A temperature-responsive switch is mounted so as to be responsive to the temperature of a predetermined portion of the refrigeration system high side. The switch is closed at ambient temperature and opens at a predetermined temperature which is reached by the predetermined portion of the refrigeration system high side a few minutes into each operating cycle of the refrigerator compressor. The temperature-responsive switch is arranged to disable the defrost control timer when the sensed temperature exceeds the predetermined value during each operation of the refrigeration system. During normal operation of the refrigerator, the temperature-responsive switch is bypassed, and the defrost control timer operates normally.

Household refrigerator including a vacation switch

A household refrigerator having a condenser and a fan for passing air over the condenser. The fan is positioned in a fan orifice of an air channel which is of a construction to reduce the foreign substance in the air-stream and thereby reduce the labor of cleaning the condenser and maintain the efficiency of the condenser at a high value.

Condenser-air flow system of a household refrigerator

The defrost pressure control system for a refrigerator includes a reservoir connected in communication with the evaporator of the refrigerating system. The reservoir is placed in heat exchange relationship with a portion of the refrigerator which remains at a relatively low temperature during defrosting so that a portion of the refrigerant in the system condenses in the reservoir during defrosting, thereby being effectively removed from the refrigerating system. A suitable heat sink may also be employed in the heat exchange relationship with the reservoir. Because of withdrawal of the aforementioned refrigerant, the pressure in the refrigerating system at the end of the defrosting operation is substantially below that which would otherwise be present. As a result the torque required to start the compressor is significantly reduced, thereby insuring effective starting of the compressor even when driven by an electric motor having a relatively low starting torque. As soon as the compressor resumes operation, the pressure in the evaporator is substantially reduced to a level well below that in the reservoir and the liquid refrigerant in the reservoir partially vaporizes and all the refrigerant in the reservoir, both gas and liquid, is returned promptly to the refrigerating system, insuring effective normal operation of the refrigerating system.

Defrost pressure control system

A batch type automatic icemaker adapted for installation in the freezing compartment of a refrigerator is provided with a water-carrying member having first and second ends. The first end of the water-carrying member is in fluid communication with at least one of the ice-forming cavities and positioned to be wetted by water therein. The second end projects into cold air within the freezer. A small quantity of water is thereby carried out of the ice-forming cavity to the second end of the member and exposed to cold air within the freezing compartment. Because the small quantity of water is of small mass and is thermally isolated from the mold, it is rapidly lowered to a temperature sufficiently low to reliably form a seed ice crystal. The seed ice crystal initiates freezing of the bulk of the water in the ice-forming cavities with a minimum of supercooling. In one embodiment of the invention, the water-carrying member is a capillary device which projects above the mold and draws water up out of the ice-forming cavity. In another embodiment, the water-carrying member is simply a tube which carries a small quantity of water from the ice-forming cavity by gravity.

Automatic icemaker including means for minimizing the supercooling effect

A household refrigerator having a door and a cooling compartment has a heat exchange transfer medium circulatory system associated with the door. The circulatory system has a probe extending into the cooling compartment in the closed position of the door and a serpentine portion positioned within the door and extending along an inner wall of the door. The circulatory system is a closed system that is movable with the door and contains a heat transfer medium for cooling the door.

Household refrigerator having a door cooling apparatus

An automatic ice maker includes a heat pipe in the form of a sealed tube containing a refrigerant which extends from the freezer compartment to the fresh food compartment of a household refrigerator. Positioned within the heat pipe and located intermediate the freezer and fresh food compartment is a valve preferably in the form of a steel ball which is periodically unseated from an annular valve seat by a rotating magnet actuator mechanism. The portion of the heat pipe within the fresh food compartment is positioned within a water reservoir and is also insulated but for an ice-making surface thereof. When the check valve of the heat pipe is open, heat transfer thereto to the freezer compartment is enhanced to cause a clear ice cube to be formed on the uninsulated ice-making surface of the submersed heat pipe. When the check valve closes, the heat of the surrounding water will harvest the ice cube by releasing same to float to the top of the reservoir for collection and storage by conventional means.

Growing community of inventors

Louisville, KY, United States of America

Frank A Schumacher