The Water Heater Industry Joint Research and Development Consortium

Grinnell Corporation

Rheem Manufacturing Company

Bradford White Corporation

James M Martin

James W Mears

Eric M Lannes

Bruce A Hotton

Gordon W Stretch

Thomas E Archibald

Gary A Elder

Larry D Kidd

John H Scanlon

James T Campbell

Michael W Gordon

Garrett L Doss

Michael A Fischer

Leo William Fleury, Jr

Jerome S Pepi

A gas-fired water heater is provided with a combustion shutoff system which precludes further combustion within the water heater's combustion chamber in response to a combustion temperature therein reaching a predetermined level correlated to and indicative of a predetermined, undesirably high concentration of carbon monoxide present in the combustion chamber. In various illustrated embodiments thereof, the combustion shutoff system is operative to terminate further combustion air inflow to the combustion chamber, or terminate further fuel flow to the burner portion of the water heater.

Fuel-fired heating appliance with temperature-based fuel shutoff system

A gas-fired water heater has a combustion chamber with a bottom wall defined by a perforated flame arrestor plate forming a portion of a flow path through which combustion air may be supplied to a burner structure within the combustion chamber. During firing of the water heater a combustion air shutoff system having a heat-frangible temperature sensing structure disposed within the combustion chamber senses an undesirable temperature increase in the combustion chamber, caused by for example a partial blockage of the flow path, and responsively terminates further air flow into the combustion chamber, thereby shutting down the burner, prior to the creation in the combustion chamber of a predetermined elevated concentration of carbon monoxide.

Combustion air shutoff apparatus for a fuel-fired heating appliance

Methods of operating a fuel-fired heating apparatus

Fuel-fired heating appliance with combustion air shutoff system having frangible temperature sensing structure

A domestic water supply shutoff valve for use with fire protection system water supply piping has a body defining a volume for flow of water through the valve, with a supply inlet for connection to a supply of water, a first outlet for connection to fire protection system water supply piping, and a second outlet for connection to domestic system supply piping. A first passageway is defined within the body for flow of water from the supply inlet toward the first outlet. A second passageway is defined within the body for flow of water from the supply inlet toward the second outlet. A poppet valve is disposed within the body and mounted for movement between a first position for permitting flow of water from the inlet toward the first outlet and a second position for permitting flow of water from the inlet toward the second outlet, the poppet valve being biased toward the second position.

Domestic water supply shutoff valve

The invention relates to a fire protection sprinkler head having a base constructed for connection to a source of fire retardant fluid under pressure, a throat in the base through which fire retardant fluid can flow, a valve seat defined by the base about the periphery of the throat, and a resiliently flexible valve disk disposed across the throat and impressed upon the valve seat in sealing engagement. The valve seat has an arcuate profile segment, with a protuberant ridge disposed about the periphery of the throat and adjacent thereto. The ridge, in the region of its crest, defines a valve seat surface. The valve seat further has a recessed surface segment disposed radially outwardly of the throat, and divergent from a plane of the crest of the protuberant ridge. The valve disk has a sealing surface which is impressed upon the valve seat surface in the region of the crest of the protuberant ridge in sealing engagement over an annular region inward of the peripheral edge of the valve disk and in a manner to minimize the radial width of the valve seat surface, to thereby improve valve seat performance in resistance to leakage.

Sprinkler head having protuberant ridge valve seat

A heat-responsive element has two links joined with a thin solder layer in a face-to-face relationship over an extended surface area. The components of opposed surfaces of the links in contact with the solder layer and the solder layer are adapted to alloy with each other in the regions immediately adjacent each opposed surface to form alloy bonds between the opposed surfaces and the solder layer. The strength of these bonds is greater than the strength of the solder layer. At least the opposed surfaces of the links consist, at least in part, of an alloy-forming amount of nickel, cobalt, chromium or iron, or an alloy of nickel, cobalt, chromium, or iron.

Heat-responsive element for fire protection sprinklers or the like

Growing community of inventors

East Greenwich, RI, United States of America

James M Martin