The Water Heater Industry Joint Research and Development Consortium

John P Langmead

Larry D Kidd

Jacob H Hall

A fuel-fired heating appliance, representatively a gas-fired water heater, has a combustion chamber in a lower end portion thereof, and fuel burner apparatus having main and pilot burner portions is operatively disposed in the combustion chamber. During operation of the water heater combustion air is supplied to the burner apparatus only via a duct structure having an inlet elevated relative to the floor or other horizontal support surface upon which the water heater rests. A flammable vapor sensor is mounted on the lower end portion of the water heater, externally of the combustion air supply duct structure and at an elevation lower than that of its elevated inlet, and is operatively connected to burner control circuitry which, in turn, is coupled to the burner apparatus. In the event flammable vapors are generated near the floor adjacent the water heater, the vapor sensor operates to detect such vapors and responsively disables the burner apparatus via the control circuitry. The difference in elevation between the vapor sensor and the elevated combustion air inlet gives the sensor additional time to detect and respond to flammable vapors before they upwardly reach the elevated combustion air inlet.

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Reston, VA, United States of America

John P Langmead