Rheem Manufacturing Company

Robert I Kepesky

Shawn Allan Reed

Robert Steven Neihouse

Scott Alan Willbanks

Joey W Huffaker

Seung-Ho Kim

Daniel Ryan Schmalz

Kevin Thompson

Walter S Painter

A high-efficiency modulating gas furnace (herein 'gas furnace') includes a furnace controller. The gas furnace further includes a gas valve and at least one pressure switch that is coupled to the furnace controller. The electrical contacts of the at least one pressure switch are removed from a series electrical circuit with the gas valve such that the gas furnace operates without de-energizing the gas valve as soon as the electrical contacts of the at least one pressure switch are opened. Further, the furnace controller operates the induced draft blower at or close to a lowest RPM at which the electrical contacts of the at least one pressure switch can be kept closed, which is between a make point RPM at which the electrical contacts of the at least one pressure switch close and a break point RPM at which the electrical contacts of the at least one pressure switch open.

High efficiency modulating gas furnace

A gas-fired forced draft air heating furnace is provided with a specially designed self-cooling draft inducer fan that overlies an inshot-type burner section of the furnace and is operatively supported on a heat exchanger plenum portion of the furnace housing. The fan motor is supported on an outboard housing side of the fan, and an umbrella cooling fan is coaxially secured to an outboard end of the fan drive shaft. During operation of the draft inducer fan, the umbrella fan is rotationally driven to direct a flow of ambient cooling air toward the outboard side of the draft inducer fan housing in a manner causing the air flow to sequentially contact and cool the outer shaft end bearing area, the motor windings and the inner shaft end bearing area at the outer side of the draft inducer fan housing. A baffle structure mounted on the outer draft inducer fan housing side serves to guide the cooling air flow along the inner shaft end bearing area and shield the burner flames from disruption by the cooling air flow area after it contacts the inner shaft end bearing area.

Fuel-fired furnace with self-cooling draft inducer fan

Growing community of inventors

Greenwood, AR, United States of America

Robert I Kepesky