Rheem Manufacturing Company

Timothy E Powell

David L Henderson

Jacob H Hall

David M Hanning

An electric water heater is provided with simplified phase conversion apparatus including a terminal structure having replaceable line lug portions which are wired to a single phase row of multi-pin connector sockets by single phase routing circuitry, and to a three phase row of multi-pin connector sockets by three phase routing circuitry. Electrical supply wires from sets of fuse holders connected to multiple thermostat/heating element sets are grouped and connected to associated multi-pin connector plugs. To ready the water heater for single phase operation, the plugs are connected to the single phase row of sockets, and to convert the water heater to three phase operation the plugs are simply disconnected from the single phase sockets and connected to the three phase sockets. In this manner the necessity of individually repositioning all of the fuse holder wires on the terminal structure to change from single to three phase operation, or vice versa, is eliminated.

Electric water heater with simplified phase conversion apparatus

The external jacket structure of an electric water heater defines with the water storage tank portion thereof a hollow insulation space that horizontally circumscribes and extends across the top end of the tank. A fiberglass foam stop block member is pressed between the tank and jacket and has a cutout area through which an immersion heating element end connector is exposed to a first jacket sidewall opening normally covered by a removable access panel. A control panel mounted externally on the jacket above the first jacket sidewall opening has a bottom interior portion that downwardly overlaps a top portion of the cutout area and communicates therewith through a second jacket opening. An electrical control component disposed in an upper interior portion of the control panel is operatively connected to the heating element end connector by electrical wiring extending from the control component sequentially through the control panel interior, inwardly through the second jacket sidewall opening, and through the foam stop block member cutout area. The hollow insulation space between the tank and jacket is filled with a hardened foam insulation material injected into the insulation space through the jacket at a point thereon disposed outwardly of the exterior edge periphery of the foam stop block member.

Electric water heater with improved insulation structure and control

An electric water heater is provided with a vertically enlarged, sealed bottom end cap which functions as an integral drainage catch basin to receive water leaking from the water heater's internal hot water storage tank into the annular space between the storage tank and the outer jacket of the water heater. A drain pipe extends through a sealed opening in the end cap and is used to drain away water entering the cap, thus eliminating the previous necessity of providing the water heater with a separate drainage catch pan structure. The storage tank is electrically grounded to the outer water heater jacket at a point above the bottom end cap, thus eliminating the necessity of forming this grounding interconnection with a grounding screw extending upwardly through the bottom end cap and forming a water leak path through the bottom of the end cap.

Water heater with integral drainage catch pan structure

A fuel-fired water heater has a plurality of bottom end legs which hold the bottom end of the heater a few inches above the floor, and a fuel burner positioned directly above a combustion air inlet in the bottom end of the heater body. To assure that all combustion air delivered to the burner is taken from a height at least 18' above the floor, a bottom end portion of the water heater is positioned within a floor supported, horizontally enlarged drain pan which vertically extends to at least 18' above the floor. In one embodiment thereof, the drain pan has an open top through which combustion air enters and is drawn downwardly to the bottom air inlet of the heater, and in another embodiment the drain pan top is closed off and combustion air is ducted into the pan from a remote, higher location. The pan has an outlet fitting which may be connected to a pipe or hose to drain away any water leaking from the water heater, or from closely adjacent piping and/or fittings connected thereto.

Growing community of inventors

Tallassee, AL, United States of America

Timothy E Powell