Fluid heater system with tiltable heater assembly

Abstract

A fluid heater system with tiltable heater assembly for facilitating the performance of maintenance on the heater assembly. The fluid heater system with tiltable heater assembly includes a support frame and a heater assembly mounted on the support frame. The heater assembly comprises a combustion chamber and a burner apparatus for burning fuel in the combustion chamber. The heater assembly is pivotally mounted on the support frame for permitting pivoting of the heater assembly in a substantially vertical plane with respect to the support frame such that the heater assembly is pivotable between an operational position and a maintenance position. The operational position is characterized by a central axis of the combustion chamber being oriented in a substantially vertical direction and the maintenance position is characterized by the central axis being rotated from the substantially vertical direction toward a generally horizontal direction. A locking structure may be provided for selectively locking the heater assembly with respect to the support frame in the operational position and in the maintenance position. The combustion chamber has a chamber perimeter wall defining a chamber interior, and the chamber perimeter wall has an outer surface. A heating conduit for carrying fluid for heating by the combustion chamber is provided, and the heating conduit has an inlet and an outlet. The heating conduit has a preheating portion adjacent to the inlet, and the preheating portion extends about the outer surface of the chamber perimeter wall of the combustion chamber for absorbing heat from the chamber perimeter wall of the combustion chamber.