Water heater with temporary capacity increase
Contents
1. 122 14 2 2010 0206869 A1 8 2010 Nelsonetal 219 494 FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS GB 2211331 6 1999 JP 8264469 10 1996 JP 2008008548 1 2008 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Lennox Network Control Panel User s Manual 18 pages Nov 1999 Moog M3000 Control System RTEMP 8 Remote 8 Channel Tem perature Controller with CanOpen Interface 6 pages Nov 2004 cited by examiner U S Patent Jul 16 2013 Sheet 1 of 6 US 8 485 138 B2 Figure 1 U S Patent Jul 16 2013 Sheet 2 of 6 US 8 485 138 B2 P dad Main Controller O Block 34 Gas Control s Vicroprocsssor 36 Remote Controller a 92 O Block 40 User Interface 42 Figure 2 U S Patent Jul 16 2013 Sheet 3 of 6 US 8 485 138 B2 wily 48 46 wr Figure 3 U S Patent Jul 16 2013 Sheet 4 of 6 US 8 485 138 B2 Pa 56 Imp 58 60 62 Figure 4 U S Patent Jul 16 2013 Sheet 5 of 6 US 8 485 138 B2 Provide a Maximum Temperature Set Point Accept from the Remote Controller an Operating Temperature Set Point Operate the Water Heater in Accordance with the Operating Temperature Set Point figure 5 U S Patent Jul 16 2013 Sheet 6 of 6 US 8 485 138 B2 If Main Controller is in Normal Mode Enter Boost if Already in Boost Mode Cancel Boost Request 78 Set Point lt 140 86 84 Temporary Set Point Last Set Point 10 F or Max Dial Set Point 90 Tempo2. 862 7 252 502 U S PATENT DOCUMENTS A 7 1998 Michaud et al A 8 1998 Brandt et al A 4 1999 Bowles A 10 1999 Demaline A 11 1999 Dugger A 4 2000 Shellenberger A 5 2000 Adams et al A 5 2000 Barnes et al A 6 2000 Wu Bl 3 2001 Langford Bl 4 2001 Brown et al Bl 7 2001 Bird et al BI 8 2001 Henderson BI 9 2001 Stettin et al BI 2 2002 Scott BI 3 2002 Lowenstein et al BI 4 2002 Dayetal E 6 2002 Brandt et al B2 5 2003 Troost IV B2 10 2003 Bradenbaugh BI 3 2004 Schultz et al B2 9 2004 Bradenbaugh B2 3 2005 Ghent B2 4 2005 Clifford B2 8 2005 Sharood et al B2 8 2005 Moreno B2 10 2005 Munsterhuis et al B2 11 2005 Chian et al B2 8 2006 Karaoguz et al B2 10 2006 Phillips BI 5 2007 Miller et al B2 8 2007 Munsterhuis Page 2 7 317 265 B2 1 2008 Chian et al 8 165 726 B2 4 2012 Nordberg etal 700 300 8 176 881 B2 5 2012 Arensmeier et al 122 14 22 2004 0042772 Al 3 2004 Whitford et al 2004 0267385 Al 12 2004 Lingemann 2005 0077368 Al 4 2005 Zak et al 2005 0147401 Al 7 2005 Baxter 2005 0147402 Al 7 2005 Baxter 2005 0150967 Al 7 2005 Chapman Jr et al 2006 0243816 A1 11 2006 Teti 2007 0023333 Al 2 2007 Mouhebaty et al 2007 0034169 A1 2 2007 Phillips 2007 0191994 A1 8 2007 Patterson et al 2007 0246551 A1 10 2007 Phillips et al 2007 0295823 Al 12 2007 Yamada et al 2008 0023564 Al 1 2008 Hall 2008 0188995 Al 8 2008 Hotton et al 2009 0139466 Al 62009 Takayama
3. be programmed to provide additional hot water capacity on a regular or programmed basis perhaps at a particular time of day and or only on certain day s Turning now to FIG 3 an illustrative but non limiting example of gas control unit 18 is shown Gas control unit 18 US 8 485 138 B2 5 may include a temperature set point setting device 44 In some instances temperature set point setting device 44 may include a rotatable knob 46 having an indicator line or arrow 48 The rotatable knob 46 may rotate relativeto a temperature scale 50 thatis printed orotherwise disposed on an outer surface of gas control unit 18 In some cases temperature set point setting device 44 may provide gas control unit 18 with an operating temperature set point In some instances particularly if gas control unit 18 is in communication with a remote controller such as remote controller 32 FIG 2 temperature set point setting device 44 may provide gas control unit 18 with a maximum temperature set point while the remote controller may provide the operating temperature set point In some instances both an operating temperature set point and a maxi mum temperature set point may be set using one or more dials or the like at the gas control unit 18 While a rotating knob 46 is shown it is contemplated that any suitable user interface may be provided for setting an operating temperature set point and or a maximum temperature set point as desired FIG 4 shows an
4. illustrative but non limiting example of a remote controller 52 that may be considered as being an illustrative embodiment of remote controller 32 FIG 2 Remote controller 52 may be mounted or otherwise disposed within a home or building at a location that is remote from water heater 10 FIG 1 In some cases for example remote controller 52 may be wall mounted within a living space proximate or incorporated into a HVAC controller such as a thermostat In some instances it is contemplated that remote controller 52 may be disposed in or near a bathroom as a bath or shower is often a large consumer of hot water Regardless of where remote controller 52 is disposed illus trative remote controller 52 may include one or more of a display 54 an UP arrow 56 a DOWN arrow 58 and or selection buttons 60 and 62 In some cases it is contemplated that display 54 may be a touch screen display such as a touch screen LCD display and as such remote controller 52 may not include any physical buttons In some instances for example display 54 may provide a graphical representation of an operating temperature set point the current status of water heater 10 FIG 1 i e whether water heater 10 is in a draw period recovery period or standby or any other desired information In some cases display 54 may provide an indi cation of whether or not water heater 10 is in a boost mode period A boost mode period is a time period during which a user has
5. instructions to increase to a boost temperature set point that is higher than the normal operating temperature set point In some cases the temperature differential temperature may be reduced while in the boost mode Another illustrative but non limiting example of the dis closure may be found in a water heater that includes a water tank and a gas burner that is disposed proximate the water tank A communicating gas valve may be configured to con trol gas flow to the gas burner The communicating gas valve may include a maximum temperature set point and an oper ating temperature set point and may operate in accordance with a particular temperature differential as described above In some cases a remote controller may be configured to accept a request for additional hot water capacity from a user and to communicate a resultant boost request to the commu nicating gas valve In some instances the boost request may include instructions to increase to a boost temperature set point that is higher than the normal operating temperature set point In some cases the temperature differential temperature may be reduced while in the boost mode Another illustrative but non limiting example of the dis closure may be found in a method of operating a water heater that has a communicating gas valve having a main controller and a remote controller A maximum temperature set point may be provided as well as operating temperature set point The main contro
6. microprocessor 36 may also include memory In some cases main controller 30 may also include a Gas Control block 38 Gas Control block 38 may receive com mand instructions from microprocessor 36 and may in turn provide appropriate instructions to an electrically controlled gas valve disposed within or controlled by the gas control unit 18 The illustrative remote controller 32 may also have several components In some instances remote controller 32 may include an I O block 40 and a user interface 42 I O block 40 may for example receive information from the user interface 42 and provide corresponding information to main controller 30 When provided user interface 42 may take any desired form and may include a display and or one or more buttons that a user may use to enter information In some instances user interface 42 may be configured to permit a user to request additional hot water For example a homeowner may anticipate that due to a larger number of occupants hot water may run low at a particular time of day In some cases the homeowner may preemptively instruct water heater 10 FIG 1 to provide additional hot water capacity to remedy the expected shortcoming via user inter face 42 It is contemplated that remote controller 32 may be configured to permit a homeowner or other user to make a request for additional hot water capacity for a particular period of time In other cases it is contemplated that remote controller 32 may
7. requested sometimes via remote controller 52 an elevated water temperature within water heater 10 in order to obtain more thermal energy from water heater 10 than may otherwise be available when operating at the operating tem perature set point In some cases UP arrow 56 and or DOWN arrow 58 may be used by the user to raise or lower an operating temperature set point In some instances remote controller 52 may accept an operating temperature set point from a user and may com municate the operating temperature set point to main control ler 30 FIG 2 Main controller 30 may then operate water heater 10 in accordance with the operating temperature set point provided by the remote controller 52 provided that certain safety parameters are met For example main control ler 30 FIG 2 may operate in accordance with the operating temperature set point as long as the operating temperature set point does not exceed a predetermined temperature safety limit such as 160 F or perhaps 154 F In some cases main controller 30 may operate in accordance with the operating temperature set point as long as the operating temperature set point provided by remote controller 52 does not exceed the maximum temperature set point set by temperature set point 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 6 setting device 44 FIG 3 In some cases the operating tem perature set point is set at the main controller 30 and not via the remote
8. 7 350 A 11 1974 Thompson 3 849 350 A 11 1974 Matsko 4 324 944 A 4 1982 Weihrich et al RE30 936 E 5 1982 Kmetz et al 4 333 002 A 6 1982 Kozak 4 467 178 A 8 1984 Swindle 4 508 261 A 4 1985 Blank 4 511 790 A 4 1985 Kozak 4 568 821 A 2 1986 Boe 4 588 875 A 5 1986 Kozak et al pwr A water heater may be configured to temporarily increase its hot water capacity by heating water to a higher boost tem perature In some instances the water heater may include a main controller that can accept a boost request from a remote controller and thus may temporarily provide additional hot water capacity without for example requiring a homeowner to go down to the basement out to the garage or wherever the water heater happens to be to make manual adjustments to the water heater settings 17 Claims 6 Drawing Sheets 24 Boost Mode Button Selected 74 t a Re ol ended Temp Set or Time Expired ron c No Point Reached S99 Maximum Temperature Set Point when Boost L is Pressed Flash Max if Operating Set Polat 1 i US 8 485 138 B2 5 779 143 5 797 358 5 896 089 5 968 393 5 975 884 6 053 130 6 059 195 6 069 998 6 075 923 6 208 806 6 212 894 6 261 087 6 271 505 6 293 471 6 350 967 6 363 218 6 375 087 RE37 745 6 560 409 6 633 726 6 701 874 6 795 644 6 861 621 6 880 493 6 934 862 6 936 798 6 955 301 6 959 876 7 088 238 7 117 825 7 221
9. 8 FIG 2 shows a main controller 30 and a remote controller 32 that is in communication with main controller 30 In some cases remote controller 32 may communicate wirelessly with main controller 30 In some instances remote controller 32 may be electrically connected to main controller 30 via wires such as low voltage wiring similar to the 24 volt wiring used to connect HVAC thermostats to furnaces and other HVAC equipment These are only example connections that may facilitate communication between the main control ler 30 and the remote controller 32 As noted above and in some instances main controller 30 may be integrated into gas control unit 18 while in other cases main controller 30 may be external to gas control unit 18 but in communication with gas control unit 18 It is contemplated that main controller 30 may have several components In some cases main controller 30 may have an I O block 34 that accepts signals from a temperature sensor 28 FIG 1 remote controller 32 and or any other suitable device or component I O block 34 may accommodate control signals from remote controller 32 Main controller 30 may include a microproces sor 36 that may be configured to accept appropriate signals from I O block 34 and determine appropriate output signals that can be outputted via VO block 34 to other components within gas control unit 18 FIG 1 remote controller 32 and or any other suitable device or component While not illustrated
10. IG 1 is already operating at the maximum temperature set point In some cases this may cause the user to adjust the maximum temperature set point using for example temperature set point setting device 44 FIG 3 It is contemplated that this 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 8 determination and a corresponding display such as that shown at block 88 may also take place even if at decision block 82 the normal operating temperature set point was greater than 1409 Returning back to decision block 82 if the normal operat ing temperature set point is greater than 140 F control passes to block 84 where the boost temperature set point is set equal to 150 F That is if the normal operating temperature set point is greater than 140 F the boost temperature set point is not increased by 10 F but rather is only raised to 150 F From blocks 84 and 88 control is passed to block 90 In block 90 main controller 30 FIG 2 may temporarily set the temperature differential equal to zero or some other reduced value as desired This may trigger operation of gas burner 24 FIG 1 sooner than it would otherwise be started thereby initiating the heating cycle sooner At block 92 remote con troller 32 FIG 2 may provide a graphical or other indication that water heater 10 FIG 1 is in a boost mode Control is then passed to block 94 where main controller 30 determines if the boost temperature set point has b
11. US008485138B2 a2 United States Patent 10 Patent No US 8 485 138 B2 Leeland 45 Date of Patent Jul 16 2013 54 WATER HEATER WITH TEMPORARY 4 692 598 A 9 1987 Yoshida et al CAPACITY INCREASE 4 696 639 A 9 1987 Bohan Jr 4 734 658 A 3 1988 Bohan Jr 75 Inventor Shanna Lorraine Leeland St Paul Mr A dion DR getal MN US 4 834 284 A 5 1989 Vandermeyden 4 984 981 A 1 1991 Pottebaum 73 Assignee Honeywell International Inc 4 986 468 A 1 1991 Deisinger Morristown NJ US 5 007 156 A 4 1991 Hurtgen 5 103 078 A 4 1992 Boykin et al Notice Subject to any disclaimer the term of this 93 200 N ee Hoon patent is extended or adjusted under 35 5 660 328 A 8 1997 Momber U S C 154 b by 1280 days Continued 21 Appl No 12 270 783 FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS I EP 0356609 3 1990 22 Filed Nov 13 2008 EP 0699316 7 1999 65 Prior Publication Data Continued US 2010 0116224 A1 May 13 2010 OTHER PUBLICATIONS U S Appl No 10 911 151 filed Aug 3 2004 51 Int CI F24H 9 20 2006 01 Continued 52 U S CI l f USPE laaan 122 14 22 122 14 21 700 300 Primary Examiner John K Fristoe Jr 58 Field of Classification Search Assistant Examiner Matthew W Jellett USPC 122 14 1 14 2 14 21 14 22 700 299 74 Attorney Agent or Firm Seager Tufte amp Wickhem 700 300 236 51 LLC See application file for complete search history 57 ABSTRACT 56 References Cited U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 3 84
12. antly increase the hot water capacity of the water heater 10 during a boost period FIG 5 is a flow diagram showing an illustrative but non limiting example of a method that may be carried out in the operation of water heater 10 FIG 1 Control begins at block 64 where a maximum temperature set point is provided In some cases this may be done using temperature set point setting device 44 FIG 3 orthough some other user interface Alternatively or in addition a maximum temperature set point may be hard coded At block 66 an operating tempera ture set point may be accepted such as from the remote controller 32 FIG 2 or through a dial or the like on the main US 8 485 138 B2 7 controller 30 Main controller 30 FIG 2 may operate water heater 10 in accordance with the operating temperature set point as shown at block 68 Control passes to block 70 where a boost reguest is accepted from for example the remote controller 32 FIG 2 In some cases main controller 30 FIG 2 may calculate or otherwise determine a boost temperature set point and may operate water heater 10 FIG 1 in accordance with the boost temperature set point as shown at block 72 In some instances water heater 10 FIG 1 may be operated in accordance with the boost temperature set point for a predetermined length of time and sometimes set the temperature differentialto zero or any other desired temperature differential Reducing the tem perature
13. articular tem perature differential and a remote controller in communication with the main con troller and configured to accept a request from a user for additional hot water capacity resulting in the remote controller communicating a boost request to the main controller wherein the boost request results in the main controller temporarily operating in accordance with a boost temperature set point that is higher than the oper ating temperature set point wherein the main controller upon receiving the boost request from the user activates a timer and operates the heat source in accordance with the boost temperature set point for a predetermined length oftime measured by the timer and wherein the main controller sets the boost temperature set point at a temperature that is a predetermined amount above the operating temperature set point as long as the resulting boost temperature set point does not exceed the maximum temperature set point of the main controller US 8 485 138 B2 9 2 The water heater system of claim 1 wherein the heat source includes a fossil fuel burner and the main controller is included in a communicating gas valve 3 The water heater system of claim 1 wherein the remote controller is configured to acceptan operating temperature set point and to communicate the operating temperature set point to the main controller 4 The water heater system of claim 1 wherein the main controller upon receiving the boost re
14. controller 32 Under normal operating conditions main controller 30 may operate water heater 10 FIG 1 in accordance with a particular temperature differential value The temperature differential may be a numerical difference between a tem perature at which gas burner 24 is activated and a temperature at which gas burner 24 is terminated or stopped For example if main controller 30 is programmed with a temperature dif ferential value of say 10 F and a temperature set point of 120 F gas burner 24 may be activated when a water tem perature indicated by temperature sensor 28 FIG 1 falls to 110 F and may run until the water temperature rises to 120 F However in some illustrative embodiments if a home owner or other user requests additional hot water via remote controller 32 FIG 2 or otherwise main controller 30 may operate using a lower temperature differential or even a zero differential if desired In an illustrative embodiment when remote controller 32 FIG 2 instructs main controller 30 FIG 2 that additional hot water capacity has been requested main controller 30 may determine a boost temperature set point that may repre sent an increase to the operating temperature set point For example the boost temperature set point may be 10 F higher than the operating temperature set point but it will be appre ciated that other temperature increases may also be employed In some instances the boost temperature set po
15. differential to zero may cause the main controller 30 to immediately activate the heater element ofthe water heater Insome cases water heater 10 may be operated in accordance with a boost temperature set point only if the boost tempera ture set point falls below particular safety limits and or below the maximum temperature set at block 64 In some cases the main controller 30 may adjust the boost temperature set point to be within particular safety limits and or within the maxi mum temperature set at block 64 FIG 6 is a flow diagram showing another illustrative but non limiting example of a method that may be carried out in the operation of water heater 10 FIG 1 In FIG 6 it can be seen that certain steps or operations indicated by solid lines may be manifested within main controller 30 FIG 2 while other steps or operations indicated by dashed lines may be manifested within remote controller 32 but this is not required At block 74 it can be seen that ahomeowner or other user has pressed a Boost button or otherwise activated a boost mode via remote controller 32 FIG 2 A boost button may for example correspond to one of the selection buttons 60 or 62 shown on remote controller 52 FIG 4 or may be a touch button ona touch screen display At block 76 main controller 30 receives the boost request Control passes to block 78 where if main controller 30 FIG 2 is operating in accordance with an operating tem perature se
16. does not activate the heater element until the temperature of the water in the water heater falls below the temperature set point by at least a temperature differential amount The desired temperature set point can be referred to as the first tempera ture set point and the temperature at which the heater element is actually activated can be referred to as the second tempera ture set point where the difference between the first tempera ture set point and the second temperature set point corre sponds to the temperature differential A conventional water heater typically has at least one heat ing element or heater such as a gas fired and or electric burner To take advantage of the heat rises principle the heateris often located at or near the bottom ofthe water heater tank Each water heater typically also has at least one ther mostat or controller for controlling the heater To facilitate the heating of water the controller often receives signals related to thetemperature of the water oftentimes from a temperature sensor that is thermally engaged with the water within the water heater When temperature signals from the temperature sensor indicate that the water temperature is below the second temperature set point for example when the water tempera ture is below about 120 F the controller may turn on the heater element and the water within the water heater begins to heat After some time the water temperature within the wat
17. een reached or if the timer started in block 80 has expired In the illustrative embodiment if either event has occurred control passes to block 96 where the main controller 30 exits the boost mode and returns to operating at the operating temperature set point If the boost temperature set point has not been reached and if the timer started in block 80 has not expired control reverts to block 80 where the timer is continued In some cases the main controller 30 may include an anti stacking control algorithm to help prevent stacking in the water tank such as described in U S Pat No 6 560 409 and 6 955 301 which are incorporated herein by reference The disclosure should not be considered limited to the particular examples described above but rather should be understood to cover all aspects of the invention as set out in the attached claims Various modifications equivalent pro cesses as well as numerous structures to which the invention can be applicable will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art upon review of the instant specification What is claimed is 1 A water heater system comprising a water tank a heat source disposed proximate the water tank a main controller disposed proximate the water tank the main controller configured to control the heat source the main controller including a maximum temperature set point and an operating temperature set point the main controller operating in accordance with a p
18. er heater tank may increase back to the first temperature set point which for example may be about 140 F At this point the controller may cause the heater element to reduce its heat output or alternatively causes the heater element to turn off This heating cycle may begin again when the water tempera ture within the water heater tank drops below the second temperature set point Water heaters are typically available in a variety of differ ent sizes so that a particular home or building may be equipped with a water heater having a thermal capacity or quantity of sufficiently heated water that is sufficient for normal conditions expected for the particular home or build ing However special circumstances such as having over night visitors may mean that there may be a temporary larger than normal demand for hot water Typically the increased demand is accompanied by a need to have increased hot water 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 2 available within a relatively short time frame For example several extra house guests may wish to shower in the morning causing a temporary increased demand for hot water in a relatively short time period One way to accommodate this situation is to initially install an oversized water heater How ever it may not be very efficient to run an oversized water heater all the time to accommodate occasional and short term demands for increased hot water SUMMARY The p
19. ermined length oftime 12 The water heater system of claim 6 wherein the com municating gas valve upon receiving the boost request pro vides gas to the gas burner for the predetermined length of time 13 The water heater system of claim 6 wherein the com municating gas valve upon receiving the boost request pro vides gas to the gas burner for the predetermined length of time unless a subsequent signal to stop the boost request is received from a user via the remote controller 14 A method of operating a water heater having a commu nicating gas valve and a remote controller the method com prising the steps of storing a maximum temperature set point and an operating temperature set point operating the water heater in accordance with the operating temperature set point accepting from the remote controller a boost request for additional hot water capacity setting the boost temperature set point to the operating temperature set point plus an offset limited by the maxi mum temperature set point activating a timer temporarily operating the water heater in accordance with a boost temperature set point for a predetermined time period as determined by the timer after the boost request for additional hot water capacity is accepted and returning to operate the water heater in accordance with the operating temperature set point after the predetermined time period expires 15 The method of claim 14 wherein operating the wa
20. guest operates the heat source until the boost temperature set point is reached and is controlled to for the predetermined length of time 5 The water heater system of claim 1 wherein the main controller upon receiving the boost reguest operates the heat source for the predetermined length of time unless a subse quent signal to stop the boost request is received from a user via the remote controller 6 A water heater system comprising a water tank a gas burner disposed proximate the water tank a communicating gas valve configured to control gas flow to the gas burner the communicating gas valve including a controller with a maximum temperature set point and an operating temperature set point the controller of the communicating gas valve operating in accordance with a particular temperature differential and aremote controller configured to accept a request for addi tional hot water from a user and to communicate a result ant boost request to the controller ofthe communicating gas valve wherein in response the controller of the communicating gas valve operates in accordance with a boost temperature set point that is higher than the oper ating temperature set point wherein upon accepting a request for additional hot water from a user the controller of the communicating gas valve initiates a timer and operates in accordance with the boost temperature set point for a predetermined length of time as determined by the timer and whe
21. int may be limited by safety limits and or by the maximum temperature set point set by for example the temperature set point setting device 44 FIG 3 In some embodiments main controller 30 FIG 2 upon receiving a boost request from remote controller 32 FIG 2 may operate gas burner 24 FIG 1 until the boost tempera ture set point has been reached Once the boost temperature set point has been reached the boost period may be ended and main controller 30 may in some cases revert back to the normal operating temperature set point In some cases main controller 30 may operate in accordance with the boost tem perature set point turning gas burner 24 on and off as appro priate to maintain the water at the boost temperature set point for a predetermined length of time For example main con troller 30 may maintain the boost temperature set point for a period of time up to about 2 hours although other time peri ods are contemplated and permissible In some cases main controller 30 may maintain the boost temperature set point indefinitely until receiving a subsequent signal from remote controller 32 FIG 2 to return to the operating temperature set point When operating in accordance with the boost tem perature set point the water heater 10 may operate normally but with a higher temperature set point and thus attempts to heat all of the water in the water tank and not just water around a top portion of the tank This can signific
22. like Merely for illustrative purposes the drawings show a fossil fuel fired water heater However it is contemplated that the any type of water heater may be used FIG 1 shows a schematic view of an illustrative but non limiting water heater 10 Water heater 10 includes a water tank 12 Cold water enters water tank 12 through a cold water line 14 and is heated by a gas burner 24 The resulting heated water exits through a hot water line 16 A gas control unit 18 regulates gas flow from a gas source 20 through a combustion gas line 22 and into gas burner 24 A flue 26 permits combus tion byproducts to safely exit Water heater 10 may include a temperature sensor 28 In some cases temperature sensor 28 may enter water tank 12 at a location exterior to gas control 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 4 unit 18 In some instances however temperature sensor 28 may instead be located behind gas control unit 18 To accom modate this water tank 12 may include an aperture or recess not illustrated that is sized and configured to accept tem perature sensor 28 In some cases gas control unit 18 may be in communica tion with a main controller not seen in FIG 1 that provides gas controlunit 18 with appropriate command instructions In some cases gas control unit 18 may itself incorporate the main controller FIG 2 is a schematic diagram showing how a remote controller may provide instructions to gas control unit 1
23. ller may operate the water heater in accor dance with the operating temperature set point If a boost request is accepted from the remote controller the main con troller may temporarily operate the water heater in accor US 8 485 138 B2 3 dance with a boost temperature set point In some cases the temperature differential temperature may be reduced while in the boost mode The above summary is not intended to describe each and every disclosed embodiment or every implementation of the disclosure The Description that follows more particularly exemplifies various illustrative embodiments BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The following description should be read with reference to the drawings The drawings which are not necessarily to scale depict selected embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope ofthe disclosure The disclosure may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments in connection with the accompanying drawings in which FIG 1 is a schematic view of an illustrative but non limit ing water heater in accordance with the present disclosure FIG 2 is a schematic block view of an illustrative control system that may be used with the water heater of FIG 1 FIG 3 is a schematic view of an illustrative main controller that may be used in the control system of FIG 2 FIG 4 is a schematic view of an illustrative remote con troller that may be used i
24. n the control system of FIG 2 FIG 5 is a flow diagram showing an illustrative but non limiting example of a method that may be carried out via the control system of FIG 2 and FIG 6 is a flow diagram showing an illustrative but non limiting example of a method that may be carried out via the control system of FIG 2 While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail It should be understood however that the intention is notto limit the invention to the particular illustrative embodi ments described On the contrary the intention is to cover all modifications equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention DESCRIPTION The following description should be read with reference to the drawings in which like elements in different drawings are numbered in like fashion The drawings which are not nec essarily to scale depict selected embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention Although examples of construction dimensions and materials are illustrated for the various elements those skilled in the art will recognize that many of the examples provided have suitable alternatives that may be utilized The disclosure relates to heating water and as such may include fossil fuel fired water heaters electrically heated water heaters boilers and the
25. rary Differential 0 if Operating Set Point Maximum Temperature 92 4 MR amam AL Set Point when Boost 5 Boost Mode Indicated A L _is Pressed F lash Max cnc Temporary Set Point 150 F Temp Set Exit Boost Mode No Point Reached S e amp Return to Last Set Point US 8 485 138 B2 1 WATER HEATER WITH TEMPORARY CAPACITY INCREASE TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure relates generally to water heaters and more particularly to water heaters that are configured to provide a temporary capacity increase BACKGROUND Water heaters are commonly used in homes businesses and just about any establishment having the need for heated water In many cases a water heater is configured to heat water in a water heater tank using a gas fired burner an electric heater or some other heater element When demand for hot water arises e g someone turns on a faucet to run a shower fresh cold or ambient temperature water typically enters the water heater tank and pushes out or supplies the hotter water When the temperature of the water in the water heater falls below a temperature set point either though the mere passage of time or as a result of a hot water draw the water heater typically activates a heater element to restore the temperature of the water in the tank back to the temperature set point To help reduce cycling of the water heater a temperature differential is often employed where the water heater
26. rein the communicating gas valve in response to receiving the boost request from the remote controller sets the boost temperature set point at a temperature that is a predetermined amount above the operating tempera ture set point 7 The system of claim 1 wherein the main controller is configured to compare the boost temperature set point to the maximum temperature set point and set the boost temperature set point to the maximum tem perature set point if the boost temperature set point is higher than the maximum temperature set point 8 The water heater system of claim 6 wherein the com municating gas valve may in response to receiving the boost request from the remote controller reduce the temperature differential and thus provide gas to the gas burner sooner 9 The water heater system of claim 6 wherein the com municating gas valve sets the boost temperature set point at a 15 20 30 35 45 50 10 temperature that is a predetermined amount above the oper ating temperature set point limited by the maximum tempera ture set point 10 The water heater system of claim 6 wherein the remote controller provides the controller of the communicating gas valve with the operating temperature set 11 The water heater system of claim 6 wherein the com municating gas valve upon receiving the boost request pro vides gas to the gas burner until the boost temperature set point is reached and is to for the predet
27. resent disclosure relates generally to water heaters and more particularly to water heaters that are configured to provide a temporary hot water capacity increase In one illus trative embodiment this may be accomplished by tempo rarily increasing the temperature of the water in the water heater tank In some instances the water heater may include a main controller that can accept a boost request from a remote controller or the like and in response may tempo rarily increase the temperature ofthe water in the water heater tank to provide additional hot water without requiring a user to forexample go down to the basement out to the garage or wherever the water heater happens to be to manually and temporarily change the set point of the water heater In an illustrative but non limiting example a water heater is provided that includes a water tank and a heat source that is disposed proximate the water tank A main controller may be provided that is configured to control the heat source The main controller may include a maximum temperature set point and an operating temperature set point and may operate in accordance with a particular temperature differential as described above In some cases a remote controller may be configured to accept a request such as from a homeowner or other user for additional hot water capacity and may com municate a resultant boost request to the main controller In some instances the boost request may include
28. t point main controller 30 enters a boost mode If main controller 30 is already in boost mode when the Boost button is pushed the main controller may cancel the boost mode return to operating in accordance with an operating temperature set point and return to block 74 At block 80 main controller 30 enables the boost mode In some cases main controller 30 may also start a counter or timer that can be used to set a maximum time period for the boost mode Control is then passed to decision block 82 At decision block 82 a determination is made whether the nor mal operating temperature set point is at or below 140 F where 140 F is selected for illustrative purposes only Ifthe operating temperature set point is less than or equal to 140 F at decision block 82 control passes to block 86 where a boost temperature set point is set equal to the normal operating temperature set point plus 10 F where 10 F is selected for illustrative purposes only or the maximum temperature set point whichever is less Control then passes to block 88 where the operating temperature set point is compared to the maximum temperature set point If the operating temperature set point is already equal to the maximum temperature set point when the boost button is pressed remote controller 32 FIG 2 may provide a graphical or other indication of this condition such as flash MAX telling the user that no boost is available because the water heater 10 F
29. ter heater in accordance with the boost temperature set point includes operating the water heater with a reduced tempera ture differential 16 The method of claim 14 wherein the operating tem perature set point is accepted from the remote controller 17 The method of claim 14 further comprising comparing the operating temperature set point plus the offset to the maximum temperature set point and setting the boost temperature set point to the maximum temperature set point if the operating temperature set point plus the offset is higher than the maximum tem perature set point
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