GB2490648A - Freeze prevention system for a condensing boiler apparatus - Google Patents
Freeze prevention system for a condensing boiler apparatus Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2490648A GB2490648A GB1103350.3A GB201103350A GB2490648A GB 2490648 A GB2490648 A GB 2490648A GB 201103350 A GB201103350 A GB 201103350A GB 2490648 A GB2490648 A GB 2490648A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- boiler
- unit
- control unit
- temperature sensor
- drain pipe
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
- 230000002265 prevention Effects 0.000 title 1
- 238000010304 firing Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 3
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 230000008014 freezing Effects 0.000 description 6
- 238000007710 freezing Methods 0.000 description 6
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 230000000903 blocking effect Effects 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24H—FLUID HEATERS, e.g. WATER OR AIR HEATERS, HAVING HEAT-GENERATING MEANS, e.g. HEAT PUMPS, IN GENERAL
- F24H8/00—Fluid heaters characterised by means for extracting latent heat from flue gases by means of condensation
- F24H8/006—Means for removing condensate from the heater
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24D—DOMESTIC- OR SPACE-HEATING SYSTEMS, e.g. CENTRAL HEATING SYSTEMS; DOMESTIC HOT-WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; ELEMENTS OR COMPONENTS THEREFOR
- F24D19/00—Details
- F24D19/0095—Devices for preventing damage by freezing
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24H—FLUID HEATERS, e.g. WATER OR AIR HEATERS, HAVING HEAT-GENERATING MEANS, e.g. HEAT PUMPS, IN GENERAL
- F24H9/00—Details
- F24H9/16—Arrangements for water drainage
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02B—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
- Y02B30/00—Energy efficient heating, ventilation or air conditioning [HVAC]
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Thermal Sciences (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Removal Of Water From Condensation And Defrosting (AREA)
- Buildings Adapted To Withstand Abnormal External Influences (AREA)
- Building Environments (AREA)
Abstract
A condensing boiler apparatus has a condensate drain pipe 16 for draining condensate from a boiler unit 2, and a control unit 4 for controlling the boiler unit. The control unit is adapted to energise a trace heater 18 when both the temperature measured by a temperature sensor 10 mounted on the exterior wall 8 of a building 6 is below a predetermined value, and when the boiler is on, and thus producing condensate. The predetermined value may be in the range 0°C to 4°C. Preferably, the boiler unit is mounted inside a building having an external wall, where the condensate drain pipe extends from the boiler unit through the external wall. The trace heater may comprise a resistance heater wire mounted alongside or within the condensate drain pipe. Preferably, the control unit is an integral control unit arranged to control the firing of the boiler and also the energising of the temperature sensor in a single unit. In a further aspect, a trace heater apparatus for a boiler is disclosed.
Description
Condensing Boiler Trace Heater The invention relates to a boiler and to an attachment for a boiler.
Modern boilers are normally of condensing type and require a condensing drain pipe passing from the boiler to output condensate from the boiler. The boiler is normally installed so that the condensing drain pipe passes through the outer wall of the property in which the boiler is situated to discharge condensate outside.
A problem can arise since the condensate is essentially of water and the flow of water is not particularly large. In freezing conditions, the condensate can freeze blocking the condensate drain pipe. This prevents operation of the boiler in freezing conditions which is obviously undesirable.
If necessary an electrical heater can be applied to the condensing drain pipe to prevent freezing but this can cause significant energy usage.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a trace heater apparatus for a boiler, comprising: a temperature sensor for mounting on the exterior of a building; a trace heater for heating a drain pipe; and a control unit with a control interface for electrical communication with the boiler, wherein the control unit is adapted to energise the trace heater when both the temperature measured by the temperature sensor is below a predetermined value and when the boiler is fired.
By controlling the heating to only be provided when the boiler is producing heat (fired) and hence producing condensate the power used by the electrical heater is much reduced. It might be thought that the time the boiler is producing heat is the time when the heater should be off, but the inventors have realised that the time the boiler is fired is the time the boiler is producing condensate and so that is the time the heater needs to be on to prevent freezing.
In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a condensing boiler apparatus, comprising a boiler unit; a condensate drain pipe for draining condensate from the boiler unit; a control unit for controlling the boiler unit; a temperature sensor for mounting on the exterior of the building; wherein the control unit is adapted to energise the trace heater when both the temperature measured by the temperature sensor is below a predetermined value and when the boiler is on.
The condensing boiler apparatus may be mounted inside a building having an external wall with the condensate drain pipe extending through the external wall and the temperature sensor mounted on the outside of the external wall.
A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Figure 1 shows a high efficiency condensing boiler I having a boiler unit 2, the boiler I being fitted with a control unit 4 and mounted within a building 6 with an exterior wall 8.
A temperature sensor 10 is mounted on the outside of the exterior wall and connected to the control unit 4. The control unit has a control interface 12 which is electrically connected to the boiler unit 2 for controlling the boiler unit 2 and for accepting data from the boiler unit about the operation of the boiler.
The control interface 12 is also connected to the temperature sensor 10 by means of temperature sensor wires 14.
A lagged condensate drain pipe 16 connects to the boiler unit 2 and passes through the exterior wall 8 to drain condensate from the boiler unit 2 outside the building. A trace heater 18 in the form of an electrical resistance wire is mounted inside the condensate drain pipe 16 including in the region outside the outer wall.
In alternative embodiments the trace heater 18 may be mounted alongside the condensate drain pipe 16.
The control unit 4 contains software 20 which is arranged to control the boiler, based on the temperature inside the building as well as the external temperature measured by temperature sensor 10. The burners of the boiler unit 2 are controlled to output more heat at lower external temperatures. The control unit 4 includes an integral electrical interface which provides electricla connection to the rest of the boiler. The electrical interface 12 can be a simple electrical connector to which electrical control wires are connected, or a more complex arrangement in which data is exchanged along interface cables.
The software 20 in the control unit 4 also operates, in accordance with the invention, to energise the trace heater 18 by passing current through the heater to heat the condensate drain pipe 16 to prevent freezing. The software is arranged to do this only when the temperature measured by temperature sensor 10 is below a predetermined value, in the example 2 00.
By switching on the trace heater 18 not merely when the temperature is low but also when the boiler is firing, and hence producing condensate, the condensate can be prevented from freezing. The energy usage is much less than if the trace heater 18 is activated simply on the basis of low external temperature.
Note that in the embodiment described the control unit 4 is integral with the boiler, and mounted on a single integral PCB that carries out both the normal boiler control and also the additional control of the trace heater. This eliminates the need for any additional control boxes.
Claims (8)
- CLAIMS1. A condensing boiler apparatus, comprising a boiler unit; a condensate drain pipe for draining condensate from the boiler unit; a control unit for controlling the boiler unit; a temperature sensor for mounting on the exterior of the building; wherein the control unit is adapted to energise the trace heater when both the temperature measured by the temperature sensor is below a predetermined value and when the boiler is on.
- 2. A condensing boiler apparatus according to claim 1 mounted in a building having an external wall, wherein is the boiler unit is mounted inside the building and the condensate drain pipe extends from the boiler unit through the external wall; and the temperature sensor is mounted on the exterior of the building.
- 3. A condensing boiler apparatus according to claim I or 2, wherein the predetermined value is in the range 0°C to 4°C.
- 4. A condensing boiler apparatus according to any preceding claim; wherein the trace heater is a resistance heater wire mounted alongside or within the condensate drain pipe.
- 5. A condensing boiler apparatus according to any preceding claim in which the control unit is an integral control unit arranged to control the firing of the boiler and also the energising of the temperature sensor in a single unit.
- 6. A trace heater apparatus for a boiler, comprising: a temperature sensor for mounting on the exterior of a building; a trace heater for heating a drain pipe; and a control unit with a control interface for electrical communication with the boiler, wherein the control unit is adapted to energise the trace heater when both the temperature measured by the temperature sensor is below a predetermined value and when the boiler is fired.
- 7. A trace heater apparatus for a boiler according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined value is in the range 0°C to 4°C.
- 8. A trace heater apparatus for a boiler according to claim 6 or 7; wherein the trace heater is a resistance heater wire.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB1103350.3A GB2490648A (en) | 2011-02-28 | 2011-02-28 | Freeze prevention system for a condensing boiler apparatus |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB1103350.3A GB2490648A (en) | 2011-02-28 | 2011-02-28 | Freeze prevention system for a condensing boiler apparatus |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB201103350D0 GB201103350D0 (en) | 2011-04-13 |
| GB2490648A true GB2490648A (en) | 2012-11-14 |
Family
ID=43904260
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB1103350.3A Withdrawn GB2490648A (en) | 2011-02-28 | 2011-02-28 | Freeze prevention system for a condensing boiler apparatus |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2490648A (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US11473710B2 (en) | 2019-10-15 | 2022-10-18 | Chad Michael Arntz | Heated drain or vent pipe |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN110906552B (en) * | 2019-12-09 | 2023-10-27 | 珠海格力电器股份有限公司 | Condensing wall-mounted furnace and control method thereof |
Citations (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5361795A (en) * | 1994-03-21 | 1994-11-08 | Pollard Albert C | Furnace waste water freeze protection method |
| US20020108607A1 (en) * | 2001-02-12 | 2002-08-15 | Carrier Corporation | Freeze resistant method for draining furnace condensate in low temperature environments |
| JP2005351039A (en) * | 2004-06-14 | 2005-12-22 | Nec Fielding Ltd | Anti-freezing system for drain pipe, anti-freezing method for drain pipe and anti-freezing control apparatus |
| GB2470519A (en) * | 2010-02-08 | 2010-11-24 | Haven Ltd | Frost protection system for a condensate drain pipe |
-
2011
- 2011-02-28 GB GB1103350.3A patent/GB2490648A/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5361795A (en) * | 1994-03-21 | 1994-11-08 | Pollard Albert C | Furnace waste water freeze protection method |
| US20020108607A1 (en) * | 2001-02-12 | 2002-08-15 | Carrier Corporation | Freeze resistant method for draining furnace condensate in low temperature environments |
| JP2005351039A (en) * | 2004-06-14 | 2005-12-22 | Nec Fielding Ltd | Anti-freezing system for drain pipe, anti-freezing method for drain pipe and anti-freezing control apparatus |
| GB2470519A (en) * | 2010-02-08 | 2010-11-24 | Haven Ltd | Frost protection system for a condensate drain pipe |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US11473710B2 (en) | 2019-10-15 | 2022-10-18 | Chad Michael Arntz | Heated drain or vent pipe |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB201103350D0 (en) | 2011-04-13 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |