GAS-FIRED WATER HEATER HAVING PLATE-MOUNTED REMOVABLE BOTTOM END BURNER AND PILOT ASSEMBLY

摘要

A fuel-fired water heater has a combustion chamber disposed beneaththe storage tank portion of the water heater. The bottom side wall of thecombustion chamber is defined by an annular perforated wall structure with aperforated mounting plate structure being removably secured to the undersideof the wall structure over the central opening therein. A burner andassociatedpilot/thermocouple assembly are secured to the upper side of the mountingplate and project upwardly into the combustion chamber, with the piping andwiring of the burner and pilot/thermocouple assembly extending externallybeneath the combustion chamber, outwardly through a side wall accesspassage, and then turning upwardly along the outside of the water heater forconnection to a thermostatic fuel valve. To remove the bottom plate-mountedburner and pilot/thermocouple assembly the fuel supply piping must first bedecoupled from the thermostatic valve, thereby assuring that the access platecannot be removed while the burner is firing. The combustion chamber isessentially sealed to prevent combustion air inflow thereto except through theperforations in its bottom side wall structure. These perforations areconfigured and sized to permit upward combustion air inflow therethrough intothe combustion chamber with a minimal pressure drop, while also acting asflame arrestors to hinder downward flame flow therethrough potentially causedby upward inflow of flammable vapors and subsequent ignition thereof withinthe interior of the combustion chamber.