Not Applicable
The present invention relates to pipe systems and more particularly to furnace pipe systems and more particularly to liquid evacuation devices for furnace pipe systems.
Drainage of water condensation from furnace exhaust pipes in typical heating systems accumulates in undesirable areas and causes deterioration or damage to heating system components. Water condenses from the atmosphere onto the exhaust pipe walls because the hot gasses which travel in the exhaust pipe contact the exhaust pipe walls which are often much cooler. The difference between the temperature of the hot gasses and the temperature of the exhaust pipe walls causes water condensation to form on the exhaust pipe walls because the quantity of water vapor which may be contained in a volume gas decreases as the gas temperature decreases. When the temperature of a gas is decreased by contact with a cooler surface the gas may become saturated with water vapor so that water will condense out of the gas and onto the cool surface as liquid. Water condensation typically drains along the exhaust pipe walls and accumulates in pools on any horizontal surface. It is desirable to prevent such accumulation of water and thereby extend the useful live of heating system components.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,620,302 teaches that drainage holes which are provided in a furnace blower housing allow water to drain out of a furnace blower. However, drainage holes in a blower housing do not prevent water from first entering the blower. The presence of water within the blower may cause deterioration or damage to blower components before the water eventually flows through the blower drainage holes.
Accordingly, the invention described and claimed herein relates to a sleeve which provides a junction between a furnace blower pipe and a heating system pipe and which provides means for water condensation drainage away from a furnace blower. The sleeve comprises two generally concentric cylinders, an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder, which are joined by an annular wall. A blower pipe cavity which is formed between the two cylinders on one side of the annular wall is sized to mate with an end of a blower pipe. An exhaust pipe cavity which is formed between the two cylinders on an opposite side of the annular wall is sized to fit an end of a heating system exhaust pipe. The exhaust pipe cavity also serves as a condensate reservoir. At least one protrusion from the annular wall or the outside cylinder into the exhaust pipe cavity forms a pipe-stop which prevents the exhaust pipe from abutting the annular wall thereby providing a space between the annular wall and the exhaust pipe for water condensate to flow. At least one hole through the outer cylinder and into the exhaust pipe cavity provides a condensate exit port from the exhaust pipe cavity. It is a primary advantage of the invention to provide means to drain water from the inner exhaust pipe walls away from the blower and thereby prevent or significantly reduce the flow of water into a furnace blower.
It is a further primary advantage of the invention to provide a drainage outlet for water condensation that does not interfere with the operation of a furnace blower. It is still another primary advantage of the invention to provide a condensate evacuation apparatus which is adapted for use on horizontally, vertically or diagonally mounted pipe systems.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention is not limited to furnace pipe applications. The apparatus of the invention may be used to evacuate water condensation from a pipe at any number of similar pipe junctions. It is an advantage of the invention to provide a condensation drainage apparatus that can accommodate a wide variety of pipe sizes. These and other objects of the invention will be made apparent in the drawings and in the following detailed description of the invention.