1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hot water supply system of connecting a plurality of water heaters, setting a priority device from the water heaters, and performing hot water supply operation while the priority device links with some of the other water heaters, a water heater therefor and a hot water supply control method therefor.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, there is an art of connecting a plurality of water heaters and performing the hot water supply operation.
An example of performing hot water supply using connected water heaters like the above is that a connecting unit is connected to a hot-water supplier capable of being operated by one set individually; when a control unit of the hot-water supplier detects the connection of the connecting unit, the control unit switches the operation mode of the hot-water suppliers from an individual operation mode into a connecting operation mode automatically (for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2002-357361).
Another example thereof is that two hot water supply equipments are connected via a communication cable, and an anomaly in one hot water supply equipment is notified at the other hot water supply equipment (for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2007-078327).
When many, for example, at least three water heaters are connected and the hot water supply operation is performed, a connecting unit for controlling the hot water supply operation is separately provided in order that the operation of each water heater is linked with each other. In a hot water supply system like the above, it is possible to obtain so much hot water that a single water heater cannot obtain. However, newly disposing the connecting unit causes an increase in cost. Further, a place for the connecting unit is needed.
Also, the number of connectable water heaters is limited when the connecting unit is not provided, water heaters are connected to each other directly, one is treated as a master and the others are treated as slaves for example, and the hot water supply operation using the linked water heaters is controlled.
Concerning such problems, there is no disclosure or suggestion thereof in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publications Nos. 2002-357361 and 2007-078327, and no disclosure or suggestion about structure etc. for solving them is presented.