Combined Fireplace Hood and Heating Unit

The novel features considered to be characteristic of the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, together with additional objects, features and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a presently preferred embodiment of the combined fireplace hood and heating unit provided by the present invention installed in a typical fireplace;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the unit shown in FIG. 1 with some parts broken away to show the interior of the housing;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the unit shown in FIG. 1 and is taken on the line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the unit shown in FIG. 1, again mounted in a fireplace, in which the fireplace is vertically centrally sectioned to better demonstrate the disposition of the combined fireplace hood and heating unit relative to the fireplace and fire area;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 5--5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a perspective, partially exploded view of the combined fireplace hood and heating unit;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of one portion of FIG. 4; and

FIGS. 8 and 9 are schematic diagrams of the flow patterns of heated air around two heat exchanger geometries.

Referring to the drawings, a presently preferred embodiment 20 of the combined fireplace hood and heating unit provided by the present invention is shown mounted to the lintel 22 of a conventional, pre-existing fireplace 24 (FIGS. 1, 4 and 7). Unit 20 includes a fireplace hood 26 formed as an elongated enclosure or housing having separable front and rear panel portions 28, 30, as best seen in FIG. 6. Front portion 28 includes a top panel 32, a front panel 34 and a downwardly sloping panel 36 contiguous at its longitudinal edges with and interconnecting top panel 32 with front panel 34 (all directional indications above and hereinafter being taken with respect to the mounted position of the combined unit 20 within a fireplace). A pair of side panels 38 slope outwardly and downwardly from top panel 32 along the edges of panels 36,34. A downwardly directed flange 40 extends lengthwise along the rear edge of panel 32. The bottom edges of side panels 38 and front panel 34 terminate in upwardly bent flanges 42,44 respectively. Rear panel portion 30 includes a back panel 46 and a bottom panel 48 having a downwardly turned flange 50 extending along its front edge. In assembly of hood 26, front portion 28 is fitted over rear portion 30 with flange 50 received into the slot formed by flange 44 and adjacent lower edge of front panel 34. A plurality of sheet metal screws 52 extend through corresponding holes 54 in back panel 46 into holes 56 in flange 40 to firmly attach hood portions 28,30 to each other. It will be noted, with reference to FIG. 7 for example, that, viewed endwise of the assembled hood, the rear edges of end panels 38 terminate short of rear panel 46, thereby leaving a small gap 58 between the respective panels. The purpose of this gap will be explained hereinafter.

A decorative strip 60 is carried lengthwise of hood 26 at the bend defined by panels 34,36, and is attached to the hood by a plurality of lock nuts 62 received over corresponding screws (not shown). A rod 64 (FIGS. 3 and 5) is fitted into corresponding holes (not shown) in flanges 42 and carries a conventional fireplace screen 66. Screen 66 is operated by the usual draw cables (not shown) and handles 68. An intake vent 70 and a pair of exhaust vents 72,74 are provided in the front or outwardly facing portion 28 of hood 26, i.e., that portion of the hood which is visible and open to the touch. More specifically, intake vent 70 is disposed in top panel 32 at substantially the longitudinal center of hood 26. Similarly, exhaust or discharge vents 72,74 are disposed in front panel 34 on respectively opposite sides of intake vent 70 lengthwise of the hood. Intake vent 70 and exhaust vents 72,74 may each comprise a plurality of directional louvers stamped into associated panels 32 during fabrication of hood portion 28, or may comprise separate louver plates, as shown in the drawings, fastened by sheet metal screws 76 over corresponding vent apertures in the associated panels.

A pair of generally U-shaped heat exchanging ducts 80,82 are carried by hood 26, ducts 80,82 having respective first ends 84,86 terminating at and fastened to rear panel 46 in registry with corresponding openings in the panel. Ducts 80,82 further include respective second ends 88,90 extending through and fastened to corresponding apertures in panel 46. A widely flared nozzle 92 has an intake fitted over the duct end 88 and an exhaust in registry with exhaust vent 72. A pair of ears 94 extend laterally outwardly from the front side edges of nozzle 92 and have formed therein the respective holes 96 into which louver-fastening screws 76 are received. A tab 98 (FIG. 5) is bent downwardly from the top of nozzle 92 and is received inside duct end 88 to hold the nozzle in position on rear panel portion 30 prior to assembly of front portion 28 thereto. A second nozzle 100 which is identical to nozzle 92 connects duct end 90 with exhaust vent 74. Thus, heat exchanging ducts 80, 82 are in open and common communication with intake vent 70 via the enclosure defined by hood 26, and connect the intake vent with the respective exhaust vents 72,74.

A brace 102 is fixedly welded or otherwise mounted between duct ends 84,86 inwardly of rear panel 46 to space the ducts from each other and to form with ducts 84,86 and panel 46 a stiffening box section for suport of the rear panel. It has been found that, without brace 102, heating of the ducts and heat from ducts 80,82 causes rear panel 46 to warp and buckle under severe operating conditions. Sufficient space is provided between duct ends 84,86 for passage therebetween of an appropriate fireplace damper closing lever or chain (not shown). Preferably, nozzles 92,100 are designed to direct heated air downwardly into the room at an angle calculated such that the warm exhaust air will hit the floor of the room about twelve feet from the fireplace front wall. Thus, downwardly directional nozzles 92,100, in combination with the disposition of exhaust vents 72,74 in front panel 34 and of intake vent 70 in top panel 30, promote a circular flow of air in the room in a direction opposite to the normal convection flow of heated air: i.e., heated air is blown downwardly under the cool air layer at the floor from exhaust vents 72,74 as depicted at 102 of FIG. 4. As the cooler air is compressed upward by the warm air as it rises and is taken back into the heating unit at the intake vent 70, it is drawn from a vacuum zone created by the blower intake suction located immediately above the hood as depicted at 104 in FIG. 4.

Moreover, the preferred dispostion of the intake and exhaust vents described above is believed to have a minimal effect upon the natural draft of the fireplace. In a typical domestic fireplace, the movement of convection currents and exhaust gasses through the flue and up the fireplace chimney is known to draw air from the room, including from elevations slightly above the lintel, beneath the lintel and into the fireplace. The action of this natural draft is depicted at 106 of FIG. 4. Location of intake vent 70 in front panel 34 or, worse, in bottom panel 48 would, due to suction pressures induced by blower operation, not only detract from this natural draft, but would also tend to draw smoke from the fireplace into hood 26, which smoke would thereafter be heated and ejected into the room.

A blower 108, comprising a pair of centrifugal or squirrel cage fans 110,112 and a blower motor 114, is carried by panel wall 46 within hood 26, the respective outlets from fans 110,112 being aligned with duct ends 84,86. Thus, cold air entering vent 20 will circulate throughout the volume defined by hood 26 and cool both the hood panels and the components, especially motor 114, carried therewithin. This cooling of the hood panels is further enhanced by the above-mentioned slots 58 at the respective sides of hood 26, which slots provide two additional intake vents which allow a small draft of air to be pulled into the hood from the opposite longitudinal ends thereof and pass along the hood panels toward the centrally disposed blower. In practice, the slots 58 may be on the order of 0.125 inches wide and should thus admit only a small percentage of the total amount of air taken into the hood, as on the order of five percent, the remaining 95 percent being taken in via the main intake vent 70. These additional small intake vents, in a normal installation, are disposed laterally beyond the side edges of the fireplace opening and thus, like vent 70, do not tend to draw in smoke from the fireplace or disturb the natural convection flow into the fireplace. In one working embodiment of the present invention blower 108 moves air through the heat exchangers 80,82 at a rate of about one hundred fifty cubic feet per minute.

The above-described two-piece construction of hood 26 also helps maintain the outer or front hood portion 28, i.e., that portion of the hood which is exposed to the touch, at a safe temperature. The lower portion of rear panel 46 and bottom panels 48 are exposed to direct radiation from the fire and will, therefore, tend to become hot. In accordance with presently preferred embodiments of the invention as above-described, the contact between flange 40 and rear panel 46 tends to be concentrated in the area of screws 52 with a layer of air separating the flange and panel for the remaining length of the hood, whereby heat transfer between rear panel 46 and front hood portion 28 is minimized. Similarly, the flange-in-groove arrangement between flanges 44,50 does not intimately connect bottom panel 48 to front panel 34, and therefore retards heat transfer therebetween. It will be recognized, of course, that such heat transfer may be further retarded by providing a layer of insulation along the inside or outside of rear panel 46. Furthermore, the outside surfaces of panels 46,48 may be coated or covered with suitable material, such as aluminum foil laminated to an asbestos panel, to reflect radiation from the fire, where desired, thereby minimizing heat transfer to the hood as a whole. A thermostatic switch 116 (FIG. 2) is carried by rear panel 46 between and in close proximity to duct ends 84,86, and allows the air within fireplace 24 to reach a preselected temperature before turning on motor 114. This prevents initial circulation and discharge of cold air into the room.

Disposition of blower 108 within hood 26 to push rather than pull air through ducts 80,82 yields yet another advantage in the situation where heat and/or corrosion has eaten a hole in one of the ducts. In such a situation, when a fire is initially started and the blower is not yet operating, smoke would leak into the duct and thence out the exhaust vents 72,74. However, because vents 72,74 are located adjacent the area of natural draft of room air into the fireplace, as discussed above in connection with FIG. 4, the smoke which exits vents 72,74 will tend to be drawn back into the fireplace and up the chimney. Furthermore, when the temperature in the fireplace reaches the temperature at which thermostat 116 closes, air pushed into the leaking duct by the associated fan 110,112 will create a positive pressure differential in the duct which, in turn, tends to push the smoke back out the leak and to keep further smoke from entering. Thus, the combined fireplace hood and heating unit provided by the present invention continues to operate, albeit at a slightly reduced efficiency, in spite of a leak in one of the heat exchanging ducts. Moreover, smoke exiting one of the vents 72,74 before the blower turns on provides an indication to a room occupant that the associated duct is leaking and should be repaired.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention and as shown in the drawings, heat exchanging ducts 80,82 are substantially rectangular in transverse cross section and are carried above the base of the fireplace at a level at which flames from the fire impinge upon the bottom of the ducts. The position of ducts 84,86 relative to the fire is best exemplified in FIG. 4. It has been found that this cross sectional configuration of ducts 80,82 inhibits the creation of a boundary layer or a partial vacuum around each duct which tends to insulate the duct from convection currents rising from the fire. To illustrate, the flow of hot air convection currents around a heat exchanger 118 of rectangular cross section is schematically exemplified in FIG. 8. Hot air, assumed to have a substantially laminar flow pattern prior to impingement upon duct 118, flows upwardly and is incident upon the bottom of the duct. At this point, smooth flow of the air is interrupted and the air must traverse a right angle bend in the duct outer surface. As a result, the air assumes a turbulent flow pattern as it travels up the sides of the duct, with resultant eddies along the sides and top surfaces of the ducts, thereby insuring more intimate, heat-exchanging contact between the air and duct surface. This may be contrasted with the substantially laminar streamlined flow pattern around the circularly cross sectional heat exchanger 120 in FIG. 9. Although some heat is transferred to duct 120, boundary layers around the more aerodynamic surface of the duct render such heat transfer much less efficient than that exemplified in FIG. 8.

It is further preferred that the U-shaped ducts 80,82 be squared at the corners thereof, as shown in the drawings, to promote turbulence in the air stream blown therethrough. Such turbulence interiorly of the ducts slows the forced air passing through the ducts, and likewise creates eddy currents therein, breaking up formation of boundary layers and thereby allowing a greater amount of heat to be transferred from the interior surface of the ducts to the interior air currents. The cross sectional areas of ducts 80,82 are preferably large relative to the output capacity of blower 108 such that, although a large volume of air is moved through the ducts with a relatively high entrance velocity, the air movement is slowed so that it is discharged into the room at relatively low velocity. The outer surfaces of ducts 80,82 are preferably coated with a heat and corrosion resistant paint having a relatively dull finish to enhance the exhange of energy between the fire convection currents and the air in the ducts. In the above-mentioned working embodiment of the invention having a one hundred fifty cubic feet per minute blower capacity, ducts 80,82 each have a wall thickness of about 0.060 inches and a rectangular cross sectional area of about 5.3 square inches. The heated exhaust from this embodiment has a temperature of about 180.degree. F.

A pair of brackets 122,124 are welded or otherwise fixedly mounted to duct ends 84,86 for mounting the combined fireplace hood and heating unit 20 as an assembled unit to the lintel 22 of a pre-existing fireplace. Referring specifically to FIG. 7, a pair of bolts 126 pass through corresponding apertures 128 in brackets 122,124 into holes previously bored through the lintel support plate 130 and into the fireplace lintel. In accordance with yet another feature of the present invention and as will be apparent from examination of FIG. 2, the brackets 122,124 are carried at the front-to-back center of gravity of unit 20. Thus, rocking or tilting of the unit during assembly thereof to the lintel 22 is greatly reduced, thereby facilitating the entire mounting procedure. Furthermore, with the mounting bolts carrying unit 20 at substantially the front-to-back center of gravity thereof, bending moments on the mounting bolts are eliminated. In most residential fireplaces, and as depicted in FIGS. 4 and 7, the lower surface of the lintel 22 upon which the combined unit 20 is to be mounted is relatively narrow as compared with the front-to-back dimension of the unit. Hence, in many applications, it would be difficult to provide several bolts, spaced in the front-to-back direction, to accommodate stresses caused by unit unbalance. By mounting the unit at its center of gravity, this problem is obviated. Moreover, the center-of-gravity mounting arrangement provided by the invention eliminates any requirement for unbalance support brackets inside the front wall or on the back wall of the fireplace. Thus, if the unit is for any reason removed from the fireplace, the mounting holes are substantially hidden from view and the fireplace remains fully operational. Apertures 128 may be slotted in the front-to-back direction to insure that, when the combined unit 20 is mounted in position, the rear panel 46 of hood 26 is flush against the front wall of the fireplace.

It will also be noted that, when the combined unit 20 provided by the present invention is mounted to the fireplace as described, hood 26 is carried externally of the fireplace with the heat exchanging ducts 80,82 cantilevered rearwardly from hood 26 over the fire area. Thus, the burning logs or charcoal, etc. do not come into direct contact with the ducts, whereby the lifetime thereof is greatly increased. Furthermore, with hood 26 carried externally of the fireplace and with the cool air intake at vent 70 and slots 58 tending to cool the hood panels or walls as described above, the hood remains relatively cool to the touch during operation of the unit. As will be self-evident with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4, the fireplace opening in the area beneath the combined fireplace hood and heating unit 20 remains unobstructed by the structure of the heating unit, and thereby provides easy access to and viewing of the fireplace hearth through the fireplace opening and screen 66.

It will now be apparent that there has been provided in accordance with the present invention a combined fireplace hood and heating unit which fully satisfies all of the objects, aims and advantages set forth above. Although the invention has been described in connection with a specific embodiment thereof, it will be evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description. For example, although it is presently preferred to construct heat exchanging ducts 80,82 to have a rectangular cross section, it will be evident that other cross sectional geometries, such as circular or oval, may be used without derogating other features of the invention specifically, without changing the external appearance of hood 26 which constitutes an important aspect of the invention. Similarly, intake vent 20 and exhaust vents 72,74 could be reversed or otherwise relocated and, although the room air would not circulate in the preferred manner described, the external appearance of the hood would not be materially changed. Accordingly, the invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.