US3229910A - Humidifier - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 18, 1966 c. J. SMITH 3,229,910

HUMIDIFIER Filed May 10, 1965 F G 5 INVENTOR.

CLAYTON J. SMITH United States Patent IFIE My invention is directed toward humidifiers adapted for use with hot water heating systems employing finned pipes or coils as radiators of heat.

It is an object of my invention to provide a new and improved humidifier which can be secured to any finned pipe or coil to increase the humidity, during the heating season, in the region to be heated by said coil.

Another object is to provide a new and improved humidifier of the character indicated wherein the water supplied thereto and released therefrom is automatically regulated as required by the demands of the humidifier.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a new and improved humidifier of the character indicated which can be manufactured easily and inexpensively.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of my invention will now be explained with reference both to this specification and to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side cross sectional view of my humidifier in operative use;

FIG. 2 is a detail cross sectional view of the valve and float employed in my invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the 'exterior of the water chamber used in my humidifier;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the water release section of my humidifier; and

FIG. 5 is a front view of a housing supporting both my humidifier and an associated heating coil.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-5, there is shown a horizontally extending finned heating coil secured for exam ple to the baseboard of a wall, one end of coil 10 being coupled to a vertical supply pipe 12 through which hot water is fed into the coil for heating. A thin hollow feed line 14 having a check valve 16 therein bleeds a small stream of hot water from pipe 12 and feeds the water vertically upward to the bottom of a pressure regulator 18. Tubing 20 connects the top of regulator 18 downward through the top of a flat narrow hollow copper tank 22 to the inlet port 24 of a valve 26 resting on top of the floor of the tank. Water feeds upward from the inlet port through the orifice of a V shaped opening 28 in an outlet port of the valve and out through the sides thereof into the tank. A vertical steel needle 30 has a bottom tapered point adapted to be moved into and out of registration with opening 28 which acts as a valve seat. Needle 30 extends upward through the valve body. The upper end 32 of needle 30 is threaded and receives nut 34. A washer 36 is soldered to the bottom of nut 34 and presses downward on the top end of a compression spring 38 circumferentially disposed about the upper part of needle 30. The lower end of the spring rests on top of the valve body. A bolt 40 extends horizontally outward from nut 36 through one end of a curved member 42 to a securing nut 44. The other end of curved member 42 is secured by a cotter pin 46 to one end of a horizontal float arm 48-.

A brass rod 50 extends vertically downward from arm 48 to a horizontal float 52. Consequently water fiows into the tank. When the water reaches a preset maximum level, the float arrangement forces the point of needle 30 into the seat to cutoff the flow of water. When the water level falls, the float arrangement raises needle 30 and permits more water to flow into the tank.

Patented Jan. 18, 1966 Tank 22 has an outlet drain 54 connected to one end of a horizontal tube 56 extending over coil 10. The other end of tube 56 is sealed. Water flows by gravity from the tank into the tube. Tube 56 has an elongated slot 58 extending along the top surface of the pipe horizontally. An elongated member 60 of fibrous material acts as a capillary or torch. Member 60 has in cross section the shape of a Y, the bottom leg 62 of which rests in slot 58 and picks up water from the tube. The inclined legs 64 and 66 release water to the hot air rising from the coil whereby the humidity is increased.

Tank 22 can be covered with a mesh screen cover 68.

The entire arrangement can be mounted within a special cover assembly 70. The tank and tube can be anchored to the fins of the coil by split clips soldered on tank and tube. Depending upon the size of the room in which my invention is to be placed and also upon the humidity requirements, extension lengths of tubing can be added to tube 56.

The stainless steel needle valve stem threaded through nut, by turning clockwise or counter-clockwise, can provide an adjustable setting of the water level. The pressure regulator maintains constant water pressure on the valve to avoid fluctuating from high to low pressure.

A dirt strainer can be installed in the supply line from heating system ahead of the regulator and needle valve to keep valve seat clean of dirt and scale, and maintain a perfect valve seat.

The water supply to humidifier is supplied olf of radiator to which it serves, eliminating long runs of pipe whereby the water is at boiler temperature of approximately degrees to 210 degrees when entering supply tank.

While I have described my invention with particular reference to the drawings my protection is to be limited only by the terms of the claims which follow.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In combination with a horizontal, finned heating coil connected to a hot water supply pipe through which hot water flows into said coil, a humidifier comprising a hollow chamber, a float operated water valve in said chamber, means to connect said pipe to said valve whereby hot water flows into said chamber to a level depending upon the setting of the float, a hollow pipe sealed at one end and extending horizontally over said coil, said hollow pipe having an elongated vertical slot extending axially therealong in the top thereof, said chamber having a gravity drain connection coupled to the other end of said hollow pipe whereby water flows out of said chamber into said hollow pipe, and means inserted into said hollow pipe to draw water out of same to release the drawn water gradually exterior to said pipe, said means being an elongated capillary wick having in cross section the shape of a Y, the bottom leg thereof resting in said slot, the top portion thereof resting on top of the hollow pipe.

2. A humidifier as set forth in claim 1 wherein said valve comprises inlet and outlet ports, said supply pipe being coupled to said inlet port, a member adapted for movement into and out of registration of the outlet port to close and open said valve, and a horizontal float coupled to said member to control the valve action.

3. A humidifier as set forth in claim 2 wherein said member is vertically mounted in said valve and has a tapered point in the lower end thereof, said outlet port having a similarly tapered seat adapted to receive said point.

(References on following page) UNITED STATES PATENTS Smith 237-78 Herr 126113 Bowen 126113 Bates 239-44 Moore 237-78 Wahlberg 23778 Woolley 2377 8 Gilowitz 23944 Wright 15836.3

JAMES W. WESTHAVER, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT A. DUA, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A HORIZONTAL, FINNED HEATING COIL CONNECTED TO A HOT WATER SUPPLY PIPE THROUGH WHICH HOT WATER FLOWS INTO SAID COIL, A HUMIDIFIER COMPRISING A HOLLOW CHAMBER, A FLOAT OPERATED WATER VALVE IN SAID CHAMBER, MEANS TO CONNECT SAID PIPE TO SAID VALVE WHEREBY HOT WATER FLOWS INTO SAID CHAMBER TO A LEVEL DEPENDING UPON THE SETTING OF THE FLOAT, A HOLLOW PIPE SEALED AT ONE END AND EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY OVER SAID COIL, SAID HOLLOW PIPE HAVING AN ELONGATED VERTICAL SLOT EXTENDING AXIALLY THEREALONG IN THE TOP THEREOF, SAID CHAMBER HAVING A GRAVITY DRAIN CONNECTION COUPLED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID HOLLOW PIPE WHEREBY WATER FLOWS OUT OF SAID CHAMBER INTO SAID HOLLOW PIPE, AND MEANS INSERTED INTO SAID HOLLOW PIPE TO DRAW WATER OUT OF SAME TO RELEASE THE DRAWN WATER GRADUALLY EXTERIOR TO SAID PIPE, SAID MEANS BEING AN ELONGATED CAPILLARY WICK HAVING IN CROSS SECTION THE SHAPE OF A Y, THE BOTTOM LEG THEREOF RESTING IN SAID SLOT, THE TOP PORTION THEREOF RESTING ON TOP OF THE HOLLOW PIPE.

Images