Low profile furnace flue

Abstract

A low profile flue for a furnace, including a chamber, a vent collar and a downdraft diverter. The chamber is disposed above the heat exchanger and receives exhaust gas therefrom, the chamber being defined by a bottom wall with an opening therethrough for receiving the gas, two side walls projecting upwardly from the bottom, a top wall extending between the sides and spaced above the bottom wall, and an upper wall with the vent opening therethrough. The upper wall is connected along a forward edge to the bottom wall, connected on opposite ends to the side walls, and connected at a rear edge to the top wall. The upper wall front edge is substantially aligned with one of the vertically oriented housing sides, and the upper wall extends from the front edge over the heat exchanger at an angle on the order of 45 degrees from horizontal. The vent collar is on the chamber upper wall about the vent opening. The downdraft diverter extends between the side walls inside the chamber adjacent the vent opening, and has a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the chamber upper wall. A vent elbow has an inlet and an outlet oriented at an angle on the order of 45 degrees to each other, and is securable to the vent collar to selectively orient the outlet vertically or horizontally.

1 . A low profile flue for a furnace having a housing enclosing a heat exchanger exhausting gas, said housing including generally vertically oriented sides, comprising: 
 a chamber disposed above said heat exchanger and receiving said gas therefrom, said chamber including a lower opening for receiving said gas and a vent collar on an upper wall above said heat exchanger, said upper wall including a lower front edge extending from said front edge over said heat exchanger at an angle on the order of 45 degrees from horizontal; and    a downdraft diverter inside said chamber adjacent said vent, said diverter having a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to said chamber upper wall.    
     
     
         2 . The furnace flue of  claim 1 , wherein said lower front edge is substantially aligned with one of said vertically oriented housing sides.  
     
     
         3 . The furnace flue of  claim 1 , wherein said diverter comprises a pair of longitudinal members joined together along one edge at an angle to form a V-shape with said joined edges comprising said longitudinal axis, both of said longitudinal members being oriented to taper away from said upper wall from said joined edges to divert downdraft through said vent collar away from said chamber lower opening.  
     
     
         4 . The furnace flue of  claim 1 , further comprising a vent elbow having an inlet and an outlet oriented at an angle on the order of 45 degrees to each other, said vent elbow inlet securable to said vent collar to selectively orient said outlet vertically or horizontally.  
     
     
         5 . A low profile flue for a furnace having a housing enclosing a heat exchanger exhausting gas, said housing including generally vertically oriented sides, comprising: 
 a chamber disposed above said heat exchanger and receiving said gas therefrom, said chamber defined by a bottom wall with an opening therethrough for receiving said gas, 
 two side walls projecting upwardly from said bottom,  
 a top wall extending between the sides and spaced above the bottom wall, and  
 an upper wall with a vent opening therethrough, said upper wall being connected along a forward edge to said bottom wall, connected on opposite ends to said side walls, and connected at a rear edge to said top wall, wherein said upper wall extends from said front edge over said heat exchanger at an angle on the order of 45 degrees from horizontal;  
   a vent collar on said upper wall about said vent opening; and    a downdraft diverter extending between said side walls inside said chamber adjacent said vent opening, said diverter having a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to said chamber upper wall.    
     
     
         6 . The flue of  claim 5 , wherein said upper wall front edge is substantially aligned with one of said vertically oriented housing sides.  
     
     
         7 . The flue of  claim 5 , wherein said diverter comprises a pair of longitudinal members joined together along one edge at an angle to form a V-shape with said joined edges comprising said longitudinal axis, both of said longitudinal members being oriented to taper away from said upper wall from said joined edges to divert downdraft through said vent collar away from said bottom wall opening.  
     
     
         8 . The furnace flue of  claim 5 , further comprising a vent elbow having an inlet and an outlet oriented at an angle on the order of 45 degrees to each other, said vent elbow inlet securable to said vent collar to selectively orient said outlet vertically or horizontally.  
     
     
         9 . A furnace, comprising: 
 a heat exchanger exhausting gas;    a housing enclosing said heat exchanger, said housing including generally vertically oriented sides, and 
 a chamber defined above said heat exchanger, said chamber including a lower opening for receiving said gas and a vent collar on an upper wall, said upper wall extending from said front edge over said heat exchanger at an angle on the order of 45 degrees from horizontal; and  
   a downdraft diverter inside said chamber adjacent said vent, said diverter having a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to said chamber upper wall.    
     
     
         10 . The furnace of  claim 9 , wherein said upper wall includes a lower front edge substantially aligned with one of said vertically oriented housing sides.  
     
     
         11 . The furnace of  claim 9 , further comprising a vent elbow having an inlet and an outlet on the order of 45 degrees to each other, said vent elbow inlet securable to said vent collar to selectively orient said outlet vertically or horizontally.  
     
     
         12 . The furnace of  claim 11 , wherein said outlet is substantially within a space defined by vertical planes defining said sides.  
     
     
         13 . The furnace of  claim 11 , wherein said outlet is above said chamber upper wall.  
     
     
         14 . The furnace of  claim 9 , wherein said diverter comprises a pair of longitudinal members joined together along one edge at an angle to form a V-shape with said joined edges comprising said longitudinal axis, both of said longitudinal members being oriented to taper away from said upper wall from said joined edges to divert downdraft through said vent collar away from said chamber lower opening.