Air heating and potable water system having a water heater and a hydronic air handler

Abstract

Air heating and potable water systems have a thermostat with a computer processing unit (CPU), a hot water heater, a hydronic air handler, and a primary pump controlling flow of hot water from the water heater into the hydronic air handler, which has a hydronic coil, a blower, and a first control panel having a CPU in operative communicates with the thermostat. The hydronic coil receives hot water from the water heater to warm air passing over the hydronic coil. The primary pump is in operative communication with the first control panel and an indicator of hot water flow. The indicator of hot water flow is in operative communication with either the thermostat or the first control panel, and any CPU in the system stores a priority instruction, which upon an indication of hot water flow deactivates or delays activation of the primary pump for a predetermined period of time.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An air heating and potable water system of a building comprising:
 a thermostat having a computer processing unit with nontransitory memory comprising a heating instruction;   a hot water heater having a water heater control panel having a computer processing unit;   a hydronic air handler having a hydronic coil, a blower, and a first control panel having a computer processing unit with nontransitory memory, wherein the first control panel is in operative communication with the thermostat, and the hydronic coil is in fluid communication with the hot water heater and receives hot water from the hot water heater to warm air passing over the hydronic coil;   a primary pump controlling the fluid communication of the hot water from the hot water heater into the hydronic coil, the primary pump being in operative communication with the first control panel; and   a indicator of hot water supply usage within the building and in operative communication with either the thermostat or the first control panel;   wherein either the computer processing unit of the thermostat, the first control panel, or the water heater control panel stores a priority instruction;   wherein, the priority instruction upon an indication of hot water flow to the hot water supply of the building directly from the sensor deactivates or delays activation of the primary pump by a predetermined period of time.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the priority instruction is configured to send a signal to the hot water heater to activate the hot water heater, which provides hot water to the hot water supply of the building while the primary pump is deactivated or delayed for the predetermined period of time. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the hot water heater is a tankless gas or electric hot water heater, a hydrogen eater splitting hot water heater, or a Peltier thermoelectric hot water heater. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the thermostat is in direct electrical communication or has a wireless communication with the control panel of the hydronic air handler and the sensor. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the primary pump is external to the hydronic air handler. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the indicator of hot water supply usage within the building is a pressure sensor or a fluid flow sensor compatible with potable water positioned in the hot water supply of the building, is the hot water heater control panel, or the thermostat. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined period of time is selected from the group consisting of 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 25, minutes, and 30 minutes. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined period of time is equivalent to the minutes for a cycle of an appliance within the building that uses hot water. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein, the first control panel or the thermostat stores a first blower instruction in the computer processing unit thereof to continue activation of the blower and primary pump for a post-heat period of time; wherein, after a setpoint demand for heat has been reached, the blower instruction signals the blower and the primary pump to continue activation thereof for the post-heat period of time to utilize residual heat stored in any of the components in the system. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the first control panel or the thermostat stores a second blower instruction in the computer processing unit thereof to run the blower at a reduced rate when there is no call for air-conditioning or heating for a ventilation period of time. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , comprising:
 a heat pump positioned exterior to the building, the heat pump comprising a condenser, a refrigerant within the condenser, a compressor, a second control panel having a computer processing unit with nontransitory memory, and a reversing valve;   an indicator of outdoor ambient air temperature;   an evaporator coil within the interior of the building is in fluid communication with the condenser of the heat pump and the evaporator coil is in fluid communication with the blower of the hydronic air handler for passing air over the evaporator coil;   wherein the thermostat is in operative communication with the second control panel and has a cooling instruction for activating the heat pump to provide air conditioning to the building;   wherein either the computer processing unit of the thermostat, the first control panel, or the second control panel stores a reversing instruction;   wherein, the reversing instruction, upon an indication of outdoor ambient air temperature being warmer than a predetermined set point temperature and a call for heat, activates the reversing valve of the heat pump to send heated refrigerant to the evaporator coil to heat air passing over the evaporator coil and the first control panel keeps the primary pump deactivated.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the indicator of ambient air temperature is a temperature sensor at the exterior of the building in operative communication with the thermostat or is a temperature algorithm stored in nontransitory memory of the thermostat that is configured to monitor cycle times and operation times of the heat pump to simulate outdoor air temperature and calculate when the heat pump or the hydronic air handler acts as primary heat source. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the temperature sensor is a sensor positioned to sense ambient air temperature at the exterior of the building or is a digital source in electrical communication to the thermostat. 
     
     
         14 . A hydronic kit for an air handler-heat pump system in a building with a hot water generating system comprising:
 a hydronic coil;   a primary pump configured to be connected in fluid communication with the hydronic coil to pump hot water into the hydronic coil and in fluid communication with hot water from a hot water generating system;   a control interface circuit having a computer processing unit with nontransitory memory connectable to a control panel of an air handler-heat pump system and configured to control activation of a blower of the air handler-heat pump system and configured to receive an indication of hot water supply usage within the building;   a wiring harness configured to connect the primary pump and the hot water generating system to the control panel of the air handler-heat pump system;   wherein the control interface circuit stores a priority instruction that upon receipt of an indication of hot water supply usage within the building, a deactivation or delay activation signal is sent to the primary pump to deactivate or delay activation for a predetermined period of time.   
     
     
         15 . The hydronic kit of  claim 14 , wherein the deactivation or delay activation signal is sent from a thermostat in the building to the primary pump. 
     
     
         16 . The hydronic kit of  claim 15 , further comprising a sensor positionable to determine flow of hot water in a hot water supply of a building and configured for operative communication with the control interface circuit, the thermostat, and/or the control panel of the air handler-heat pump system. 
     
     
         17 . The hydronic kit of  claim 16 , wherein the sensor is a pressure sensor or a fluid flow sensor and is compatible with potable water. 
     
     
         18 . The hydronic kit of  claim 14 , wherein the predetermined period of time is selected from the group consisting of 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 25, minutes, and 30 minutes. 
     
     
         19 . The hydronic kit of  claim 14 , wherein the control interface circuit is configured for switching between hydronic heating-heat pump mode and air handler-heat pump mode. 
     
     
         20 . The hydronic kit of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 an indicator of outdoor ambient air temperature;   wherein the control interface circuit stores a reversing instruction, which, upon an indication of outdoor ambient air temperature being warmer than a predetermined set point temperature and a call for heat, is configured to activate a reversing valve of the heat pump to send heated refrigerant to the evaporator coil to heat air passing over the evaporator coil while the control interface circuit keeps the primary pump deactivated.   
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the indicator of ambient air temperature is a temperature sensor at the exterior of the building in operative communication with the thermostat, is a digital source in electrical communication with the thermostat or the control circuit interface, or is a temperature algorithm stored in nontransitory memory of the thermostat that is configured to monitor cycle times and operation times of the heat pump to simulate outdoor air temperature and calculate when the heat pump or the hydronic air handler acts as primary heat source.