Method and Apparatus for Detecting a Threshold Deviation from Clean Combustion in a Residential Gas Heater Assembly

Abstract

A residential gas heater assembly that comprises a gas heater, a blower assembly, a flue, and a combustion sensor assembly. The gas heater assembly comprises a burner chamber. The blower assembly comprises a housing. The blower assembly is adapted and configured to move air into the burner chamber and move combustion gases through the flue along a combustion gases flow path. The combustion sensor assembly is in fluid communication with a first location and a second location. The first location is within the combustion gases flow path. The gas heater assembly is adapted and configured such that operating the gas heater and the blower assembly induces a pressure differential between the first location and the second location to thereby cause a portion of the combustion gases to be drawn from the first location and flow to the combustion sensor assembly.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for detecting a threshold deviation from clean combustion in a residential gas heater assembly, the gas heater assembly comprising a gas heater, a blower assembly, a flue, and a combustion sensor assembly, the gas heater comprising a burner chamber, the blower assembly comprising a housing and being adapted and configured to move air into the burner chamber and move combustion gases out of the gas heater and through the flue along a combustion gases flow path, the method comprising:
 bringing the combustion sensor assembly into fluid communication with a first location and a second location, the first location being within the combustion gases flow path;   operating the gas heater and the blower assembly in a manner which causes a pressure differential, the pressure differential being between the first location and the second location such that the first location has a first pressure and the second location has a second pressure with the first pressure being greater than the second pressure, the pressure differential caused by operating the gas heater and the blower assembly causing a portion of the combustion gases to move from the first location and flow to the combustion sensor assembly.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising detecting, via the combustion sensor assembly when a threshold deviation from clean combustion occurs, at least one of: carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, natural gas, propane, and sulfur oxide. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  further comprising powering down the residential gas heater assembly, upon detecting at least a preselected level of at least one of: carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, natural gas, propane, and sulfur oxide. 
     
     
         4 . A residential gas heater assembly comprising a gas heater, a blower assembly, a flue, and a combustion sensor assembly, the gas heater comprising a burner chamber, the blower assembly comprising a housing and being adapted and configured to move air into the burner chamber and move combustion gases through the flue along a combustion gases flow path, the combustion sensor assembly being in fluid communication with a first location and a second location, the first location being within the combustion gases flow path, wherein the gas heater assembly is adapted and configured such that operating the gas heater and the blower assembly causes a pressure differential between the first location and the second location to thereby cause a portion of the combustion gases to move from the first location and flow to the combustion sensor assembly. 
     
     
         5 . The residential gas heater assembly of  claim 4  wherein at least some of said portion of the combustion gases drawn from the first location flow to the second location. 
     
     
         6 . The residential gas heater assembly of  claim 4  wherein the second location is in the combustion gases flow path. 
     
     
         7 . The residential gas heater assembly of  claim 4  wherein the second location is not in the combustion gases flow path. 
     
     
         8 . The residential gas heater assembly of  claim 4  wherein the first location has a first pressure and the second location has a second pressure, the first pressure being a positive pressure relative to ambient pressure and the second pressure being a positive pressure relative to ambient pressure, the first pressure being greater than the second pressure. 
     
     
         9 . The residential gas heater assembly of  claim 4  wherein the first location has a first pressure and the second location has a second pressure, the first pressure being a positive pressure relative to ambient pressure and the second pressure being equal to ambient pressure. 
     
     
         10 . The residential gas heater assembly of  claim 4  wherein the first location has a first pressure and the second location has a second pressure, the first pressure being a positive pressure relative to ambient pressure and the second pressure being a negative pressure relative to ambient pressure. 
     
     
         11 . The residential gas heater assembly of  claim 4  wherein the first location has a first pressure and the second location has a second pressure, the first pressure being a negative pressure relative to ambient pressure and the second pressure being a negative pressure relative to ambient pressure, the first pressure being greater than the second pressure. 
     
     
         12 . The residential gas heater assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the flue comprises a flue outlet connection forming a portion of the combustion gases flow path and the first location is at one of the housing and the flue outlet connection. 
     
     
         13 . The residential gas heater assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the gas heater assembly further comprises a collector box, and wherein the first location is at one of the housing or the flue outlet connection and the second location is on the collector box. 
     
     
         14 . The residential gas heater assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the combustion sensor assembly is adapted and configured to sense at least one of: carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, natural gas, propane, and sulfur oxide. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the gas heater comprises a water heater, a furnace, or a boiler. 
     
     
         16 . An inducer blower assembly for a residential gas heater, the inducer blower assembly comprising a housing and a combustion sensor assembly, the housing having an intake opening and a discharge opening, the blower assembly being adapted to draw combustion gases generated by the gas heater and discharge such combustion gases out the discharge opening, the combustion sensor assembly being in fluid communication with a first location and a second location, the first and second locations being located on the housing of the blower assembly, wherein the inducer blower assembly is adapted and configured such that operating the inducer blower assembly and the gas heater causes a pressure differential between the first location and the second location to thereby cause a portion of the combustion gases to move from the first location and flow to the combustion sensor assembly. 
     
     
         17 . The residential gas heater assembly of  claim 16  wherein at least a portion of the combustion gases drawn from the first location flow to the second location. 
     
     
         18 . The residential gas heater assembly of  claim 16 , wherein the combustion sensor assembly is adapted and configured to sense at least one of: carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, natural gas, propane, or sulfur oxides. 
     
     
         19 . The residential gas heater assembly of  claim 16  wherein the first location has a first pressure, the first pressure being a positive pressure relative to ambient pressure. 
     
     
         20 . The residential gas heater assembly of  claim 16  wherein the first location has a first pressure, the first pressure being a negative pressure relative to ambient pressure.