Patent ID: 9228759
Filing Date: 2016-01-05
CPC Classification: F24H,G05B

Claim Text:
1. A circulating-type hot-water supply device, comprising: a burner; a heat exchanger which is connected to a water supply path and a hot water supply path and heated by a combustion exhaust gas of the burner, and which heats water running therethrough by heat exchange with the combustion exhaust gas of the burner; a communicating path which connects a downstream end of the hot water supply path connected with a hot water faucet and the water supply path; a circulating pump which circulates the water inside a circulating path, which starts from a connecting portion of the hot water supply path and the communicating path, via the communicating path, the water supply path, the heat exchanger, and the hot water supply path, and returns to the connecting portion; a hot water supply temperature sensor which detects a temperature of the water supplied from the hot water supply path to the hot water faucet; a heat exchanger outlet temperature sensor which detects a temperature of the water in a vicinity of an outlet of the heat exchanger; a hot water faucet opening and closing detecting unit which detects opening and closing of the hot water faucet; a hot water supply control unit which executes a hot water supply operation of controlling a combustion amount of the burner, so that the detected temperature by the hot water supply temperature sensor becomes a predetermined target hot water supply temperature, when the hot water faucet is in an opened state; a suitable temperature maintaining control unit which executes a suitable temperature maintaining operation of circulating the water inside the circulating circuit by actuating the circulating pump, and also controlling the combustion amount of the burner so that the detected temperature by the hot water supply temperature sensor becomes within a predetermined suitable temperature range, when the hot water faucet is in a closed state; and a heat exchanger abnormality determining unit which prohibits the execution of the suitable temperature maintaining operation by the suitable temperature maintaining operation unit, stops the circulating pump and also extinguishes the burner, when the suitable temperature maintaining operation is continuing for a predetermined time or more, and when the burner is in the combusting state, and which executes a first abnormality determining process of determining that the heat exchanger is in an abnormal state, when a temperature rise degree of the detected temperature of the heat exchanger outlet temperature sensor after stopping the circulating pump becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined first abnormality determining level.