METHOD AND DISTRIBUTING DEVICE FOR ESTABLISHING RECIRCULATION IN WATER INSTALLATIONS

Abstract: There is disclosed a method and a distributing device (2) for establishing recirculation in a water installation, preferably hot water installation, where supply pipes are constituted by PEX-tubes (8, 10, 12), or corresponding kind of installation tubes, from a water heater (32) and a pump (34) via a distributing device to each tapping place or each hot water tap, where a bilateral distributing device (2) with primary pipe stubs (4) and oppositely disposed secondary pipe stubs (14) is used, the primary pipe stubs (4) arranged to be connected with said PEX-tubing (8, 10, 12), the said secondary pipe stubs (14) arranged to be connected with thin flexible tubes (16) extending transversely through the distributing device (2) and said primary pipe stubs (4) and continuing co-axially out through said supply pipes (10, 12) to a position close to said tapping places or hot water taps, the said secondary pipe stubs (14) being connected mutually and with the suction side of said pump (34) via a secondary distributor (30).

Description: METHOD AND DISTRIBUTING DEVICE FOR ESTABLISHING RECIRCULATION IN WATER INSTALLATIONS The present invention concerns a method for establishing recirculation in a water installation of the kind indicated in the preamble of claim 1. In order to ensure hot water is present at any time also at distant tapping places, it is well-known to establish recirculation in hot water installation by means of a circulation pump and a dual pipe installation, namely a supply pipeline for conducting hot water from the water heater to the tapping places and a return pipeline for conducting hot water back to the water heater so that hot water is continually pumped by the tapping places. Such a recirculation installation is, however, connected with several disadvantages, namely primarily the appreciably increased installation costs; but also the increased operating costs of pump and heat losses makes this recirculation installation unfavourable. The invention has the purpose of indicating a method for establishing recirculation in a water installation, preferably hot water installation, the method making possible to establish recirculation in a hot water installation in a simple and cheap way and which additionally reduces the running costs considerably. The method according to the invention is characterised in that a bilateral distributing device with primary pipe stubs and oppositely disposed secondary pipe stubs is used, the primary pipe stubs being connected with said PEX-tubes while said secondary pipe stubs being connected with thin flexible tubes extending transversely through the distributing device and said primary pipe stubs and continuing coaxially out through said supply pipes to a position close to said tapping places or hot water taps, the said secondary pipe stubs being connected mutually and with the suction side of said pump. In a simple way is hereby achieved a new and improved method for establishing recirculation which is quick, cheap and easy to establish, and which also may be retroestab- lished without any problems. At the same time, operating costs for pump operation and heat loss may be considerably reduced as compared with a conventionally designed recirculation system. For use in establishing recirculation in secondary damp room groups located at con- siderable distance from a heat station, e.g. in sport or exhibition halls, the method according to the invention may advantageously be modified in such a way that said recirculation tube is carried coaxially out through supply pipes to further bilateral distributing devices for establishing recirculation right out to the respective taps in secondary damp room groups. Alternatively, the establishing of recirculation right up to a secondary damp room group according to a modified method according to the invention may advantageously be achieved in that said recirculation tube is carried coaxially out through supply pipes to a position close to a secondary distributing device which is fitted in association with a secondary damp room group. Hereby is achieved a further simplification of the recirculation system as in this case, however, recirculation right up to the respective taps in the secondary damp room group has to be dispensed with, which, however often means less because the respective taps are situated quite close to the secondary distributing device. The invention also concerns a distributing device for use in establishing a recirculation, preferably in a hot water installation, the distributing device comprising a central chamber arranged to be connected with a water heater via a pump and a number of primary pipe stubs that are arranged to be connected with PEX-tubing, or a corre- sponding kind of installation tubing, to each their tapping place or each their hot water tap, the distributing device being characterised in that the distributing device opposite to said primary pipe stubs is formed with secondary pipe stubs arranged to be connected with thin flexible tubes extending transversely through said central chamber and said primary pipe stubs and continuing coaxially out through said supply pipes to a position close to said tapping places or hot water taps, the secondary pipe stubs being arranged to be connected mutually by means of a secondary distributor which is connected with the suction side of said pump. Suitably, the distributing device according to the invention is thus formed that said secondary pipe stubs comprise cylindrical connecting parts formed externally with an annular groove for receiving an O-ring fitting internally in the secondary pipe stubs, said connecting parts having a central boring in which end parts of said recirculation tubes may be fixed. Furthermore, it may be advantageous to design the distributing device according to the invention in such a way that the said secondary pipe stubs, in case recirculation is un- wanted, are arranged to be plugged by means of a sealing disc which e.g. is fixed by means of a nut. The invention is explained more closely in the following with reference to the drawing in which: Fig. 1 shows a view, partly in section, of a preferred embodiment of a distributing device with associated secondary distributor for use in the method according to the invention and shown with connected supply pipes, while Fig. 2 shows a coupling diagram for a hot water installation with recirculation, cf. the method according to the invention. The distributing device 2 shown in Fig. 1 has three primary pipe stubs 4 at the bottom which by means of common nuts 6 are arranged to be connected with PEX-tubes in the form of supply pipes 8, 10, 12, namely a supply pipe 8 without recirculation and two supply pipes 10 and 12 with recirculation. Opposite to the primary pipe stubs 4, the distributing device 2 is formed with secondary pipe subs 14 that preferably fully correspond to the primary pipe stubs 4, i.e. the distributing device 2 is preferably symmetric about a longitudinal centre axis. Recirculation is established by means of thin, flexible tubes 16 that are inserted through the secondary pipe stubs 14 and extend transversely through the distributing device 2 and further out through the supply pipes 10 an 12 as end parts 18 of the thin recirculation tubes 16 are fixed in cylindrical connecting parts 20 which are formed externally with an annular groove 22 for receiving an O-ring 24 fitting tightly internally in the secondary pipe stubs 14. Opposite to the supply pipe 8 without recircula- tion, the secondary pipe stub 14 is plugged off by means of a sealing disc 26 as the secondary pipe stubs 14 are connected with a secondary distributor 30 by means of pipe stubs 27 with associated nuts 28 in such a way that the nuts 28 simultaneously fix the cylindric connecting parts 20 for the end parts 18 of the thin recirculation pipes 16 together with the sealing disc 26. As shown in Fig. 2, the distributing device 2 is connected to the supply side of a hot water tank or water heater 32 via a circulating pump 34 while the secondary distributor 30 is connected via check valve 36 to the cold side of the hot water tank or the water heater 32. The shown hot water installation furthermore comprises a ball valve 38, a check valve 40 and a relief valve 42. As mentioned, the thin recirculating tubes 16 are carried on almost to the individual tapping places or hot water taps; alternatively, the thin recirculating tubes 16 are only carried on to a secondary distributing device for a damp room group, i.e. recirculation right up to the individual hot water taps in the damp room group may be omitted since these hot water taps are located relatively close to each other and close to the secondary distributing device. Alternatively, bilateral, secondary distributing devices may be used so that recirculation right up to the respective tapping places of secondary damp room groups may be established. Such an arrangement may be necessary in buildings with relatively remotely situated damp room groups, e.g. in sport or exhibition halls. An important aspect of the invention is that it will be very easy to retrofit recirculation in existing hot water installation as the existing distributor only has to be substituted with a bilateral distributing device according to the invention, after which the "old" distributor possibly may be used as secondary distributor according to the invention. Just when the matter concerns existing PEX-pipe installations, it will be very easy to carry thin recirculation pipes 16, for example measuring 10 mm externally and 6 mm internally, into existing PEX-tubes and right up to a position in the proximity of existing tapping places. Finally, it is to be mentioned that the disclosed recirculation principle according to the invention may also be used advantageously and more generally in quite different connections, for example it may be suitable to apply the indicated recirculation principle in an outdoor, e.g. partly subterranean, tap water installation where, for example, the object is to have a tap water installation in a covered cattle yard or a tap water instal- lation for outdoor drinking troughs for horses, pigs or cattle. In that connection, the fact that the PEX-tubes are driven at frost-proof depth in the ground will probably be sufficient to frost-proof such an outdoor tap water installation. Alternatively, in such a facility a water heater of rather small size may be used. In the end, a quite different area is to be mentioned where the recirculation principle according to the invention may possibly find application, namely in connection with oil-fired plants where fuel oil may be recirculated from a preheater to an oil burner by means of the inventive principle. In the process industry where, for example, the matter concerns keeping the viscosity of liquids constant, the recirculation principle ac- cording to the invention may also find relevance.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A method for establishing recirculation in a water installation, preferably hot water installation, where PEX-tubes (8,10,12), or corresponding kind of installation tubes, are used as supply pipes from a water heater (32) and a pump (34) via a distributing device to each tapping place or each hot water tap, characterised in that a bilateral distributing device (2) with primary pipe stubs (4) and oppositely disposed secondary pipe stubs (14) is used, the primary pipe stubs (4) being connected with said PEX-tubes (8,10,12) while said secondary pipe stubs (14) being connected with thin flexible tubes (16) extending transversely through the distributing device (2) and said primary pipe stubs (4) and continuing coaxially out through said supply pipes (10,12) to a position close to said tapping places or hot water taps, the said secondary pipe stubs (14) being connected mutually and with the suction side of said pump (34). 2. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that said recirculation tube (16) is carried coaxially out through supply pipes (10,12) to further bilateral distributing devices (2) for establishing recirculation right out to the respective taps in secondary damp room groups. 3. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that said recirculation tube (16) is carried coaxially out through supply pipes (10,12) to a position close to a secondary distributing device which is fitted in association with a secondary damp room group. 4. A distributing device (2) for use in establishing recirculation in water installation, preferably a hot water installation, the distributing device (2) comprising a central chamber arranged to be connected with a water heater (32) via a pump (34) and a number of primary pipe stubs (4) that are arranged to be connected with PEX-tubing (8,10,12), or a corresponding kind of installation tubing, to each their tapping place or each their hot water tap, characterised in that the distributing device (2) opposite to said primary pipe stubs (4) is formed with secondary pipe stubs (14) arranged to be connected with thin flexible tubes (16) extending transversely through said cen- tral chamber and said primary pipe stubs (4) and continuing coaxially out through said supply pipes (10,12) to a position close to said tapping places or hot water taps, the secondary pipe stubs (14) being arranged to be connected mutually by means of a secondary distributor (30) which is connected with the suction side of said pump (34). 5. A distributing device (2) according to claim 4, characterised in that the said secondary pipe stubs (14) comprise cylindrical connecting parts (20) formed externally with an annular groove (22) for receiving an O-ring (24) fitting internally in the secondary pipe stubs (14), said connecting parts (20) having a central boring in which end parts ( 18) of said recirculation tubes (16) may be fixed. 6. A distributing device according to claim 4, characterised in that said secondary pipe stubs (14), in case recirculation is unwanted, are arranged to be plugged by means of a sealing disc (26) which e.g. is fixed by means of a nut (28).

Inventors: WEINREICH JOERGEN, WEINREICH, JOERGEN
Applicants: WEINREICH JOERGEN, WEINREICH, JOERGEN
Application year: 2000
Main classification: F24D17
IPC codes: F24D17