Abstract:
A chimney liner adaptor is provided to allow air to flow between the outside environment and an annular space in a lined chimney flue. The adaptor may allow an air cooling system to operate but prevents undesirable elements from entering the annular space. The liner adaptor may be disposed between the chimney cap and the top walls of the chimney system and around the chimney liner. The adaptor may include perforated material, such as an expanded metal mesh, a metal screen, stamped metal screen, rugged netting, or the like. The perforated material permits gas flow, provides structural support for other elements of the adaptor, and filters out undesirable objects from entering the chimney.

Description:
[0001]     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/347,517, filed Jan. 21, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,852,023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     The present invention relates generally to a chimney liner adaptor for protecting the open end of the annular space of a chimney flue from the ingress of undesirable elements.  
         [0003]     It is well known that chimney caps are often desired to prevent the ingress of undesirable elements into the upper end of a chimney flue. For example, the undesirable elements may include birds, squirrels, and rain. It is also known that chimney caps are desired to prevent the egress of embers from the upper end of the chimney flue. In many chimney systems, a chimney liner is disposed within a chimney flue. For example, when a masonry chimney flue develops cracks or leaks in its side walls due to deterioration over time or other reasons, the installation of a chimney liner within the flue is a cost-effective way to repair the deteriorated flue. The hot gases and combustion products are contained within the liner. Such liners are often round conduit or pipe made of corrosion resistant material such as stainless steel.  
         [0004]     In some chimney systems, the chimney liner is disposed within a multi-wall factory-built type chimney. Generally, a factory-built chimney is a double-walled round conduit or pipe, with the inner wall spaced from the outer wall. The inner wall is the flue for the hot gases and combustion products. The annulus formed between the two pipe walls acts as insulation, so that the outer wall stays cool enough to be installed in close proximity, e.g., within one to two (1-2) inches, of combustible materials. Also, cooling air may flow through the annulus by forced or natural convection. Some factory-built chimney pipes have three walls and/or insulation positioned between two of the walls. For example, a factory-built chimney for wood-burning fireplaces is marketed by Hearth Technologies Inc., dba Heatilator, of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.  
         [0005]     When a liner is installed within a factory-built chimney, another annular “inner chimney space” is formed between the outside of the chimney liner and the inside wall of the factory-built chimney. Therefore, it is desirable to permit the movement of cooling air through this inner chimney space to exit to the outside environment. However, when a chimney cap is attached to such a chimney system to prevent the ingress of undesirable elements into the chimney liner, it may block the air circulation to the inner chimney space. Chimney caps are known that permit the circulation of air to the inner chimney space. However, these known devices fail to prevent the ingress of undesirable elements into the inner chimney space. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a chimney liner adaptor that prevents the ingress of undesirable elements into the inner chimney space and also permits the use of a chimney liner cap to prevent the ingress of undesirable elements into the chimney liner.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0006]     The invention provides a chimney liner adaptor that prevents the ingress of undesirable elements into the inner chimney space but permits an air exchange between the inner chimney space and the outside environment. The invention also permits the use of a chimney cap to prevent the ingress of undesirable elements into the chimney liner. According to one aspect of the invention, a chimney liner adaptor comprises an apertured element for permitting air flow between a chimney and the outside environment; and a device for supporting the apertured element on the chimney.  
         [0007]     In another aspect, the chimney liner adaptor comprises a first perforated disc in a first plane having an aperture; and a second disc having a second aperture, the second disc being disposed above and substantially parallel to the first plane, the second disc being connected to the first disc, the diameter of the first aperture being substantially equal to the diameter of the second aperture; and wherein the second disc is adapted to be disposed on top of the chimney annulus, and the first and second apertures are adapted to receive a chimney liner.  
         [0008]     The present invention can be used to terminate a chimney lining in a multi-wall factory built pipe installation without obstructing the designed circulation, while at the same time preventing birds and small animals from entering the chimney walls. This may be accomplished by the use of stainless steel mesh covering the entire opening on the underside of the adaptor. The operation of the liner adaptor achieves the designed air flow of the multi-wall lining pipe by keeping the air flow separated from the smoke and fumes of the fire.  
         [0009]     A further objective is to allow a chimney cap, for example a HomeSaver® Pro™ Guardian™ cap, to be installed on multi-wall factory-built pipe lined with stainless steel pipe. The use of a top clamp and storm collar with the liner adaptor allows installation of the readily available chimney caps by chimney professionals. An additional benefit of the liner adaptor is the added support to the relining pipe achieved by the use of the top clamp and the storm collar. The top clamp grips the lining pipe and supports the pipe by distributing the weight to the storm collar which is then distributed to the adaptor and finally to the multi-wall pipe.  
         [0010]     These and other features and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment which is provided in connection with the accompanying drawings.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]      FIG. 1  is a partial cut-away elevation view of a chimney liner adaptor in a chimney system, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the chimney system of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a partial cross-section view taken along section line III-III of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is a partially broken-away perspective view of the chimney liner adaptor of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0015]      FIG. 5  is a partial cross-section view of the region V of  FIG. 3  showing an alternative embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0016]      FIG. 1  shows a chimney system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, where the chimney liner adaptor  130  is disposed over the outer wall  180  and around the chimney liner  120 . A chimney cap  110  is disposed above, and coupled to, the liner  120 .  
         [0017]      FIGS. 1 and 2  show the outer wall  180  which is substantially cylindrical in shape. An inner wall  170  is disposed within the outer wall  180  and is substantially cylindrical in shape. The longitudinal axis of the inner wall  170  is substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the outer wall  180 . The annular space  375  between the inner wall  170  and the outer wall  180  is the area generally referred to as the inner chimney space. The insert collar  340  of the chimney liner adaptor  130  is disposed within the inner wall  170 . The longitudinal axis of the collar  340  is substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the inner wall  170 . The chimney liner  120  is substantially cylindrical in shape and is disposed within the inner wall  170  and partially disposed within the collar  340 . The longitudinal axis of the liner  120  is substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the inner wall  170 .  
         [0018]     The inner chimney space can also include the annular space  385  between the inner wall  170  and the liner  120 . Part of the chimney liner adaptor  130  that extends radially from the collar  340  ( FIG. 4 ) is disposed above the outer wall  180 . Disposed above the liner adaptor  130  is the storm collar  160 . A top clamp  150  is disposed above the storm collar  160 . A chimney cap  110  is disposed above the top clamp  150  and is coupled to the liner  120 . The inner wall  170  may be any suitable size, but in a preferred embodiment, it is substantially eight inches in diameter.  
         [0019]     The storm collar  160  is a bezel-shaped metal, preferably formed of stainless steel, having an inner diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the liner  120  and an outer diameter smaller than the diameter of disc  320  ( FIG. 4 ). The cone shaped storm collar  160  ( FIG. 2 ) has its smaller diameter opening  161  at the top, a conical-shaped sidewall, and the larger diameter opening  162  at the bottom. The collar  160  is split with overlapping ends  163  and  164 . A clamp  165  may be adjusted to tighten the collar  160  around the liner  120  by pulling the collar end  163  over the overlapping collar end  164 . In the illustrated embodiment, the clamp  165  operates similar to an automotive hose clamp with a mounted screw  166  that engages slots  167  in strap  168  attached to the collar  160 .  
         [0020]     The top clamp  150  is formed from two “c” clamps. Each “c” clamp is formed from a rectangular metal strip having three sections, the first and third sections being substantially co-planar. The second section, disposed between the first and third sections, is substantially arc shaped, where the diameter of the arc is substantially equal to the diameter of the liner  120 . The top clamp  150  is implemented by the two “c” clamps joined such that the respective arcs form a cylinder, respective first sections abut, and the respective third sections abut. These respective sections are mechanically coupled after installation by screws, nuts and bolts, or the like. In a preferred embodiment, each first and third sections of both “c” clamps have a respective aperture  151 ,  153  which are substantially similar in diameter and adapted to receive a screw. The apertures  151 ,  153  are disposed such that when the first section of one “c” clamp is in contact with the third section of the other “c” clamp the respective centers of apertures  151 ,  153  are substantially aligned. In another aspect, a nut  154  is connected to the third section of each “c” clamp. The aperture of nut  154  has a diameter that is substantially similar to the diameter of the apertures  151 ,  153 . The aperture of each nut  154  is substantially coaxial to the apertures  151 ,  153 .  
         [0021]     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , the liner adaptor  130  is comprised of a mesh disc  310 , a metal disc  320 , a cylindrical band  330 , the collar  340 , and mesh supports  350 . There are four mesh supports  350  in the illustrated embodiment. One of the mesh supports  350  is hidden from view in  FIG. 4  by the collar  340 . The present invention should not be limited, however, to the details of the preferred embodiments shown and described herein.  
         [0022]     The mesh disc  310  is preferably formed from a substantially planar, perforated material, preferably stainless steel. The perforated material may be, for example, an expanded metal mesh, a metal screen, stamped metal screen, rugged netting, or the like. The mesh disc  310  has a diameter sufficiently larger than the diameter of the chimney pipe  180  ( FIG. 1 ) to permit effective air exchange between the inner chimney space and the outside environment. The disc  310  has an aperture  352  having a diameter that is smaller than the diameter of the inner wall  170  and a diameter slightly larger than the liner  120 . The mesh disc  310  is formed from material with apertures, or perforations,  354  sufficiently large to permit air flow into and/or out of the annular space, but sufficiently small enough to prevent ingress of undesirable elements, e.g., small animals.  
         [0023]     The disc  320  has a diameter sufficiently larger than the diameter of the chimney pipe  180 . The disc  320  has an aperture  356  having a diameter that is smaller than the diameter of the inner wall  170  and a diameter larger than the liner  120 . The diameter of the aperture  352  of the mesh disc  310  corresponds to, and is substantially equal to, the diameter of the aperture  356  of the disc  320 . The outer diameter of the mesh disc  310  corresponds to, and is slightly smaller than, the outer diameter of the disc  320 . In a preferred embodiment, the respective diameter of the apertures  352 ,  356  of discs  310 ,  320  is substantially equal to seven and eleven sixteenths (7 11/16) inches. In a preferred embodiment, the outer diameter of disc  310  is substantially equal to sixteen (16) inches and the outer diameter of discs  320  is substantially equal to sixteen and three quarters (16¾) inches. The diameters of discs  310 ,  320  is such that liner adapter  130  is adapted to be used with different chimney systems having different sized outer walls  180 .  
         [0024]     The band  330  is formed from a substantially rectangular strip of metal, preferably stainless steel, to form a cylinder. The length of band  330  corresponds to the (exterior) radius of the disc  310 . In a preferred embodiment the height of the band  330  is substantially equal to one and one half (1½) inches. The band  330  may also have a flange  332  extending from one end of the cylinder being formed away from the exterior. The flange  332  is approximately one quarter (¼) inch in the radial direction.  
         [0025]     The collar  340  is substantially cylindrically shaped having on one end a small flange projecting away from, and substantially perpendicular to, the exterior wall of the collar  340 . In a preferred embodiment, the collar  340  is formed of stainless steel. The diameter of the collar  340  is substantially equal to the respective diameters of the apertures  352 ,  356  of the discs  310 ,  320 . In a preferred embodiment, the length of the collar  340  is substantially equal to five and one half (5½) inches and the flange is approximately one quarter (¼) inch in length. As noted above, however, the present invention should not be limited to the details of the illustrated embodiments.  
         [0026]     The mesh support  350 , or standoff, may be formed from rectangularly shaped metal pieces. In the illustrated embodiment, each rectangularly shaped metal piece is bent a first time forming a first section that is substantially perpendicular to a second section. The metal piece is bent a second time along an imaginary line that is parallel to an imaginary line formed by the first bend. The third section is substantially perpendicular to the second section and bent away from the side of section two where section one is disposed. The plane formed by section one is substantially parallel to the plane formed by section three.  
         [0027]     The disc  320 , which may be stamped from sheet metal, is disposed in a plane parallel to and above the plane formed by disc  310 . The center point of the aperture of disc  320  is substantially aligned with the center point of the aperture of disc  310 . Four mesh supports  350  couple disc  310  to disc  320 . Preferably, each mesh support  350  is substantially at a radial position on discs  310 ,  320  ninety (90) degrees from the neighboring mesh support  350 . Each respective first section of a mesh support  350  is substantially parallel to a plane formed by disc  310  and substantially flush and coupled to the disc  310 . Each respective third section of a mesh support  350  is substantially parallel to a plane formed by disc  320  and substantially flush and coupled to disc  320 . In the illustrated embodiment, mesh supports  350  are coupled to discs  310 ,  320  by resistance welding.  
         [0028]     Collar  340  is disposed through the apertures of discs  310 ,  320  such that the bottom of the flange on collar  340  is coupled with the top surface of disc  320 . The length of the collar  340  extends through the aperture on discs  310 ,  320  and the collar extends below disc  310 . In a preferred embodiment, the flange of the collar  340  is resistance welded to the surface of disc  320 .  
         [0029]     The band  330  is bent lengthwise and shaped into a cylinder where one lengthwise end of the band  330  abuts and is coupled to the other lengthwise end of the band  330 . The bottom circumference of the cylinder formed by the band  330  is disposed and may be coupled to the circumference of the disc  310  by resistance welding. The top circumference of the cylinder formed by the band  330  and the flange is disposed and coupled to the bottom side of the disc  320 , preferably by resistance welding.  
         [0030]     The liner adaptor  130  is disposed such that the liner  120  is disposed within and extends through the collar  340 . The collar  340  of the liner adaptor  130  is disposed within the inner wall  170 . The bottom side of the liner  130 , e.g., the mesh disc  310 , is disposed on the top of either the inner or outer walls  170 ,  180 , depending on which is higher. In many chimney systems, the inner and outer walls  170 ,  180  are substantially the same height. The diameter of the mesh disc  310  should be substantially larger than the diameter of the outer wall  180 . There is an annular region  365  in the liner adaptor  130  bounded by the liner  120  and the band  330  and the mesh disc  310  and the disc  320 . Air is permitted to flow freely from/to the inner chimney space through the annular space  365 .  
         [0031]     The storm collar  160  is disposed above and abuts the top surface of the liner adaptor  130 , and has an outward slope in a downward direction. The top clamp  150  is disposed above the storm collar  160 . A benefit of the illustrated arrangement is that added support is provided for the upper portion of the liner  120 . The upper portion of the liner  120  is supported in part by the top clamp  150  and the storm collar  160 . The top clamp  150  grips the liner  120  and supports the liner  120  by distributing the weight to the storm collar  160  which is then distributed to the liner adaptor  130  and finally to the multi-wall pipe  180 . The chimney cap  110  is disposed above the top clamp  150  and coupled to the liner  120 .  
         [0032]     As seen in  FIG. 3 , the chimney system permits the egress of fumes carried in the annular space  395  within the liner  120  to the chimney cap  110  into the outside environment. The flow of air, e.g., fumes, egressing annular space  395  is indicated by arrow  393 . The illustrated arrangement also permits the circulation of air in the inner chimney space, e.g., annular spaces  375 ,  385 , with the outside environment. Air from annular space  375  is carried between the outer wall  180  and inner wall  170  and through the mesh disc  310  on the interior side of the outer wall  180  and subsequently through the mesh disc  310  on the exterior side of the outer wall  180  into the environment. The flow of air egressing annular space  375  is indicated by arrow  391 . It may be desirable that air be permitted to flow in the reverse direction as well.  
         [0033]     Air from annular space  385  can be carried between the inner wall  170  and the liner  120  and through the mesh disc  310  on the interior side of the inner wall  170  and subsequently through the mesh disc  310  on the exterior side of the outer wall  180  into the environment. The flow of air egressing annular space  385  is indicated by arrow  392 . It may also be desirable that air be permitted to flow though space  385  in the reverse direction. The air circulation may be dependent upon the existence and size of the annular area between the collar  340  and the inner wall  170 . However, the presence and use of the mesh disc  310  as part of the liner adaptor  130  prevents undesirable elements, e.g., rodents, from outside the chimney system from entering into the chimney system.  
         [0034]      FIG. 5  is a partial cross-section view showing another embodiment of the region V of  FIG. 3 . The disc  520  is similar to disc  320  of  FIG. 3  but different in that the disc  520  has a flange  521  on the interior aperture  525  projecting up away from the top surface  522  of the disc  520 . In a preferred embodiment, the flange is approximately one half (½) inch in length. Additionally, in this embodiment the collar  340  is disposed through the aperture of the disc  310  such that the top  342  of the flange  341  on the collar  340  is coupled with the bottom surface  523  of disc  520 . In a preferred embodiment, the flange  341  of the collar  340  is resistance welded to the bottom surface  523  of the disc  520  and the inside diameter of the flange  521  is approximately one half (½) inch less than the inside diameter of the collar  340  resulting in an overhang  527  of approximately one quarter (¼) inch. An advantage of the inclusion of the flange  521  on disc  520  is that it can reduce the amount of water, e.g., rain water or snow melt, that can flow into the interior space substantially defined by the interior diameter of disc  520 .  
         [0035]     While the invention has been described and illustrated with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that many modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention is not to be considered as limited by the foregoing description but is only limited by the scope of the claims.