Patent Publication Number: US-11391490-B2

Title: Offset mounting bracket for a water heater

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 62/830,206 filed Apr. 5, 2019, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The need for heated fluids, and in particular heated water, has long been recognized. Conventionally, water has been heated by heating elements, either electrically or with gas burners, while stored in a tank or reservoir. While effective, energy efficiency and water conservation using a storage tank alone can be poor. As an example, water that is stored in a hot water storage tank is maintained at a desired temperature at all times. Thus, unless the storage tank is well insulated, heat loss through radiation can occur, requiring additional input of energy to maintain the desired temperature. In effect, continual heating of the stored water in the storage tank is required. 
     Many of the problems with traditional hot water storage tanks have been overcome by the use of tankless water heaters. With the tankless water heater, incoming ground water passes through a component generally known as a heat exchanger and is instantaneously heated by heating elements (or gas burner) within the heat exchanger until the temperature of the water leaving the heat exchanger matches a desired temperature set by a user of the system. With such systems the heat exchanger is typically heated by a large current flow (or Gas/BTU input) which is regulated by an electronic control system. The electronic control system also typically includes a temperature selection device, such as a thermostat, by which the user of the system can select the desired temperature of the water being output from the heat exchanger. 
     Tankless water heaters are often installed in existing plumbing networks that utilize a water storage tank. Tankless water heaters are often retrofitted to water storage tanks to take advantage of the efficiency of a tankless water heater, while being minimally invasive into the structure of the existing plumbing network. A user who installs a tankless water heater may use a water heater rack to mount a tankless water heater near a water storage tank. Many plumbing networks are built in an environment that is designed to house a full water heater rack, which makes retrofitting a water heater rack possible. But, some plumbing networks are built in an environment that is not large enough to house a water heater rack conveniently if at all. In such applications, it may be beneficial to mount a tankless water heater directly to an existing water storage tank. 
     SUMMARY 
     A first aspect of the disclosure provides an offset mounting bracket. The offset mounting bracket comprises a primary member, having a top surface, a bottom surface, an inner surface, and an outer surface wherein the inner surface and the outer surface extend between the top surface and the bottom surface. The primary member is configured to connect to a top mount on a heat engine. The offset mounting bracket comprises a stabilization member, having a top surface and a bottom surface, a supporting surface that is opposed and connected to the primary member outer surface, and a non-supporting surface, wherein the supporting surface and the non-supporting surface extend between the top surface and the bottom surface, and the bottom surface is offset from the primary member bottom surface in a direction that is disposed away from the primary member top surface; configured to connect to a cylindrical wall of a water storage tank. The offset mounting bracket comprises a connecting member, having a connection surface, a top surface, a radial surface, and an inner surface, wherein the radial surface and the inner surface extend between the connection surface and the top surface, and wherein the radial surface is opposing and connected to the primary member inner surface and the connection surface is coplanar with the bottom side of the primary member and configured to connect to a top surface of the water storage tank. 
     In some implementations of the first aspect of the disclosure, the offset mounting bracket primary member, stabilization member, and the connecting member each further comprise at least one fastening hole. 
     In some implementations of the first aspect of the disclosure, the outer surface of the primary member and the supporting surface of the of the stabilization member are coplanar. 
     A second aspect of the disclosure provides a heat engine fastening system. The heat engine fastening system comprises an offset mounting bracket. The offset mounting bracket comprises a primary member, having a top surface, a bottom surface, an inner surface, and an outer surface wherein the inner surface and the outer surface extend between the top surface and the bottom surface. The offset mounting bracket comprises a stabilization member, having a top surface and a bottom surface, a supporting surface that is opposed and connected to the primary member outer surface and configured to connect to a cylindrical wall of a water storage tank, and a non-supporting surface, wherein the supporting surface and the non-supporting surface extend between the top surface and the bottom surface, and the bottom surface is offset from the primary member bottom surface in a direction that is disposed away from the primary member top surface. The offset mounting bracket comprises a connecting member, having a connection surface, a top surface, a radial surface, and an inner surface, wherein the radial surface and the inner surface extend between the connection surface and the top surface, and wherein the radial surface is opposing and connected to the primary member inner surface and the connection surface is coplanar with the bottom side of the primary member. The heat engine fastening system comprises a lower support bracket configured to connect to the cylindrical wall of the water storage tank and having a bottom surface that is configured to be coplanar with a bottom surface of the water storage tank. 
     In some implementations of the second aspect of the disclosure, the angle between the stabilization member supporting surface and the connecting member top surface is 90 degrees. 
     In some implementations of the second aspect of the disclosure, the heat engine fastening system further comprises at least one surface adaptor, comprising a curved surface adapted to conform to the cylindrical wall of the water storage tank. The heat engine fastening system comprises a flat surface adapted to be coupled to a heat engine mount. 
     In some implementations of the second aspect of the disclosure, the surface adaptor is configured to connect a cylindrical object to planar fastening plane. 
     A third aspect of the disclosure provides a hot water supply system. The hot water supply system comprises an offset mounting bracket. The offset mounting bracket comprises a primary member, having a top surface, a bottom surface, an inner surface, and an outer surface wherein the inner surface and the outer surface extend between the top surface and the bottom surface. The offset mounting bracket comprises a stabilization member, having a top surface and a bottom surface, a supporting surface that is opposed and connected to the primary member outer surface, and a non-supporting surface, wherein the supporting surface and the non-supporting surface extend between the top surface and the bottom surface, and the bottom surface is offset from the primary member bottom surface in a direction that is disposed away from the primary member top surface. The offset mounting bracket comprises a connecting member, having a connection surface, a top surface, a radial surface, and an inner surface, wherein the radial surface and the inner surface extend between the connection surface and the top surface, and wherein the radial surface is opposing and connected to the primary member inner surface and the connection surface is coplanar with the bottom side of the primary member. The hot water supply system comprises a water storage tank, having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a cylindrical wall that extends between the top surface and the bottom surface, wherein the bottom surface of the connecting member is connected to the top surface of the water storage tank, and the supporting surface of the stabilization member is connected to the cylindrical wall of the water storage tank. 
     In some implementations of the third aspect of the disclosure, the hot water supply system further comprises a heat engine having a top connector, and a bottom connector, wherein the top connector is connected to the primary member and the bottom connector is connected to the cylindrical wall of the water storage tank. 
     In some implementations of the third aspect of the disclosure, the connecting member is connected to the top surface with at least one bolt, rivet, or weld. 
     In some implementations of the third aspect of the disclosure the hot water supply system further comprises, a lower support bracket having a side surface configured to connect to the cylindrical wall of the water storage tank and having a bottom surface that is configured to be coplanar with a bottom surface of a water storage tank. 
     In some implementations of the third aspect of the disclosure, the lower support bracket, bottom surface is coplanar with the water storage tank bottom surface. 
     In some implementations of the third aspect of the disclosure, the angle between the side surface and the bottom surface is 90 degrees. 
     In some implementations of the third aspect of the disclosure, the hot water supply system further comprises, a first heat engine fastened to the cylindrical wall of the water storage tank and the primary member. The hot water supply system further comprises a second heat engine fastened to the cylindrical wall of the water storage tank. 
     In some implementations of the third aspect of the disclosure, the first heat engine and the second heat engine are stacked along a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the water storage tank. 
     In some implementations of the third aspect of the disclosure, the first heat engine and the second heat engine are fastened to the primary member and the water storage tank with rivets, bolts, or welds. 
     In some implementations of the third aspect of the disclosure, the first heat engine is fastened to the primary member directly and fastened to the water storage tank via a surface adaptor. 
     In some implementations of the third aspect of the disclosure, the first heat engine and the second heat engine are tankless water heaters. 
     A fourth aspect of the disclosure provides a hot water supply system. The hot water supply system comprises an offset mounting bracket. The offset mounting bracket comprises a primary member, having a top edge, a bottom edge, a first edge, and a second edge, wherein the first edge and the second edge extend between the top edge and the bottom edge. The offset mounting bracket comprises a plurality of structural supports each having a top side that is coplanar with the top edge of the primary member and a fastening side that is coplanar with the bottom edge of the primary member, wherein each of the plurality of structural supports are connected to the first edge and the second edge of the primary member and extend away from the primary member at an angle. The offset mounting bracket comprises a plurality of connecting members, wherein each of the connecting members connect to the fastening side of one of the plurality of structural supports, wherein each of the plurality of connecting members extends away from the first edge and the second edge of the primary member. The hot water supply system comprises a water storage tank, having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a cylindrical wall that extends between the top surface and the bottom surface, wherein the plurality of connecting members are connected to the top surface of the water storage tank. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a side view of an embodiment of an offset mounting bracket. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a side view of an embodiment of a hot water supply system. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a top view of a surface adaptor. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a front view of an embodiment of an offset mounting bracket. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a side view of an embodiment of an offset mounting bracket. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a front view of an embodiment of an offset mounting bracket primary member. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the offset mounting bracket. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the offset mounting bracket. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a perspective view of a section of a hot water supply system. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     It should be understood at the outset that although illustrative implementations of one or more embodiments are illustrated below, the disclosed systems and methods may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or in existence. Like numbers represent like parts throughout the various figures, the description of which is not repeated for each figure. The disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrative implementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents. Use of the phrase “and/or” indicates that any one or any combination of a list of options can be used. For example, “A, B, and/or C” means “A”, or “B”, or “C”, or “A and B”, or “A and C”, or “B and C”, or “A and B and C”. 
     An offset mounting bracket that comprises a primary member and a stabilization member can be used to mount multiple heat engines to a water storage tank. Such heat engines can be tankless water heaters for example. Tankless water heaters are often used in pairs to promote efficient and continuous water circulation. The size of an average tankless water heater may often be too large to mount more than one on a water storage tank directly. Tankless water heaters, which are stacked vertically and parallel the longitudinal axis of the water storage tank, are often too tall to fit on a standard water storage tank. 
     The ability to mount a tankless water heater to a water storage tank can be beneficial in a water heating system that requires retrofit of a tankless water heater into a piping network that contains a hot water storage tank. An offset mounting bracket can be especially beneficial in situations where space around the hot water storage tank is limited and the hot water storage tank is not tall enough to accommodate directly mounting multiple tankless water heaters to the water storage tank. As such, a top connection bracket of a tankless water heater may extend above a top of the water storage tank. The offset mounting bracket may allow a user to mount a bottom bracket of the tankless water heater directly to the hot water storage tank and a top connection bracket of the tankless water heater to the mounting bracket. The mounting bracket may be mounted to one or more surfaces on the water storage tank, such as the top and sidewall surfaces. This provides a structure to support the tankless water heaters while taking minimal space in addition to the water storage tank. Such an offset mounting bracket can make it possible to accommodate retrofitting existing plumbing network applications that have significant space constraints. 
     When compared with a traditional water heater and water storage tank system, the above features provide for a larger capacity hot water system with redundant heating engines in a smaller footprint and overall volume of space than conventional redundant high capacity water heating systems. For example, an implementation of the hot water supply system can include a 119-gallon intelligent hot water storage system with a 15 GPM recirculation pump. The hot water supply system can include a water heating engine system with two tankless water heaters with an input less than 200,000 BTU/hr. In some implementations, the input is greater than 190,000 BTU/hr. In this exemplary implementation, the hot water system occupies a square footage of less than 16.38 square feet and a total system volume of less than 103.9 cubic feet. For example, the hot water supply system occupies a square footage of about 11.13 square feet and a total system volume of about 64.5 cubic feet. Accordingly, the hot water supply system provides for increased capacity while providing redundant heating engines in a smaller floor space than conventional systems. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an offset mounting bracket  100 , which includes a primary member  102 , a stabilization member  104  and a connecting member  106 . The mounting bracket  100  may have a rigid body where each member is rigidly connected to at least one other member. Each member may be connected to the others by welding or fastening. The primary member  102  has a top surface  102   a , a bottom surface  102   b , an inner surface  102   c , and an outer surface  102   d . The inner surface  102   c  and the outer surface  102   d  extend between the top surface  102   a  and the bottom surface  102   b . In some implementations, the primary member  102  can have at least one fastening hole, which may pass through the inner surface  102   c  and the outer surface  102   d  (shown in  FIG. 3 ). A heat engine such as a tankless water heater, can be fastened to the primary member using a fastener such as a bolt, a rivet, or a weld. In some implementations that include a bolt, the bolt can be inserted through the at least one fastening hole. The primary member provides an interface to connect a heat engine and can be the primary connection point for mounting a heat engine. The primary member can also be a central structural support for the offset mounting bracket  100 . 
     The stabilization member  104 , has a top surface  104   a  a bottom surface  104   b , a supporting surface  104   c  that is opposed and connected to the primary member outer surface  102   d , and a non-supporting surface  104   d . The supporting surface  104   c  and the non-supporting surface  104   d  extend between the top surface  104   a  and the bottom surface  104   b . The bottom surface  104   b  of the stabilization member  104  can be offset from the bottom surface  102   b  of the primary member  102  in a direction that is disposed away from the primary member  102  top surface  102   a . The stabilization member  104  can be configured to rest against a cylindrical wall of a water storage tank (shown in  FIG. 2 ). The supporting surface  104   d  can face and rest against a parallel surface, to support the structure of the offset mounting bracket  100 . For example, the stabilization member  104  can rest against the cylindrical wall of the water storage tank (shown in  FIG. 2 ). The stabilization member  104  can support the weight of the offset mounting bracket  100  and any object that is attached thereto, such as a heat engine. The stabilization member  104  can be configured such that the structure of a water storage tank, can exert a normal force against the supporting surface  104   c  and stabilize the offset mounting bracket  100  against any rotational force caused by the weight of an attached object. 
     The connecting member  106 , has a connection surface  106   a , a top surface  106   b , a radial surface  106   c , and an inner surface  106   d . The radial surface  106   c  and the inner surface  106   d  extend between the connection surface  106   a  and the top surface  106   b . The radial surface  106   c  is opposing and connected to the primary member  102  inner surface  102   c  and the connection surface  106   a  is coplanar with the bottom surface  102   b  of the primary member  102  and configured to connect to a top surface of the water storage tank (shown in  FIG. 2 ). The majority of the surface area of the connection surface  106   a  of the connecting member  106  can be in contact with the top surface of the water storage tank, providing a sufficient fastening structure to secure the weight of a heat engine to the water storage tank (shown in  FIG. 2 ). The top surface  106   b  of the connecting member can also be perpendicular to the supporting surface  104   c  of the stabilization member  104 . The connection surface  106   a  can be parallel to the water storage tank top surface (shown in  FIG. 2 ). The connecting member  106  can be configured to contain at least one fastening hole (shown in  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 6 ) that can pass through the connection surface  106   a  and the top surface  106   d . The connecting member  106  can be connected to the water storage tank (shown in  FIG. 2 ) using a fastener such as at least one bolt, a rivet, or a weld. 
     The offset mounting bracket  100  can be formed from many materials such as aluminum, steel, tin, or plastic for example. In some implementations, the primary member  102 , stabilization member  104 , and the connecting member  106  may be formed as separate components. Each of these separate components may be connected with welds, or fastening elements, such as rivets or bolts. The primary member  102 , stabilization member  104 , and the connecting member  106  may also be integrally formed. For example, the primary member  102  and the connecting member  106  may be formed from a single piece of material, which may be bent to form the separate surface planes of the primary member  102  and the connecting member  106 . A joggle bend (shown in  FIG. 5 ) may be formed in the single piece of material to form the stabilization member  104  with a plane that is displaced from a plane of the primary member  102 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a side view of an implementation of a hot water supply system  200 . The hot water supply system  200  can have the offset mounting bracket  100 , a lower support bracket  202 , a first heat engine  203 , a second heat engine  204 , and a water storage tank  206 . The water storage tank  206  can have an inner volume configured to hold a volume of water. The inner volume of the water storage tank  206  is fluidically coupled to an outlet of at least one of the heat engines  203 ,  204 . The water storage tank  206  can have a top surface  208 , a bottom surface  210 , and a cylindrical wall,  212  that extends between the water storage tank  206  top surface  208  and the water storage tank  206  bottom surface  210 . 
     The lower support bracket  202  can also be connected to the water storage tank  206  cylindrical wall  212 . The lower support bracket  202  can be an L-shaped bracket. In some implementations, the lower support bracket  202  can be configured to have a side surface  202   a  that connects to the cylindrical wall  212  of the water storage tank  206 . The lower support bracket  202  can also have a bottom surface  202   b . In some implementations the bottom surface  202   b  can be coplanar with the bottom surface  210  of the water storage tank  206 . The side surface  202   a  of the lower support bracket can be perpendicular to the bottom surface  202   b  of the lower support bracket  202 . At least one point on the lower support bracket  202  bottom surface  202   b  can be coplanar with the bottom surface  210  of the water storage tank  206 . The lower support bracket  202  can stabilize a hot water supply system  200 . Specifically, when a water storage tank  206  is not filled with water, the heat engines  203 ,  204  may displace the hot water supply system&#39;s  200  center of gravity and cause the possibility of tipping. The lower support bracket may provide additional stabilization in the direction of the heat engines  203 ,  204  and mitigate the possibility of tipping the hot water supply system  200 . 
     The at least one heat engine  203 ,  204  can be mounted to the water storage tank  206  via at least one offset mounting bracket  100  and at least one surface adaptor  214 . In some implementations two heat engines  203 ,  204  can be mounted to a water storage tank  206  via three surface adaptors  214  and an offset mounting bracket  100 . Each of the heat engines  203 ,  204  can have top mounts  203   a ,  204   a  and bottom mounts  203   b ,  204   b , such that one of the heat engine top mounts  203   a , and bottom mounts  203   b  can each be connected to a surface adaptor  214  respectively. A second heat engine  204  can have bottom mounts  204   b  that are connected to a surface adaptor  214 , while the top mounts  204   a  can be connected to the offset mounting bracket  100  primary member  102 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an implementation of the surface adaptor  214 , described above with reference to  FIG. 2 . The surface adaptor  214  has a planar fastening surface, which provides a surface adapted to connect to a heat engine, such as a heat engine top or bottom mount and provides an opposing curved surface which conforms to the cylindrical wall of the storage tank (shown in  FIG. 2 ). This surface adaptor allows a heat engine (shown in  FIG. 2 ) to connect directly to the cylindrical wall of the storage tank in situations where it is beneficial for the heat engines to be situated closely to the water storage tank and not on a separate mount (shown in  FIG. 2 ). The surface adaptor can have a curved side  302  and a flat side  304 . The curved side  302  can connect and fasten to a cylindrical wall (shown in  FIG. 2 ). The flat side  304  can connect to a flat connecting surface such as a heat engine mount (shown in  FIG. 2 ). The curved side  302  can have mounting holes (not shown) that connect to a cylindrical surface such as a water storage tank side wall and fasten thereto (shown in  FIG. 2 ). The flat side  304  can also have mounting holes. The surface adaptor (shown in  FIG. 2 ) can connect on the flat side  304  and the curved side  302  using at least one bolt rivet or weld. 
       FIGS. 4-6  illustrate several views of an embodiment of an offset mounting bracket  400 . The offset mounting bracket  400  is substantially similar to the offset mounting bracket  100  described above. The offset mounting bracket  400  can be formed with embosses  402  that can relieve structural stress in the primary member  401  and can increase the structural rigidity of the primary member  401  which is substantially similar to the primary member  102  described above. The embosses  402  can be formed using a metal forming technique such as die pressing. In some implementations, the primary member  401  and the stabilization member  502  can be formed from a single piece of metal. The stabilization member  502  is also substantially similar to the stabilization member  104  described above. The stabilization member  502  can be offset from the primary member  401  by the joggle bend  504  as also described above. In other implementations, the stabilization member  502  can be connected to the outer surface  501  of the primary member  401 . Additionally, the primary member  401  can have a cut-out  404  that saves weight and provides an additional handling surface for installation in high places such as the top surface of a water storage tank (shown in  FIG. 2 ). In some implementations, the primary member  401  can have any number of fastening holes  406 , such as four fastening holes or two fastening holes for example. 
       FIG. 7  shows an implementation of an offset mounting bracket  700  which has structural supports  702 . The offset mounting bracket  700  can have a primary member  704 , a connecting member  706  and at least one structural support  702 . The at least one structural support  702  can connect the primary member  704  inner surface  702   a  to the connecting member  706  top surface  706   a . The primary member  704  and the connecting member  706  can have at least one fastening hole  708  that may be used to fasten a heat engine as discussed in other implementations above. The connecting member  706  can connect to a flat surface such as the top surface of a water storage tank (shown in  FIG. 2 ). The primary member  704  can connect to a heat engine as discussed above. The primary member  702  and the connecting member  706  can connect to another surface using at least one bolt rivet or weld. The structural supports  702  may strengthen the rigidity of the offset mounting bracket  700  to hold the weight of a heat engine. This may be especially useful in implementations where the primary member  704  and the connecting member  706  are integrally formed, or formed from a light weight material, such as aluminum. 
       FIGS. 8 and 9  show an implementation of an offset mounting bracket  800 , which has a primary member  806 , a plurality of structural supports  802  coupled along a length of the primary member, and a plurality of outer connecting members  804   a ,  804   b  coupled to the plurality of structural supports  802 . The primary member  806  can have a top edge  806   a , a bottom edge  806   b  opposite from the top edge  806   a , a first edge  806   c  that is perpendicular to the top and bottom edges  806   a ,  806   b , and a second edge  806   d  that is opposite from the first edge  806   c  and is also perpendicular to the top and bottom edges  806   a ,  806   b . The primary member  806 , which is substantially similar to the primary member  102 ,  401 ,  704  described above, can connect directly to a top mount on the heat engine  204 , which can be a tankless water heater. Specifically, the primary member  806  comprises a plurality of fastening holes  808   a  for connecting the mounting bracket  800  to the top mount of the heat engine  204 . 
     The primary member  806  is connected to the plurality of structural supports  802 . One of the plurality of structural supports  802  can be connected along the first edge  806   c  of the primary member  806  and one of the plurality of structural supports  802  can be connected along the second edge  806   d  of the primary member  806 . Therefore, each of the structural supports  802  has an edge that extends along a length of the first or second edge  806   c ,  806   d . Each of the plurality of structural supports  802  has a top side  802   a  and a fastening side  802   b . The top side  802   a  is coupled to the top edge  806   a  of the primary member  806 . The fastening side  802   b  is coupled to the bottom edge  806   b  of the primary member  806 . In some implementations, the plurality of structural supports  802  can have a curved side  802   c  that extends away from the primary member. The curved side  802   c  extends farthest away from the primary member  806  on the fastening side  802   b  and closest to the primary member  806  on the top side  802   a . In various implementations, the curved side  802   c  may have a decay curve profile from the fastening side  802   b  to the top side  802   a . The curved side  802   c  can allow an assembly tool to rotate with a substantial range of motion when used to fasten the primary member  806  to a surface via the fastening holes  808   a.    
     In some implementations, the plurality of structural supports  802  can extend at an angle away from the primary member  806 . In some implementations, the angle can be 90 degrees. In some implementations, the angle can be between 80-100 degrees. The plurality of structural supports  802 , which are substantially similar to the structural supports described above in  FIG. 7 , can strengthen the rigidity of the offset mounting bracket  800 . 
     Each of the plurality of structural supports  802  can connect to an outer connecting member  804   a ,  804   b  along the fastening side  802   b . Each of the outer connecting members  804   a ,  804   b  extend in a direction away from the fastening side  802   b  of the structural supports  802  and parallel to the bottom edge  806   b  of the primary member  806 . As shown, the connecting members  804   a ,  804   b  are perpendicular to both the primary member  806  and the structural supports  802 . In other words, the connecting members  804   a ,  804   b  extend away from the first and second edges  806   c ,  806   d  of the primary member  806 , respectively. The connecting members  804   a ,  804   b  have a rounded triangular shape with the base of the triangular shape connected along the fastening side  802   b  of the structural supports  802  and a height of the triangular shape spaced farthest away from the primary member  806 . 
     Each of the connecting members  804   a ,  804   b , can be configured to connect to a flat surface such as the top surface  208  of the water storage tank  206 . In some implementations, the connecting members  804   a ,  804   b  have a plurality of fastening holes  808   b  therein. As shown, the fastening holes  808   b  are positioned away from the primary member  806 . The connecting members  804   a ,  804   b  can be fastened to a surface using a fastener such as a bolt, rivet, or weld. 
     In some implementations the offset mounting bracket  800  can be integrally formed from a single piece of material. For example, the single piece of material can be bent, molded, or formed to include the primary member  806 , structural supports  802 , and connecting members  804   a ,  804   b . In some implementations, the offset mounting bracket can be formed from 14-gauge steel. Rigid and formable materials, such as 14-gauge steel, can provide substantial structural rigidity for the offset mounting bracket  800  and provide structural support to sustain the weight of an attached heat engine such as a tankless water heater. 
     While several embodiments have been provided in the present disclosure, it should be understood that the disclosed systems and methods may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. The present examples are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the intention is not to be limited to the details given herein. For example, the various elements or components may be combined or integrated in another system or certain features may be omitted or not implemented. 
     Also, techniques, systems, subsystems, and methods described and illustrated in the various embodiments as discrete or separate may be combined or integrated with other systems, modules, techniques, or methods without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Other items shown or discussed as directly coupled or communicating with each other may be indirectly coupled or communicating through some interface, device, or intermediate component, whether electrically, mechanically, or otherwise. Other examples of changes, substitutions, and alterations are ascertainable by one skilled in the art and could be made without departing from the spirit and scope disclosed herein.