Patent ID: 8561917

Claim:
A liquid heating assembly, comprising: a heat-conductive element; and a liquid heating enclosure comprising a rigid section including a heat exchanger, and a relatively resilient and flexible section, wherein said heat-conductive element defines a displaceable, resilient, flexible diaphragm between said rigid section and said relatively resilient and flexible section and allows for expansion of liquid inside said rigid section, caused by freezing of said liquid, into said relatively resilient and flexible section, wherein said heat exchanger is for directly heating liquid in said rigid section and for indirectly heating liquid in said relatively resilient and flexible section via said heat-conductive element, and wherein at least said liquid heating enclosure defines a primary liquid flow pathway in said rigid section and a secondary liquid flow pathway in said relatively resilient and flexible section, said secondary liquid flow pathway supplying liquid to said primary liquid flow pathway via at least one aperture in said heat-conductive element.