Patent ID: 8708673

Claim:
A draft inducer for use with a duct system exhausting corrosive and high temperature gas, comprising: an inline tubular housing having first and second opposed ends respectively configured for attachment to the duct system, an imaginary center axis extending from the first end to the second end; an impeller inside the housing, the impeller being supported by a mount located inside the housing and having an axis of rotation generally parallel to the imaginary center axis; a motor mounted outside the housing such that an output of the motor is offset at an angle between twenty and sixty degrees relative to the imaginary center axis; and a drive shaft coupling the motor to the impeller to rotate the impeller with force from the motor, rotation of the impeller being in a direction such that gas is drawn past the motor and the drive shaft before reaching the impeller; wherein the drive shaft passes through an opening in the housing, gas being unable to escape from the housing through the opening.