Patent ID: 8196552

Claim:
A system to reduce standby energy loss in a gas burning appliance having a burner and a flue pipe for exhausting combustion gases from the burner, the gas burning appliance further having a combination gas controller for controlling a flow of gas to enable combustion and to disable combustion, comprising: a safety relay valve interposed between the combination gas controller and the burner, the safety relay valve having a housing forming an inlet for receiving gas when the combination gas controller enables combustion, an outlet for providing gas to the burner, a first connection port in fluid communication with the inlet, a diaphragm control chamber, and a second connection port in fluid communication with the diaphragm control chamber, the safety relay valve further including a main controlling valve positioned between the inlet and the outlet to control a flow of gas from the inlet to the outlet, the main controlling valve including a valve control shaft drivably coupled to a diaphragm positioned in the diaphragm control chamber; a damper actuator valve having an inlet in fluid communication with the first connection port and an outlet in fluid communication with the second connection port, the damper actuator valve further including a diaphragm operably coupled to a push rod having a first end operably coupled to a damper actuator safety valve positioned between the inlet and the outlet such that the push rod must traverse a damper actuator safety valve drag distance before the first end causes the damper actuator safety valve to open, and a second end; and a damper flapper valve operatively coupled to the second end of the push rod and installed in proximity to a top end of the flue pipe such that closure of the damper flapper valve reduces thermal communication from the flue pipe to an environment.