Method of and apparatus for automatic damper control

• US 4,846,400 A
• Filed: 04/12/1988
• Issued: 07/11/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Scott L. Crouse
• Original Assignee: Scott L. Crouse
• Inventors: Crouse, Scott L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tanner, Harry B.
• Application Number:
  US07/180,456
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• Field of Search: 236/1 G, 236/16, 236/45, 236/93 R, 236/95, 236/96, 431/20, 110/163, 126/285 B, 126/286, 126/290, 126/292
• US Class Current: 236/93.00R
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 2235/04 in stacks
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 3/045 using electrical or electromechanical means
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 3/085 using electrical or electromechanical means

Abstract

A method of and apparatus for automatic flue damper control of a solid fuel burning stove has a driveshaft connected to the damper, a plurality of cams on the driveshaft, a plurality of thermoswitches on the chimney pipe, a plurality of selection switches operated by the cams, and an electric motor controlled by the thermoswitches and the selector switches for moving the damper to open, partial and closed positions in response to low, rising, and too high temperatures respectively.

Claims

1. An automatic temperature responsive electrical damper control for operation of a damper in a solid fuel stove, comprising

a. a chassis having means for mounting of the chassis in a predetermined position with respect to and adjacent a chimney pipe from the solid fuel stove;

b. an electric motor mounted to said chassis;

a damper drive connected to said motor and operatively connectable to a damper in said chimney pipe for position movement of the damper;

c. output means connected to said damper drive for indicating the position of the drive and the damper when operatively connected to said drive;

d. temperature responsive switching means for switching in response to a first higher temperature and a functionally discrete second lower temperature, said switch means being positionable in thermal exchange relationship with said chimney pipe;

e. selection means operatively connected to said output means and functionally disposed between said motor and said switch means for connecting said motor to be responsive only to switching as a consequence of only one of said temperatures; and

f. a power source lead connected to said selection means.

2. The control of claim 1, in which said output means is a shaft and rotary positional indicator which has said damper drive on one end of said shaft.

3. The control of claim 1, in which said switch means comprises a discrete first high temperature switch and a discrete second lower temperature switch being discretely connected through said selection means to said motor.

4. The control of claim 1, in which said switch means includes means for switching in response to a middle temperature in between said first and second temperatures.

5. The control of claim 4, in which said switching means includes three discrete mechanical thermoswitches, said selector means includes three discrete normally open switches connected one each to a respective thermo-switch, and including a selector cam having three lobes co-rotatably mounted on said damper drive, there being a discrete lobe for each selector switch.

6. The control of claim 1, in which said selection means includes a discrete switch for each of said temperatures, said switches being electrically connected in parallel to said motor.

7. The control of claim 1, including a reset switch in parallel with the said lower temperature switch means.

8. The control of claim 1, including a high temperature alarm wired in parallel with the motor between the said higher temperature switching means and a common power lead.

9. The control of claim 1, including means for mechanically disengaging said motor from said damper drive.

10. The control of claim 9, in which said disengaging means includes a manually operable mechanical element for physically moving the motor out of mechanical engagement with the damper drive.

11. The control of claim 10, including a slide mount in said chassis, said motor being slideably mounted in said slide mount with said mechanical element being connected between the motor and the chassis and being operable for slideably changing said motor from an engaged position to a disengaged position.

12. The control of claim 9, including a main power switch operatively connected to said motor between said motor and a power source for opening said power source lead when said motor is disengaged.

13. The control of claim 12, including an actuator on the outside of the chassis for turning said control on and off.

14. The control of claim 9, including a spring normally biasing said motor into engagement with said driveshaft.

15. The control of claim 1, including a test switch connected in parallel with the temperature sensing means to said selection means, for testing full closing of the damper in response to a sensing of a predetermined too-high temperature.

16. In a solid fuel burning stove having a solid fuel burning chamber, an air inlet to the chamber, a chimney pipe extending upward from the burning chamber for exhaust of combustion product from the burning of solid fuel, and a damper in the chimney pipe, the improvement of an automatic temperature responsive damper control comprising

a. an electric motor;

b. drive means operatively connecting the motor to said damper for movement of the damper between open and closed position;

c. output means connected to said drive means for indicating the position of the damper as being open or closed;

d. first and second temperature responsive switches having means positioned for sensing chimney temperature, said switches being self actuatable upon the sensing of a predetermined temperature, said first switch being self actuatable at a higher temperature than the second switch;

e. selection means operatively connected to said output means and functionally disposed between said motor and said switches for selective switching electrical connection of the motor between said first and second switches and vice-versa in response to said output means indicating a change in position of the damper to open or closed; and

f. a motive power lead connected to both said switches for energizing said motor to move said damper upon thermally responsive actuation of said switches to which the motor is electrically connected.

17. The stove and control of claim 16, including a middle said temperature responsive switch connected through said selection means for positioning the damper partially open in the chimney pipe.

18. The stove and control of claim 16, in which said temperature responsive switches are thermo-switches mounted on the outside of the chimney pipe below the damper.

19. The stove and control of claim 16, in which said first switch is functionally connected to said output means for positioning the damper completely closed.

20. The stove and control of claim 16, including means for selectively engaging or disengaging said motor with or from said drive means, and means for opening a motor power circuit upon disengaging, for turning off the control and enabling manual operation of the damper.

21. The stove and control of claim 16, in which said damper shaft is rotatable about a vertical axis, and including a spring between the motor and the chassis, said spring biasing the motor into driving engagement with the draftshaft.

22. A method of automatically controlling a chimney damper, comprising the steps of:

a. sensing the temperature of gases in a chimney having a damper therein;

b. operating a lower temperature thermo-switch in response to sensing a low threshold temperature;

c. connecting motive power to an electric damper drive motor and moving the damper to a fully open position in response to said operation of the low threshold temperature;

d. dropping out the lower temperature switch and bringing in a higher temperature thermoswitch when the damper stops in the open position, and subsequently

e. sensing a high threshold temperature and in response thereto operating a higher temperature thermo-switch and connecting motive power to the motor,

f. moving the damper to a fully closed position, and

g. dropping out the higher temperature switch and bringing back in the lower temperature switch when the damper stops in the closed position.

23. The method of claim 22, including the further steps of:

a. bringing in a middle temperature switch when the damper stops at the open position;

b. sensing a predetermined middle temperature and energizing the motor in response thereto;

c. moving the damper to a partially opened position; and

d. dropping out the middle temperature switch and bringing in the lower and higher temperature switches when the damper stops in the partially opened position.

24. The method of claim 23, including the further steps of dropping out the middle temperature switch when the damper is in the closed position.

25. The method of claim 22, including the further step of mechanically disengaging the motor from the damper while the motor remains mounted to the chimney, and enabling alternate manual operation of the damper.