Stackable water heater apparatus

摘要

Water heater apparatus is provided with features that allow for a horizontally compact water heater installation comprising upper and lower vertically stacked electric individual water heaters served by a single electrical branch circuit. Each of the upper and lower water heaters has a water storage capacity not exceeding 55 gallons, and the combined water storage capacity of the upper and lower water heaters is greater than 55 gallons. The electric heating elements of the two water heaters are non-simultaneously controlled so that at no time do the two water heaters heat water at the same time.

主权项

1. Electric water heating apparatus comprising first and second electric water heaters each having a tank adapted to hold a quantity of water to be heated, thermal insulation arranged to insulate a portion of said tank, an electric heating structure for heating water disposed in said tank, an electrical control circuit for controlling said electric heating structure, and electrical wiring, the electrical control circuits of the first and second water heaters and the electrical wiring forming a control unit, wherein the control unit is arranged to the electric heating structure of the second electric water heater to be powered only if the electric heating structure of the first electric water heater is not powered, said first and second electric water heaters being in a vertically stacked end-to-end relationship in which top and bottom ends of said first and second electric water heaters, respectively, are interfittingly interlocked with one another,
wherein the first and second water heaters comprise junction boxes and a vertical wiring passage extending between the junction boxes and through the thermal insulation, the vertical wiring passage containing the electrical wiring, the junction boxes being arranged to be vertically aligned when the first and second water heaters are interfittingly interlocked with one another to electrically connect said electric wiring of said first and second electric water heaters.