Method and apparatus for providing dilution air to a blower motor

摘要

A blower is disclosed which has a housing that provides a means for drawing dilution air into a combined motor and impeller housing. The dilution air is drawn into a first chamber which houses the blower motor and is then drawn into the impeller chamber where the dilution air mixes with hot exhaust gases from a hot water heater to which the blower is attached. Apertures on a back plate of the impeller provide fluid communication between the motor chamber and the impeller chamber. The housing has walls which extend beyond a housing cover to form a skirt so that the attachment of the blower to a water heater top results in a third chamber being formed within which the water heat flue is situated.The combination of the skirt section, the housing cover and the top of the hot water heater comprise the third chamber which has at least one slot provided therein for drawing dilution air into the third chamber where the dilution air is mixed with the exhaust gases exiting the water heater flue. The mixed air and exhaust gas is drawn into the second chamber by the operating impeller where the mixture is further mixed with the dilution air drawn from the motor chamber into the housing. The mixed gases are then channeled out an outlet port formed in the blower housing.The invention eliminates the need for fans dedicated to cool the blower motor while providing the means for more effectively reducing the temperatures of the exhaust gases which exit the blower.