A residential and commercial sewerage, drainage and water disposal system and device that includes a ferrous metal cleanout plug and a pair of magnetic electrical connectors disposed in the cleanout plug, without being in physical contact with one another, where the magnetic electrical connectors are magnetically attached to the interior of the cleanout plug and retain in place an insulator plate, and where the electrical connectors are electrically connected with an alarm/control module capable of emitting and alarm and/or closing the main water supply shut off valve, so that the electrical connectors open or close an electric circuit when the fluid reaches the connectors and activates an alarm and/or and shuts off the water valve, promoting safer sewerage, drainage and water disposal system operation.

The present invention provides a method of operating a gas heater for water including the steps of: restricting a water flow to the gas heater; determining a first rate of a first gas heating for the restricted water flow; adjusting the gas heating to the restricted water flow; repeating the previous steps until a heated water has a temperature above a temperature threshold; removing the restriction to the water flow to increase the water flow; and determining a second rate of a second gas heating for the increased water flow. The present invention also provides a gas water heater which utilises such a method.

The present invention relates to a district thermal energy distribution system comprising a thermal energy circuit comprising a hot and a cold conduit for allowing flow of heat transfer liquid therethrough, a thermal energy consumer heat exchanger and a thermal energy generator heat exchanger. The thermal energy consumer heat exchanger is selectively connected to the hot conduit via a thermal energy consumer valve or a thermal energy consumer pump. The thermal energy generator heat exchanger is selectively connected to the cold conduit via a thermal energy generator valve or a thermal energy generator pump.

The present invention relates to a local thermal energy consumer assembly and a local thermal energy generator assembly to be connected to a thermal energy circuit comprising a hot and a cold conduit. The local thermal energy consumer assembly is selectively connected, via a pump or a valve to the hot conduit. The local thermal energy generator assembly is selectively connected, via a pump or a valve to the cold conduit. The use of either the valve or the pump is controlled by determining a local pressure difference between heat transfer liquid of the hot and the cold conduits.

A fluid transportation network (1) comprises a plurality of parallel zones (Z1, Z2), fed by a common supply line (L), with a regulating zone valve (V1, V2) in each zone (Z1, Z2) for regulating a flow of fluid (ϕ.sub.1, ϕ.sub.2) through the respective zone (Z1, Z2). A processing unit (RE) receives valve positions (pos.sub.1, pos.sub.2) of the regulating zone valves (V1, V2) and determines and sets an adjusted valve position for a line valve (VE) arranged in the supply line (L), depending on the valve positions (pos.sub.1, pos.sub.2) of the regulating zone valves (V1, V2). A processing unit (RE) further receives a measurement of a total flow of fluid (ϕ.sub.tot) through the supply line (L) and determines and sets adjusted valve positions for the regulating zone valves (V1, V2), depending on the measurement of the total flow of fluid (ϕ.sub.tot) through the supply line (L).

A communication adapter (4) for collecting various kinds of information from a water-heating system (1) and providing the information to an administration center (2) via a wireless LAN router (6) functions as an access point for providing a direct wireless communication with a smartphone (3); in response to a request from the smartphone (3) via the direct wireless communication, it provides pairing authentication information to the smartphone (3); in response to a request from the smartphone (3), it initializes the wireless LAN connection information for the wireless LAN router (6) to disconnect the wireless link to the wireless LAN router (6); and, when the wireless LAN connection information is set by its WPS function, it establishes a wireless link to the wireless LAN router (6) and transmits the pairing authentication information to the administration center (2) via the wireless LAN router (6).

A communication adapter (4) for collecting various kinds of information from a water-heating system (1) and providing the information to an administration center (2) via a wireless LAN router (6) functions as an access point for providing a direct wireless communication with a smartphone (3); in response to a request from the smartphone (3) via the direct wireless communication, it provides pairing authentication information to the smartphone (3); in response to a request from the smartphone (3), it initializes the wireless LAN connection information for the wireless LAN router (6) to disconnect the wireless link to the wireless LAN router (6); and, when the wireless LAN connection information is set by its WPS function, it establishes a wireless link to the wireless LAN router (6) and transmits the pairing authentication information to the administration center (2) via the wireless LAN router (6).

A heating fluid control system determines the aggregated demand for heating fluid from a plurality of sources of demand in a building and deactivates a boiler that provides the heating fluid when the aggregated demand is zero. The sources of demand can include radiators and domestic hot water fixtures. Valves that control the flow of heating fluid from the boiler to these sources of demand can transmit signals representative of the position of the valve. A controller can use these signals and other signals to determine the demand for heating fluid from each source of demand. The controller evaluates the signals to determine the aggregate system demand. And after deactivating the boiler, the controller can reactivate the boiler when the aggregate system demand is determined to be non-zero. Methods of using such heating systems are also disclosed.

A solar photovoltaic (PV) water heating system includes a tank (1.020) including at least a first heating unit (1.016) having at least first and second heating elements (1.016.1 . . . 1.016.x), at least one of which is switchable (1.014.1A . . . 1.014.1m); a PV solar collector (1.002); an inverter (1.004) adapted to convert the output from the PV collector to an alternating power supply; a modulator (1.060) to modulate the alternating power supply from the inverter; a controller (1.040) adapted to control the modulator and the switching of the or each switchable heating element; wherein the controller is adapted to control the modulator and the switchable heating elements to maximize the energy drawn from the PC collector.

The present invention is generally directed to a system for providing heating, cooling, and domestic hot water (DHW) using a water source heat pump, the system including: a compressor; a source heat exchanger; a load heat exchanger; a DHW heat exchanger; and a DHW storage tank. In some embodiments, the system may be concealable, and mounted between two wall studs. In some embodiments, a water-to-water water source heat pump and DHW storage tank may be mounted between the same wall studs, the system having a width of no more than 14.5″ and a depth of no more than 7″. In some embodiments, in a heating cycle high-temperature high-pressure refrigerant in a gaseous phase is provided to both a brazed plate DHW heat exchanger and a brazed plate load heat exchanger in a parallel manner so one of the heat exchangers receives the refrigerant at a time.