A water tank management system that connects either to a hot water tank directly or to an electric panel connected to the tank. The system comprises at least two temperature sensors, each of which is attached on the surface of the hot water tank near respective heating elements. The system comprises a control box which includes a solid-state relay that modulates the flow of electrical power to the heating elements in order to lower the energy used by the tank. The modulation is controlled by a program stored in a memory in the control box or communicated to the control box via an external controller. The system optionally comprises a third temperature sensor placed outdoors to measure the ambient outdoor temperature. With this feature, the system can activate a program to reduce energy consumption when the outdoor ambient temperature is outside a critical temperature range.

A water heating system can include a water heater having a tank, an inlet line, and an outlet line, where the inlet line provides unheated water to the tank, and where the outlet line draws heated water from the tank. The water heating system can also include multiple sensing devices, where each sensing device of the plurality of sensing devices measures a parameter associated with the tank. The water heating system can further include a controller communicably coupled to the plurality of sensing devices, where the controller determines an amount of heated water in the tank based on measurements made by the plurality of sensing devices.

A device for igniting a pilot light for a heating appliance or for re-igniting the pilot. The device may monitor a thermopile at the pilot to determine if the pilot is lit and, if not, attempt to relight it. If the device fails to relight the pilot, it may continue attempting to relight the pilot until the stored energy is nearly depleted. Before the stored energy is depleted, the device may send a message indicating a failure to relight. The last of stored energy may alert a homeowner with an alarm that the appliance control has shut down and the pilot could not be relit. If the amount of energy stored drops below a specified threshold and the device successfully lights the pilot, it may restore the control to normal operation, and replenish the stored energy. The device may do a standing pilot or an intermittent pilot.

A hot-water supply device includes a hot-water dispenser supplying hot-water, a hot-water supply path supplying the hot-water to a hot-water supply tap, a circulation path carrying out instant hot-water operation which circulates and heats the hot-water remaining in the hot-water supply path, a first clock repeatedly measuring unit times in which a pattern of hot-water usage of a user makes a round, and a flow rate sensor detecting the supply of the hot-water from the hot-water supply tap. The control portion detects, for each of the unit times and based on detection signals of the flow rate sensor, a time zone in which hot-water supply operation is carried out, and reserves, based on a time zone in a first unit time in which the hot-water supply operation is carried out, a time zone in a second unit time following the first unit time for carrying out the instant hot-water operation.

A heat balancing system for a natural draft gas burning appliance having a flue. When the appliance is in a standby mode, a main burner is shut off and the pilot light remains on. Temperature in the heat exchanger (e.g., temperature of water in a heater tank) may be decreased or increased, respectively, by opening or closing a damper in a flue as needed. If opening the damper does not sufficiently reduce the temperature of the heat exchanger, then the pilot light may be shut off to further reduce the temperature. The pilot light may be turned on again to bring up the temperature. There may be a control or controller to operate the damper to maintain the temperature of the exchanger within a certain range. Electrical power may be provided for the system from a power line, a storage device, or other source.

The present invention provides a heat pump water heater and a control method thereof. The control method is used for controlling the heat pump water heater and includes: detecting a temperature of water in a water tank; if the water temperature is not larger than a first preset temperature value, controlling, by a controller, a heating device to heat at a first average heating power; if the water temperature is larger than the a second preset temperature value, controlling the heating device to stop heating; otherwise, if detecting that water flows into the water tank, controlling the heating device to heat at a second average heating power, and if detecting that no water flows into the water tank, controlling the heating device to heat at a third average heating power.

There is provided a water delivery system that includes, hot and cold water lines that are for feeding hot and cold water to respective hot and cold water fixtures, a water heater having a cold water input and a hot water output, a water circulator for pumping water from the hot water outlet to the hot water fixture, a bypass line that couples between the water circulator and the cold water input and at least a first check valve constructed and arranged in the bypass line for selectively directing hot pumped water via the water circulator to the cold water input to the water heater while preventing flow in an opposite direction toward the water circulator. A second check valve is disposed in the cold water line for selectively directing cold water from the cold water line to the cold water input to the water heater while preventing flow in an opposite direction toward the cold water line.

Appliances, such as hot water heaters, hot water heater controllers, and methods of operating such hot water heaters, that take into consideration the availability and capacity of alternative energy sources so that additional efficiencies can be realized by sensing the availability of an alternative energy source and adjusting the control algorithms used to control the use of the available electric power is provided.

A water heating system can include a first tank-based water heater having a first inlet line and a first outlet line, where the first inlet line provides unheated water to the first tank, and where the first outlet line draws heated water from the first tank. The system can also include a first tankless water heater having a second outlet line, where the second outlet line of the first tankless water heater provides the heated water to a first heated water demand. The system can also include a first valve that controls an amount of the unheated water flowing through the first inlet line to the first tank-based water heater. The system can further include a controller operatively coupled to the first valve, where the controller controls a position of the first valve based on the first heated water demand and a first capacity of the first tankless water heater.

A system and a method is described for remotely controlling gas consumption by a power vented gas-fired water heater to reduce consumption of gas by a consumer connected to a gas distribution bank network of a gas provider during overload periods where gas demand is at a peak. The system comprises a consumer controller in communication with the gas provider whereby the controller can operate a modulating gas control valve either directly or through the control of the fan speed of a power vented blower to reduce the supply of gas to the burner of the gas-fired water heater when asked by the provider to do so. Temperature sensors are associated with the water holding tank of the gas-fired water heater to feed water temperature signals to a computer of the controller whereby to enable the controller to execute informed corrective action for the reduction in gas consumption by regulating the gas control valve to reduce the supply of gas to the burner of the water heater.