Disclosed is an air heating apparatus including a burner that causes a combustion reaction, a main passage, through which water flows while circulating, a heat exchanging device that receives heat from combustion gas generated by the combustion reaction and heats the water flowing along the main passage, a heating heat exchanger that receives the water heated by the heat exchanging device and exchanges heat with the air for heating, a fan that blows the air to the heating heat exchanger, and an expansion tank disposed in the main passage to accommodate a change in a volume of the water and having an expansion opening opened to an outside.

A residential and commercial sewerage and water drainage safety system and device that includes at least one hollow pipe, with a plugged or sealed top end and a fitting on the bottom end for connecting the pipe in a substantially vertical mounting position into the sewerage or water drainage system, and at least one float switch disposed in the pipe and electrically connected with a water shut off valve, where the pipe is adopted for the flow and accumulation of fluid, so that the float switch activates as the pipe fills with fluid and shuts off the water valve, promoting safer sewerage and water drainage system operation. Additional float switches positioned above or below in the hollow pipe may provide additional functions, such as a warning light and sound to the owner, or a notification via a telephone or cell phone system or through the home network or Wi-Fi system.

An air-conditioning apparatus includes: a heat-source-side device that heats or cools a heat medium; a pump that sucks and transfers the heat medium; use-side heat exchangers; a heat medium circuit; flow rate control devices; indoor-side pressure sensors; a pump inlet-side pressure sensor and/or a pump outlet-side pressure sensor; a flow rate detection device that detects a pump flow rate; and a controller that performs a first operation in which the flow rate control devices are individually opened or closed and data regarding a flow passage resistance at a path related to each of the heat exchangers is obtained, and a second operation in which heat is supplied to indoor air, and calculates calculate flow rates of the heat medium that flows through the heat exchangers in the second operation, from pump flow rates and pressures detected by the pressure sensors in the first and second operations.

An outdoor-use heating mat includes a mat body, a water container, a substance container, and a first circulating pump. The water container is disposed in the mat body. The water container has a first inlet and a first outlet. The substance container is configured to hold a substance that can chemically react with water and release thermal energy. The substance container has a second inlet, a second outlet, and a normally closed feed port. Two ends of the first circulating pump are in communication with the first outlet and the second inlet, respectively. The second outlet is in communication with the first inlet. The outdoor-use heating mat can be heated, easy to carry.

The present invention is a fluid distribution system comprising connected conduits (e.g., lines) wherein fluid flows, such as pipes within a building. The lines may be configured to: (i) include multiple lines that connect at intersections (some of the intersections will be identified as nodes); and (ii) incorporate node units associated with line pressure loss simulation assemblies (“LLSAs”). Activities of a node unit incorporating a LLSA can result in alterations in fluid pressure, such as by a loop control process to reposition balancing valves or other valves of one or more LLSAs, and/or by alteration of the speed of the system pump. These activities adjust fluid pressure to cause the system to produce a balanced and high efficiency energy transfer (e.g., heating or cooling), and do not involve or require any identification or use of any specific, fixed or absolute pressure value. They function based on an operation locus (for a node unit) and/or an operation locus range (for node unit groupings) to adjust the fluid pressure.

A residential and commercial sewerage and water drainage safety system and device that includes at least one hollow pipe, with a plugged or sealed top end and a fitting on the bottom end for connecting the pipe in a substantially vertical mounting position into the sewerage or water drainage system, and at least one float switch disposed in the pipe and electrically connected with a water shut off valve, where the pipe is adopted for the flow and accumulation of fluid, so that the float switch activates as the pipe fills with fluid and shuts off the water valve, promoting safer sewerage and water drainage system operation. Additional float switches positioned above or below in the hollow pipe may provide additional functions, such as a warning light and sound to the owner, or a notification via a telephone or cell phone system or through the home network or Wi-Fi system.

A residential and commercial hot water and steam boiler safety system and device that includes at least one hollow pipe, with one plugged or sealed end and a fitting on the other end for connecting the pipe in a substantially vertical mounting position, and at least one two float switch disposed in the pipe and electrically connected in series with a limit switch in the boiler, where the pipe is adopted for the flow and accumulation of water, so that float switch activates as the pipe fills with water and shuts off the boiler by turning off the gas valve, promoting safer boiler and steam boiler operation. Additional float switches positioned above or below in the hollow pipe may provide additional functions, such as a warning light and sound to the owner, or a notification via a telephone or cell phone system or through the home network or Wi-Fi system.

An air conditioning system (1) has a heater unit (3) providing a hot water flow (7) and receiving a hot water return (31) in hot water loop, a chiller unit (5) providing a cold water flow (13) and receiving a cold water return (33) in a cold water loop, one or more air to water heat exchangers (17), and one or more control valves (11), each control valve (11) associated with one of the air to water heat exchangers (17) and arranged to receive the hot water flow (7) and cold water flow (13), selectively provide the flow from a one of the hot water loop or cold water loop to the associated air to water heat exchanger (17), receive a return from the associated air to water heat exchanger (17), and selectively provide the return from the associated air to water heat exchanger (17) to the return of the one of the hot water loop or cold water loop.

A heat pump assembly (100) is presented. The heat pump assembly (100) comprises a heat pump (110) having a primary side inlet (122) and a primary side outlet (124); a primary side inlet valve assembly (126) comprising: a primary side inlet connection (126a) connected to the primary side inlet (122), a primary side inlet valve first conduit connection (126b) configured to be connected to a first conduit (12) of a thermal energy grid (10), and a primary side inlet valve second conduit connection (126c) configured to be connected to a second conduit (14) of the thermal energy grid (10); a first conduit temperature determining device (105a) configured to measure a local temperature, t.sub.1, of heat transfer liquid of the first conduit (12); a second conduit temperature determining device (105b) configured to measure a local temperature, t.sub.2, of heat transfer liquid of the second conduit (14); and a controller (108). The controller is configured to: receive hand t.sub.2 from the first and second conduit temperature determining devices (105a; 105b), receive information pertaining to whether the heat pump (110) is a heating mode heat pump or a cooling mode heat pump. The controller is configured to upon the heat pump (110) is the heating mode heat pump and upon t.sub.2>t.sub.1 set the primary side inlet valve assembly (126) to fluidly connect the primary side inlet valve first conduit connection (126b) and the primary side inlet connection (126a), primary side inlet valve assembly (126) to fluidly connect the primary side inlet valve or upon the heat pump (110) is the heating mode heat pump and upon t.sub.1>t.sub.2, set the second conduit connection (126c) and the primary side inlet connection (126a). The controller is configured to upon the heat pump (110) is the cooling mode heat pump and upon t.sub.1>t.sub.2, set the primary side inlet valve assembly (126) to fluidly connect the primary side inlet valve second conduit connection (126c) and the primary side inlet connection (126a), or upon the heat pump (110) is the cooling mode heat pump and upon t.sub.2>t.sub.1, set the primary side inlet valve assembly (126) to fluidly connect the primary side inlet valve first conduit connection (126b) and the primary side inlet connection (126a).

A method to control a carrier fluid through a service line (5) of a conditioning and/or heating system (1). The service line includes a heat exchange unit (7), a flow regulator (8), temperature sensors (9; 9a, 9b) detecting a temperature difference (ΔT.sub.i) between the carrier fluid in a first section (5a) of the service line (5) upstream of said heat exchange unit (7) and carrier fluid in a second section (5b) of the service line (5) downstream of the same heat exchange unit (7). The method includes calculating a value assumed by a control parameter (Pc) which is a function of at least one or more values assumed by the temperature difference in the transition of the flow regulator from a first to a second operating condition, for then determining whether the value of the control parameter (Pc) is higher than a threshold (S).