Condensing Gas Package Unit Configured to Drain Condensate Through Inducer Fan and Method of Reducing Fuel Consumption

Abstract

Air conditioning units packaged with condensing gas heat exchangers where condensate from the heat exchanger passes through the inducer fan, into an exhaust conduit, and out of the unit enclosure, and methods that reduce consumption of fossil fuels using air conditioning units with condensing gas heat exchangers by advertising that the units can be installed on the roof of a building or at ground level. Some embodiments include a drain hole extending through a collector attached to the heat exchanger to the inlet of the inducer fan. In some embodiments, a bifurcation in the exhaust conduit separates condensate from most combustion gasses. Some embodiments discharge condensate into a vertical standpipe in the ground that may extend below the frost line. Various methods include instructing an installer of the units regarding how to install the units and dispose of condensate into the ground or through a drain line into the building.

1 . An air conditioning unit packaged with a condensing gas heat exchanger, the unit comprising:
 an enclosure;   a return duct opening for connecting the unit to a return duct that delivers air to the unit from the space;   a supply duct opening for connecting the unit to a supply duct that delivers air from the unit to the space;   the condensing gas heat exchanger for heating the air;   a collector connected to the condensing gas heat exchanger;   an inducer fan having an inlet connected to the collector and an outlet; and   an exhaust conduit extending from the outlet of the inducer fan to outside of the enclosure;   wherein the collector further comprises:
 an exhaust hole for the inlet of the inducer fan; and 
 a drain hole extending through the collector to the inlet of the inducer fan; wherein:
 the drain hole is lower than the exhaust hole for the inducer fan; 
 the drain hole has a smaller cross-sectional area than the exhaust hole for the inducer fan; and 
 condensate formed in the condensing gas heat exchanger passes through the drain hole to the inlet of the inducer fan, through the inducer fan, and into the exhaust conduit with combustion gasses. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The air conditioning unit of  claim 1  wherein:
 the exhaust conduit comprises a bifurcation that separates the condensate from a majority of the combustion gasses; 
 the bifurcation comprises a high path and a low path; 
 the high path has a larger cross sectional area than the low path; 
 the majority of the combustion gasses pass through the high path; and 
 a minority of the combustion gasses pass through the low path with the condensate to keep the condensate from freezing when ambient temperature conditions are below freezing. 
 
     
     
         3 . The air conditioning unit of  claim 2  further comprising a vertical standpipe wherein the low path discharges into the vertical standpipe and the condensate is allowed to drip into the vertical standpipe while the minority of the combustion gasses emerging from the low path are exhausted upward between the low path and the standpipe. 
     
     
         4 . The air conditioning unit of  claim 3  wherein the standpipe extends into the ground and terminates with at least one opening to the ground below a frost line in the ground. 
     
     
         5 . The air conditioning unit of  claim 1  further comprising a bed of porous alkaline material in the ground wherein the condensate is directed to discharge into the bed of porous alkaline material in the ground to neutralize acidity of the condensate and dispose of the condensate into the ground. 
     
     
         6 . An air conditioning unit packaged with a condensing gas heat exchanger, the unit comprising:
 an enclosure;   a return duct opening for connecting the unit to a return duct that delivers air to the unit from the space;   a supply duct opening for connecting the unit to a supply duct that delivers air from the unit to the space;   the condensing gas heat exchanger for heating the air;   a collector connected to the condensing gas heat exchanger;   an inducer fan having an inlet connected to the collector and an outlet; and   an exhaust conduit extending from the outlet of the inducer fan to outside of the enclosure;   wherein:
 the collector further comprises an exhaust hole for the inlet of the inducer fan; and 
 condensate formed in the condensing gas heat exchanger passes through the inducer fan, into the exhaust conduit, and out of the enclosure; 
 the exhaust conduit comprises a bifurcation that separates the condensate from a majority of the combustion gasses; 
 the bifurcation comprises a high path and a low path; 
 the high path has a larger cross sectional area than the low path; and 
 the majority of the combustion gasses pass through the high path. 
   
     
     
         7 . The air conditioning unit of  claim 6  wherein the low path has a continually downward gradient and a minority of the combustion gasses pass through the low path with the condensate to keep the condensate from freezing when ambient temperature conditions are below freezing. 
     
     
         8 . The air conditioning unit of  claim 7  further comprising a vertical standpipe having a larger cross-sectional dimension than the low path, wherein the low path discharges into the vertical standpipe and the condensate is allowed to drip into the vertical standpipe while the minority of the combustion gasses emerging from the low path are exhausted upward between the low path and the standpipe. 
     
     
         9 . A method of reducing consumption of fossil fuels and reducing emission of greenhouse gasses from widely used HVAC equipment, the method comprising in any order at least the acts of:
 manufacturing, obtaining, or providing air conditioning units having condensing gas heat exchangers;   advertising that the air conditioning units can be installed on a roof of a building and condensate from the condensing gas heat exchangers can be disposed of by routing a drain line through the roof of the building for disposal inside the building; and   advertising that the air conditioning units can be installed at ground level and condensate from the condensing gas heat exchangers can be disposed of into the ground.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the act of manufacturing, obtaining, or providing the air conditioning units comprises manufacturing, obtaining, or providing air conditioning units that include:
 a condensing gas heat exchanger having at least one stage that has fins; 
 a collector connected to the at least one stage that has fins, wherein the collector comprises a drain line opening penetrating the collector; and 
 an inducer fan having an inlet connected to the collector. 
 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the act of manufacturing, obtaining, or providing the air conditioning units comprises manufacturing, obtaining, or providing air conditioning units that include a drain hole extending through the collector to the inlet of the inducer fan wherein the drain hole is higher than the drain line opening. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10  further comprising an act of instructing an installer of the units that when they install the unit at ground level and dispose of condensate from the condensing gas heat exchanger into the ground, that they can leave in place, or install, a plug in the drain line opening penetrating the collector and allow the condensate to pass through the inducer fan. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10  further comprising an act of instructing an installer of the units that when they install the unit on the roof of the building and dispose of condensate from the condensing gas heat exchanger in the building, that they can leave attached, or attach, the drain line to the opening penetrating the collector, route the drain line through the roof, and allow the condensate to pass through the drain line for disposal inside the building. 
     
     
         14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising an act of instructing an installer of the units that when they install the unit on the roof of the building and dispose of condensate from the condensing gas heat exchanger in the building, that they can install the unit on a roof curb assembly and route the drain line through a tubular conduit that passes through the roof curb assembly and through the roof of the building. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising an act of instructing an installer of the units that when they install the unit on the roof of the building and dispose of condensate from the condensing gas heat exchanger in the building, that they can route the drain line through the roof of the building inside of a return duct that connects to the unit to deliver air from within the building to the unit. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the act of manufacturing, obtaining, or providing the air conditioning units comprises manufacturing, obtaining, or providing air conditioning units that include a return duct opening for connecting the unit to a return duct that delivers air to the unit from the building, wherein the drain line is connected to the unit to receive the condensate and the drain line extends to the return duct opening and is stored at the return duct opening during shipment of the unit for routing the drain line through the return duct when the unit is installed on the roof of the building. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the act of manufacturing, obtaining, or providing the air conditioning units comprises manufacturing, obtaining, or providing air conditioning units that include a return duct opening for connecting the unit to a return duct that delivers air to the unit from the building and a tubular conduit that extends to the return duct opening for routing the drain line through the return duct when the unit is installed on the roof of the building. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising an act of instructing an installer of the units that when they install the unit at ground level and dispose of condensate from the condensing gas heat exchanger into the ground, that they can install a bifurcation in an exhaust conduit extending from an outlet of an inducer fan of the unit to outside of an enclosure for the unit, that the bifurcation can be installed to provide a high path and a low path, and that the low path can be installed to discharge into a vertical standpipe. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising an act of instructing an installer of the units that when they install the unit at ground level and dispose of condensate from the condensing gas heat exchanger into the ground, that they can provide a low path that discharges into a vertical standpipe that extends into the ground and terminates with at least one opening to the ground below a frost line in the ground. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising an act of instructing an installer of the units that when they install the unit at ground level and dispose of condensate from the condensing gas heat exchanger into the ground, that they can direct the condensate to discharge into a bed of porous alkaline material in the ground to neutralize acidity of the condensate.