Claims:
1. A horizontal storage water heaterwith universal mounting and pipe connections, comprising of:
a horizontal watertank with anti-corrosion coating;
a plurality of mounting pads attached to the said tank;
anelectric heating element disposed inside the said tankassembled over a base plate, controlled by a thermostatic device responsive to the temperature of water in the said tank;
a pressure and high temperature safety device attached to the base plate;
wherein at least two sets of inlet and outlet water pipe connection sockets provided with removably attached caps from the said water tank; and
wherein all assembly is enclosed in an outer cover and thermal insulating material sand -witched between the tank and outer enclosure.

2. The horizontal storage water heater as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sockets are located on both ends (sides).

3. The horizontal storage water heater as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sockets are sealed using removable caps.

4. The horizontal storage water heater as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cold water inlet socket is located at a lower portion of the tank and hot water socket located at the upper portion of the tank.

5. The horizontal storage water heater as claimed in claim 1 where first mounting pad is located at the bottom and set of two pads located at side behind.

6. The horizontal storage water heater as claimed in claim 1 wherein said thermostatic device is preset to operate at different temperatures.

7. The horizontal storage water heater as claimed in claim 1 wherein the tank is provided with anti corrosive coating.

8. The horizontal storage water heater as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said water heater is wall mounted with mounting bracket attached to the back-side pads, using two screws and two extreme holes on the mounting bracket.

9. The horizontal storage water heater as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said water heater is installed on ground with mounting bracket attached to the bottom pad using a bolt & central hole on the mounting bracket.

10. The horizontal storage water heater as claimed in claim 8 or 9 wherein themounting bracket and enclosure are configured with the same radius so that the whole heater is stable on the floor or on the wall after installation.

, Description:
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to horizontal storage water heater, more particularly, the present invention relates to a multi configurable horizontal storage water heater which can be customized according to user need and place of installation and therebysolve the user’s multiple installation requirements.

Description of the Related Art
A variety of water heaters are available, including storage water heaters, demand water heaters, tankless coil water heaters, indirect water heaters, and solar water heaters. One of the most popular water heater designs is the storage tank water heater. The storage tank water heater stores heated water in a tank. The heated water is provided through an outlet from the tank, and is replaced by unheated water through an inlet to the tank. A control device, typically comprising a thermostat, monitors the water temperature in the tank and activates a heating device to heat the stored water when the stored water falls below a certain temperature.

Current water heaters as shown in Fig 1 are of three types as mentioned below:

1. A simple immersion heating rod, which can be immersed in a water container
This being in open, does not have any safety mechanisms available to the user and therefore rarely used now a days.

2. Instant water heater with a small storage capacity of 1,2 or 3 Liters
This type is with higher capacity heating element like 3000 Watts and has the limitation of storage capacity. When heater is switched on, water in the small tank gets heated up rapidly. Hot water from instant heaters needs to be mixed with cold water to get a comfortable water temperature suitable for taking bath. If the water outlet is kept open heating will be slow. Therefore a trial and error mixing, checking of water temperature cycle is to be followed by the user. Safety protections like over temperature cut off is provided by almost all makers today. But time required to get sufficient amount of hot water is more and requires the user’s attention and intervention.

3. Storage water heaters of capacity 10/20/30 /50 or more Liters.
This is commonly used today. Generally are with lower capacity heating element like 1500-2000 Watts. Electrical, mechanical and thermal protection is provided to this type of heaters. Heater needs to be switched on for a long time to get sufficient hot water to take bath is a disadvantage.

Storage water heaters are of two types, vertical or horizontal. Vertical type is mounted vertical on the wall in a bath room or any convenient place which suit the end user requirement. Pipe sockets for inlet and outlet pipes are provided below the water tank as shown in figure.1
Horizontal heater is installed in horizontal manner either on wall or floor. There are different installation requirements for each user depending on the already laid water pipe layout in his/her premise.

Storage water heater uses a tubular heating element to heat water in a tank. Water which is heated inside the tank stores heat energy absorbed from the heating element. As soon as the water reaches a comfortable set temperature, a thermostat switches off the heating element. User can draw hot water through outlet pipe.

There are multiple variations in the wall & floor mounting installations as shown in figure 2a to 2h.To meet this user demand, eight designs are required to be made by heater manufacturers which adds to cost and apparently user would be burdened.User needs to undergo the pain of looking for the right configuration of water heater depending on the installation requirements. Availability of the right model becomes an issue causing delay. Therefore, to meet these customer installation needs, a water heater with universal mounting suitable for floor or wall mount and pipe connections of any common type as above, is proposed.

In a prior art document, patent application no..CN1398337A, a water heater heat exchanger is described. The patent refers to the field of 'fluid heaters'. A water jacker assembly for an instantaneous gas fired water heater, the assembly including pressed profiled plates made of copper or copper coated steel, one plate being the inverted image of the other, said plates being placed together in pairs, the pairs of plates being arranged in a parallel array to form a heat exchanger, the heat exchanger being bordered by a water jacket comprising overlapping side and end panels of copper or copper coated steel attached to the array of plates, the assembly being fused together to define a combustion chamber with discrete combusted gases and water passages within said assembly.
This document refers to a method of heating fluid with its constructional aspects but basic issue of suitability for multiple installation is un-addressed.

Another patent application no. CN105546810A describes a water heater having an electronic device attached between the cold-water pipe and hot water pipe. Focus of this invention is to achieve optimisation of energy consumption and energy saving.
This also does not solve the user’s multiple installation requirements.

Another patent, application no. CN104819560A, describes a water heater with water tank and associated parts configured in such a manner to reduce the heat loss and hence to achieve outlet water at higher temperature.The invention discloses a water storage type water heater. The water storage type water heater comprises a shell, an inner lining, a water inlet pipe, a water outlet pipe, a temperature sensor, a heat source body and a water insulation device, wherein the inner lining is divided into a heat source body chamber and a hot water chamber by the water insulation device; all or most of the heat source body is positioned in the heat source body chamber; the surface area of the water insulation device is 1/3 greater than the maximum horizontal section area of the heat source body chamber. According to the water storage type water heater, the stop period of a heating tube is shortened; higher outlet water temperature can be guaranteed during use; the requirements of users are met.This also does not address the user’s installation requirements.

Another publication no.CN201688570U, discloses a multiple tank configuration. This utility model relates to a horizontal water heater capable of storing water, which is characterized by comprising two or more vertical water tank inner containers, two ends of the vertical water tank inner containers are respectively provided with a water inlet pipe and a water outlet pipe, and each water inlet pipe is connected in parallel with each water outlet pipe. In the utility model, as the horizontal water heater adopts the following structure: the water heater comprises two or more vertical water tank inner containers, the two ends of the vertical water tank inner containers are respectively provided with the water inlet pipe and the water outlet pipe, and each water inlet pipe is connected in parallel with each water outlet pipe, the hot water output rate of the water heater is effectively improved under the condition of not increasing installation space.

Another publication no.CN203100129U, discloses a solar photovoltaic power-variable electrothermal energy-storing water-heating system. The system comprises one or more water heaters and one or more photovoltaic batteries. This solution also is not capable of installation requirements of end users.

Another publication no.CN204574517U, describes a water heater with horizontal water flow control switch. This also does not address installation requirements of the user.

Another publication no.CN202692396U, discloses a method to achieve higher yield of hot water.Inlet and outlet water flow is regulated and configured in such a way that distance travelled by hot water flow is minimised to reduce heat loss. This invention is on the heating and part configuration to achieve better thermal efficiency and higher hot water yield. This also does not provide a solution for user’s multiple installation requirements.

Invention disclosed in patent no. JP6036595B2, describes a method to achieve right water temperature in a bath tub by means of a flow monitor and associated control device. Invention is related to introducing hot water into the bathtub and feed passage bath, the bath hot water return passage leading from the bath, the bath provided in the forward path, bubbles in bubble introducing device, inlet and return pipes connected to the bath heat exchanger, said heat exchanger connected to the outlet feed pipe of the bath. This can provide a hot water supply device capable of detecting erroneous connection of a bath circulation circuit with high accuracy with a simple constitution.

OBJECT OF INVENTION
It is the general object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the above-mentioned conventional storage water heaters.

It is anotherobject of the invention is to provide a water heater which can be mounted on floor or wall as the installation demands.

Another object of this invention is to enable the installation of water heater without the need of any alteration in the already laid plumbing.

Another object of this invention is to enable easy mounting of pipe connections to the Water heater.

Another object of this invention is to achieve flexibility in operation & able to supply quantity of hot water depending on the user requirement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Horizontal Water heater, disclosed herein, is a horizontal storage water heater for providing heated water to one or more users, including an inner water tank housed in an enclosure. Water heater is provided with thermostat control for temperature setting and other safety devices such as high temperature cut off, fusible plug and non-return valve for mechanical or pressure safety. Tank is also provided with an external cover or enclosure of suitable material either sheet metal or a polymer.

Inner water tank is provided with two sets of sockets for water pipe connection, visibly enclosed under side caps for inlet and outlet water connections. Inner tank isalso provided with multiple set of fixing pads having suitable threads for attaching a mounting leg.

User can conveniently use any set of pads, depending on the mounting requirement either floor mounted or wall mounted and can connect inlet and outlet water pipe to left or right-side socket depending on his or her installation requirement. These pipes can also be connected to either sides, one on left and another on right. There is provided caps for unused sockets which are hidden under the side caps to ensure aestheticsafter installation.Outlet sockets are configured in such a way that water is drawn from the hot water region. Inlet sockets are configured at the bottom level.

Therefore such as herein described there is provided a horizontal storage water heater with universal mounting and pipe connections, comprising of:a horizontal water tank with anti-corrosion coating;a plurality of mounting pads attached to the said tank; an electric heating element disposed inside the said tank assembled over a base plate, controlled by a thermostatic device responsive to the temperature of water in the said tank;a pressure and high temperature safety device attached to the base plate;wherein at least two sets of inlet and outlet water pipe connection sockets provided with removably attached caps from the said water tank; and wherein all assembly is enclosed in an outer cover and thermal insulating material sand -witched between the tank and outer enclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 (a),(b),(c),(d) are different water heaters available in market as prior art;
FIG. 2(a)to 2 (h) are different installation requirements of users in accordance with the present invention;
FIG.3 is a pictorial view of typical installation with pipe connections on one side (R) in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 4 is Modular Storage Water Heater in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 5 is Water flow & pipe connection (Right) in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 6is Water flow & pipe connection (Left) in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 7 is Water flow & pipe connection LCRH (cold at left & hot at right) in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 8 is Water flow & pipe connection LHRC (hot at left & cold at right) in accordance with the present invention;
Fig 9 is the wall mounting concept of the water heater in accordance with the present invention;
Fig 10 is the ground mounting concept of the water heater in accordance with the present invention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The herein disclosed Horizontal Water Heater with universal mounting and pipe connections includes a water tank with a plurality of mounting pads attached, at least one heating element placed in the water tank from one end, one set of pipe connection for inlet and outlet on one end, another set of pipe connection having an extended configuration for outlet water connection having thermostat based temperature control and other safety devices, operably connected to an electrical power source.

There are various installation requirements as shown in Fig 2 (a) to (h). Every user would have plumbing and piping already done in his/her premise in bath room or other places like kitchen or common area. Some of the users may not have ready piping. But user would not be willing to change the already laid down piping to suit any available water heaters. Currently manufacturers make eight different types of configuration of water heaters. When an user has all pipe connection sockets on his/her wall aligned to left, he /she is forced to get a water heater with left oriented inlet & outlet connection. If such a heater is not available ex-stock, user will be left with two options, either wait till availability or make changes in the already laid out piping. Both are not desirous.
As the manufacturers are forced to make eight different designs, it increases need of higher inventory, stock and leads to higher cost. It also affects ready availability of stock. Ultimately user is forced to pay more and wait for availability of product.

Above problems of user & manufacturer is eliminated by the disclosed modular water heater. This provides standardisation of design leading to lower cost and increased availability. There is no need of stocking different type of water heaters for varied installation requirements. User can install the water heater on floor or wall. This also can be installed with any kind of already laid out piping.

Modular Horizontal Water Heater (Fig 4) as disclosed herein is having an internal water tank (2) with suitable anti corrosion coating. Tank can be of any metal, mild steel or stainless steel. Tank can also with of any coating like polymer, glass etc.

There is a tubular heating element (4) attached to one side which is aligned horizontally at the lower part of the tank. Water inlet pipe sockets (7.1 & 7.2) are provided on both sides at the bottom part of the tank as marked. Outlet pipe sockets (6.1 & 6.2) are provided on both sides at the top part of the tank as marked. Thermostat (5) & thermal cut out (5) for safety are provided and mounted on the side plate. Side covers (8) & (9) are openable covers, made of suitable material. It can be of formed metal or moulded plastic. All four pipe sockets are provided with one cap each (10) as marked.

In another configuration (7.1 & 7.2, Fig 4) are two inlet pipe sockets on both sides at bottom level of the tank that is one on left and second on rightmarked is a cap provided on the socket.

In yet another configuration (6.1 & 6.2 Fig4) are two outlet pipe sockets provided at the top level of the tank on each side that is left and right sides. (4, Fig 4) is the heating element attached to the bottom plate mounted protruding towards other end in the tank as marked. (5) and (5) are thermal cut out to provide safety to the water heater on abnormal conditions. Pressure release valve is providedto protect the water heater in any abnormal condition of high pressure developing in the tank, when other protective devices fail.

Water heater under different installation requirements are explained in Fig.5 to 8. The images are described in power on condition. Inlet water connection and outlet water connection are explained. Outlet water connection is marked with an upward arrow. When the user wants to connect pipes from one side sockets, the inlet / outlet connection providedon that sides are connected. Other two sockets are capped using caps. Side enclosure covers the un-used sockets.

A mounting bracket (11, fig 9 or 12, Fig 10) which is shaped with the same radius of that of the outer enclosure can easily fit on to the pads by tightening a bolt on each pad. The components (11) as marked are 2pads as shown in Fig. 9. The two mounting holes are present on the back side. The position (12) two tapped hole to at bottom side enable lockingof the bracket as shown in Fig 10.Mounting bracket is also provided with three holes to suit the pads.

Depending on the installation requirement, user can attach the mounting bracket at the bottom or on back side. If the installation requirement is to mount the water heater on floor, mounting bracket is attached to the bottom pad using a bolt & central hole on the mounting bracket.

If the installation is required to be on the wall, mounting bracket is attached to the back-side pads, using two screws and two extreme holes on the mounting bracket.
As the mounting bracket and enclosure are configured with the same radius, whole heater would be stable on the floor or on the wall after installation.
If the heater is installed on the floor, backside holes on the enclosure are not used. A suitable plugto seal these two holes are provided, which would fit into the enclosure easily.

If the heater is installed on wall, bottom hole is un-used. A suitable plugis provided which would fit into the enclosure.

User can choose this universal installation friendly water heater and can easily install at home. There is no waiting period. No plumbing or piping changes are required to be carried out. This reduces the installation cost to the user.

It is not necessary to make different variations of water heater for varied installation needs. This will reduce the inventory and stocking costs. Transportation cost of finished product will come down as the need of transportation of small quantities to various locations does not arise. Hence customer will not be burdened with higher cost product.

Therefore, the storage water with modular construction compatible to any installation needs depending on already laid down plumbing and piping, provides the user with hot water for bathing. User’s additional installation preparation is avoided.

Although the foregoing description of the present invention has been shown and described with reference to particular embodiments and applications thereof, it has been presented for purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the particular embodiments and applications disclosed. It will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes, modifications, variations, or alterations to the invention as described herein may be made, none of which depart from the spirit or scope of the present invention. The particular embodiments and applications were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such changes, modifications, variations, and alterations should therefore be seen as being within the scope of the present invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to horizontal storage water heater, more particularly, the present invention relates to a multi configurable horizontal storage water heater which can be customized according to user need and place of installation and therebysolve the user’s multiple installation requirements.

Description of the Related Art
A variety of water heaters are available, including storage water heaters, demand water heaters, tankless coil water heaters, indirect water heaters, and solar water heaters. One of the most popular water heater designs is the storage tank water heater. The storage tank water heater stores heated water in a tank. The heated water is provided through an outlet from the tank, and is replaced by unheated water through an inlet to the tank. A control device, typically comprising a thermostat, monitors the water temperature in the tank and activates a heating device to heat the stored water when the stored water falls below a certain temperature.

Current water heaters as shown in Fig 1 are of three types as mentioned below:

1. A simple immersion heating rod, which can be immersed in a water container
This being in open, does not have any safety mechanisms available to the user and therefore rarely used now a days.

2. Instant water heater with a small storage capacity of 1,2 or 3 Liters
This type is with higher capacity heating element like 3000 Watts and has the limitation of storage capacity. When heater is switched on, water in the small tank gets heated up rapidly. Hot water from instant heaters needs to be mixed with cold water to get a comfortable water temperature suitable for taking bath. If the water outlet is kept open heating will be slow. Therefore a trial and error mixing, checking of water temperature cycle is to be followed by the user. Safety protections like over temperature cut off is provided by almost all makers today. But time required to get sufficient amount of hot water is more and requires the user’s attention and intervention.

3. Storage water heaters of capacity 10/20/30 /50 or more Liters.
This is commonly used today. Generally are with lower capacity heating element like 1500-2000 Watts. Electrical, mechanical and thermal protection is provided to this type of heaters. Heater needs to be switched on for a long time to get sufficient hot water to take bath is a disadvantage.

Storage water heaters are of two types, vertical or horizontal. Vertical type is mounted vertical on the wall in a bath room or any convenient place which suit the end user requirement. Pipe sockets for inlet and outlet pipes are provided below the water tank as shown in figure.1
Horizontal heater is installed in horizontal manner either on wall or floor. There are different installation requirements for each user depending on the already laid water pipe layout in his/her premise.

Storage water heater uses a tubular heating element to heat water in a tank. Water which is heated inside the tank stores heat energy absorbed from the heating element. As soon as the water reaches a comfortable set temperature, a thermostat switches off the heating element. User can draw hot water through outlet pipe.

There are multiple variations in the wall & floor mounting installations as shown in figure 2a to 2h.To meet this user demand, eight designs are required to be made by heater manufacturers which adds to cost and apparently user would be burdened.User needs to undergo the pain of looking for the right configuration of water heater depending on the installation requirements. Availability of the right model becomes an issue causing delay. Therefore, to meet these customer installation needs, a water heater with universal mounting suitable for floor or wall mount and pipe connections of any common type as above, is proposed.

In a prior art document, patent application no..CN1398337A, a water heater heat exchanger is described. The patent refers to the field of 'fluid heaters'. A water jacker assembly for an instantaneous gas fired water heater, the assembly including pressed profiled plates made of copper or copper coated steel, one plate being the inverted image of the other, said plates being placed together in pairs, the pairs of plates being arranged in a parallel array to form a heat exchanger, the heat exchanger being bordered by a water jacket comprising overlapping side and end panels of copper or copper coated steel attached to the array of plates, the assembly being fused together to define a combustion chamber with discrete combusted gases and water passages within said assembly.
This document refers to a method of heating fluid with its constructional aspects but basic issue of suitability for multiple installation is un-addressed.

Another patent application no. CN105546810A describes a water heater having an electronic device attached between the cold-water pipe and hot water pipe. Focus of this invention is to achieve optimisation of energy consumption and energy saving.
This also does not solve the user’s multiple installation requirements.

Another patent, application no. CN104819560A, describes a water heater with water tank and associated parts configured in such a manner to reduce the heat loss and hence to achieve outlet water at higher temperature.The invention discloses a water storage type water heater. The water storage type water heater comprises a shell, an inner lining, a water inlet pipe, a water outlet pipe, a temperature sensor, a heat source body and a water insulation device, wherein the inner lining is divided into a heat source body chamber and a hot water chamber by the water insulation device; all or most of the heat source body is positioned in the heat source body chamber; the surface area of the water insulation device is 1/3 greater than the maximum horizontal section area of the heat source body chamber. According to the water storage type water heater, the stop period of a heating tube is shortened; higher outlet water temperature can be guaranteed during use; the requirements of users are met.This also does not address the user’s installation requirements.

Another publication no.CN201688570U, discloses a multiple tank configuration. This utility model relates to a horizontal water heater capable of storing water, which is characterized by comprising two or more vertical water tank inner containers, two ends of the vertical water tank inner containers are respectively provided with a water inlet pipe and a water outlet pipe, and each water inlet pipe is connected in parallel with each water outlet pipe. In the utility model, as the horizontal water heater adopts the following structure: the water heater comprises two or more vertical water tank inner containers, the two ends of the vertical water tank inner containers are respectively provided with the water inlet pipe and the water outlet pipe, and each water inlet pipe is connected in parallel with each water outlet pipe, the hot water output rate of the water heater is effectively improved under the condition of not increasing installation space.

Another publication no.CN203100129U, discloses a solar photovoltaic power-variable electrothermal energy-storing water-heating system. The system comprises one or more water heaters and one or more photovoltaic batteries. This solution also is not capable of installation requirements of end users.

Another publication no.CN204574517U, describes a water heater with horizontal water flow control switch. This also does not address installation requirements of the user.

Another publication no.CN202692396U, discloses a method to achieve higher yield of hot water.Inlet and outlet water flow is regulated and configured in such a way that distance travelled by hot water flow is minimised to reduce heat loss. This invention is on the heating and part configuration to achieve better thermal efficiency and higher hot water yield. This also does not provide a solution for user’s multiple installation requirements.

Invention disclosed in patent no. JP6036595B2, describes a method to achieve right water temperature in a bath tub by means of a flow monitor and associated control device. Invention is related to introducing hot water into the bathtub and feed passage bath, the bath hot water return passage leading from the bath, the bath provided in the forward path, bubbles in bubble introducing device, inlet and return pipes connected to the bath heat exchanger, said heat exchanger connected to the outlet feed pipe of the bath. This can provide a hot water supply device capable of detecting erroneous connection of a bath circulation circuit with high accuracy with a simple constitution.

OBJECT OF INVENTION
It is the general object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the above-mentioned conventional storage water heaters.

It is anotherobject of the invention is to provide a water heater which can be mounted on floor or wall as the installation demands.

Another object of this invention is to enable the installation of water heater without the need of any alteration in the already laid plumbing.

Another object of this invention is to enable easy mounting of pipe connections to the Water heater.

Another object of this invention is to achieve flexibility in operation & able to supply quantity of hot water depending on the user requirement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Horizontal Water heater, disclosed herein, is a horizontal storage water heater for providing heated water to one or more users, including an inner water tank housed in an enclosure. Water heater is provided with thermostat control for temperature setting and other safety devices such as high temperature cut off, fusible plug and non-return valve for mechanical or pressure safety. Tank is also provided with an external cover or enclosure of suitable material either sheet metal or a polymer.

Inner water tank is provided with two sets of sockets for water pipe connection, visibly enclosed under side caps for inlet and outlet water connections. Inner tank isalso provided with multiple set of fixing pads having suitable threads for attaching a mounting leg.

User can conveniently use any set of pads, depending on the mounting requirement either floor mounted or wall mounted and can connect inlet and outlet water pipe to left or right-side socket depending on his or her installation requirement. These pipes can also be connected to either sides, one on left and another on right. There is provided caps for unused sockets which are hidden under the side caps to ensure aestheticsafter installation.Outlet sockets are configured in such a way that water is drawn from the hot water region. Inlet sockets are configured at the bottom level.

Therefore such as herein described there is provided a horizontal storage water heater with universal mounting and pipe connections, comprising of:a horizontal water tank with anti-corrosion coating;a plurality of mounting pads attached to the said tank; an electric heating element disposed inside the said tank assembled over a base plate, controlled by a thermostatic device responsive to the temperature of water in the said tank;a pressure and high temperature safety device attached to the base plate;wherein at least two sets of inlet and outlet water pipe connection sockets provided with removably attached caps from the said water tank; and wherein all assembly is enclosed in an outer cover and thermal insulating material sand -witched between the tank and outer enclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 (a),(b),(c),(d) are different water heaters available in market as prior art;
FIG. 2(a)to 2 (h) are different installation requirements of users in accordance with the present invention;
FIG.3 is a pictorial view of typical installation with pipe connections on one side (R) in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 4 is Modular Storage Water Heater in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 5 is Water flow & pipe connection (Right) in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 6is Water flow & pipe connection (Left) in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 7 is Water flow & pipe connection LCRH (cold at left & hot at right) in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 8 is Water flow & pipe connection LHRC (hot at left & cold at right) in accordance with the present invention;
Fig 9 is the wall mounting concept of the water heater in accordance with the present invention;
Fig 10 is the ground mounting concept of the water heater in accordance with the present invention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The herein disclosed Horizontal Water Heater with universal mounting and pipe connections includes a water tank with a plurality of mounting pads attached, at least one heating element placed in the water tank from one end, one set of pipe connection for inlet and outlet on one end, another set of pipe connection having an extended configuration for outlet water connection having thermostat based temperature control and other safety devices, operably connected to an electrical power source.

There are various installation requirements as shown in Fig 2 (a) to (h). Every user would have plumbing and piping already done in his/her premise in bath room or other places like kitchen or common area. Some of the users may not have ready piping. But user would not be willing to change the already laid down piping to suit any available water heaters. Currently manufacturers make eight different types of configuration of water heaters. When an user has all pipe connection sockets on his/her wall aligned to left, he /she is forced to get a water heater with left oriented inlet & outlet connection. If such a heater is not available ex-stock, user will be left with two options, either wait till availability or make changes in the already laid out piping. Both are not desirous.
As the manufacturers are forced to make eight different designs, it increases need of higher inventory, stock and leads to higher cost. It also affects ready availability of stock. Ultimately user is forced to pay more and wait for availability of product.

Above problems of user & manufacturer is eliminated by the disclosed modular water heater. This provides standardisation of design leading to lower cost and increased availability. There is no need of stocking different type of water heaters for varied installation requirements. User can install the water heater on floor or wall. This also can be installed with any kind of already laid out piping.

Modular Horizontal Water Heater (Fig 4) as disclosed herein is having an internal water tank (2) with suitable anti corrosion coating. Tank can be of any metal, mild steel or stainless steel. Tank can also with of any coating like polymer, glass etc.

There is a tubular heating element (4) attached to one side which is aligned horizontally at the lower part of the tank. Water inlet pipe sockets (7.1 & 7.2) are provided on both sides at the bottom part of the tank as marked. Outlet pipe sockets (6.1 & 6.2) are provided on both sides at the top part of the tank as marked. Thermostat (5) & thermal cut out (5) for safety are provided and mounted on the side plate. Side covers (8) & (9) are openable covers, made of suitable material. It can be of formed metal or moulded plastic. All four pipe sockets are provided with one cap each (10) as marked.

In another configuration (7.1 & 7.2, Fig 4) are two inlet pipe sockets on both sides at bottom level of the tank that is one on left and second on rightmarked is a cap provided on the socket.

In yet another configuration (6.1 & 6.2 Fig4) are two outlet pipe sockets provided at the top level of the tank on each side that is left and right sides. (4, Fig 4) is the heating element attached to the bottom plate mounted protruding towards other end in the tank as marked. (5) and (5) are thermal cut out to provide safety to the water heater on abnormal conditions. Pressure release valve is providedto protect the water heater in any abnormal condition of high pressure developing in the tank, when other protective devices fail.

Water heater under different installation requirements are explained in Fig.5 to 8. The images are described in power on condition. Inlet water connection and outlet water connection are explained. Outlet water connection is marked with an upward arrow. When the user wants to connect pipes from one side sockets, the inlet / outlet connection providedon that sides are connected. Other two sockets are capped using caps. Side enclosure covers the un-used sockets.

A mounting bracket (11, fig 9 or 12, Fig 10) which is shaped with the same radius of that of the outer enclosure can easily fit on to the pads by tightening a bolt on each pad. The components (11) as marked are 2pads as shown in Fig. 9. The two mounting holes are present on the back side. The position (12) two tapped hole to at bottom side enable lockingof the bracket as shown in Fig 10.Mounting bracket is also provided with three holes to suit the pads.

Depending on the installation requirement, user can attach the mounting bracket at the bottom or on back side. If the installation requirement is to mount the water heater on floor, mounting bracket is attached to the bottom pad using a bolt & central hole on the mounting bracket.

If the installation is required to be on the wall, mounting bracket is attached to the back-side pads, using two screws and two extreme holes on the mounting bracket.
As the mounting bracket and enclosure are configured with the same radius, whole heater would be stable on the floor or on the wall after installation.
If the heater is installed on the floor, backside holes on the enclosure are not used. A suitable plugto seal these two holes are provided, which would fit into the enclosure easily.

If the heater is installed on wall, bottom hole is un-used. A suitable plugis provided which would fit into the enclosure.

User can choose this universal installation friendly water heater and can easily install at home. There is no waiting period. No plumbing or piping changes are required to be carried out. This reduces the installation cost to the user.

It is not necessary to make different variations of water heater for varied installation needs. This will reduce the inventory and stocking costs. Transportation cost of finished product will come down as the need of transportation of small quantities to various locations does not arise. Hence customer will not be burdened with higher cost product.

Therefore, the storage water with modular construction compatible to any installation needs depending on already laid down plumbing and piping, provides the user with hot water for bathing. User’s additional installation preparation is avoided.

Although the foregoing description of the present invention has been shown and described with reference to particular embodiments and applications thereof, it has been presented for purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the particular embodiments and applications disclosed. It will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes, modifications, variations, or alterations to the invention as described herein may be made, none of which depart from the spirit or scope of the present invention. The particular embodiments and applications were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such changes, modifications, variations, and alterations should therefore be seen as being within the scope of the present invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.