Energy conservation kit for household furnaces

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like components throughout the several figures thereof, and particularly to FIG.
1, there is illustrated a conventional furnace 10 having a flue 11 and heating supply duct 12.
The furnace 10 is of the modern type which includes an air inlet 13 to the combustion chamber and an air inlet 14 to the draft diverter.
As is well known, the function of the draft diverter is to slow down the velocity of the hot flue exhaust gases and to prevent the pilot light's being turned out when air is forced down the chimney.
As explained above, the purpose of the present invention is to supply air from outside the dwelling to the furnace through both the air inlets 13 and 14 rather than utilizing air which has already been heated, filtered and humidified.
To this end, an enclosure or plenum 17, also shown in FIG.
2, is attached to furnace 10 by conventional fastening means such as sheet metal screws or the like in such a manner that air inlets 13 and 14 are completely enclosed and isolated from the air surrounding the furnace within the dwelling.
Plenum 17 is provided with circular knockouts 24a, 24b, 24c and 24d (which in the FIG.
1 embodiment have already been removed) to permit the connection thereto of appropriate conduits for reasons which will become clear hereinafter.
To insure an air-tight fit between the outer surface of furnace 10 and plenum 17, a gasket 29 may be provided.
Protruding from the opening left by the removal of knockout 24d, is a short conduit section 16 (also shown in FIG.
3) to which is connected the air duct 18 (also shown in FIG.
6).
Extending through wall 40 of the dwelling is air intake 21 supplied with insect screen 22 and in communication with the interior of plenum 17 via a short conduit section 34 and a section of flexible or rigid duct 18.
Air intake 21 and its associated conduit section 34 are illustrated in more detail in FIG.
4 while flexible or fixed duct 18 is shown in FIG