Direct contact water heater

Claim 1

A water heater comprising a main body, a heat absorbing chamber provided in the upper region of said main body, a combustion chamber provided in an intermediate portion of said main body below said upper region, a water jacket surrounding said combustion chamber, a hot water collecting vessel mounted in the lower region of said main body below said combustion chamber, means for discharging hot water connected to said hot water vessel, a plurality of relatively flat oval heat absorbing members mounted in said heat absorbing chamber and heated by combustion products from said combustion chamber, said heat absorbing members having a plurality of heat radiating projections integrally formed thereon, burner means mounted adjacent said combustion chamber so as to eject a burning flame into said combustion chamber, and a water inlet providing water supply onto said heat absorbing members such that said water passes down over said heat absorbing members and falls through said combustion chamber and into said hot water collecting vessel or said water passing into said water jacket and overflows therefrom into said combustion chamber to said water collecting vessel.