Electric furnace fireplace

Claim 1

An electric furnace fireplace comprising: (a) A combustion chamber defining a forwardly opening fireplace enclosure having a lower horizontal surface for supporting combustible fuel, the side and rear walls of said enclosure defining heat exchange and reflecting means for reflecting heat within said enclosure toward said forward opening and for transferring heat to adjacent air plenums; (b) Flue means comprising a hollow duct extending generally upperwardly from said enclosure for exhausting fumes produced by burning fuel within said enclosure; (c) A pair of duct-like air plenums positioned on either side of said enclosure, said heat exchange means formed by said side walls of said enclosure being operative to transfer heat from fuel burned within said enclosure to air moving through said side plenums, each of said side plenums having an inlet for introducing air into said side plenum and an outlet for exhausting heated air from said side plenum to a warm air trunk line. (d) A duct-like air plenum positioned adjacent the rear wall of said enclosure, said heat exchange means formed by said rear wall of said enclosure being operative to transfer heat from fuel burned within said enclosure to air moving through said rear plenum, said rear plenum including outlets communicating with said side plenum inlets, and an inlet for introducing unheated air into said rear plenum from a cold air return line; (e) At least one electric heating element positioned within at least one of said side plenums adjacent said heated air outlet for heating air moving through said plenums; (f) A flat-bottomed water tank surrounding said flue and positioned above said enclosure such that heat produced within said enclosure by burning fuel and exhausted through said flue operates to raise the temperature of said tank bottom and the portion of said tank adjacent said flue for heating water contained within said tank; and (g) An electric heating element contained within said tank for heating water therein.