Electric-Weld water heaters, history, age, photos.

In this article series we give details of how to de-code water heater age for all water heater brand. We also discuss the conditions, maintenance, and factors that affect how long a water heater can be expected to last.

Electric-Weld Gas-Fired Standard Water Heaters

The STANDARD COMBINATION BOILER was a gas fired water heater produced by Electric Weld and designed by Edwin Ruud in the late 19th century.

Ruud's 1913 water heater patent probably describes the internal workings of the gas fired water heater shown in the photos on this page.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Edwin Ruud, a Norwegian-American engineer, invented the first electric arc-welded steel cylinder water heater in 1889 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.

Ruud is credited with the inventionof the electric water heater in that year. Below are most of Edwin Ruud's patents pertaining mostly to water heaters. This is not a complete list of all of his patent applications.

• Bellis, Mary. "Edwin Ruud–History of the Water Heater." Online]. [Accessed September 23 2015] (2008).
• Edwin, Ruud. "Stuffing Box", US433824A Published 1890-08-05
  Excerpt:
  Be it known that I, EDWIN RUUD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered a certain new and useful Improvement in Stufiing- Boxes, of which improvement the following is a specification.
  
  The object of my invention is to provide simple and effective means for preventing leakage of fluid at the joint between a stem or shaft having circumferential movement about its axial line and a plate or partition through which the shaft passes, without involving greater friction between the surfaces in contact than is indispensable to the formation of a tight joint.
  
  To this end my invention, generally stated, consists in the combination, with a shaft adapted to receive axial movement, of oppositely -inclined conical bearing faces connected to the shaft, a fixed socket abutting against one of said faces, and a flexible diaphragm carrying a socket abutting against the other face.
• Edwin Ruud, "WATER HEATER/ Temperature Control" [illustration] , U.S. Patent US460513A, Published 1891-09-29
  Excerpt:
  Edwin Ruud, Of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, Assignor To The Fuel Gas And Manufacturing Company, of same place. Water-heater. .
  
  SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 460,513, dated September 29, 1891. Application filed October 23, 1890. Serial No. 369,128. (No model.) To @ZZ whom it may concern.- Be it known that I, EDWIN RUUD, a citizen ot the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered a certain new and useful Improvement in Water- Heaters, of which improvement the following is a specification. In a patent obtained by me December 30, 1890, No. 443,797,
  
  I have described and claimed certain improvements in Water-heaters, such improvements consisting, generally stated, in certain mechanism controlled by the temperature of the Water in the boiler for regulating the flow of gas to the burner employed for heating the boiler.
  
  The present invention has for its object a construction of the regulating Inechanism, whereby the flow of gas to the burner may be more nearly proportioned to the quantity of cold water admitted; and in general terms the invention consists in the construction and combination of mechanical devices or elements, all as more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

• Edwin, Ruud. "Automatic Cut-off Of Gas-service Pipes." U.s. Patent Application 682,345, Filed February 17, 1898.
• Ruud, Edwin. "Automatic cut-off of gas-service pipes." U.S. Patent 682,345, issued September 10, 1901.
• Edwin, Ruud. "Gas-burner." U.s. Patent Application 761,409, Filed December 18, 1903.
• Ruud, Edwin. "Gas-burner." U.S. Patent 761,409, issued May 31, 1904.
• Edwin, Ruud. "Storage Water-heater." U.s. Patent Application 853,738, Filed June 26, 1905
• Edwin, Ruud. "Thermostatic-valve-operating Mechanism." U.s. Patent Application 875,217, Filed July 6, 1906.
• Ruud, Edwin. "Storage water-heater." U.S. Patent 853,738, issued May 14, 1907.
• Edwin, Ruud. "Water-valve For Instantaneous Water-heaters." U.s. Patent Application 879,910, Filed April 8, 1907.
• Edwin, Ruud. "Gas-burner." U.s. Patent Application 875,218, Filed May 9, 1907.
• Edwin, Ruud. "Pilot-light Burner For Water-heaters." U.s. Patent Application 968,605, Filed February 1, 1908.
• Edwin, Ruud. "Condensate-collector For Water-heaters." U.s. Patent Application 975,894, Filed October 9, 1908.
• Ruud, Edwin, and Conrad Regenbogen. "Igniter mechanism for internal-combustion engines." U.S. Patent 888,196, issued May 19, 1908.
• Edwin, Ruud. "Water-heater." U.s. Patent Application 1/028,284, Filed July 8, 1909
• Edwin, Ruud. "Indirect Water-heating System." U.s. Patent Application 975,895, Filed May 12, 1909.
• Ruud, Edwin. "Pilot-light burner for water-heaters." U.S. Patent 968,605, issued August 30, 1910.
• Ruud, Edwin. "Water-heater." U.S. Patent 1,050,564, issued January 14, 1913.
  Excerpt:
  
  Referring to the drawings, 2 designates the cylindrical two-part shellor casing of a gas heated coil water heater with a flue connecting cap 3 fitting its upper end. For the two-coil type of heater here shown here, Be it known that I, EDWIN ne a resident of Pittsburgh, in the; county of Allei ... invented certain new and useful Improvements in Water-Heaters, of which the following is a specification.
  
  Considerable trouble has been experienced with gas burning instantaneous water heaters due to the bending and mutilating of the relatively thin cop er or other coils which are ordinarily supported by extending their unprotected extremities through openings in the casing and into position to two seat-forming notches 4-, which are preferably flanged as shown to provide bearing in place.
  
  The lower portion of the casing is formed with an opening or passageway 5.
  
  In the present adaptation two circulating weightof the coil bending and sometimes coils (3 and 7 are located within the casing rupturing to thin metal extremities which bear on the comparatively thin metal 0 the casing.
  
  Also rough or careless manipulation by workmen when installing heaters and connecting the circulating pipes frequently results in bending and straining the coils.
  
  Furthermore, the vibrating or shaking of the coils when the heaters are being handled or shipped bends and strains their supporting extremities.
  
  The object of the invention is to overcome these ... by relieving the coil extremitiesof all distorting strains, and by providing for permanently fixing the coils within the casing so that it is quite impossible for them to more or become displaced.
  
  A further object is to so construct the casing that the coil or coils may be placed therein with the holding devices located on the coil or; remities, in the preferred adaptation two coils being employed which are connected by manifolds at their upper and lower ends before being inserted inthe casformed of relatively thin copper tubing.
  
  The coils are so arranged that their upper laterally projecting extremities 6 and 7, respectively, are in parallel relation, and the same is true of their lower extremities. ...
• Edwin, Ruud. "Thermostatic Valve Mechanism." U.s. Patent Application 1/090,654, Filed May 14, 1913.
• Ruud, Edwin. "Automatic temperature control for self-heating flat-irons." U.S. Patent 1,075,991, issued October 14, 1913.
• Ruud, Edwin, and Herbert S. Humphrey. "Water-valve for instantaneous water-heaters." U.S. Patent 1,257,933, issued February 26, 1918.
• Also see RUUD WATER HEATER AGE & MANUALS for later Ruud water heaters

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