IMPROVEMENTS IN HEATING AND VENTILATING
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Swain, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HEATING AND
VENTILATING."
Sealed the 9th June 1857, and dated the 27th December 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Swain at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th December 1856.
I, WILLIAM SWAIN, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HEATING
AND VENTILATING," to be as follows:-
My improvements in heating consist of the following methods of con-
structing stoves and grates. I construct a chamber at the back of the stove
or grate, which said chamber I fill with horizontal pipes; the said pipes are
enamelled externally, as is also the interior of the chamber containing them.
The flame and heated air from the fire pass through the pipes, while the air
passing through the chamber comes in contact with the exterior of the pipes,"
The enamelling of the pipe
and being heated thereby passes into the room.
and chamber prevents the iron communicating an ordour to the air. I place
an iron chamber on either side, or on one side only of a stove or grate, and
Price 8d1

page_text: connect therewith a pipe or pipes opening at or near the centre of the ceiling
of the room, the vitiated air is withdrawn from the upper part of the room.
by the said pipe or pipes, and the ventilation of the room effected.
My improvements in ventilation further consist in combining a
engine with the apparatus last described, to force the air through the
chamber, and thereby more effectually to remove the vitiated air from large
buildings. I sometimes piace a chamber filled with pumicestone or other
porous substance in connection with the stove, so that the heated air passed
into the room may be filtered from any particles of dust or other suspended
impurity.
My Invention consists further in the use of a large iron chamber enamelled
within, and fitted inside with perforated bricks. The chamber is heated
externally by a furnace, and the air entering the room is made to pass through
the perforated bricks, and becomes heated thereby.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Swain in the Great Seal Patent Office on
16th June 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME. I, WILLIAM
SWAIN, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Swain, Her special licence that 1, the said William Swain,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as 1, the said William
Swain, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Jslands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HEATING AND
VENTILATING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Swain, my executors or administrators. by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Swain, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
My said Invention consists of the methods of heating and ventilating
herein-after particularly described, and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings.
Figure represents in front elevation a domestic fire-grate or fire-place
constructed according to my Invention; Figure 2 represents the same in
vertical section, the said section being taken through the line a, Figure 1:
and Figure 3 represents a horizontal section of the same, the said section being
taken through the line b, Figure 1. c is the grate for holding the fuel, which
said graté may be of the ordinary construction; d is a perforated fire-brick,
situated at the back of the fire-place c; e, is an air chamber. constructed by
preference of iron, although I do not limit myself to the use of any particular
material. The said chamber e is in,communication with the ceiling of the
room by means of a pipe f. the said pipe being concealed in the said ceiling,
and opening at the middle or other convenient part of the said ceiling into the
room. The vitiated air of the room is conducted by means of the pipe f
The said air
through the chamber e to the back of the perforated brick d.
entering at the back of the fire effects a perfect combustion of the fuel in the
grate, and the prevention of smoke. g is a tubular chamber placed upon the
chamber e. The heated air and products of combustion pass through the
tubes g, g, in the chamber g, and escape into the chimney or flue h. i is a
pipe which conveys cold air from the exterior of the room into the chamber g;
the said air circulates around the tubes g', g', and becomes thereby heated; the
said heated air eventually escapes by the pipe k, which may be made to
déliver it at any desired part of the room.
Figure 4 represents in front elevation a stove for a public or large room
constructed according to my Invention; Figure 5 represents the same in
vertical section, the said section being taken through the line 1, Figure 4;
Figure 6 represents a horizontal section taken through the line m, Figure 4:
n is the fire-place; o, the perforated fire-brick at the back of the fire-place;
p is a chamber from which air is supplied through the fire-brick o. The air
may have access to the chamber p, either by a pipe conveying it from thé
upper part of the room, as described with reference to Figure 2, or the said
q is a
chamber p may be supplied with air in any other convenient manner.
cold air chamber, communicating with the external air by the pipe r; s is a
pipe conducting the cold air from the chamber q into the tubular chamber t.

page_text: The air circulating about the pipes t, t, t¹, t. of the chamber t becomes
heated, and passes out from the top of the chamber by the short pipe u,
escaping into the room through the perforated top of the stove. to is a
perforated plate, through which the air passes on leaving the tube u. I place
a layer of pounded pumicestone or other porous material upon the plate w, so
as to filter the air passing through it and deprive it of suspended particles.
The pumicestone may be removed and cleaned as occasion requires.
In warming and ventilating large rooms, I sometimes employ a steam
engine or other motive power engine to withdraw the air from the room and
force it through the perforated back of the grate; by this means a more rapid
change of the air of the room is effected, and a more vigorous combustion of
the fuel in the grate induced than when the circulation of the air is effected
only by the heat, and a less stove is equal to the heating and ventilating of the
building.
Figure 7 represents in plan, Figure 8 in front elevation, and Figure 9 in
vertical section, a small tubular hot air box, which can be attached to an
ordinary grate or stove for the purpose of heating and ventilating a room by
means of a fire in a different room. The heated air and products of com-
bustion arising from the fire-grate, and at the back of which the chamber,
Figures 7, 8, and 9 is fixed, pass through the tubes in the said chamber, and
air, admitted at the lower pipe x, after circulating about the tubes, escapes
from the pipe, and may be conducted to any room which it may be wished
to warm and ventilate; or the hot air chamber, Figures 7, 8. and 9, may be
employed in connection with a furnace or fire-place, and thereby promote a
more complete combustion of the fuel. The tubes in the chamber g. Figures 1
and 2, t, Figures 4 and 5, and the tubes in the chamber, Figures 7, 8, and 9,
may be made of iron, or, by preference, of iron coated externally with enamel.
The amount of heated air allowed to enter the apartment may be regulated by
a throttle or other valve situated in the pipe k, Figure 2, the pipes r or s,
Figure 5, or the pipe y, Figure 9.
Figure 10 represents in horizontal section, and Figure 11 in elevation, my
method of heating and ventilating as applied to hothouses and greenhouses;
Figure 12 represents a vertical section of the same, taken through the line z;
Figure 10 and Figure 13 represents a vertical section of the same, taken
through the line 1, Figure 10. 2 is the furnace or fire-place; 3 is the flue,
by which the air to be heated enters the tubular box 4: 5 is a boiler, which
may be employed for any desired heating purpose. The waste heat from the
fire by which the said boiler 5 is heated being employed to heat the current of
air which passes through the tubular chamber. 4. The heated air, after

page_text: passing through the tubes in the chamber 4, escapes into a stack or chimney
by the flue 6. 7 is a tank or water vessel. over which the air which has been
warmed by its passage through the chamber 4 is conducted by the pipe 8.
By thus passing the heated air over water, it becomes charged with the vapour
of water, and is in a more fit condition to promote the growth of plants than
it would be were it heated merely.
I sometimes make the tubes in the chambers 4, Figure 12, as well as the
tubes in the chambers represented in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9, of
fire-clay instead of metal in which case I prefer to construct, the said tubes
and chambers in the manner illustrated in Figures 14 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19
of the accompanying Drawings; Figure 14 representing in front elevation one
of the iron plates of the chamber. Figure 15 representing a vertical section of
the same Figure 16 represents in elevation the inner side of one of the said
plates; Figure 17 represents. a vertical section of a tubular chamber made of
fire-clay and metal; and Figure 18 represents a front elevation of the same.
A plan of the top, of the chamber is represented in Figure 19. 9, 9, are two
plates constituting the front and back of the tubular chamber; the inner faces
of the. said, plates 9, 9, are provided with circular grooves 10, surrounding the
holes 11. The ends of the fire-clay pipes 12 are inserted in the grooves 10,
as will be understood by an examination of Figure 17. The whole is held
together.by. iron plates 13, 13, which may be secured upon the chamber by
clamps or by any other convenient manner.
By constructing the chamber and tubes mainly of fire-clay, as described and
represented, the whole of those surfaces with which the air to be heated and
introduced into the room comes in contact are non-metallic, and do not com-
municate to the air the offensive odour which is commonly observed when air
is heated by contact with heated iron. I do not limit myself to the form of
the tubular chamber last described, as the form may be varied; and the
essence of this part of my Invention consists in so constructing the chamber
that the air heated thereby does not come in contact with the metallic
surface.
Figure 20 represents a horizontal section of a hot air, stove or kiln to be
applied to the drying of malt, hops, and other matters, the said stove or kiln
being constructed according to my Invention; Figure 21 represents the same
in vertical section, the said section, Figure 21, being taken through the line 14;
Figure 20 and Figure 22 represents a vertical section of the same taken
through the line 15, Figure 20. 16 are the furnace bars; 17, the perforated
bridge, through which air has access to promote combustion near the back of
the fire-place. The air passing through the bridge 17 is supplied from the

page_text: chamber 18, to which it may have access either from the external air; or, by
preference, from the kiln or chamber into which heated air has been intro-
duced in the manner herein-after described. 19 is a tubular chamber,
constructed in the manner herein-before described; 20 is a passage com-
municating between the external air and the tubular chamber 19. The air
from the said chamber 19 is delivered below the floor 20 by the flues 21; the
products of combustion are also delivered in the chamber 22, below the floor
of the kiln.. By means of the bell-crank levers 23 and 24, and the wires or
cords connected therewith, the valve 25 may be opened to a greater or less
degree, and the quantity of hot air delivered by the flues 21 increased or
diminished at pleasure. The details of construction are so fully represented
in Figures 20, 21, and 22, that I do not think a further description of the
same necessary.
Although I prefer to place the tubes in the several tubular chambers herein-
before described in a horizontal position, yet I do not limit myself thereto, as a
vertical position or one intermediate between the vertical and horizontal may
be employed.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein. described and represented, as the same
may be varied without departing from the nature of my said Invention; but
I claim as my Invention,-
Firstly, heating and ventilating rooms and buildings by means of a tubular
chamber situated at the back of a grate or stove, the heated air and products
of combustion from the fire being made to pass through tubes in the said
chamber; the air delivered into the room from the external atmosphere
being heated by contact with the exterior of the said tubes, as herein-before
described, and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the accompanying
Drawings.
Secondly, withdrawing the warm and vitiated air of the upper part of the
room and delivering it through perforations at the back of the grate, so as to
promote combustion and prevent the formation of smoke, as herein-before
described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the accompanying
Drawings.
Thirdly, the construction of detached tubular chambers to be used with
grates and stoves of the ordinary construction, as herein-before described, and
illustrated in Figures 7, 8, and 9 of the accompanying Drawings.
Fourthly, the method of heating hothouses and conservatories, and charging
the heated air supplied to the same with the vapour of water, herein-before

page_text: described, and illustrated in Figures 10, 11, 12, and 13 of the accompanying
Drawings.
Fifthly, the method of constructing hot air chambers, herein-before described,
and illustrated in Figures 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. and 19 of the accompanying
Drawings.
Sixthly, the method of heating and ventilating kilns and hot air stoves
herein-before described, and illustrated in Figures 20, 21, and 22 of the
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, 1, the said William Swain, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
JOHN GEORGE ROBSON.
WILLIAM SWAIN. (L.S.)