IMPROVEMENTS IN STOVES, GRATES, OR FIRE-PLACES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Solomon Sanderson and Albert Proctor, Electric
Engineers, of Shore Works, Huddersfield, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STOVES, GRATES, OR FIRE-PLACES."
Sealed the 29th May 1874, and dated the 17th February 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Solomon Sanderson and
Albert Proctor at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 17th February 1874.
We, SOLOMON SANDERSON and ALBERT PROCTOR, Electric Engineers,
of Shore Works, Huddersfield, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STOVES, GRATES, OR FIRE-PLACES," to be as
follows:-
Our improvements consist in so constructing stoves, grates, or fire-
places, and the flue or flues in connection therewith, that the draught,
which in ordinary fire-places enters through the bars at the front and

page_text: under side of the grate and then passes upwards to the chimney, shall in
our improved grate enter from above the fuel and also through the front
bars, passing thence in a downward direction, making what is termed a
down draught before passing up the chimney. In this way a more
thorough combustion of the fuel is obtained, and the heat is more readily
available for heating or cooking. The escape of smoke up the flue is
also prevented by its combustion while passing under the grate.
Our improved stove may be constructed as an open or closed grate for
heating ordinary rooms or as forming part of a kitchen range, and
consists of an enclosed receptacle for fuel formed by a series.of front
bars set horizontally or vertically, and reaching from the bottom of the
grate to about half way up the height of the opening. To the lower
extremity of these bars are attached other bars forming the bottom or
floor of the grate, these bars are at right angles to the front bars, and
are taken back as far as required to form the depth of the grate. At
their inner ends they are slightly curved upwards to prevent the
deposition of ashes and are connected to the grate back, the sides and
back of the grate being plain. The top of this grate is covered by a hot
plate, which may be in halves hinged to the sides of the opening and
having a hole in the centre for the admission of a pan. The fire being
lighted and supplied with fuel, the current of air is compelled to pass
downward through the bottom bars, returning behind the grate and
thence to the flue.
Underneath the grate is a ventilator opening, through which air is
admitted on to the stream of heated gases and smoke as they pass
through the bottom bars of the grate to the flue, so as to aid the
complete combustion of the smoke. This may also be done if desired by
using the sewer gases instead of air, thereby consuming and utilizing
what would otherwise be noxious products from the sewers. To do this we
bring a pipe from the sewer and continue it under the fire-bars of our
grate; holes are drilled into this pipe corresponding in position with the
openings between the fire-bars, and through these holes the gases are
delivered on to the stream of heated gases from the fire; they are
consumed beneath the fire-grate and the products go up the flue behind
the grate. The ashes fall through the bars to the ash-pit or bottom
plate of the flue. This plate may be drawn out and cleaned at intervals,
and if required may form the top of a sliding oven so as to utilize the
radiating heat from the gases as they pass through the flue.
"

page_text: a
When our improved stove, grate, or fire-place is used in a kitchen,
boiler may be fixed at the back, in which case the bottom fire-bars are
constructed of short lengths of piping in pairs, each pair being screwed
or otherwise fastened at the front into short hollow couplings connected
to the front of the grate, the other ends being let into the boiler, thus
forming water tubes and abstracting the heat from the fuel as it passes
to the flues; these pipes may be placed in intermediate rows to prevent
cinders falling between them.
When a boiler is connected to the fire-place a damper is placed in the
back fluc to divert the current, so that it may pass if required in front
of and over the top of the boiler, above which is placed a hot plate or an
oven.
At each side of our improved grate, when constructed as a kitchener,
is placed an oven or series of hot plates, and the heated gases may be
made to traverse underneath and at the sides of these ovens by dampers
so arranged as to split the current into three parts, each having a separate
flue; other ovens or hot plates may be placed above or below these side
ovens if desired.