IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING AND CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF WATER FOR WATER-CLOSETS AND FIRE HYDRANTS
Year: 1876

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Frederick Philip Preston, John Theo-
dore Prestige, and Edwin James Preston at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents on the 14th July 1870.
FREDERICK PHILIP PRESTON, JOHN THEODORE PRESTIGE, & EDWIN JAMES
PRESTON, trading under the Firm of "Josiah Stone & Co.," of High Street,
Deptford, in the County of Kent, Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
REGULATING AND CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF WATER FOR WATER-CLOSETS AND
FIRE HYDRANTS."
To an ordinary water-closet we fit a regulator with supply valve box and valve
(equilibrium preferred for high pressure), the said supply valve being of the
ordinary form, but having a moveable tube fitted so that one end of it pushes
the supply valve before it, to which it acts as a seating, and the other end of it is
connected to a lever which is operated by the pull up of closet. When the pull
up is raised the lever connected to end of tube above referred to pushes the said
tube against the supply valve, which it carries with it, raising the regulator at the
same time, and then by means of a shifting catch releases the lever connected
to the tube above referred to and allows the said tubular seating to drop away
from the valve, thus opening the communication between the supply pipe and
closet pan, the supply valve descending until it rests upon its tubular seating,
which it is caused to do gradually by the descent of the regulator, so that notwith-
standing the closet lever may be held up the valve will only allow a certain
regulated quantity to flow, the water passing into the closet only while the supply
valve is falling on its seating, the time occupied in doing which and consequently
the quantity of water allowed to flow into the closet whatever the pressure may be
from the source of supply being accurately governed by the regulator.
Instead of the above arrangement sometimes we fit to a water-closet a cam or
star wheel having a certain number of points, and with ratchet wheel or other
means of working same attached, hung on a spindle placed between the valve and
closet handle. On this spindle, when a ratchet wheel is used, a lever is fitted,
having a pawl or catch to engage the ratchet wheel, the other end of lever and
pawl resting on closet lever, also having a regulator of approved pattern attached.
The supply valve lever with weight attached has a small friction roller fitted,
which works on the cam, but which, when the valve is closed, does not touch said
cam. Upon the closet handle being raised the cam lever and pawl are also raised
(the pawl being then out of gear), carrying with them the regulator and weight
Price 21|

page_text: for the same.
The handle being then let go, the pawl gears with the ratchet and
moves the cam round, lifting the lever of the supply valve, thus letting the water
flow into the basin, but as soon as the' lever of the supply valve reaches the highest
point of the cam the cam turns round and allows it to descend and so shut off the
water. To prevent the possibility of the valve being kept open beyond a given
time the pawl is always thrown out of gear by the closet lever before lifting the
regulator lever, thus liberating the cam and so closing the valve at the same time.
We also make the above so that by simply lifting the closet lever it releases the
regulator and so opens the supply valve at the same time, thus allowing the pan
to be trapped after the closet handle is down.
Instead of the above arrangement sometimes we fit the following:-In connection
with the lever of an ordinary supply valve we fit a tumbler which works in a
guide. This tumbler is lifted by means of a lever and weight, which lever is raised
by the closet pull up, on lifting which it allows the tuinbler to gear with the
weighted lever, which then opens the supply valve; on the supply valve reaching
its highest point of opening a catch allows the tumbler to throw out of gear and
the valve to descend and close, thus preventing any waste of water. The whole
of the above can be applied to other purposes than water-closets for preventing the
waste of water.
In applying our improvements to fire hydrants we make a hydrant with hori-
zontal sliding valve actuated by two bevil wheels, and screw with suitable seating
for valve, also inlet and outlet, and arranged so that when the hydrant is opened
the said sliding valve is drawn clear of the water way through the hydrant,
leaving a clear passage for the water from the source of supply. To the inlet of
this hydrant we attach an auxiliary valve box fitted with sliding valve actuated
by a rack and quadrant. We make the screwed outlet on the hydrant to which
the hose pipe is attached in such a manner that should the said hydrant be required
to be taken away for repairs the said outlet can be shifted and connected to the
upper part of the auxiliary valve box, so that the auxiliary valve could then be
used for all the purposes of a hydrant, while the hydrant itself was being repaired.
We also fit the hydrant with a self-acting frost valve, which is opened by the act
of closing the hydrant valve.
Sometimes instead of making the hydrant above referred to with a horizontal
sliding valve actuated by bevil wheels and screw, we prefer to make it with a
vertical screwed spindle and circular valve.
In some cases we make a screw down hydrant so as to utilize the existing
outlets on the water mains (into which the ordinary wooden street plugs are driven,)
as the seating for the valve in our screw down hydrant. This is done by making
the screw down hydrant in the usual way but without seating, and with either flat
or conical valves, and placing it over the plug hole in the water main above
referred to, using said plug hole as a seating to the valve, and saddling the hydrant
on to the water main in any approved manner.