Improvements in and connected with Apparatus for Cleaning Beer and other Pipes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Dec., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 24th Oct., 1898-Accepted, 10th Dec., 1898
Improvements in and connected with Apparatus for Cleaning Beer
and other Pipes.
I, WILLIAM WHITE, of 67, Cathedral Street, Glasgow, Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to an improved apparatus for cleaning beer and other
pipes.
The apparatus comprises a vessel or cylinder for holding the alkaline or other
purifying compound provided with a special arrangement of tap whereby water
can either be admitted first to the cylinder and the compound therein and then
to the beer or other pipes, or direct to the beer pipes without passing through
the compound in the cylinder, or may be cut off from both the cylinder and the
beer pipes. In order that a number of beer pipes in, say, a public house can
be cleaned simultaneously, instead of one by one as at present, a special coupling
arrangement is provided."
In carrying out the invention I make the cylinder or vessel for holding the
purifying compound with a removable lid or cover at its upper end and a separate
chamber at its lower end which is partitioned off. A passage way is made in this
partition which is provided with an automatically acting valve so arranged that
fluid from the cylinder can freely pass through the passage way into the separate
chamber or compartment and from thence, by a branch, to the beer pipes; but
water or other fluid from the beer pipes is prevented, by the automatic closing
of the valve, from passing into the cylinder. The valve may be a ball, float,
or other valve.
The special tap consists of a casing of any suitable construction having three
passage ways therein, one communicating with the water supply, one with the
interior of the cylinder and one with the separate compartment. The two latter
passage ways are capable of being opened and closed by means of a disc, or its
equivalent, having one or, if preferred, two ports therein. This disc is capable
of being revolved by means of a spindle which passes out through a stuffing box
in the casing and is provided at its outer end with a handle. The disc may
be held against its seat by means of a spring or other device or by the water
pressure alone.
The cylinder with its accessories may be fitted upon a stand or other suitable
means of support.
When it is desired to clean, with this apparatus, a number of beer pipes at
once, I connect the pipe leading from the apparatus with one of the draw-off
beer taps at the counter (if in a beer shop) and allow the cleansing fluid to pass
down one of the pipes to the cellar, then through a coupling to the second beer
pipe and up this pipe to the next tap at the counter. From this second tap
the fluid passes through a coupling to the third tap and third pipe, and so on,
the different pipes being connected together by means of couplings in the cellar
and the taps at the counter being also coupled together. By coupling the pipes

page_text: together in this manner it will be readily seen that a number of pipes can be
cleaned at one operation.
For coupling the taps together at the counter, or other place I prefer to
use thimble or junction pieces which are fitted in the mouths of the taps. These
junction pieces have a bead or a number of steps on them for the attachment of
a flexible pipe connection. The connections and also if necessary the junction
pieces can be removed whenever necessary without the least trouble. The taps
can be very speedily coupled together with this arrangement of coupling.
For coupling the pipes together in the cellar, after they have been disconnected
from the barrels, I use male coupling thimbles each having external screwed
The central part
threads one a right hand one and the other a left hand one.
of each coupling thimble may have a milled edge or a nut portion or armis to
facilitate the screwing or unscrewing of the thimble. Each thimble coupling
is merely inserted into the female screwed sockets of two adjacent beer pipes
so as to couple them together.
Instead of conducting the cleansing fluid in the first instance to the tap at
the counter it may be conducted to one of the pipes in the cellar and from
thence be conducted through the other pipes.
Whenever the water from the main is turned on to the cylinder it dissolves
the purifying compound therein and carries it, in a state of solution, through
the beer pipes. After the beer pipes have been thoroughly operated upon by
the cleansing compound the tap of the apparatus is turned so as to allow fresh
water to pass through the apparatus without entering the cylinder and to wash
out the pipes.
The apparatus can with equal facility be used for cleaning either a single pipe
or a number of pipes at once.
20
1
Dam 1807
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.
Improvements in and connected with Apparatus for Cleaning Beer
and other Pipes.
I, WILLIAM WHITE, of 67, Cathedral Street, Glasgow, Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to an improved apparatus for cleaning beer and other
pipes.
The apparatus comprises a vessel or cylinder for holding the alkaline or other
purifying compound provided with a special arrangement of tap whereby water
can either be admitted first to the cylinder and the compound therein and then
to the beer or other pipes, or direct to the beer pipes without passing through
the compound in the cylinder, or may be cut off from both the cylinder and the
beer pipes. In order that a number of beer pipes in, say, a public house can
be cleaned simultaneously, instead of one by one as at present, a special coupling
arrangement is provided.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I have
hereunto appended two explanatory sheets of drawings, whereon,

page_text: Fig. 1 is an elevation and Fig. 2 a vertical section of the apparatus.
Fig. 3 is a diagram showing how the apparatus is used.
Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views.
Referring to the drawings:-
In carrying out the invention I make the cylinder or vessel a for holding the
purifying compound with a removable lid or cover at its upper end and a
separate chamber c at its lower end which is partitioned off by the partition d.
A passage way e is made in this partition which is provided with an automatic-
ally acting valve f so arranged, as shown, that fluid from the cylinder can freely
pass through the passage way into the separate chamber or compartment c and
from thence, by a branch g to the beer pipes, but water or other fluid from the
beer pipes is prevented, by the automatic closing of the valve, from passing
into the cylinder. The valve may consist of a disc f', provided with a rubber
face, which is held against its seat 2 by the spring f³ or it may consist of a
ball, float, or other well known form of valve.
The special tap consists of a casing having, by preference, three passage
ways therein, one communicating with the water supply, one 2 with the
interior of the cylinder and one with the separate compartment c. The two
latter passage ways are capable of being opened and closed by means of a disc h*,
or its equivalent, having a port 5, or, if preferred, two ports therein. This
disc is capable of being revolved by means of a spindle 6 which passes out
through a stuffing box in the casing and is provided, at its outer end, with
a handle . The disc may be held against its seat by means of a spring h³, or
other device, or by the water pressure alone.
a is the outflow tube from the cylinder. It has a perforated cover at its
upper end and is fitted in the socket of the partition.
If desired the casing may have an extra branch as indicated in dotted
lines Fig. 2. When one branch only is used the other is closed by a cap.
The cylinder with its accessories may be fitted upon a stand or other suitable
means of support.
When it is desired to clean, with this apparatus, a number of beer pipes at
once, from upstairs, I connect, as shown in the diagram Fig. 3, the pipe leading
from the apparatus A with one of the draw off beer taps at the counter B
(if in a beer shop) and allow the cleansing fluid to pass down one of the pipes
to the cellar, then through a coupling m to the second beer pipe n and up this
pipe to the next tap k at the counter. From this second tap the fluid passes
through a coupling pipe o to the third tap and third pipe p and so on, the
different pipes being connected together by means of couplings in the cellar
and the taps at the counter being also coupled together. By coupling the
pipes together in this manner it will be readily seen that a number of pipes
can be cleansed at one operation.
<
رو
For coupling the taps together at the counter, or other place, I prefer to use
thimble or "junction pieces" q which are fitted in the mouths of the taps.
These junction pieces have a bead or a number of steps on them for the attach-
ment of the flexible pipe connections o. The connections and also if necessary
the junction pieces can be removed whenever necessary without the least trouble.
The taps can be very speedily coupled together with this arrangement of
coupling.
For coupling the pipes together in the cellar, after they have been disconnected
from the barrels, I use male coupling thimbles 7 (see Fig. 5) each having external
screwed threads by preference both right hand threads or one a right hand one
and the other a left hand one. The central part of each coupling thimble may
have a milled edge, or a nut portion, or arms s, to facilitate the screwing or
unscrewing of the thimble. Each thimble coupling is merely inserted into the
female screwed sockets t of two adjacent beer pipes so as to couple them together.
Fig. 3 is the pipe connection from the main.
11
Instead of conducting the cleansing fluid in the first instance to the tap at

page_text: the counter it may be conducted to one of the pipes in the cellar and from
thence be conducted through the other pipes.
Whenever the water from the main is turned on to the cylinder it dissolves
the purifying compound therein and carries it, in a state of solution, through
the beer pipes. After the beer pipes have been thoroughly operated upon by
the cleansing compound the tap of the apparatus is turned so as to allow fresh
water to pass through the apparatus without entering the cylinder and to wash
out the pipes.
The apparatus can with equal facility be used for cleaning either a single pipe
or a number of pipes at once.
"
tee
23
In some cases it may be advisable or convenient to lead the pipe from the
apparatus, which may be located in the cellar or other place, direct to the barrel
pipes and in such cases the pipe from the apparatus may be coupled to a
pipe provided with branches having stop cocks on them and the beer pipes would
te separately coupled to the branches on the " tee" piece. Of course according
to the number of beer pipes two or more of the branches would be utilized the
remainder being shut off. With this arrangement either a single beer pipe
may be cleaned at a time or a number of pipes may be cleaned simultaneously.
It would not be necessary in this case to couple together the taps at the counter
but merely to lead off the waste water from the tap or taps by one or more
pipe connections to the sink or jaw-box or other place.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I consider novel and desire to claim is:-
-
1. An apparatus for cleaning beer and other pipes having its parts constructed,
arranged and combined together substantially as herein before described with
reference to the drawings annexed.
2. The method of cleaning a number of beer pipes at once wherein the taps
at the counter are connected together by means of small pipe couplings and
the barrel pipes in the cellar are connected by screw couplings, such as shown
at Fig. 5, so that the cleansing fluid from the apparatus can be made to flow
through all the pipes, substantially as herein before described with reference to
Fig. 3 of the drawings annexed.
Dated this 22nd day of October 1898.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
100, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.