IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING RAIN WATER
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Buck, of No. 31, Brondesbury Villas, Kilburn, in
the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR COLLECTING RAIN WATER."
Sealed the 25th March 1879, and dated the 10th October 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Buck at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th October 1878.
WILLIAM BUCK, of No. 31, Brondesbury Villas, Kilburn, in the County of
Middlesex. IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING RAIN WATER."
"
Ι
When rain begins to descend on roofs or other exposed surfaces it in the first
place washes away the soot, dust, and other impurities, and it is only after these
have been removed that the water becomes comparatively pure. Again when even
after moderate rain, heavy showers descend, the large flow of water tends to stir up
and scour out impurities that usually rest in gutters and other channels, and to
convey them along with it. The object of my Invention is to provide means for
the free passage of the first portion of the rain water to waste so that it may carry
away the impurities washed off by it, and these having been removed, for the
storage of the succeeding or comparatively pure water. For this purpose I arrange
in the course of the rain pipe suitable tanks or vessels provided with valves and
floats or with passages of adjusted area, and I pivot or poise these vessels or the
spouts leading to them, or adjust their valves and floats in such a manner that when
water first begins to flow along the pipe it continues its course to the waste pipe,
until after a certain time a portion of it having filled a compartment so as to raise
a float or overbalance a tank or spout the flow becomes directed to the storage
cistern, but if the flow becomes suddenly excessive, as in the case of a thunder
shower, it is again for a time directed to waste until a secondary action caused by
the sinking of a float or the overbalancing of a tank or spout allows the succeeding
flow to be turned to the storage cistern. In some cases I direct the flow on a
water wheel or turbine or their equivalent so as to wind up a weight, which after a

page_text: time causes the spout or tank to be canted as required for directing the flow to the
storage cistern. After cessation of the rain the weight descending restores the
spout or tank to its normal position. The apparatus may be made partially self-
acting by arranging the parts so that the flow can be directed by hand when
desired to the storage cistern, and will remain so directed until the rain ceases,
whereupon the action of the float or poised tank restores the parts to their norinal
position. In order to prevent impure water on the melting of snow from entering
the storage cistern I provide apparatus such as I have above described with a lock
connected to a lever loaded on one arm, and having attached to its other arm a
shallow vessel presenting considerable superficial area.
When this vessel is charged
with snow the load is overbalanced and the rain water apparatus remains locked, so
that the water runs to waste, but when the snow has melted and the water pro-
duced therefrom has had time to run out of the shallow vessel by a hole in its
bottom, the vessel is overbalanced and the rain apparatus becomes unlocked. The
apparatus may also be locked by means of a vane when it is turned by the wind
into certain attitudes, so as to provide against storage of rain when the wind is in
such quarters as to render it impure by smoke or otherwise. The storing cistern
may be fitted with an overflow or with a float controlling the rain apparatus, so
that when the water reaches a certain level in the cistern the supply to it will be
stopped, the succeeding rain water being run to waste.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Buck in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th April 1879.
WILLIAM BUCK, of No. 31, Brondesbury Villas, Kilburn, in the County of
•Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING RAIN WATER."
When rain begins to descend on roofs or other exposed surfaces it in the first
place washes away the soot, dust, and other impurities, and it is only after theso
have been removed that the water becomes comparatively pure. Again when even
after moderate rain, heavy showers descend, the large How of water tends to stir up
and scour out impurities that usually rest in gutters and other channels, and to
convey them along with it. The object of my Invention is to provide means for
the free passage of the first portion of rain water to waste so that it may carry
away the impurities washed off by it, and these having been removed for the
storage of the succeeding or comparatively pure water. For this purpose I arrange
in the course of the rain pipe suitable tanks or vessels provided with valves and
floats or with passages of adjusted area and I pivot or poise these vessels or the
spouts leading to them, or adjust their valves and floats in such a manner that when
water first begins to flow along the pipe it continues its course to the waste pipe,
until after a certain time a portion of it having filled a compartiment so as to raise
a float or overbalance a tank or spout the flow becomes directed to the storage
cistern, but if the flow becomes suddenly excessive as in the case of a thunder
shower it is again for a time directed to waste until a secondary action caused by
the sinking of a float or the overbalancing of a tank or spout allows the succeeding
flow to be turned to the storage cistern. In some cases I direct the flow on a
water wheel or turbine or other equivalent so as to wind up a weight, which after a
time causes the spout or tank to be canted as required for directing the flow to the
storage cistern. After cessation of the rain the weight descending restores the
spout or tank to its normal position. The apparatus may be made partially self-
acting by arranging the parts so that the flow can be directed by hand when
desired to the storage cistern and will remain so directed until the rain ceases,
whereupon the action of the flow or poised tank restores the parts to their normal
position. In order to prevent impure water on the melting of snow from entering
the storage cistern I provide apparatus such as I have above described with a lock
connected to a lever loaded on one arm, and having attached to its other arm a
shallow vessel presenting considerable superficial area. When this vessel is charged
with snow the load is overbalanced and the rain water apparatus remains locked so
that the water runs to waste, but when the snow has melted and the water pro-
duced therefrom has had time to run out of the shallow vessel by a hole in its
bottom, the vessel is overbalanced and the rain apparatus becomes unlocked. The
apparatus may also be locked by means of a vane when it is turned by the wind
into certain attitudes, so as to provide against storage of rain when the wind is in
such quarters as to render it impure by smoke or otherwise. The storing cistern
may be fitted with an overflow or with a float controlling the rain apparatus, so
that when the water reaches a certain level in the cistern the supply to it will be
stopped, the succeeding rain water being run to waste.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
The accompanying Drawings shew various constructions of apparatus for
operating in the manner and for the purposes above set forth. In the vertical
section, Fig. 1, A is the pipe or spout conveying rain water from a roof or elsewhere.
The water passes through a perforated plate or screen a into a tank provided with
an overflow pipe B, and having a lateral pipe C at some height from its bottom
leading to a storage cistern. At the bottom of the tank is a hole D fitted with a
float valve opening downwards. By this hole the water flows to waste until it
rises sufficiently, high in the tank to raise the float. The hole D being thus closed
3

page_text: the water thereafter flows by the pipe C to the storage cistern. This pipe may be
closed by a valve E worked by a float F, so that when the rainfall is very heavy,
dislodging impurities, the water is prevented from flowing to the storage cistern.
By small holes or otherwise the float. F is rendered not quite tight, so that it can
keep the valve E closed only for a short time. A small hole is provided at D for
emptying the tank. According to the arrangement shewn in Fig. 2, representing a
vertical section of the apparatus in its two attitudes, the tank into which the rain
water flows by the pipe A is mounted on a pivot, so that it can be canted a little
by means of a handle H. At first the water flows by the hole at D into the pipe G,
and thence down the waste pipe B until the hole D becomes closed by the float
valve. The tank being then canted by hand, so as to direct the pipe G away from
the waste pipe B, the water flows by the pipe C to the storage cistern. Owing to
the shift of the larger volume of water to its one side the tank remains canted
until it is moved back by hand. But by providing a small hole through the valve
at D the back movement of the tank when the rain ceases is rendered automatic,
the small hole allowing water to flow slowly out until the valve at D opens, per-
mitting the contents of the tank to flow out rapidly, whereupon the tank rights
itself. In the arrangement of apparatus shewn in its two attitudes at Fig. 3 the
rain water arriving by the pipe A and passing through the screen a flows by a
pipe, and also when the quantity is considerable by a larger pipe K into a com-
partment L at one side of a pivotted tank, this compartment being separated from
another compartment M by a partition through which there is a hole m.
G is a
pipe open at the top, and having at its side holes l, ¹, opening into the compart-
ment L. Another smaller pipe g (the part of which that passes through the
bottom of the tank is shewn to an enlarged scale at Fig. 3a) has holes g' at the
bottom of the tank, and also a small hole opening into its descending limb g³.
The tank being in its normal attitude, as shewn on the left side of the Figure
when rain water descends the pipe A in moderate quantity, it flows by k into the
compartment L, and when the quantity is greater it flows also by the pipe K into
the same compartment. From L a portion issues by the lower hole into the
pipe G, and flows thence down the waste pipe B. When the quantity is greater
than can be drained off by the water in L rises till it flows by the hole m into
the compartment M. While the level in L rises to that of the upper hole the
compartment M becomes also charged with such a quantity of water that the tank
is overbalanced, and becomes canted to the attitude shewn on the right side of the
Figure. The outflow from G is now directed into the pipe C, by which it is con-
veyed to the storage cistern. Also the water passing down the pipe k enters a
Bpout, by which it is conducted into a pivotted tumbling vessel k². This when
filled becomes overbalanced, and cants down on the left, so as to discharge its
contents rapidly, whereby the holes of the pipe g are flushed. When the rainfall
ceases the compartment L empties itself by the hole 1, and the compartment M
empties itself partly by the hole m and partly by the holes g¹ and pipe g² leading
to waste, and the tank resumes its normal position. The tumbling vessel 2 and
bent pipe g may be dispensed with, the lower portion g³ of the pipe being retained
with the hole leading into it from the bottom of the compartment M. In case of a
sudden and heavy rainfall supplying water more rapidly than can be drained off
by the holes from the compartment L, the water rising in that compartment till it
overflows at the top of the pipe G overbalances the tank in its canted attitude, and
restores it for a time to its normal position, that is to say, until by a corresponding
rise of level in the compartment M the tank is again canted. In the arrangement
shewn in its two conditions at Fig. 4 the rain water at first fills the tank Ō, until
by means of a float n the rocking spout N is canted, directing the water into the
storage cistern C, or it might be into a pipe leading thereto. The tank O has a
waste pipe b, by which it becomes emptied, but to prevent the spout N returning
to its normal position during the rainfall when the float n is no longer supported
the spout is made with a deepened part n¹, containing water sufficient to keep the
spout in the canted position. A small hole n² serves to empty this deepened part

page_text: when the rainfall ceases, allowing the spout to return to its normal position.
Figs. 5 and 5ª shew the arrangement, according to which the rain water acts on a
wheel, so as to move the parts to the attitude suitable for delivery into the storage
cistern. The water descending by A in the first place is conducted to waste by
the rocking pipe k, but when there is a larger supply than & can take away the
water descending by the pipe a acts upon the buckets of a wheel P, the rota-
tion of which acting through suitable gearing raises a weight Q. When this
weight is raised, so as to bear against the bottom of the tank L, its farther
elevation
causes the tank to be canted to the attitude shewn in Figure 5ª,
directing the water into the pipe C which leads to the storage cistern.
The movement of the tank L causes the pipe to be directed towards the
buckets of the wheel P which have small holes through them. When the rainfall
ceases the charge in one of the buckets retains the tank for a time in its canted attitude
until when the bucket becomes emptied by the small hole the weight Q overbalances
it, and this weight descending restores the tank to its normal attitude, as shewn in
Fig. 5. In this attitude it may be locked, when the wind is in a particular
quarter, by means of the vane R acting through a crank r, the pin of which works
in a slotted hole in a rod connected to any moving part of the tank. When the
crank pin is directed towards the tank, or nearly so, the action of water on the
wheel P is insufficient to move the tank. This vane arrangement may obviously be
applied to the other forms of the apparatus in which there is a moving tank or spout
for the purpose of locking them, and so preventing delivery of water into the storage
cistern when the wind is in an objectionable quarter. According to the arrangement
shewn in its two conditions at Fig. 6 the pivotted tank for receiving and directing
the rain water is loaded on one side by a weight L, and it is not until the other
side M becomes sufficiently filled to overbalance the weight that the tank becomes
canted so as to deliver the water into the pipe C leading to the storage cistern. In
the case of a heavy fall of rain the lower part of the pipe A becomes so far filled
that the water overflows by the side branch a into the left compartiment of the
tank L' where, acting in conjunction with the weight L, it overbalances the water
in M and restores the tank for a time to its normal condition. There is however,
through the partition separating the two upper compartments of the tank, a hole m
by which water flows from L' to M', while also water escapes from L' by a hole l,
so that M' becoming filled as L' becomes emptied, the tank is again canted to deliver
into the storage cistern. A pipe m¹ serves to empty the compartment M¹, and a
hole m² to empty M. Figs. 7 and 7a shew in its two conditions an arrangement
which operates in the following manuer:-The rain water descending by A passes
through the screen a into a shallow tank A¹ whence it flows by a hole and pipe A"
into the compartment L of the pivotted tank below. When the water rises in A'
towards the mouth of the overflow pipe a portion descends by a pivotted spout k
into the outer right-hand compartment M of the pivotted tank.
The compart-
inents M, M¹, M², communicate by holes at their bottoms, so that they become
charged in succession till the load of water in them is sufficient to overbalance the
opposite weighted side of the tank, whereupon the tank becomes canted, as shewn
in Fig. 7, so that the water is delivered into the pipe C leading to the storage
cistern. The pipe k is at the same time directed so as to deliver into the com-
partment M. Should the fall of rain suddenly and greatly increase so that there
is considerable overflow from A' by the pipe A2, the water descending into L and
being retained therein for a time by its passage in a zig-zag direction over a number
of plates or shelves suffices to overbalance the load in the compartments M, M³, M³,
and to bring the tank back for a time to the position shewn in Fig. 7. When the
compartments M, M¹, and M, become more fully charged the tank resumes its
canted attitude. An overflow pipe m and a hole m¹ serve to empty the cou-
partments M, M1, M2, when the rain ceases, whereupon the tank returns to its normal
position. In order to prevent water from entering the storage cistern while there is
snow on the roof or watershed I adopt the arrangement shewn in elevation at
Fig. 8. S is a shallow vessel or tray, shewn in plan at Fig. Sa, having a small hole 8

page_text: through its bottom. This vessel is fixed on the end of a lever T, from which a rod t
extends down to a pivotted tank such as I have described with reference to Figs. 7
and 7, or Figs. 2 and 3, or Figs. 5 and 5ª, or Fig. 6; or to a pivotted spout such as
that shewn in Fig. 4, the rod having on it a collar or stop. When the tray S is
loaded with snow the rod t being raised prevents the tank or spout from canting;
but when the snow melts the water drains out of the tray by the hole 8, and the
rod t then descends, leaving the pivotted tank or spout free to operate as above
described.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I claim, in respect of apparatus for collecting rain
water,-
First. Interposing between the rain water pipe or spout and the storage cistern a
tank provided with float valves arranged and operating as herein described with
reference to Fig. 1 of the accompanying Drawings.
.
Second. Interposing a pivotted tank which can be canted so as to direct the rain
water to the storage cistern and automatically returns to a position directing the
outlet to waste, as herein described with reference to Fig. 2.
Third. Effecting automatically the canting movements of the pivotted tank by
the varying water load in compartments thereof, as herein described with reference
to Figs. 3, 6, 7, and 7a.
Fourth. Effecting the required canting movement of the pivotted tank by the
rotation of a wheel driven by the rain water, as herein described with reference to
Figs. 5 and 5a.
Fifth. The use of a pivotted spout with float in lieu of a pivotted tank, the said
spout being arranged and operating as herein described with reference to Fig. 4.
Sixth. Combining with the pivotted tank or spout a vane so as to prevent its
canting movement when the wind is in a particular quarter, substantially as herein
described with reference to Figs. 5 and 5ª
Seventh. Combining with the pivotted tank or spout a stop rod and lever with
tray so as to prevent the canting movement when the tray is charged with snow,
substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 8 and 8ª, 7 and 7a.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Buck, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this 28th day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-nine.
WILLIAM BUCK. (L.S.)