Improvements in Water-taps or Faucets.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Mar., 1896-Accepted, 23rd May, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Water-taps or Faucets.
I, CARL FLICK of Barmen, Rhenish Prussia, Germany, Water and Gas Installator,
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:-
My invention relates to faucets or water taps as used in the water-supply conducts
of buildings, and it has for its object to prevent freezing of these supply pipes
by automatically draining the pipes in providing an automatic air admitting device or
valve, acting as soon as the main supply valve is shut and the main draining valve in
the lowest part of the supply pipes is opened. At the same time the automatic
draining valve may serve as an outlet for the air contained in the supply pipes when
water is admitted again by the main supply valve (the main draining valve in
the cellar being then of course shut) in order to admit the water pressure to all the
faucets in the building without water-jerks or hydraulic blows.
The accompanying drawing illustrates my improved draining device in the water
taps, in two different forms and:
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a tap with draining device on the valve body in a
separate housing.
Fig. 2 is a plan of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a tap with draining device in the valve body or stem.
Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of Fig. 3 along line 1-1.
The faucet or water tap body is of ordinary construction with a stuffing box casing
and valve casing Q as usual as shown in Fig. 1. The air-admitting device in this
case is arranged on the top of the body, between the stuffing-box part containing the
valve J and the screw-threaded end C for fixing the water tap to the supply pipe or
its branch, in a tubular projection B. In this tubular projection B is screwed a small
open topped valve-seat G for a vertical check-valve F having below its upwardly
working-valve proper a bell shaped guiding-part K with notches L at its lower edge
and which, when no water pressure is admitted below it, sinks down, by its own
weight and rests upon the ring-seat round the bore D, or by being sunk down by the
suction of the water being drained off from the supply pipes below, the said bore D
communicating with the latter.
The valve seat G communicates at its top P by the space left under the covering
cap O of B and by bores M, N, with the inside of the nozzle A of the tap, above its
valve seat J, so that air may take its way by N, M, P, G, E, L, D into the supply
pipe and all water may run out of the latter in the cellar of the building, where the
draining tap has been opened after shutting off the main supply valve, the faucet
valve J remaining closed.
Obviously the attachment B may be placed nearer to the valve stem-stuffing box
and even so near as to be in the valve disc itself. This modification is shown in
Figs. 3 and 4.
The valve disc K1 of the water tap has at its centre a bore communicating, by
cross bores N1 M 1 in the upper disc of the valve, with the nozzle A 1, and wherein
a vent stem F 2 of the draining valve F1 working upwardly as a check valve and
taking a seat on the lower part G 1 of the valve, is guided; said stem of check-valve
is prevented from falling out by a little nut H at its top end or by other suitable
stops.
The valve K1 of the water tap being shut, the operation of the draining vent F1

page_text: is as follows: When the main supply valve is shnt and the main draining valve in
the cellar of the building is opened, air enters by the nozzle and the bores N1 M1
above the seat in the valve body K1, goes through F1 G1 and past the check-valve
through the lower part D 1 into the connecting part of the water tap C1 and thence
into the supply pipe, allowing thus all the water of the pipes to escape at the main
draining valve in the cellar.
Both these illustrated forms of execution of my invention, when water pressure is
admitted to the supply pipe or its branches, will allow the air contained in the latter
to escape by the nozzles of the faucets, without requiring the opening of the water-
taps in the building as the vent valves F, F 1, will be open by their own weight as
long as the water does not reach them. But as soon as water is admitted into the
pipes, they will be lifted by the water and pressed against their seats so that no
water can escape through these air valves.
In ordinary service of the taps of both forms of my invention the air valves F F 1
do not come into action; and even in case of their getting leaky, water will only
escape by the nozzles in the same manner as a leaky tap will trickle.
The freezing of the supply pipes in the building, provided with my new improved
taps is wholly prevented and no water can remain in the said pipes, notwithstanding
the taps remain closed when the draining valve in the lowest part of the building is
opened after shutting the main supply valve.
Automatically acting air draining devices have been known before, as I am well
aware, but the particularity of my invention consists in a water tap having the
exterior air, when the house supply pipes are emptying from water, entering and air
escaping when the water is admitted again, inside of the nozzles of the taps, which
are in constant communication with the exterior air, and this above the seat of the
tap-valve, so that no special airways or attachments are required for the water supply
pipes to prevent their freezing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tiot. ind in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
clai
1. e combination with a water tap of borings in said tap forming a communica-
tion between the outlet nozzle of the tap above the valve seat on one side and between
the admission-end of the tap-boring behind the valve seat on the other side and of a
check-valve interposed in said borings, which closes the through passage of them by
the water pressure in the admission side and opens said passage automatically when
the water pressure is relieved.
2. In a water tap having horings forming a communicating passage between the
outlet nozzle above the valve seat on one side and between the admission end of the
tap behind the valve seat on the other side, placing said borings M N and the check
valve F in a tubular projection B arranged on the top side of the admission end of
the valve behind the ordinary stuffing-box casing Q of the valve.
3. In a water tap having borings forming a communicating passage between the
outlet nozzle above the valve seat on one side and between the admission end of the
tap behind the valve seat on the other side, the placing of the borings M1 N1 and
of the check valve F1 in the main valve K 1 itself.
Dated this 16th day of March 1896
CARL FLICK,
Per Karl J. Mayer,
Agent.