IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-SUPPLYING APPARATUS FOR FILTERS, AND IN THE FITTINGS AND APPLIANCES USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH
Year: 1884

page_text: I FREDERICK CHARLES BLISS, of 2 Mount Street, Swansea, in the County of
Glamorgan, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-SUPPLYING APPARATUS FOR FILTERS, AND IN THE
FITTINGS AND APPLIANCES USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH" and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
The object of my Invention is to provide improved fittings for filters, to render
them self supplying; and also an improved form of collecting vessel, and fittings
thereto, for containing the filtered water.
And in order that my said Invention may be clearly understood, reference is
hereby made to the accompanying Drawings, in which similar letters of reference
indicate corresponding parts in the several Figures.
Fig. 1. is a vertical section through the centre of the apparatus, and part of a
filter, shewing the manner of its application.
Fig. 2. is a plan of the same.
Fig. 3. is an end elevation, partly in section, of the right side of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4. is a section of a valve and chest adapted to pressure under 4 lbs. to the
square inch.
Fig. 5. is a vertical section of the top of the collecting vessel, shewing the method
of making the cover water-tight, and also the passages for the ingress of the filtered.
water, and egress of the air.
Fig. 6. is a plan of the same.
Fig. 7. shews the general arrangement of a filter, and collecting vessel on a
tripod stand.
The valves are adapted to high pressure town water services, except that
illustrated by Fig. 4.
The apparatus may be applied to any filter, and consists of a cast iron cover,
which is substituted for the ordinary earthenware one, and is made in two parts
A and B Figs. 1, 2 and 3. A being a ring provided with three lugs, fitted with set
screws by which it is secured to the top of the filter, this ring forming a suitable
seat for the cover B.

page_text: This ring A may be made of any size to suit different filters; the hole in the
centre however being made of a fixed size to fit the cover B.
The cover B fits inside the ring and carries the valves and chest.
The chest C, which is usually made of brass, is made in three parts C, D and E.
The valve chest C contains the inlet passage, the lower valve seat, part of the
passage from the upper valve, and the passage by which the water enters the filter
after passing the valves.
The part D, which is screwed into C, contains the upper valve seat and part of
the passage, by which the water passing the upper valve escapes to the under side
of the lower one, as shewn by the arrows.
C
E is a cover screwed into the part D, having a hole in its centre which forms
a guide to the valve spindle, and a lug at its side which covers the passage.
The chest is secured to the cover B by means of a nut S as shewn in Fig. 1.
The valves, two in number, form an equilibrium-valve and are shewn at V
and K Figs. 1 and 3. The lower one V is cast on the spindle, while the upper
one K is secured thereto by a fine threaded screw, and further secured by the lock-
nut L. This arrangement is necessary in order to place and adjust the valve on its
seating, as both are of the saine diameter.
The spindle is continued right through the stem of the chest and carried down
to about one inch below it. The lower end of the valve spindle to within 1/, an
inch from the extremity of the chest is made triangular in section, thus forming a
guide to the lower part, and affording ample room for the water to pass.
On the end of this spindle a cross-liead M¹ is fixed and held in place by the set
screw N¹
The extremities of this cross-head are connected by the links P. P., Fig. 3, to
the forked ends of the lever F.
This lever F works on the fulcrum H, and at its outer end is connected by the
internally tapped rod I, to the float G, as shewn in Fig. 1.
The float has a central annular space which enables it to keep clear of the sponge
in the smaller sized filters, as at T¹, Fig. 1.
:
The float is connected to the rod by a screwed spindle, so that it can be raised
or lowered, thus regulating the amount of water in the filter top.
The apparatus being connected to the service pipe by a inch pipe, which is
attached to the chest C by means of the screwed union, the water. first passes
through a piece of sponge placed in the recess T, shewn in Fig. 1; this arrests any
solid matter in the water, and prevents it from coming in contact with the valves-
After passing through the sponge the water comes between the valves with equal
pressure on the top of the lower one and bottom of the upper one thus establishing
an equilibrium. Assuming the filter to be empty the float G will be down whereby
the valves are lifted from their seats; part of the water will therefore pass the
lower valve V, and part the upper one K, this portion will find its way to the
underside of valve V by the passages as shewn by the arrows in Fig. 1 and so on
to the filter through the stem of the chest.
J
When the requisite quantity has passed into the filter, the float G will be raised,
which in its turn will close the valves till à further supply is required.
The valve and chest, shewn in Fig. 4, for low pressure are placed on the cover B
in a similar manner to that of C, the supply pipe being connected to the top
instead of the side. The valve is worked by the float in precisely the same
manner as the double one; the water also passing through a piece of sponge placed
in the recess T, as shewn, and separated from the valve by a perforated plate.
When the filter is of sufficient size for ordinary, use, no collecting vessel will
be required; in other cases the collecting vessel next herein after described is used
to accumulate a supply of filtered water:
In the elevation of the collecting vessel shewn in connection with a filter in
Fig. 7 and in the sectional elevation Fig. 5 and plan Fig. 5 of the top of the same;
U is the collecting vessel which is an ordinary stone-ware jar, having a hole in its
J

page_text: top, about 3 inches diameter, and a smaller one at its side near the bottom for the
insertion of a tap Y.
The cover for the top of the vessel consists of a round brass stem, furnished with
a round head or boss about 3/4 of an inch thick. The stem has two holes drilled
nearly through it, inches diameter as at L. N; holes are also drilled through the
head to meet these in which the pipe K is inserted on one side and the pipe M on
the other.
The outside of the stem is screwed and the nut Q fitted to it, its lower end is
rivetted to the cone P after passing through the cover R. An india rubber ring O
is placed round this cone and in the hole in the top of the vessel, so that by means
of the Q the cone is raised which expands and presses the india rubber ring against
the side of the hole thus forming a water tight joint,
The water on leaving the filter passes through the joint J, pipe K, and down the
passage L into the vessel.
The air displaced by the water escapes through the passage N and pipe M which
is open at the top. The pipe M is carried up behind the filter to an inch or so
above the filter cover.
This pipe M both serves as an escapement for the air contained in the vessel, and
prevents it from overflowing when full of water; the water can only rise to the
level of that in the upper part of the filter. It also serves as a vent when water is
drawn from the vessel by the tap.
The filter and vessel can also be placed on shelves instead of a stand, care being
taken to carry the air-pipe just above the top of the filter.
In situations where no fall can be obtained, a cask or vessel containing—say,
a day's supply, can be placed above the filter and connected with the inlet as
before.
A stop cock is required somewhere on the supply pipe, in order to turn off the
water when the filter requires cleaning.
The iron parts of the apparatus can be galvanized to prevent rusting.
Although I have specified certain sizes for the pipes and other portions of my
Invention, it is obvious that such dimensions are merely mentioned as ordinary
sizes and may be departed from and varied, and various suitable materials may be
used differing from those herein before referred to.
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 claim is
1. The combination and arrangement of apparatus for rendering filters self
supplying, as herein before described and shewn on the Drawings, or any mere
modification thereof.
2. The manufacture and use of the several fittings and appliances for filters,
substantially as and for the purposes herein before described and shewn on the
Drawings.
3. The general arrangement and combination of the several and respective parts,
together forming my improvements in self-supplying apparatus for filters and in
the fittings and appliances used for and in connection therewith, substantially as
herein before described and shewn on the Drawings.
KINNEIR & TOMBS,
Agents for the Applicant.