IMPROVE- MENTS IN FIRE-PLACES & FLUES
Year: 1860

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Denley and John Perrin at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the
5th May 1860.
We, WILLIAM DENLEY, of Exeter Place, Hans Place, Chelsea Bricklayer,
& JOHN PERRIN, of Walton Street, Chelsea, Builder, both in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN FIRE-PLACES & FLUES," to be as follows:―
The first part of our Invention relates to a raised hollow hearth of metal
or other good conducting material, into which air is allowed to pass from any
external source where it becomes heated, and passes thence to assist combus-
tion in the fire; a channel or channels are also provided, which lead from this
hollow hearth to the flue just above the grate, where the emmission of the
warm air is regulated by a suitable valve or other regulator, we also enclose
the front part of ash receiver to prevent the escape of ash or sulphureous
exhalation, and in order to the supplying of warmed air to the fire.
The second part refers to forming chimney bars to fire-places to sustain the
arch, of a V-form, in transverse section, thereby enabling the grate or stove to
be placed immediately under the front of the wall, the back slope of the bar
conducting the smoke back towards the flue, and offering no obstruction to it
as is the case with brick built on the flat bar. This bar may be hollow and of
plate iron.
We form stoves with bottoms of fine gratings in order to economize fuel,
and in the back part just above the fire we form openings, it may be like
ornamental fretwork through which part of the smoke and heat passes. A
regulating plate is hinged behind these fretwork openings, the holes in which

page_text: concide with the solid parts of stove back, thus by moving the plate closer
We also
to or farther from the fretted back it affords more or less passage.
form and fit the passage or register in the top of stoves in like manner.
Our improvement in flues relate, first, to the introduction of an iron plate,
or other material immediately above the fire-place or stove which reduces the
Alue or chimney at once to the proper size, and introduce an inverted cone
therein; by lowering or raising this cone, by suitable lever or otherwise, the
draft may be regulated as desired. This inverted cone prevents down drafts
and being by preference of metal, as also the plate aforesaid, it becomes
heated and rarifies the air entering the chimney or flue, and causes draft
therein.
To increase the draft and disperse humid atmosphere in the flue we contract
it at intervals from the square form to round, by introducing a suitably dished
plate having a passage in the centre of the proper size, the inclination being alike
all round, and towards this passage it is simularly inclined in the opposite
direction above the contractor, so as to form an easy passage up or down for the
cleansing brush, one or more of these contractors may be introduced as may be
required, and if introduced on the level of the floors of a house will afford ad-
ditional protection from fire in the flues. To increase draft at the top of flues we
form an inner casing of metal surrounding the flue and extending some little
distance from the top downwards, and admit the external atmosphere at the
lower part of this chamber surrounding the flue. The air thus admitted at
the lower part of the chamber circulates round the flue, becomes heated and
has free escape at the upper part into the flue; this air being heated ascends
rapidly and escapes to the atmosphere at the chimney top, thereby creating a
draft in the flue.
The last part of our Invention relates to arranging flues to permit of
their being swept downwards and removing the soot and dirt without entering
the appartment, for this purpose we form one extra flue or passage to cach
stack of chimnies, into which an inclined channel or flue leads downwards
from the lower part of each fire-place flue. By passing the brush downwards
from the top of any of the flues the soot and dirt is carried down the inclined
junction flue into the cleansing flue and is delivered at lower part of the house
at any suitable place.