Improvements in or relating to Water Heaters.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 17th July, 1894-Accepted, 15th Sept., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Water Heaters.
A communication by ALFRED H. HUMPHREY, FRED J. Humphrey, and
HERBERT S. HUMPHREY, all of the City of Kalamazoo, County of
Kalamazoo, State of Michigan, U.S.A., Manufacturers and Machinists.
1, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both
in the County of Lancaster and 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, 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 water heaters, and more particularly to that class of
water heaters used in bath rooms or barbers' shops for heating water in a very
short time, though the invention is so effective and utilises the heat so perfectly
that it is of advantage to use it for heating larger quantities of water than would
be required for these purposes.
of
The objects of the invention are, first, to provide a water heater that shall
utilise all the heat of the fuel consumed; second, to provide certain means of
purpose
distributing water thinly and evenly over an extensive surface for the
getting the full benefit of heat applied; third, to provide a water heater using gas
as fuel, in which the amount of gas entering will be regulated by the amount of
water passing into the heater so that the gas will be shut off as soon as the water
is shut off and prevent overheating the heater due to the absence of water which
might injure parts of the same; fourth, to provide an improved water heater in
which the burner can be swung out of the chamber and be lighted for heating the
apparatus, but which, when pushed under the heating tubes for heating the water,
would be extinguished unless water is flowing on the tubes.
These objects are accomplished by the mechanism shown in the accompanying
drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 shows a vertical central sectional view of the invention on line 1-1 of
Figure 2:
Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view on line 2-2 of Figure 1, looking down,
the gas burner being drawn out of the heater:
Figure 3 is a detail sectional view on line 3-3 of Figure 1 showing the construc-
tion whereby the gas is shut off on swinging the burner under the tubes, unless
there is water passing in the machine.
Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
Referring to the drawing
:-
A, is the base of the improved heater. Supported on this base is the lower
casing A for enclosing the sides of the burner chamber, one side of which is
adapted to open, to permit the burner E to be withdrawn or swung out for cleaning
or lighting as desired.
Upon the casing A¹ rests a circular casting B', which supports all the upper
part of the heater and affords means of attaching a part of the mechanism: B is the
outside casing bearing an ornamental top which encloses the upper part of the
heater. This outside casing and top can be ornamented and finished to suit
the taste of the user.
Tuside of this case are three concentric conical tubes or walls C, C¹ and Cu, over
which water passes on one side and heat on the other. The tubes are constructed
of thin sheet metal which is indented into spiral grooves, the inner part of the
grooves being trough-shaped and a little lower than the outside, so that water will

page_text: t
be retained and pass down as in a channel or channels around the tubes, for three
or four of these spiral grooves are usually made parallel to each other around each
tube. On the tube C the indentations are from the outside out but otherwise are
as described, the water passing down on the inside of this tube and the heat up on
the outside. The bottom of the tubes C' and C" are united together forming an
annular chamber between them. The outer tube C is united at the bottom to the
outside casing B, forming another annular chamber. The top of these chambers
are illustrated as open, but they could be closed where it is desirable to fill them
full of water and it would prevent an overflow; but, as this heater will not be used
frequently in this way, these chambers will usually be left open. Between these
water chambers up between the tubes C and C, and up the central part of
tube C, open spaces are left from top to bottom for the passage of the flames and
heated gases from the burner or fuel below.
b
The water pipe 6 passes into the feeder above the casting B¹ to the centre of
tube C, then straight up the centre to a broad, hollow water disc D over the
whole top. Short pipes a a project down into the water chambers and deliver the
water through apertures on to the sides of the tubes, so that it will be taken up by
the grooves and carried around them. When the water passes down to the bottom
of the water chambers, it is delivered to the outside through stop cock R.
The burner E is made up of three concentric hollow rings perforated at the top
to allow the gas to escape, and opening into pipe N below. The pipe N terminates
in a collar which is adapted to withdraw the burner E from the heater. The
usual perforations n are made in pipe N to admit air. Air also passes freely up
between the concentric rings of the burner E.
When the burner E is lighted and moved into the heater, it causes heated air
and gases to pass up between tubes C and C', and through the centre of tube C",
out at the top, against the water disc D out at the side of the heater through
pipe d. This, of course, heats the water passing down. The corrugations on the
side of the tube next the heat retain the heated gases, and prevent them passing
too rapidly to thoroughly give up all their heat.
The heater is connected to a gas pipe h, and water pipe g, by this improved
automatic regulating device and valve. F is the outer shell and main body of this
device. A partition F' separates this shell into two valve chambers, the upper one
is for water and the lower one is for gas. A valve stem e passes through both
valves and operates them together. A spring j below acts to hold the valves el
and e against their respective seats. The spring is coiled around the stem e and
presses directly against the valve el.
The seat to said gas valve el is very broad, so that practically as soon as it is
depressed at all the full amount of gas passes to the heater, and thus the degree of
temperature is controlled by controlling the amount of water passing. To put the
improved heater in operation, a stop cock is opened in pipe 9, which allows water
to pass into the upper valve chamber, when its pressure depresses the valve, which
allows the water to pass into the pipe b on into the heater. When this water opens
the water valve, it also opens the valve el to the gas pipe h, for it is attached to
the stem e and must move with it. Thus it will be seen that water passing the
heater controls the flow of the gas, and when the water stops the gas stops. The
gas valve, having a very large throat, admits all gas that the burner will carry at
once, so, as stated before, the degree of temperature of the water is controlled by
the amount of water admitted to the heater. As the heating of the parts is
objectionable without water, the advantage of this device is apparent; because, as
soon as the water for any cause ceases to flow, the gas valve closes.
In the improved heater, the burner E is adapted to spring out by means of the
collar surrounding the lower part of the valve chamber F, and there is an annular
chamber in this collar surrounding an annular chamber surrounding the valve
chamber F with a suitable aperture through it into the pipe N, the valve chamber F
being perforated at ¹ to allow gas to pass freely from the valve chamber into the
annular chamber k. This collar of the burner has a square shoulder above which

page_text: fits on a shoulder of the valve chamber. Through the valve chamber into the
lower part or gas compartment, a small aperture i extends from a shoulder on the
collar up. Through the shoulder is a small circular slot " Fig. 3, extending down
into the annular chamber k, and this small slot is so situated that, when the burner Ę
is pulled out, the slot registers with the aperture i in the burner, and gas can
pass readily from the gas main through into the burner and it can be lighted, but,
when the burner is pushed in position, the supply is cut off and, unless water is
passing into the heater, the burner is at once extinguished for want of gas, thus
saving the heating of the empty water chambers and corrugations. This device
makes it convenient for the operative to withdraw the burner and light the same,
and it will be convenient and useful in heating a cold bath room to the proper
temperature where no other source of heat is supplied, and this exceedingly simple
device makes it impossible to push the lighted burner under the water chamber
The details of the slot and the
unless water is passing through the same.
mauner of its registering are indicated clearly in Figure 3 which is a cross section
of the parts.
As the improved device has been illustrated, it is necessary to open separately
both the gas cock and water cocks R' and R before the machine will operate, but
the gas cock R' could be dispensed with and only the water cock R be used; but
the gas cock R¹ is preferred to be used as it will add to the safety of the device.
It is obvious that the device can be considerably modified and still embody the
invention; a single tube C made as herein indicated will be effective to a
remarkable degree. If the corrugations are not spiral but merely circular and
are shaped as indicated they will hold water, and it can be made to overflow
from one to the other, and cause it to be distributed, but so much will be retained
on the tube that it is inferior to the device as shown in the drawing where the
grooves are spiral.
The improved gas controlling device and regulator can be used on any of the
devices of this class. Any other heating device than the buruer E might be
utilized with the improved grooved tubes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a water heater, the combination with the base A the burner chamber A¹
and the upper casing B, of a suitable burner E in the burner chamber, the central
water pipe b the water disc D the descending delivery pipes a a from the water
disc, the concentric tubes C C and C" with trough-shaped corrugations adapted
to receive water on one side and the upwardly passing heat from the burner on the
other side, the delivery cock R for drawing off the water, and the valves el ell in
separate chambers united by a single valve stem and held to place by spring j all
substantially as described for the purpose specified.
2. In a water heater, the combination with a suitable heating apparatus below,
of the casing B, the tubes C C¹ C" with spiral trough-shaped corrugations sloping
down towards the wall of the tubes to retain the water and carry it around said
tubes, said tubes forming annular concentric chambers, the delivery pipe for the
water at the top of the tubes in said chamber and open passages for the passage
of heat, for the purpose specified.
3. In a water heater, the combination of a tube with spiral trough-shaped
grooves adapted to receive the water at the top and convey it in said spiral
trough-shaped grooves down the tubes; and a suitable heater to heat the walls
of the tube opposite the passing water, for the purpose specified.
4. In a water heater, the combination of concentric tubes C C¹ C¹ forming
concentric chambers being for the upward passage of heat and the downward
passage of water, the said tubes being spirally corrugated, the said corrugations
being trough-shaped to retain water on their upper surfaces and convey it

page_text: around said tubes so that it shall become thoroughly heated, and suitable means of
carrying heat through the said chambers, for the purpose specified.
5. In a water heater, the tube with parallel, spiral trough-shaped corrugations
dished
on their upper sides to retain the water and carry it spirally around said
tubes; and a suitable heater for heating the opposite side of the wall of said tube
to heat the water as it passes down, for the purpose specified.
6. In a water heater, the combination of concentric water chambers and heat
chambers, a water disc above said chambers with passages for conveying water into
the water chambers to be conducted in a film down the walls of said chambers;
and a suitable, heater below to force the heat up through the heat chambers out
against the water disc, so that the water disc filled with cold water will absorb the
remaining heat from the heater, for the purpose specified.
7. In a water heater, a tube of sheet metal with trough-shaped corrugations for
retaining and distributing the water upon one side and retarding the passage of
heat on the other, for the purpose specified.
8. In a water heater, a tube with spiral trough-shaped corrugations upon its
surface to distribute and retard the passage of water over it; and suitable means
of heating the tube, for the purpose specified.
9. In a water heater, a tube of sheet metal with spiral trough-shaped corrugations
for the purpose of distributing and retaining the water upon its surface and
retarding the passage of heat upon its opposite surface so that the water shall
become heated in passing, for the purpose specified.
10. In a water heater, a vertical sheet metal tube with spiral trough-shaped
corrugations; a delivering pipe to deliver the water upon one surface of said
tube so that it shall be distributed and carried evenly over the surface thereof;
and a suitable heater to heat the opposite side of said tube, the corrugations
being adapted to retain and retard the passage of the heated gases so that the heat
shall be thoroughly utilized in the water heater, for the purpose specified.
11. In a water heater using gas as a fuel, the combination of the valve casing F
with partition F' across it forming two valve chambers; the valve stems e passing
through said valve chambers; the spring; for holding the said valves against their
seats; the water pipe to admit water from one valve which shall open it and so
control the opening of the other valve which admits gas to the burner, to heat
water which passes to the heater, thus causing the current of water which passes to
control the amount of gas admitted to the heater, substantially as described for the
purpose specified.
12. In a water heater using gas as a fuel, the spring gas valve with a broad
throat connected with a valve in the water pipe passing to said heater so that
the admission of water to the heater controls the admission of gas, so that the
temperature of the water can be controlled by the amount of water admitted,
the large throat of the gas valve making the flow of water practically suspended,
substantially as described.
k
13. In a valve mechanisin for a water heater, the combination of the valve
casing F, with a partition F across the same to divide the valve into two
chambers; a valve stem e passing through said valve chambers; a valve e' in the
upper chamber, and a valve el in the lower chamber, both securely attached to
said valve stem; a spring; below said valve da burner E supported on a collar
around the lower part of said valve casing containing an annular groove
surrounding said valve casing; an aperture or opening through said valve casing
into said annular chamber; a slot in the top of said collar surrounding said
valve casing; an aperture i through the valve casing opposite the collar to register
with said slot when the burner is withdrawn from under the heater so that the
burner can be lighted when is swung out without opening the water valve and so
the burner will be extinguished by the cutting off its gas supply when it is swung
into the heater, unless said water valve is open, for the purpose specified.
14. In a water heater, the combination with a suitable receptacle for the water,

page_text: of a gas burner under said receptacle adapted to be swung out; a valve for the
water pipe, and a valve for the gas burner connected together so that both shall
be operated at once so that no gas will enter the burner to be burned while in
the heater, unless water is admitted to the heater to be heated; a suitable
aperture through the gas pipe to the bearing of the swinging burner; and an
aperture in the burner adapted to swing opposite each other and register when
the burner is withdrawn from the heater so that the burner can be lighted outside
the heater without opening the water valve, for the purpose specified.
Dated this 16th day of July 1894.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.