Improvements in and connected with the Cylinders and Bollers of Hot Water Heating Systems for Domestic Purposes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Feb., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 24th Oct., 1895-Accepted, 30th Nov., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with the Cylinders and Bollers of
Hot Water Heating Systems for Domestic Purposes.
MOSES WILSON, Fairbank Church Road Roby, in the County of Lancaster,
Ironmonger do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention is a simplification of and improvement on my Specification
No. 21,133 A.D. 1890 and consists of a cheap and simple mode of indicating the
supply of water in circulating boilers and cylinders providing means of filling the
same by hand when the ordinary supply of water is cut off, it also provides an
outlet for steam thereby preventing the boiler or cylinder exploding and an inlet
for air which will prevent the cylinder collapsing.
I fix on the upper part of cylinder or boiler a bent union with flanged nut on the
top, this union but has a socket in which I insert a glass tube, also a metal tube
inside the glass, on the top of these tubes I have a cup or funnel with socket to
hold glass tube, and flange to correspond with the nut on union.
I have bolts running through flanges of union nut and cup to keep the tubes in
I have a
place, a rubber fibre washer in each socket to form seat for glass tube.
valve inside the cup, a float inside cylinder or boiler with lever fixed in bent union
and connected by a rod to the valve inside of cup.
When the cylinder or boiler whichever the indicator is fixed on-is full of water,
the float will be up and valve closed. When short of water, the float will fall and
open the valve.
I have a lever fixed on top of cup or funnel and connected to the valve, so as to
I can also connect the
let the air out of glass tube when feeding with water.
lever to an electric bell to further indicate the want of water in the cylinder.
The improvement lies in a metal tube inside of glass tube and lever float inside
of boiler or cylinder combined with glass tube and feeding cup.
Improvements in and connected with the Cylinders and Boilers of
Hot Water Heating Systems for Domestic Purposes.
I, MOSES WILSON, of Fairbank, Church Road, Roby, in the County of
Lancaster, 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 has more especially for its object the prevention of explosion of
kitchen boilers or explosion or collapse of cylinders in domestic hot water heating
systems during frost or at other times. Numerous accidents have hitherto occurred
owing to the boiler getting empty through the pipes becoming stopped, or through
the feed pipe being out of order, or the water supply being cut off, or the exhaust
pipe becoming frozen. My invention is designed to overcome the chanco

page_text: accident from these causes, and with this end in view, it comprises an arrangement
for indicating the height of water in the boiler or cylinder, means for filling the
same by hand for the time being should the ordinary supply of water be cut off
and means for automatically providing an outlet for steam and an inlet for air
when required to obviate explosion and collapse.
The invention will be understood from the following description, reference being
had to the accompanying drawing, which shows my invention as applied by way of
example to a cylinder of a domestic hot water heating system.
Referring to this drawing, I fix near the upper part of the cylinder an elbow
pipe A with a flanged nut B screwed on top thereof, this flanged nut having a
socket in which is inserted the glass gauge tube C, and inside the glass a smaller
metal tube D. E is a cup or funnel with a socket underneath to hold the top of
the glass tube C and a flange to correspond with the flanged nut B, so that these
two flanges can be firmly bolted together by the bolts F to keep the two tubes C
and D firmly in place. A rubber fibre or other washer may be inserted in each
socket to form steam and water-tight scats for the glass tube C and valve H.
G are openings to admit water into the glass gauge tube. His a valve for
controlling the orifice h, which is operated by the ball or float I in the cylinder.
It is coupled to the valve H by the lever J and connecting rod K, the former
being pivoted at L, the latter coupled to the valve by a ball and socket joint M.
There are openings provided at the top of the metal tube to form an exit for the
air in the glass tube.
The mode of action is as follows:-
In its normal working condition with the cylinder full of water, the apparatus
will be in the position shown in the drawing, and the gauge glass tube will be full
of water up to the top. Should however owing to frost or other cause, water be
prevented from flowing into the cylinder and the cylinder be emptied or partly
emptied for the service of the house or by evaporation, this will be at once
indicated by the glass gauge tube C. At the same time, the float I will drop,
lifting the valve H, and providing an outlet for steam. The cylinder can then be
filled by hand by pouring water into the funnel E until such time as the ordinary
supply is turned on again, the internal metal tube D forming a protection for the
glass tube C so that the latter will not crack, as the cold water poured in through
the funnel will not come in direct contact with the glass. N is a pivoted lever
coupled to the valve II, the end of which may be attached or coupled at O to a
bell, which when the float drops, will ring and at once draw the attention of the
inmates of the house to the fact that the water is below the level of the top of the
cylinder and that attention to the same is required. The cylinder and boiler are
by preference provided with a manhole.
I have described my invention as applied to a hot water cylinder, but it is obvious
that it can be equally well applied to the boiler by slight modifications in the
arrangements, which will be unnecessary to describe.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. The improvement in or relating to hot water apparatus for household and
other purposes, which consists in providing the hot water cylinder or boiler with a
valve controlled by a float inside the said cylinder or boiler, the said valve aud
float being so arranged, substantially as described, that when the cylinder is full of
water, the valve will be closed, but when empty or partly empty, the float will
drop and the valve open, whereby an outlet for steam to prevent explosion and an
inlet for air to prevent collapse is provided.
2. In a hot water cylinder or boiler, baving a valve which will open by means of
float when the height of water sinks below its normal level, a filling cup or
(E), into which water can be poured to fill said cylinder or boiler so long as
ry supply is cut off, substantially as described.

page_text: 3. The combination with a glass gauge tube for indicating the height of water
in a cylinder, boiler etcetera, of a metal tube of smaller diameter than the glass
tube and located in the interior thereof, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
4. In a hot water cylinder or boiler provided with a valve and float for the
purposes set forth, the combination therewith of mechanism for ringing a bell
when the water falls below a given level, substantially as and for the purpose
.described.
5. The general arrangement and construction of parts forming my improved
device for use in connection with domestic hot water boilers or cylinders, for
preventing the explosion or collapse thereof, and for affording a visible indication
when the water falls below a given level substantially as set forth.
Dated this 23rd day of October 1895.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London, Patent Agents.