through Swimming Baths and Ponds.
Year: 1885

page_text: through Swimming Baths and Ponds.
I, JAMES KEITH of 57 Holborn Viaduct in the City of London, Gas, Hydraulic,
Heating and Ventilating Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to ensure an approximately uniform distribution
and circulation throughout the area of a swimming bath or pond of the hot or
tepid water supplied by the hot water boilers used for heating the bath or pond.
I carry the pipe through which the heated water is supplied from the boilers
around the sides of the swimming bath or pond by preference behind the tiles or
brick work forming the inner walls of the bath, and I form on the pipes discharge
branches which project through and terminate in flanges which are or may be flush
with the walls. Any suitable number of boilers and supply and return pipes may
be employed, but the supply pipes should each extend round an equal or nearly
equal length of the side walls or perimeter of the bath which is entirely surrounded
by the piping, and the supply pipes are arranged to discharge approximately equal
quantities of heated water into the bath, or in cases where the bath or pond is
deeper at one end than at the other and a greater body of water has to be heated
at the deeper end a proportionately larger quantity of water is discharged into
that end. To ensure the requisite uniformity of distribution of the supply of
heated water I fit the discharge branches leading into the bath at uniform distances
apart upon the supply pipes in the case of a bath or pond of uniform depth, and at
regular intervals apart but closer together at the deeper end than at the shallower
end in the case of a bath having the usual inclined bottom. Or I may form the
supply pipes and return branches of proportionately greater diameter at the deep
end than at the sballower end in order to obtain the desired uniformity of dis-
tribution. To ensure uniformity of supply through the several branches of each
supply pipe, I make the supply pipes and the branches of such diameters that the
aggregate area of the discharge orifices of each supply pipe is equal to the area of
the cross section of such pipe or approximates thereto. In this way I may also
dispense with the use of controlling valves. I fit the orifices of the return pipes in
the floor of the bath at or near the longitudinal centre line and I space them at
.

page_text: equal distances apart when the bath is of uniform depth, and somewhat closer
together or of larger diameter at the deeper end when the bath is formed with an
inclined floor.
The supply pipes and inlet branches are fitted as near as possible to the bottom
of the bath so that the water in its course from the inlets to the outlets travels
across in promixity to the bottom, and parts with its heat by convection to the
water above, instead of travelling across near the surface or along near the sides or
ends and parting with its heat by radiation to the air, or by conduction to the
walls. The water travels in radial lines from the sides of the bath to the outlet
orifices and an equal distribution of the heated water throughout the bath is
ensured by the withdrawal through each outlet of a volume of the water, pro-
portionate to the depth of the bath at the part of the bath where the outlet orifice
is situated.

page_text: through Swimming Baths and Ponds.
I, JAMES KEITH of 57 Holborn Viaduct, in the City of London, Gas, Hydraulic,
Heating and Ventilating 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:-
The object of my Invention is to ensure an approximately uniform. distribution
and circulation throughout the area of a swimming bath or pond of the hot or
tepid water supplied by the hot water boilers used for heating the bath or pond.
In the accompanying drawings my invention is illustrated as applied in the case
of a swimming bath of large capacity in sectional plan at figure 1, in longitudinal
vertical section at figure 2 and by views of details at figures 3 and 4 and in the
case of a swimming bath of comparatively small capacity in plan and longitudinal
vertical section at figures 5 and 6.
As represented in figures 1 and 2, I carry the pipes A, A, through which the
heated water is supplied from the boilers B, B, around the sides of the swimming
bath or pond by preference behind the tiles or brickwork forming the inner
walls C of the bath, and I form on the pipes discharge branches a, which project
through and terminate in flanges which are or may be formed as shown in figure 3,
flush with the walls. Any suitable number of boilers and supply pipes A, and
return pipes D, may be employed, but the supply pipes or the portions of these
pipes on which discharge branches are formed, should as shown by figure 1, each
extend round an equal or nearly equal length of the side walls or perimeter of the
bath which is entirely surrounded by the piping, and the supply pipes are arranged
to discharge approximately equal quantities of heated water into the bath; or in
cases where the bath or pond is deeper at one end than at the other and a greater
body of water has to be heated at the deeper end, a proportionately larger quantity
of water is discharged into that end. To ensure the requisite uniformity of dis-
tribution of the supply of heated water I fit the discharge branches a leading into
the bath at uniform distances apart upon the supply pipes in the case of a bath or
pond of uniform depth, and at regular intervals apart but closer together at the
deeper end than at the shallower end as illustrated in figures 1 and 2, in the case
of a bath having the usual inclined bottom. Or I may form the supply pipes A,
and return branches D, of proportionately greater diameter at the deep end than
at the shallower end in order to obtain the desired uniformity of distribution. To
ensure uniformity of supply and discharge through the several branches of each
supply pipe, I make the supply pipes A, and the branches a, of such diameters that
the aggregate area of the discharge orifices of each supply pipe A, is equal to the area
of the cross section of such pipe or approximates thereto, each supply pipe being also
reduced in diameter towards its extremity as indicated by figure 3. In this way
I may also dispense with the use of controlling valves. I fit the orifices d of the
return pipes Ü, in the floor of the bath at or near the longitudinal centre line
and I
space them at equal distances apart, when the bath is of uniform depth, and

page_text: somewhat closer together or of larger diameter at the deeper end when the bath is
formed with an inclined floor.
The supply pipes A, and inlet branches a are fitted as near as possible to the
bottom of the bath. so that the water in its course from the inlets a to the outlets d
travels across in proximity to the bottom, and parts with its heat by convection to
the water above instead of travelling across near the surface or along near the
sides or ends and parting with its heat by radiation to the air or by conduction to the
walls. The water travels in radial lines from the sides of the bath from the inlets
(which may either be near the bottom or close to the surface of the water) to the
outlet orifices and an equal distribution of the heated water throughout the bath is
ensured by the withdrawal through each outlet of a volume of the water pro-
portionate to the depth of the bath at the part of the bath where the outlet orifice
is situated. Around the outlets a depression is formed to retain mud and solid
matter and prevent the passage of the same through the return pipes to the boilers
the outlets being also provided with gratings. The connections of the supply and
return pipes to the boilers are shown in figures 1 and 2. In figure 4 is shown an
arrangement of piping in connection with the boilers to relieve the pressure in the
event of the stop valves on the mains being accidentally closed, an open relief
pipe E being carried vertically up from each boiler to some height above the level
of the water in the swimming bath and a branch F being provided whereby the
water may be discharged on to the floor in view of the attendant, or into the fires
when by excessive pressure the water is driven up the vertical piping.
In the case of a swimming bath or pond of small size instead of leading the
warm or tepid water in at a number of points around the walls and connecting the
return pipes to the central parts of the bath I may lead a single supply pipe A to
the deep end of the bath near the bottom and provide a number of discharge
orifices therein as represented in figures 5 and 6, the combined area of the cross
section of the orifices being about equal to the area of the supply pipe, and at the
shallow end I provide a number of outlets d connected to a return pipe D. In
this arrangement the hot or tepid water entering by the inlets at the floor travels
across and foods the bottom of the bath and parts with its heat by convection to
the upper portion of the water as in the arrangement described with reference to
figures 1 and 2.
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 system or mode of beating swimming baths or ponds which consists in so
directing the inflowing water along the floor of the bath that the main body of the
water is equally heated by convection substantially as herein set forth.
2. In a swimming bath or pond the provision of hot water supply piping with
discharge branches around the walls of the bath in conjunction with return pipes
and outlets arranged substantially as herein described with reference to the
annexed drawings.
Dated this Eighteenth day of August 1886
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