IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING AND REGULATING THE SUPPLY OF WATER AND PREVENTING WASTE
Year: 1877

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Gordon at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 26th May 1877.
JOHN GORDON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Brass-
founder, "IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING AND
REGULATING THE SUPPLY OF WATER AND PREVENTING WASTE."
This Invention relates to valves and apparatus for controlling and regulating the
supply of water and preventing waste, and is advantageously applicable to apparatus
connected with waterclosets, urinals, lavatories, and the like.
The Invention comprises a cistern-supplying float valve, constructed in an
improved manner, and which may also be arranged to be worked by a counter-
weighted hand lever, or a screw, or cam-action handle. The float lever or other
actuating part is arranged to act on a spindle working in a guide formed on a cover,
which is fixed by screws down upon the valve box or body. In the joint between
the cover and the box there is held a washer or diaphragm of vulcanised rubber or
other suitable flexible material, but the fixing screws are placed so as not to pass
through this diaphragm, and what commonly leads to considerable trouble and
inefficiency is thereby avoided. The diaphragm is at its centre fixed to the spindle
in consequence of the upper part thereof being screwed through it into a lower or
inner part of the spindle, and it is on this latter part that the closing detail is
formed, such closing detail being fitted with a washer of rubber or other suitable
compressible material, which closes up against a seat formed in the valve box. The
inlet communicates with the space between the diaphragm and the valve or closing
detail below, and the effective area of the diaphragm is made as much larger than
the outlet orifice as with the internal water pressure will keep the valve shut with-
out requiring much force applied through the float lever, or otherwise, to open it.
The parts are subjected to comparatively small strains, even when the head of
water is great, and the float lever can be made comparatively short.
In one modification of improved apparatus for waterclosets or urinals the main
discharge pipe of the float valve communicates directly with the basin, whilst the
lever float is placed in one compartment of a small cisteru, having in a second com-
partment a cup or vessel connected to the closet handle. This cup is raised by the

page_text: closet handle, and the water in the float compartment in passing through an opening
or pipe to fill up the space causes the lowering of the float, and consequent opening
of the valve. The cup is however formed with one or more small holes in its
bottom, and being filled with water when lifted this water gradually runs out of it,
and causes the float to be raised again in a limited time whether the handle is let
go or not.
In some cases a check valve is fitted in the passage between the compartments,
such valve allowing the water to pass rapidly from the float compartment, whilst
its return takes place more slowly through a small hole. In other cases the partition
between the compartments may be dispensed with.
If wished the inain supply from the valve may first pass into a cistern compart-
ment, and thence by an ordinary down-let valve and pipe to the basin.
In another modification of improved apparatus for waterclosets, urinals, and the
like two of the improved valves, herein-before described, are combined and arranged
to be acted on by one float, the lever of which is forked, with one part acting on
one valve, and the other part acting in the reverse way on the other valve. With
this arrangement when the float descends the valves are both half open in its
middle position, but one is shut when the float is quite down, and the other when
it is quite up, so that only a limited discharge can be obtained however long the
closet handle is kept up, whilst when the handle is let go a second limited supply
of water is obtained for the after flow through the reversing of the positions of the
valves.