IMPROVEMENTS IN FLUSHING APPARATUS FOR WATER CLOSETS AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1884

page_text: Per purposes.
I THOMAS BLADON WALTER of Crosfield Road Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster, Commercial Traveller do hereby declare the nature of my said invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FLUSHING APPARATUS FOR WATER CLOSETS AND OTHER
PURPOSES," to be as follows -
In all the valveless syphon flushing tanks which have come under my observation.
the hend of the syphon over which the water flows is below the top of the tank;
consequently if from defective ball cock or other cause the tank abnormally fills, a
syphoning takes place causing a great waste of water.
In the ordinary flushing apparatus too, if the user holds on to the handle till the
flush is over, the pan of the water closet is not filled, and there is therefore no
water seal. Now my invention is designed to obviate these defects and to provide
a flushing apparatus that cannot syphon oven with an overflowing tank without
the lever being actuated, and one in which an after flush sufficient to fill the pan
takes place after the main flushing has been accomplished. My aim has also been
to provide a very cheap flushing apparatus, applicable not merely for water closets,
but for urinals, wash basins and general purposes. From the flush pipe where it
opens into the tank, I form two syphon pipes, one, a small one rises to the top of
the tank and then bonds down to within about a quarter of an inch from the
bottom. The other a larger one which bends down to a few inches of the bottom..
The upper part of this syphon is telescopic in one or both limbs, so that while
normally above the water lovel, when the handle is raised the telescopic part of
the handle is depressed by the lever to below the water level. The water then
overflows in the large syphon till it sinks to the level of the end of the shorter leg.
The main flushing then ceases, and the user naturally lets go the handle, the
smaller syphon then empties the tank and thus with its after flow fills the pan.
It will be obvious that this idea of a small subsidiary syphon to fill the pan
after the handle is let go, can be utilized with some other modes of bringing the
main syphon into play, as no matter how this main syphon works, the body of water
passing through it will, by creating a partial vacuum, cause the water to start
flowing through the smaller syphon opening into the same flushing pipe. Similarly
the telescopic syphon acting by being depressed below the level of the water, could

page_text: be worked without a subsidiary syphon, and indeed for urinals and wash basins
the latter is not necessary. For water closet purposes however, the combination
is best, and I only mention the fact that a part of the invention could be used
under sume circumstances without the rest, in order to prevent others from making
a separate claim for it. I have not described the pulling apparatus, but prefer a
counter weighted lever with the pull chain and syphon on one side of the fulcrum
and the counter weight on the other.
The telescoping can be arranged in any convenient manner, I prefer the upper
part of the syphon to slide on the other, with a stuffing-box or cup leather on the
discharge end of the syphon tube to prevent leakage. If the upper part of the
syphon be telescopic on both legs the shorter stationary limb is fixed to the tank
and is perforated at bottom, but this simply acts as a guide and can be dispensed
with if desirable.

page_text: Improvements in Flushing Apparatus for Water-closets and
other Purposes.
I, THOMAS BLADON WALTER of 20 Park Avenue, Longsight, Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FLUSHING APPARATUS FOR WATER-CLOSETS AND OTHER
PURPOSES" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
-
In all the valveless syphon flushing tanks which have come under my observation,
the bend of the syphon over which the water flows is below the top of the tank,
consequently if from defective ball cock or other cause the tank abnormally fills, a
syphoning takes place causing a great waste of water.
In the ordinary flushing apparatus too, if the user holds on to the handle till the
flush is over, the pan of the water closet is not filled, and there is therefore no
water seal. Now my invention is designed to obviate these defects and to provide
a flushing apparatus that cannot syphon even with an overflowing tank without
the lever being actuated, and one in which an after flush sufficient to fill the pan
takes place after the main flushing has been accomplished. My aim has also been
to provide a flushing apparatus applicable not merely for water closets, but for
urinals, wash basins and general purposes.
The invention is best described by aid of the accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation and Figure 2 a plan.
•
In these A is the flush pipe opening into the tank B. C is a syphon pipe rising
to the top of the tank and then bending down to within about half an inch from
the bottom. D is a larger syphon which bends down to a few inches of the
bottom, the upper part E of this syphon is telescopic in one or both limbs. In the
drawing the syphon is only telescopic in one leg at the stuffing box F. This
has its gland screwed into the stuffing box, so that by merely screwing it up a
trifle the packing is uniformly tightened all round. To the head of the syphon is
cast riveted or otherwise fixed a slot G in which works a grooved wheel and
pin H carried by an arm I of the main spindle J. On this spindle is keyed or
otherwise attached the pull lever L with counterweight arm M carrying counter-
weight K., N is the ordinary ball cock (shown in dotted lines). O is a bracket to
support or guide the syphon laterally and to act as a stop to prevent it rising
too high.
The mode of action is as follows :—
When the handle is pulled the syphon top E is depressed below the water level,
thus forming the syphon. This main syphon starts to empty the trough and the
suction created thereby in D and A causes a partial vacuum in C, which causes
that syphon also to work, the handle, may now be released and the water will
continue to flow in a heavy volume until it reaches the level of the open leg of the
larger syphon, the smaller syphon then empties the tank to within about half an
inch of the bottom and thus with its after-flow fills the pan to the desired depth.
When the water has sunk to the level of the end of the shorter and larger leg the

page_text: main flushing ceases and the user naturally lets go the handle, the smaller syphon
then empties the tank and thus with its after flow fills the pan.
It will be obvious that this idea of a small subsidiary syphon to fill the pan
after the handle is let go can be utilised with some other modes of bringing the
main syphon into play, as no matter how this main syphon works the body of
water passing through it will by creating a partial vacuum cause the water to start
flowing through the smaller syphon opening into the same flushing pipe. Similarly,
the telescopic syphon acting by being depressed below the level of the water could
bo worked without a subsidiary syphon, and indeed for urinals and wash-basins
the latter is not necessary. For water closet purposes however the combination is
best, and I only mention the fact that a part of the invention could be used under
some circumstances without the rest, in order to prevent others from making a
separate claim for it. I have not described the pulling apparatus, but prefer a
counterweighted lever with the pull chain and syphon on one side of the fulcrum,
and the counterweight on the other.
The telescoping can be arranged in any convenient manner, I prefer the upper.
part of the syphon to slide on the other, with a stufling box or cup leather on the
dischargo end of the syphon tube, as shown to prevent leakage. If the upper part
of the syphon be telescopic on both legs, the shorter stationary limb is fixed to
the tank and is perforated at bottom, but this simply acts as a guide and can be
dispensed with if desirable.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1st. The improvement in flushing apparatus, which consists in forming the
upper part of the syphon telescopic on the lower part, and connected with the pull
handle, so that though while in normal position the top of the syphon shall be well
above the highest water level, by pulling the handle the top of the syphon shall
be depressed below the water level, substantially as and for the purposes described.
2nd. The manufacture and use of flushing apparatus substantially as described,
in which a main syphon largely empties the tank, but stops short at a given point,
and a second and smaller syphon completes the flushing, whereby.an after flush is
formed sufficient to make a water seal after the main flush is over.
3rd. The flushing apparatus arranged as a whole, substantially as herein
described.