Improvements in Automatic Air and Vacuum Valves for Steam Radiators.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 15th July, 1895-Accepted, 5th Oct., 1895
[Communicated from abroad by SYLVANUS SAWYER, of Fitchburg, in the County
of Worcester, State of Massachusetts, United States of America.]
Improvements in Automatic Air and Vacuum Valves for Steam
Radiators.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 :-
My invention relates to automatic air and vacuum valves for steam radiators,
and other similar heating apparatus and has for its object the production of a
radiator valve that will permit the gradual escape of the air from the radiator,
pipes and the like, and then be automatically closed by the pressure of the steam
when said pressure is sufficiently above the pressure of the atmosphere to give the
required temperature, and that will also be automatically closed by the water of
condensation should it appear in sufficient quantities in the valve chamber to float
the valve or with sufficient force to move said valve by impact, and keep it closed
until the water subsides, and it consists in certain novel features of construction,
arrangement and combination of parts which will be readily understood by
reference to the description hereinafter given.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is an elevation of a valve embodying my invention, as seen looking
directly at the end of the screw shank which is screwed into the radiator.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same on the line a, a, of Figure 1 with a
portion of one of the radiator pipes with which said valve is connected.
Figure 3 is a plan of the perforated plug which forms a bearing for the stem of
the air valve.
Figure 4 is a transverse section on line y, y, on Figure 2.
Figure 5 is an elevation of the air valve and the float with a supplementary disk
applied to said stem to increase the area of the valve.
All the views of the drawing are drawn to an enlarged scale.
A is the stock or cylindrical base provided with the threaded shank A' to screw
into the radiator pipe A2; B is the cylindrical body of the valve casing, provided
near the middle of its length with the inwardly projecting annular rib a having
formed upon its under side the annular seat band upon its upper side the annular
seat c, both surrounding the passage C as shown in Figure 2.
The cylinder B has formed upon the exterior of its lower end a male screw
thread by which it is screwed into the stock A, and is provided with the perforated
plug D having a central perforation to receive and guide the stem d' of the air
valve d and a plurality of small perforations e, e, through which the air escaping
from the radiator and pipes passes to the chamber containing said air valve, and
thence through the passage C and lifting the vacuum valve f escapes to the
open air.
The upper end of the cylinder B has formed therein two escape orifices 9, g, and
said cylinder has fitted therein the plug cap E which projects some distance below
said orifices and is fitted with a ground joint to the interior of the cylinder and

page_text: has formed therein the annular channel or passage h, which extends upward nearly
to the top of the casing B and communicates through the lateral passage g', g',
with the passages g, g, and thence with the open air as shown in Figure 2.
The cap E also has formed in the centre thereof a bearing to receive and guide
the stem of the vacuum valve, and the edge of the flange of the said cap is
milled so that it can be turned about its axis to open or close the orifices g, g, at
the will of the operator.
The plug cap E has formed in the periphery of its plug the circumferential
groove to receive the rounded inner end of the set screw 2 threaded in the
cylinder B to prevent said plug being forced out by the pressure as shown in
Figure 2.
The annular channel or passage has enclosed therein a spiral spring h³ the
lower end of which extends below the end-of-said plug and rests upon the upper
surface of the vacuum valve while its upper end extends nearly to the upper end
of said channel and serves to cushion the valve and to assist in returning the valve
.to its seat.
F
The stem d of the air valve d has secured to its lower end the inverted cup
which serves both as a weight to hold the valve d off its seat until the pressure of
steam rises to the desired height, and as a float to cause said valve to close upon
its seat when the water of condensation enters the valve chamber in considerable
quantity.
The plug or partition D has formed upon its upper surface a plurality of
upwardly projecting points, or small lugs i, i, upon which the valve d rests when
it is dropped from its seat.
The area and weight of the valve d together with the area of the passages e, e,
determine the pressure at which the valve d will close after the water of conden-
sation has subsided, and therefore I increase or diminish the area of the valve or
its weight, or the area of the steam passages through the plug D to vary the
pressure and consequently the temperature at which the air valve will close.
If it is desired to increase the area of the valve d exposed to the pressure of the
steam, it can be done by applying to its stem beneath said valve a supplementary
disk d² as shown in Figure 5, or by substituting for the valve itself a valve of
greater area.
In applying air valves to radiators, as now generally practiced, the end of the
threaded shank A' is usually flush, or nearly so, with the inner surface of the
pipe A², and as a result the water of condensation, as it trickles down the side of
said pipe, is forced by the pressure into the air chamber of the valve and is forced
through the valve and discharged into the room.
To obviate this objection I extend said shank nearly to the centre of the
pipe A2 and form in said extension a circumferential groove or reduction with an
annular lip or enlargement r¹ at its end, whereby said water of condensation is
prevented in a great measure from being forced into said valve chamber.
In the operation of my invention when it is desired to heat the room and the
steam cock is opened to let the steam into the radiator, the cap E is turned so that
the passages g', g', therein will register with the orifices g, g, in the casing B, when
the steam will force the air in the radiator into the valve casing and it will pass
through the passages e, e, in the plug or partition D around the valve d through
the passage C, lift the valve J, and will escape through the passage h and
orifices
9, 9.
When the air has escaped and the steam in the valve chamber has reached the
pressure required to give the desired temperature, the valve d will be closed upon
its seat by said pressure and immediately the valve f will close upon its seat and
both valves will remain closed until the pressure falls below the required point when
the valve d will open while the valve fremains closed.
If water has accumulated by the condensation of the steam, and is forced into the
valve chamber in considerable quantity, the water will close the valve d through
the medium of the float F and said valve will retain closed until the water subsides

page_text: when it will open and the steam forcing the air before it will operate to expel the
air and then close the valve d as before described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is be to performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1st. In an air and vacuum valve for steam radiators and other purposes the
combination of a casing or body provided with a discharge passage near the upper
end and with two opposing valve seats surrounding a common passage; a perforated
plug located below said seats and passage; an air valve located between said plug
and lower seat, and provided with a stem extending through said plug and adapted
to be moved upward to close the passage through its seat; and a vacuum valve
located above, and adapted to engage with the upper of said seats.
2nd. The combination of a casing or body provided with a discharge passage
near its upper end and with two opposing valve seats surrounding a common
passage; a perforated partition or plug located below said seats and passage; an
air valve located between said plug and the lower seat and provided with a stem
extending through said plug and adapted to be moved upward to close the passage
through said seat; a float carried by said stem; a second valve located above and
adapted to close upon the upper seat.
3rd. The combination in a radiator valve of a casing or body provided with
means for connecting it to the radiator and with a discharge passage near its upper
end and with two opposing valve seats surrounding a common passage through the
same; a valve constructed and arranged to close upon the lower of said seats; a
perforated plug having contracted passages for throttling the escaping steam;
a valve located above and adapted to close upon the upper of said seats; and a cap
to said casing having passages to connect with said discharge passages in the casing
and adapted to serve as a cock to close or open said discharge passage.
4th. The combination in a radiator valve of a casing or body having an inwardly
projecting annular rib provided with a valve seat upon its under side; a perforated
plug or partition located below said seat; a flat disk like valve located between
said plug and valve seat and provided with a stem fitted to and guided by a bearing
in said plug; and means for arresting the downward movement of said valve at a
point a short distance above the upper surface of said plug.
5th. The combination in a radiator valve of a casing or body having an inwardly
projecting annular rib provided with a valve seat upon its under side; a perforated
plug or partition located below said seat a flat disk like valve located between
said plug and seat and provided with a stem fitted to and guided by a bearing in
in said plug; and a removable disk mounted on said stem below said valve,
substantially as and for the purposes described.
6th. In a radiator valve, the combination of a casing provided with means for
securing it to the radiator, with discharge passages near its upper end and with a
perforated partition having a valve seat; a plug cap to close the upper end of said
casing and provided with the annular channel h, and the lateral passages g', g'; a
vacuum valve fitted to said seat and guided in a bearing in said plug cap; and a
spring enclosed in said annular channel and resting upon said valve.
7th. The combination with a radiator pipe, of an air and vacuum valve provided
with a threaded shank screwed into said radiator pipe, and extending nearly to the
centre of said pipe, and having an annular groove or reduction formed on said
inwardly projecting portion with an annular lip or enlargement at its inner end.
Dated this 15th day of July 1895.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.