Heating and Ventilating Engineer.
Year: 1886

page_text: A communication from abroad by ISAAC DAVID SMEAD, of Toledo, County of Lucas,
State of Ohio, United States of America, Heating and Ventilating Engineer.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S. of the Agency for Foreign Patent
Solicitors 6, Lord Street Liverpool in the County of Lancaster and 323 High
Holborn in the County of Middlesex Civil 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 :-
This invention consists in a new method of and apparatus for decomposing the
fecal deposits in buildings, it being allied to that class of devices known as dry
closets.
The object of the invention is to dispense with the use of water closets, and the
entire apparatus connected therewith and to substitute therefor a simple and cheap
system of dry closets, in which the fecal deposits are dried or desiccated by a current
of air, and in which they may be consumed by fire.
1 will now proceed to describe the invention as applied in practice.
Figures 1. and 2. are transverse vertical sections of a portion of a building showing
the improvements applied thereto;
Figures 3 and 4 are transverse vertical sections of the hopper as applied to the
vault;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the hoppers with its supporting plate and,
Figures 6 and 7 show an arrangement of drain tile in the vault."
In Figures 1 and 2 are represented a portion of a building, which is preferably
ventilated by drawing the foul air from the various rooms through registers or
screens located at or near the floor, and from thence under the floor to a foul-air
gathering-room or duct A, preferably located in the basement, from which room or
duct the air is conducted to a large ventilating shaft I, which extends above the roof,
and through which the foul air passes to the outer atmosphere above and away from
the windows or doors of the building.
In order to ventilate under the floor, the well known plan is adopted of placing

page_text: strips at right angles across the floor joists, and securing the floor boards to those
strips, so that the air can have free passage under the floor in any direction desired,
to enable it to reach ducts leading to the foul air room A, thus enabling these ducts
to be arranged whore most convenient. From the rooms above, the air may be
brought down in ducts built in the walls or partitions, or the ducts may be located
in the corners of the rooms, or in hallways, or wherever most convenient, the
only requirement in this respect being, that ducts shall be so arranged and of
sufficient capacity to conduct the required quantity of air from each and all of the
rooms of the building to one or more foul air gathering rooms, and from thence to
the ventilating shaft at or near its base.
Inasmuch as the location and arrangeinent of these ducts must be varied to suit
the different buildings, it is deemed unnecessary to attempt any more detailed
description; as they will necessarily be arranged by the engineer or architect in
charge of the work.
It will of course be understood, that a heating apparatus for the building will be
so applied as to supply the requisito amount of fresh air and heat for all the rooms,
large furnaces generally being used for that purpose, though other kinds of heaters
may be used, provided care be taken to supply the requisite amount of fresh air.
The building being thus prepared, a vault D is constructed for the reception of
the deposits, as shown in figures 1 & 2, it being preferably built against one end of
the walls in the basement, and connected by an opening at one end to the ventilating
shaft I, and at its opposite end to the foul air room A, so that all the air which passes
from the various rooms to the foul air room as above explained will be drawn
through the vault D, and thence out through the shaft 1.
The vault D is made fire proof its walls being of brick or stone, and being covered
with metal plates c as shown in figure 3, or it may be arched at the top as shown in
figure 4, and be wholly of masonry work. If the metal plates be used they should
be so constructed and set as to render the joints air tight and fire proof. They may
be roughened on their upper surface to prevent slipping, as shown in figure 5, or
they may, after being laid, be covered with a flooring of boards, or cement, if
preferred. In figure 5, where the vault is archod, m, represents a floor of boards or
cement, according to the choice of the builder.
Upon the floor over the vault are built the necessary closets or private rooms as
indicated in figures 1 and 2, each being provided with a hopper, J, the construction
of which is shown in detail in figures, 3, 4, and 5. These hoppers are made of fire
proof material, preferably of cast iron, and are securely bolted or otherwise fastened
to the flour as shown. They are provided with a wooden seat g which rests partly on
the top of the hopper, and is supported by a flange for any similar projection and
securely fastened in place. Each hopper J is also provided with a cover G, which
has a flange l, that projects down into the top of the hopper, past the edge of the
wooden seat g, so as to protect it from fire, as hereinafter explained. The cover is
hinged to a bracket k which projects from the rear side of the hopper by a bolt i
which passes through two arms t of the cover. These arins are widened at their
rear, so that when the cover is raised the projections o of the arms will rest upon a
rear projection n, of the bracket k, thus serving as a stop to hold the covers from
falling over back. They are also provided with a handle at the front side as
shown.
Where a separate urinal is used, as for the boys' departiment of a school building,
a trough is arranged against the wall in a room E, adjoining the closets, as shown in
figure 1, and the fluid conducted by a spout into the vault, or preferably into the
base of the ventilating shaft, if convenient to so arrange it.
There should be no outlet for the air from any of the closet rooms, except through
the hoppers, and the urinal, so as to secure, a draft of air from the closets into the
vault, there always being a strong draft up the ventilating shaft, which will suck air
through every open joint or crevice from the closets, into the vault or shaft.
The bottom of the vault should be made water-tight, and should incline towards
the base of the ventilating shaft, so that whatever fluid. there may be, will flow

page_text: towards or into the base of the shaft. In cases where there is an excess of fluid
matter, either from the urinals, or from water soaking in from the carth, as may
sometimes occur where the site is damp, or where springs or veins of water are
found in making the excavation a depression is made along the bottom of the vault D,
as shown in figure 6, and porous drain tile a' is laid therein, the whole length of the
vaults, as indicated by the dotted lines in figure 7, and these are connected to a drain
pipe d of glazed terra cotta or metal, as shown in figure 7, this drain pipe being
extended beyond the walls of the building and connected with the sower or other
outside drain. The tile a' should be covered by a layer b of coarse sand, charcoal,
broken stone or similar material through which any fluid there may be will percolate
and thus reach and enter the porous tile a', while the solid matter will remain on its
surface, where it will be subjected to the operation of the current of air which passes
through the vault.
It will of course be understood that when a fire is started in the furnace or
apparatus for heating the building, the warm and rarefied air will ascend through
the heat flues, and enter the various rooms, and as there is no outlet except at or
near the floor, as above stated, the warm air will arrange itself in a horizontal strata
across the room next to the ceiling, which as the supply continues will soon fill all
parts of the room, thus heating every part of the room uniformly, until it is filled
down to the outlets at the floor, when the cooler portion will flow out, pass under
the floor and from thence through the ducts to the foul-air gathering room A, and
from thence through the vault D and out through the shaft I. As soon as the
shaft I is thoroughly warmed, a strong draft is created through it, thus ensuring a
most thorough ventilation of all parts of the building, the foul-air being drawn out
as fast as the fresh warm air enters the rooms. In order to warm the ventilating
shaft the smoke flue for the furnaces or heating apparatus, is preferably built up
alongside this shaft with a singlo thickness of brick or of metal plates between them.
In some cases it may be desirable to use a metal smoke-flue, in which case it is
located within the ventilating shaft, the latter being made of the necessary size.
In order to enable this closet to be used in warm weather when no heating of the
building is required, an opening C, is made through the outer wall, as shown in
figures 1 and 2, for the admission of air, from the exterior of the building direct
to the vault D, this opening being provided with a suitable guard or grating to
prevent the entrance of animals, and with a door a for closing it when desired.
Trap doors are also provided for the foul-air room A, shown closed in figure 1 and
open in figure, 2, by which all communication between the rooms of the building
and the vault D can bo closed at will. By this arrangement the air can be drawn
from within or from without the building for the vault, at pleasure.
In order to insure a positive draft through the vault when the building is not
heated, as for instance during hot weather, a small heater or furnace H, figure 1, is
located within the ventilating shaft I, so that by building a small fire therein, the
air in the shaft will be rarefied, and caused to ascend, thus creating a draft through
the vault D. This heater H has its doors for receiving the fuel and for removing
the ashes, arranged to open out through the wall of the shaft as shown, so as to be
accessible from the outside of the shaft.. While it is shown as set at the floor of the
shaft it is preferably elevated a fow feet on suitable supports, as it is then inore
certain to start the current upward through the shaft, and prevent the possibility of
its moving in a reverse direction.
Or if preferred a fan N, may be used instead, as shown in figure 2, for creating a
draft, P indicating a small engine and boiler for operating the same.
In the case
of a steam heated building, steam pipes may be arranged within the shaft to create a
draft.
With the closets having their vaults thus connected with the ventilating shaft, so
that a strong current of air is constantly passing through the vault, the result is, that
the fecal deposits in the vault are desiccated, the moisture all being evaporated or
taken up by the passing current of air, together with all foul odors, and carried off
through the shaft I, into the outer atmosphere, above the roof of the building, and

page_text: •
which being warm and lighter than the air, float upward or are carried away by the
winds, so there is no danger of their entering the building, even when the doors or
windows are open, as in warm weather. When the building is heated, the air which
leaves the rooms is never at less than about 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and as this warm
dry air passes through the vault D, the rapidity with which it dries up or desiccates
the matter in the vault, is such that as a general rule, no moisture is to be found
therein at the close of the day.
Even where the building is occupied during the day time only, the heat of the
furnace chamber, the brick walls of the shaft et-cetera, are sufficient to keep up a
draft for hours after the fire is out; so that practically the air current is continuous,
day and night. The result is, not only that the deposits are thus desiccated or dried,
but they are also greatly reduced in volume, the accumulation in a building occupied
by four hundred school children for a period of four months forming a mass not
exceeding two bushels in quantity. When thus thoroughly dried, it is not necessary
to remove the deposits from the vault, but simply to set fire to the mass as it will
burn readily. They can therefore be burned as they lie in the vault, the smoke
passing off up the shaft I, leaving only a small amount of ash in the vault. When
properly constructed there is no possibility of any odor entering the building, as
experiment has demonstrated that the air passes through the vault at a velocity of
about 600 feet per minute, and that when the cover of one of the hoppers was
raised the air passed down it into the vault at the rate of 160 cubic feet per
minute.
If preferred the dried deposits may be removed and used in the preparation of
fertilizers, or can be used for such purpose without further preparation, it being
practically odorless.
By this system of dry closets, the whole system of water-closets, with their foul
odors, leaking pipes, and valves can be dispensed with, and far better results attained
at much less cost. By burning the deposits in the vault, all desease-generating germs
are absolutely destroyed, and the vault thoroughly purified; and by making the vault
fire proof as described, this can be done without the least danger to the building, or
any unpleasant result to its occupants. Another advantage of this system is, that it
can be applied in small villages or in the country where there is no water service. If
desired the urinals can be supplied with water in the usual manner, and be connected
with the sewers or outside drains where such exist, without at all affecting the
operation of the dry closet.
This system of dry closets is especially adapted to public buildings in which a large
number of persons are congregated, such as school buildings, public offices, factories,
soldier's quarters, and the like, as it not only provides the cheapest and best sanitary
system of closets, but also secures uniform temperature in all parts of the various
rooms with a thorough ventilation, ensuring an amply supply of pure fresh air for the
occupants.
An incidental advantage of ventilating under the floor is, that they are kept dry
and warm, and this is a special benefit in the case of school children, who not
un frequently sit for hours with their shoes damp in consequence of having to travel
in the wet or mud, particularly in the country districts.
It will of course be understood, that there may be any number of closets,
ventilating shafts, and foul air gathering rooms or ducts according to the size
of the building, the only requisite in this particular being that the air shall be
made to pass through the vault into the ventilating shaft and out through the
same.
It is obvious, that if preferred, the closets with their vault and ventilating shaft
may be located outside of the main building in an annex or separate structure, it only
being necessary to convey the air from the foul air rooms of the main building by a
duct or pipes to the vault and through it to the ventilating shaft. In practice however
this is found unnecessary, as not the slightest odor is found in any of the rooms when
the apparatus is located within the building. Moreover such an arrangement would
be expensive and require more rooms.

page_text: It is also proposed to apply this system of dry closets to garrisons and camps,
and it may be used with troops in the field by making it of metal and of a portable
form, with such modifications as will readily suggest themselves to skilled mechanics,
to adapt it to such use.
This system of closets can be easily and cheaply applied to buildings already
constructed, but it is of course preferable to provide for it in the erection of buildings,
when that can be done. It may also be remarked that the plan of ventilating under
the floors is not absolutely necessary to this system of dry closets, as it is obvious
that the air may be taken from the rooms at any point desired, and by suitably
arranged ducts bo conveyed to the vault; Or the air may be taken wholly from the
outside and be entirely disconnected from the ventilation of the rooms, and be made
to produce the same results so far as the closets are concerned, but the plan of
ventilating under the floor is preferred as it combines other advantages, and all things
considered, is found to give the best results, especially during that portion of the year
when it is necessary to heat the building.
It is obvious that a heater may be located at the inlet end of the vault if desired to
heat the air when it is taken from the outside, or when there is no heat in the
building, but this is not considered necessary as a general rule, though it may be in
some exceptional cases.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The herein described system of dry closets, consisting of a vault D for the
reception of the fecal deposits, said vault being connected at one end to a ventilating
or exhaust shaft with incans for creating a draft through the same, and at its opposite
end with an air inlet for air, arranged to draw the air from within or from without
the building, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2. The fire proof vault D provided with fire proof hoppers in combination with the
ventilating or exhaust shaft 1, with an air inlet at the opposite end of said vault, to
enable the deposits after being dried, to be burned in the vault as set forth.
3. The hopper J, provided with a wooden seat g, and a cover G, provided with a
flange l, arranged to fit within the mouth of the hopper substantially as and for the
purpose described.
4. The combination in a building of the ventilating shaft I, the vault D, the foul-
air room or duct A, with ducts leading thereto from the various rooms of the building
and means for closing communication between the foul air room A, and the other
rooms of the building, and an air inlet C to admit air from the exterior of the
building, all constructed and arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
5. The combination of the vault D with the direct air inlet C and the ventilating
shaft I, provided with ineans for creating a draft of air through the same, substantially
as and for the purpose set forth.
6. In a vault, for a dry closet, the arrangement of the porous pipes a, in combination
with the drain pipos, substantially as shown and described.
7. In combination with the vault D of a dry closet the porous pipe a, covered with
a layer of sand or similar porous material substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
8. The combined arrangements for ventilating and sanitating a building, sub-
stantially as described and illustrated.