Improvements in Water Filters and Cisterns.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Dec., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 8th Sept., 1892-Accepted, 12th Nov., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Water Filters and Cisterns.
WILLIAM HUBERT PARKER of Elmhurst, Barry Road, East Dulwich, Surrey,
Journalist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
It is well known that a current of electricity when passed through water liberates
a certain amount of hydrogen and oxygen. It is also established that disease
germs are rendered wholly harmless in the presence of nascent oxygen. I therefore
pass an electric current, either of an alternating or continuous character through a
water filter or cistern with the view of oxygenating the water and rendering the
same wholesome and fit for drinking and other purposes..
Dated this 7th day of December 1891.
WILLIAM HUBERT PARKER.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Water Filters and Cisterns.
I, WILLIAM HUBERT PARKER of Elmhurst, Barry Road, East Dulwich,
London but now of Holt Lodge, Hook near Winchfield in the County of Hants
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:-
It is generally understood that noxious or disease germs or bacilli are rendered
harmless by the action upon them of a sufficient quantity of nascent oxygen. The
general scientific opinion is that the bacilli live upon the organic matter suspended
in the water, and that the nascent oxygen liberated by electrolytic action acts
upon this organic matter and destroys it as food for the bacilli thus rendering the
bacilli harmless by starving them. Now according to my invention I heat water
in a filter or cistern with nascent oxygen which I produce therein by electrolytical
action for the purpose of destroying or rendering harmless the disease germs or
bacilli that may be contained in the water and thus preventing the propagation of
disease. The oxygen also acts in a general way as a purifier of the water by
oxydizing the oxydizable impurities therein thus rendering the water more whole-
some and aërating it at the same time if desired. For producing the oxygen 1
provide the filter or cistern with means for electrolytically evolving oxygen and
and hydrogen, a suitable continous electrical current being supplied from a dynamo,
battery or other suitable source and I cause the oxygen to pass through the water
while the hydrogen is allowed to escape or is passed off by a pipe. When the
invention is applied to a cistern an occasional electrolytical action is effected.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a vertical section and Fig. 2 a horizontal section of a form of filter
adapted to carry out my invention but I do not limit myself to this form.
In this example A is the lower and B the upper compartment of the filter: the
upper one B is provided with usual filtering medium or media for mechanical or
chemical, or combined mechanical and chemical action upon the water in any suit-
able well known manner. C is the perforated diaphragm or porous partition
between the two compartments. In the lower part of the bottom compartiment A
is placed the electrode D, and above the same the electrode E. The distance
between the two electrodes is according to the pressure of the electric current
used and the electrodes may be adjusted as to distance apart by any suitable

page_text: means. The wires D' and E¹ lead up through a passage A¹ formed in the side of
the filter and out through apertures A'. Or one of the wires may be taken up
through a separate passage A, thus obviating the necessity of insulating the wires.
The oxygen evolved at the electrode D rises up into the water in the filtering
compartment B and the hydrogen evolved at the electrode E rises up in the
passage A and escapes by the apertures A' into the air or may be led off by a pipe
to any desired place. The electrode D may be an earthenware frame or ring with
upstanding pegs having platinum wire wound thereon as shown. The electrode E
may be a piece of platinum foil. If a battery must be employed as a source of
electricity I recommend a current of not less than 20 volts as suitable for the
purpose in view.
Any oxygen not absorbed by the water in the filtering compartment after having
acted upon or oxygenized the impurities therein escapes through perforations in
the filter lid B' or in any other suitable manner. The generation of too much
oxygen is beneficial in many cases, as, besides aërating the water in the filter or
cistern, it assists in purifying the surrounding atmosphere. This is of great use
and importance in sick rooms. The escape of hydrogen in large quantities into
the rooms or other interior parts of a building is harmless except in very confined
spaces, but under ordinary conditions of the uses of filters it diffuses so rapidly that
no special precautions are necessary. However, under special circumstances,
hydrogen may as stated be led away from the passage A' by a pipe into the outer
atmosphere so as to avoid all possibility of an explosive mixture being formed. I
have found it impossible under all ordinary circumstances to obtain an explosive
mixture of hydrogen and oxygen by means of this apparatus even when the two
electrodes are placed directly above one another in the compartment A. I have
found the usual pressure of current (100 volts) as used in electric light installations
well adapted for use with this filter. For most purposes I prefer electrodes of
platinum. For special purposes such as for the impregnation of the water with
iron or other suitable material I may use electrodes of such material.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. The application and use in water cisterns and filters of electrolytical
appliances for producing oxygen and applying the same to the purifying of the
water.
2. The application and use in water cisterns and filters of electrolytical
appliances for producing oxygen and applying the same to the purifying of the
water the electrodes being of iron or other suitable material for impregnating the
water with such material.
3. The adaptation and application to a water filter or cistern of electrolytical
appliances in the manner described with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 8th day of September 1892.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.